A Shocking First Battle, Mizaistom Appears

Leo's gaze swept over the remaining Voldek gunmen in the distance—more than forty of them, scattered behind cover throughout the estate and still exchanging fire with Colton's guards.

He did not go help Goreinu immediately. Instead, he decided to clear out the fodder first.

His Level 25-enhanced body granted him strength and precision far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Leo bent down and picked up a fist-sized chunk of rubble by his feet.

Aura flowed slowly, gathering in his right hand. His five fingers curled inward, and his muscles tensed.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of tearing air was sharp and piercing.

Fifty meters away, a gunman hiding behind a car had just poked his head out when the stone struck him squarely in the skull.

Splat! His head instantly caved in and warped, blood spraying everywhere!

Without pausing, Leo picked up another stone and threw it.

Splat!

Another one.

Bang!

A third.

His movements were simple and fluid. Every throw came with a dull impact and the end of a life.

The stones became Death's invitations in his hands, every shot incomparably precise—whether the target was hiding behind cover or on the move.

For an Enhancer, a body tempered through countless trials was the finest weapon.

The Voldek gunmen quickly realized what was happening.

Panic spread like a plague. Some tried to locate the stone thrower, while others turned to flee, but there were no exceptions.

As long as they entered Leo's field of vision, a stone would pierce a vital spot the next second.

A massacre.

In just three minutes, all forty-three gunmen fell.

The gunfire in the estate abruptly ceased. In the dead silence, only the rustling of wind through the leaves remained, along with the distant sounds of Goreinu's battle.

Warmth continued to pulse from the tattoo on the back of his hand.

The notifications of [Life Energy +100] came one after another, eventually merging into two stronger currents of heat that washed through his entire body.

He had gained two levels in a row.

[Level: 27 (0.5%)]

A faint tingling spread through his muscles and bones, and his five senses rose again—Leo could clearly hear Goreinu's labored breathing a hundred meters away and see the beads of blood gathering on Gabri's blade.

As expected, killing people is one of the fastest ways to grow stronger.

He thought to himself, then immediately suppressed the thought. Power could be pursued, but he could not lose himself in it.

He turned toward the other battlefield.

Goreinu's situation was dire. He already had multiple wounds, and blood had soaked the bandages wrapped around him.

The "Black Sage" was covered in dents and pits, clearly the price of taking aura bullets head-on. The "White Sage" was also half a beat slower, with Gabri having left blade wounds all over its body.

Terrence kept circling and firing from afar, his aura bullets taking tricky trajectories.

Gabri, meanwhile, waited like a venomous snake. Whenever Goreinu exposed an opening while dealing with the aura bullets, he would dart in like lightning.

Once again.

Goreinu rolled sideways to evade three aura bullets, which exploded against the ground behind him.

Gabri instantly appeared at his back, the Bian Clan Saber thrusting straight toward his heart.

When the blade was only ten centimeters from Goreinu's back—

"Whoosh!"

The sound of tearing air rang out again.

A stone struck Gabri's knife hand squarely on the wrist.

The crisp crack of shattering bone was clearly audible, and the Bian Clan Saber flew from his grasp.

Gabri grunted and turned his head in shock.

Terrence froze for a moment as well.

Seizing that fleeting opportunity, Goreinu activated his aura—he instantly switched places with the "White Sage," opening a distance of ten meters.

Leo had already arrived at Goreinu's side, his steps steady.

"Can you still hold on?" he asked.

Goreinu crouched halfway to the ground, gasping for breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Terrence stared at Leo, his expression ugly.

"Is Theodore dead?"

Leo did not answer. He simply stood where he was as aura erupted explosively around him.

Pale white aura rose like flames, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.

"Ken," but with an intensity far beyond that of an ordinary Nen user—the aura reserves of a body enhanced to Level 27 were no small matter.

Terrence understood.

He pushed up his glasses, his voice low.

"Then I understand. If you want our lives, come and take them."

Before his words had faded, he pulled the trigger.

Five aura bullets shot out in a fan, sealing off every angle Leo could use to evade.

At the same time, Gabri picked up his saber with his left hand and dove forward like an arrow, his blade aimed straight at Leo's throat.

Leo neither dodged nor retreated.

The aura bullets struck his "Ken" with sharp metallic clinks. The shockwaves burst outward, but they failed to penetrate even a fraction.

Leo's body merely trembled slightly. He was completely unharmed.

Gabri's blade had arrived.

The saber was fast, but in Leo's enhanced dynamic vision, every trace of its path was crystal clear.

He shifted slightly, and the blade grazed past his neck, only millimeters from his skin.

Gabri's pupils constricted as he changed moves and thrust again.

Leo avoided it just as effortlessly.

Over the next two minutes, Gabri pushed his speed to the limit.

Blade light became a silver storm, attacking from every angle... every slash was enough to kill.

Yet Leo remained completely at ease.

