Attack x Sound

Nen can only be countered by Nen.

This is common knowledge.

When facing an opponent who might possess a counter-attack type ability, using an Operation system ability is the optimal choice.

However, both Kan Kai and Talia are Enhancers.

Still, the high margin for error inherent in the Enhancer specialization can actually minimize the risks of probing.

Therefore, what truly troubled Kan Kai wasn't the enemy's hidden intentions behind their feigned strength, nor their potentially prepared counter-attack abilities, but rather...

The constraints of protecting the client's safety, combined with the current inescapable environment, left him feeling utterly restricted.

Hearing Talia's declaration at this moment, Kan Kai didn't feel the problem was solved at all. He even felt like rolling his eyes, but he held back.

Saying not to worry about life or death was certainly a lighthearted remark...

If the mission failed, his lifelong reputation would be ruined.

Kan Kai remained silent, pretending he hadn't heard Talia's words. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the door, as if his gaze could penetrate directly to the center of the aura.

"I have already submitted a report to the Hunter Association stating that the commission has been successfully completed."

Talia's voice suddenly came from behind him. Kan Kai was slightly taken aback.

"What?"

He couldn't help but turn to look at Talia, who was lightly shaking her phone.

Talia's expression remained as calm as still water. She said faintly, "You should receive confirmation of the commission's completion very soon."

"..."

Kan Kai was stunned, and then he felt his phone vibrate slightly.

Taking out his phone to check, he indeed received a confirmation message for the completed commission, along with information about the enormous sum of money that had been transferred to his account in real-time.

"Aren't you afraid I'll just run off?"

Kan Kai looked up at Talia with a strange expression, as if he were meeting his former client for the first time.

Talia put down her phone, unconcerned by Talia's anxious expression beside her. A faint smile appeared on her cool face. "The assassin gave you a choice of two, so I'll give you a choice of two as well. Even if you choose to run, I will accept that outcome with equanimity."

In her words, she even consciously avoided the word "flee"...

Because there was no need for any so-called provocation.

This was Talia's decision, made from the bottom of her heart.

"Tch."

Kan Kai put away his phone. Since the noble princess herself dared to put her life on the line, there was no reason for him to be hesitant.

As for running...?

What a joke.

It was an act that would only tarnish the identity of a Professional Hunter. He would rather force himself to write a thousand-word essay on the subject than do it.

"Talia, look after her."

Leaving that sentence behind, Kan Kai pushed open the door and walked out.

Outside the door was a corridor only three meters long, and at the end of the corridor was a spacious lounge area with sofas.

As soon as Kan Kai exited the room, he saw a man standing in the lounge area.

The source of the aura was this man.

"Yo, you're out."

The man was Muer, and he smiled somewhat provocatively.

Kan Kai took two steps forward, his Nen surging visibly. "You look quite relaxed..."

"Scary, scary."

Looking at the Nen Kan Kai released, which was far more potent than his own, Muer maintained his provocative smile, but a sense of crisis filled his heart.

A spatial ability of the counter-attack type, combined with the pre-prepared Divine Script amplification...

Even with such preparations, Muer still lacked sufficient confidence.

The reason wasn't entirely due to Kan Kai's Twelve Zodiacs identity, but rather the overwhelming Nen intensity Kan Kai displayed.

Seeing it up close with his own eyes was far more convincing than any hearsay.

"If I get hit by your attack, I'll die on the spot, won't I?"

Muer also released his maximum aura output. However, a portion of his Nen was used on the Divine Script, causing his total amount to be less than 50% of Kan Kai's.

Despite this obvious and significant disparity, it couldn't determine the outcome of the battle.

This was because the myriad and unpredictable nature of Nen introduced too many unknowns into a fight.

Kan Kai looked at Muer expressionlessly and took a step forward.

Judging solely by the difference in aura output, he could certainly defeat Muer with a single punch.

However, assuming the opponent might possess a counter-attack Nen ability, he couldn't afford to unleash his full offensive power in the first exchange.

When dealing with counter-attack (retaliatory) abilities, the worst thing you can do is go all-in from the start.

Even if it could instantly kill the opponent, it might also trigger the conditions, resulting in a Pyrrhic victory where you harm the enemy but also severely damage yourself.

Let's try to figure out the ability type first. It might not even be a counter-attack ability; it's just an extra step of probing, after all...

Kan Kai mused silently.

Battles between Nen users, especially in the first round, are mostly about probing, like cautiously navigating through fog.

For Kan Kai, in his current situation, if he could have a full map (information), he wouldn't need to be this overly cautious.

The battle was imminent.

But just then, a sudden, deafening roar echoed throughout the entire airship.

The sound came from the room behind Kan Kai.

Kan Kai's pupils constricted. The moment he heard the sound, he understood that someone had violently breached the ceiling and directly entered the client's room.

"Hmm?"

In the extremely brief moment Kan Kai was shaken by the tremendous noise, Muer utilized the information gap, flashed to Kan Kai's side, and then pulled out a long, pointed fruit knife, stabbing towards Kan Kai's carotid artery.

This was clearly a pre-arranged plan, designed to seize this opportunity for an attack filled with chilling killing intent.

Kan Kai reacted, stimulated by the intense killing intent, and reflexively defended and counter-attacked.

But the moment he threw his punch, he knew something was wrong.

Bang!

His punch, thrown in haste without proper force control, landed on Muer's outstretched elbow with a late but decisive blow.

Crack.

With a sickening sound, Muer's body was sent flying backward. His arm, lacking sufficient defense, suffered a sudden comminuted fracture.

Then Kan Kai saw Muer smile.

This bastard... he had a double safeguard!

Kan Kai's eyes narrowed, and he then saw a ripple effect, like water, distort the surrounding environment for a moment.

The walls, ceiling, and sofa in the lounge area were all still there, but they were now tinged with an old yellowish hue.

At the same time.

His arm throbbed with intense pain, hanging limply.

Kan Kai quickly glanced at his right arm and instantly understood the reason.

It was indeed a counter-attack ability, possessing the effect of distributing damage, and it was spatial in nature.

This is troublesome...

Bang!

A loud noise suddenly erupted.

Moro walked through the corridor, still feeling the slight tremor of the ground.

"A blatant attack."

He glanced back in the direction of the sound; it was clearly Kan Kai's area.

Fortunately, he wasn't too close, or he would have been caught up in it by now.

Moro withdrew his gaze, arrived at the corridor outside the cockpit, and then stopped.

"En."

The Nen surrounding Moro's body instantly expanded outwards like luminous patterns, passing through the floor, walls, and ceiling in a spherical shape, allowing him to probe into the cockpit.

"Oh?"

As En swept through the captain's cabin, Moro keenly sensed something unusual.

Such a massive commotion, and yet the person inside showed no panicked reaction, especially when touched by En.

"Is he being controlled?"

Moro wondered to himself.