Chapter 16: Mizaistom Appears
Leo's gaze swept over the remaining Waldeck gunmen in the distance—still over forty of them, scattered behind cover throughout the estate, still exchanging fire with Colton's guards.
He didn't immediately go to assist Goreinu, deciding instead to clear out the lesser threats first.
His body, enhanced to Level 25, granted him strength and precision far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Leo bent down and picked up a fist-sized piece of rubble from beside his foot.
Nen flowed slowly, gathering in his right hand. His fingers tightened, muscles tensing.
Whoosh!
The sound of the projectile cutting through the air was sharp and piercing.
Fifty meters away, a gunman hiding behind a car had just peeked out when the stone struck his head with pinpoint accuracy.
Thud! His skull instantly caved in and deformed, blood spraying out!
Without pause, Leo picked up another stone and hurled it.
Squelch!
Another one down.
Thump!
A third.
His movements were concise and fluid, each throw accompanied by a dull impact and the end of a life.
In his hands, the stones became invitations from the reaper, each one lethally precise—whether the target was hiding behind cover or on the move.
For an Enhancement Type, a body tempered through relentless training was the finest weapon.
The Waldeck gunmen quickly realized what was happening.
Panic spread like a plague. Some tried to locate the source of the stones, others turned to flee, but without exception—
Anyone who entered Leo's line of sight would have a stone pierce their vitals the very next second.
A massacre.
In just three minutes, all forty-three gunmen lay on the ground.
The gunfire within the estate abruptly ceased. In the ensuing silence, only the rustle of wind through leaves and the distant sounds of Goreinu's battle remained.
The tattoo on the back of his hand continued to radiate warmth.
The prompt [Aura +100] appeared repeatedly, eventually converging into two stronger surges of heat that washed over his entire body.
Two levels jumped in succession.
[Level: 27 (0.5%)]
A faint tingling sensation spread through his muscles and bones as his five senses sharpened once more—Leo could clearly hear Goreinu's heavy breathing from a hundred meters away and see the droplets of blood congealing on the tip of Gabriel's blade.
"Killing really is one of the fastest ways to level up," he thought to himself, but immediately suppressed the notion. Power could be pursued, but he must not lose himself in it.
He turned and looked toward the other battlefield.
Goreinu's situation was precarious. He already bore multiple wounds, blood staining the bandages wrapped around him.
Black Goreinu was pockmarked with dents, clearly the price of withstanding Nen Bullets; White Goreinu had also slowed down, allowing Gabriel to leave cuts all over its body.
Terrence continuously circled and fired from a distance, his Nen Bullets following tricky trajectories.
Gabriel, meanwhile, lurked like a venomous snake, seizing every opening whenever Goreinu was distracted by the Nen Bullets to strike with lightning speed.
Once again.
Goreinu rolled sideways to evade three Nen Bullets, which exploded on the ground behind him.
Gabriel instantly appeared at his back, thrusting his sword straight toward Goreinu's heart.
When the blade tip was just ten centimeters from his back—
Whoosh!
The sound of a projectile cutting through the air rang out again.
A stone struck Gabriel's wrist with pinpoint accuracy.
The crisp sound of shattering bone was clearly audible as the sword flew from his grip.
Gabriel grunted in pain, turning his head in shock.
Terrence also froze for a moment.
Seizing this critical opportunity, Goreinu activated his Nen.
White Goreinu instantly swapped positions with him, putting ten meters of distance between them.
Leo had already arrived at Goreinu's side, his steps steady.
"Can you still hold on?" he asked.
Goreinu crouched on the ground, panting heavily. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Terrence stared at Leo, his expression grim.
"Is Theodore dead?"
Leo didn't answer, simply standing in place as Nen erupted violently around him.
Pale white Aura surged like flames, the ground beneath his feet cracking inch by inch.
But its intensity far surpassed that of an ordinary Nen user—the sheer volume of Aura after twenty-seven levels of physical enhancement was extraordinary.
Terrence understood.
He adjusted his glasses, his tone low.
"Then I know. If you want our lives, come and get them."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he had already pulled the trigger.
Five Nen Bullets shot out in a fan-shaped spread, sealing off all of Leo's possible angles of evasion.
At the same time, Gabriel picked up his blade with his left hand, his figure shooting forward like an arrow, the edge of the blade aimed straight for Leo's throat.
Leo neither dodged nor evaded.
The Nen Bullets struck the "Ken" surrounding him, producing crisp metallic clangs as shockwaves exploded outward, yet they failed to penetrate even slightly.
Leo's body merely trembled faintly, completely unharmed.
Gabriel's blade had already arrived.
The blade was fast, but within Leo's enhanced dynamic vision, every trace of its trajectory was clearly visible.
He shifted his body slightly to the side, the blade grazing past his neck, missing his skin by mere millimeters.
Gabriel's pupils contracted as he changed his move and thrust again.
Leo once again avoided it with effortless ease.
For the next two minutes, Gabriel pushed his speed to the limit.
The blade's light transformed into a silver storm, attacking from every angle... each slash capable of being fatal.