He strolled through the storm of blades. Each movement was minimal, yet he always evaded by a hair's breadth.

He was observing, analyzing, and learning Gabri's combat habits, rhythm of exertion, and patterns when changing moves.

Two minutes later, Leo moved.

He stopped dodging.

Gabri slashed diagonally. Rather than shift aside, Leo stepped forward to meet it.

At the instant the blade was about to touch his shoulder, his left foot stomped down, blasting a shallow crater into the ground as the aura around him surged wildly into his leg.

A bracing side kick.

The speed of that kick exceeded Gabri's reaction limit.

He only felt an unimaginable force strike his abdomen. It was as though his organs had shifted out of place in an instant. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a ragged sack.

The instant he was sent flying, Leo's right hand shot out like lightning and accurately seized Gabri's ankle.

Bang!

Leo's arm muscles bulged as he swung Gabri around and smashed him viciously into the ground.

The earth trembled, and shattered stones flew everywhere.

Gabri spat out blood again, his consciousness already fading.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!

Expressionless, Leo alternated sides as he smashed him down.

Each time, he hurled Gabri's entire body into the earth with such force that the ground caved in on impact, blood blooming like flowers.

This brutal scene filled the surviving Colton members in the distance with terror.

Some covered their mouths. Some turned their heads away. Others' legs went limp, and they collapsed to the ground.

Five times, ten times...

When Leo finally stopped, Gabri had become a twisted heap of flesh, without a trace of breath left in him.

Warmth pulsed from the tattoo on the back of his hand.

[Life Energy +275]

[Level: 27 (18%)]

Leo released his grip, and the corpse slid limply to the ground. He turned to look at Terrence.

Terrence's face was deathly pale, and his eyes behind his glasses were filled with terror.

Without the slightest hesitation, he fired more than ten aura bullets at Goreinu, then turned and sprinted toward the estate wall.

Goreinu recalled his two Nen beasts to block in front of him, taking the aura bullets head-on, powerless to give chase.

Just as Terrence was about to escape, he saw a yellow card beneath a tree ahead of him.

Leo was about to move when a calm yet exceptionally penetrating voice sounded from beside a tree at the edge of the estate.

"Closed-Room Judgment—Yellow Card Warning."

The instant the words fell, a pale yellow curtain of light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping the fleeing Terrence.

Like an insect trapped in amber, his movements abruptly froze, leaving him suspended in mid-jump.

Then, a figure stepped out.

A black suit, white shirt, an impeccably neat tie, a stern face, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

He landed without a sound and walked toward the immobilized Terrence, each step steady and powerful.

Leo recognized him.

Mizaistom Nana—one of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs, a two-star Crime Hunter renowned for his fairness and rigor. His ability, "Closed-Room Judgment," could establish rules and enforce them by force.

So he came after all.

Leo helped the exhausted Goreinu to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"Good thing you were here. Otherwise, this would've been troublesome."

Goreinu panted and gave a bitter smile. "Thanks."

Mizaistom walked up to the two of them. His gaze first swept over Gabri's corpse, then turned to Leo, and finally settled on Goreinu.

"My apologies, but I need to take the one who tried to flee."

His tone was calm but left no room for dispute.

"He has committed numerous crimes—murdering twenty-three civilians and carrying out two terrorist attacks. The evidence is conclusive. So please do not interfere."

Leo shook his head.

"I won't stop you. I know who you are, Mizaistom, one of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs and a two-star Crime Hunter. It's perfectly reasonable for you to come arrest him."

A trace of surprise flashed through Mizaistom's eyes, though his expression did not change.

He had actually arrived long ago—he had been concealed in a tree observing even before Leo entered the battle.

The first reason he had not acted was to confirm the identities of both sides. The second was that Leo's displayed strength had astonished him, making him decide to watch for the moment.

Leo continued.

"Also, I know that Terrence, the man you want to arrest, is one of the members of the Cleaners organization. You're investigating this organization, aren't you?"

Mizaistom's gaze instantly sharpened.

"That report on the Hunter information website about the Cleaners operating in Toth City."

Leo met his eyes.

"We were the ones who released it. The point was to draw you here."

He paused for a moment, allowing the words to sink in.

"You want to arrest these people, while I want to eliminate future trouble completely. You've seen it yourself—they've already come to attack us. I don't want them taking revenge on me later."

Leo extended his hand.

"So I want to work with you. My name is Leo."

Mizaistom fell silent.

His gaze rested on Leo's face for ten seconds, as if assessing the sincerity and risks of the proposal.

Then, he made his decision.

"You know about the Cleaners organization. That means you've made thorough preparations."

Mizaistom extended his hand and shook Leo's.

"In that case, we can cooperate. But on one condition—all actions must be legal and follow my command."

"Of course."

Leo smiled.

"Pleasure working with you."

Their hands clasped tightly.

In the distance, Terrence's eyes were filled with despair as he remained bound by the Yellow Card.

The destruction of the Cleaners organization had begun.