But Leo remained completely at ease.
He strolled leisurely within the storm of blades, each movement minimal, yet always avoiding them by a hair's breadth.
He was observing, analyzing, figuring out Gabriel's combat habits, force exertion rhythm, and pattern of changing moves.
Two minutes later, Leo moved.
No longer evading.
As Gabriel slashed diagonally, Leo didn't sidestep. Instead, he stepped forward.
At the instant the blade was about to touch his shoulder, he pushed off the ground with his left foot, creating a shallow crater as Nen energy frantically converged toward his leg.
A skip-step side kick.
The speed of this kick exceeded Gabriel's reaction limit.
He only felt an unimaginable force strike his abdomen, as if his internal organs had instantly shifted. A mouthful of blood sprayed out as his body flew backward like a torn sack.
In the moment he was sent flying, Leo's right hand had already shot out, swift as lightning, accurately seizing Gabriel's ankle.
Crack.
Leo's arm muscles bulged as he swung Gabriel up and smashed him viciously into the ground.
The earth trembled, debris flying.
Gabriel vomited blood again, his consciousness already fading.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud—!
Leo's expression remained impassive as he alternated left and right, violently smashing.
Each time, he slammed Gabriel's entire body into the ground with such force that every impact dented the earth, blood blooming like flowers.
This brutal scene filled the surviving Colton members in the distance with terror.
Some covered their mouths, some turned away, some had their legs go weak as they collapsed to the ground.
Five times, ten times...
When Leo stopped, Gabriel had become a twisted, pulpy mess, devoid of any breath.
A warm sensation came from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Aura +275]
[Level: 27 (18%)]
Leo released his grip, the corpse sliding limply to the ground. He turned to look at Terrence.
Terrence's face was deathly pale, his eyes behind his glasses filled with fear.
Without the slightest hesitation, he fired over a dozen Nen Bullets at Goreinu in rapid succession, then turned and sprinted madly toward the manor wall.
Goreinu recalled his two Nen Beasts to block in front of him, enduring the Nen Bullets, powerless to pursue.
Just as Terrence was about to flee, he spotted a yellow card beneath a tree ahead.
Leo was about to move when a calm yet penetrating voice came from beside the trees at the edge of the estate.
"Courtroom—Yellow Card Warning."
As the words fell, a pale yellow light screen descended from the sky, precisely enveloping the fleeing Terrence.
Like an insect trapped in amber, his movements abruptly halted, frozen mid-leap in the air.
Immediately afterward, a figure stepped forward.
Black suit, white shirt, an impeccably tied tie, a stern face, and eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
He landed without a sound, walking steadily toward the immobilized Terrence, each step firm and deliberate.
Leo recognized the newcomer.
Mizaistom Nana—one of the Twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association, a Double-Star Crime Hunter, renowned for his fairness and rigor. His ability, "Cross Game," allowed him to establish rules and enforce them.
He had indeed come.
Leo helped the exhausted Goreinu to his feet. "Are you alright?"
"Thankfully, you were here, or things would have been troublesome."
Goreinu gasped, forcing a bitter smile. "Thanks."
Mizaistom walked up to the two, his gaze first sweeping over Gabriel's corpse, then turning to Leo, and finally settling on Goreinu.
"I apologize, but I must take this one who attempted to flee."
His tone was calm but left no room for doubt.
"He has committed multiple crimes—killing twenty-three civilians, orchestrating two terrorist attacks, with solid evidence. So, please do not interfere."
Leo shook his head.
"I won't stop you. I know who you are, Mizaistom Nana, one of the Twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association, a Double-Star Crime Hunter. It's perfectly reasonable for you to capture him."
A flicker of surprise crossed Mizaistom's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged.
He had actually arrived long ago—observing from a tree before Leo even joined the fray.
He hadn't intervened for two reasons: first, to confirm the identities of both sides, and second, because Leo's displayed strength had astonished him, prompting him to wait and watch.
Leo continued.
"Moreover, I know that the Terrence you're after is a member of the 'Cleansers' organization. You're investigating this group, aren't you?"
Mizaistom's gaze sharpened instantly.
"That intelligence on the Hunter information website about the Cleansers operating in Toto City."
Leo met his eyes.
"We were the ones who posted it. Precisely to draw you here."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"You want to capture these individuals, while I want to eliminate the threat permanently. As you've seen, they've already come to attack. I don't want to face their retaliation in the future."
Leo extended his hand.
"So, I'd like to cooperate with you. My name is Leo."
Mizaistom fell silent.
His gaze lingered on Leo's face for ten seconds, as if assessing the sincerity and risks of the proposal.
Then, he made his decision.
"If you know about the Cleansers organization, it means you're well-prepared."
Mizaistom reached out and shook Leo's hand.
"In that case, we can cooperate. But on one condition—all actions must be legal and under my command."
"Of course."
Leo smiled.
"Pleasure working with you."
Their hands clasped firmly together.
In the distance, Terrence, immobilized by the Yellow Card, was filled with despair.
The downfall of the Cleansers organization had just begun.