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 the Colton guards.
He did not immediately go help Goreinu. Instead, he decided to clear out the fodder first.
His Level 25-enhanced body granted him strength and precision far beyond ordinary humans.
Leo bent down and picked up a fist-sized piece of rubble by his feet.
Nen slowly flowed and gathered in his right hand. His fingers curled, and his muscles tensed.
"Whoosh—"
The sound of something tearing through Empty 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, spraying blood everywhere!
Without pausing, Leo picked up another stone and threw it.
"Pfft!"
Another one.
"Bang!"
A third.
His movements were simple and fluid. Every throw was accompanied by a dull impact and the end of a life.
The stones became death's invitations in his hands. Every shot was incomparably precise—whether the targets hid behind cover or were on the move.
For an Enhancement Type, 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 find the stone thrower, while others turned and ran, but without exception—
As long as they entered Leo's field of vision, a stone would pierce a vital point the next second.
A massacre.
In just three minutes, all forty-three gunmen had fallen.
The gunfire in the estate abruptly ceased. In the dead silence, only the rustling of wind through leaves and the distant sounds of Goreinu's battle remained.
Warmth continued to pulse from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
The notifications of [Life Energy +100] came one after another, eventually converging into two stronger currents of heat that washed over his entire body.
He leveled up twice in a row.
[Level: 27 (0.5%)]
A faint tingling spread through his muscles and bones, and his five senses improved once more—Leo could clearly hear Goreinu's heavy breathing from a hundred meters away and see the beads of blood gathered on Gabri's blade.
Killing people really is one of the fastest ways to grow stronger.
He thought to himself, but quickly suppressed the thought. Power could be pursued, but he could not lose himself in it.
He turned and looked toward the other battlefield.
Goreinu's situation was precarious. He had already suffered multiple wounds, and blood had dyed the bandages wrapped around him red.
The Black Sage was covered in dents and pits, clearly the price of enduring Nen bullets head-on. The White Sage was also half a beat slower, leaving Gabri to carve blade wounds across its body.
Terrence continued moving and firing from afar, his Nen bullets following tricky trajectories.
Gabri lurked like a venomous snake. Whenever Goreinu exposed an opening while dealing with the Nen bullets, he would dash in like lightning.
Once again.
Goreinu rolled sideways to evade three Nen bullets, which exploded against the ground behind him.
Gabri instantly appeared behind him, the Bian Clan Saber stabbing straight toward his heart.
When the blade was only ten centimeters from his back—
"Whoosh!"
The sound of air tearing through Empty rang out again.
A stone struck Gabri's sword-wielding wrist with pinpoint accuracy.
The crisp crack of shattering bone was clearly audible, and the Bian Clan Saber flew from his hand.
Gabri grunted and turned his head in shock.
Terrence was stunned for a moment as well.
Goreinu seized that fleeting opportunity. Nen Aura activated—the White Sage instantly switched places with him, 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, panting heavily. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Terrence stared at Leo, his expression grim.
"Is Theodore dead?"
Leo did not answer. He merely stood where he was as Nen Aura erupted around him.
Pale white aura rose like flames, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.
Ken, but its intensity far surpassed that of an ordinary Nen user—the aura quantity produced by a body strengthened to Level 27 was no small matter.
Terrence understood.
He adjusted his glasses, his voice low.
"Then I understand. If you want our lives, come and take them."
Before his words had faded, he had already pulled the trigger.
Five Nen bullets shot out in a fan-shaped spread, 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, the blade aimed straight at Leo's throat.
Leo neither dodged nor retreated.
The Nen bullets struck the Ken around him with crisp metallic clangs. Shockwaves burst outward, yet they could not penetrate it in the slightest.
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. The blade skimmed past his neck, only millimeters from his skin.
Gabri's pupils contracted as he changed moves and stabbed again.
Leo casually evaded once more.
Over the next two minutes, Gabri pushed his speed to its limit.
The blade light became a silver storm, attacking from every possible angle... Every slash was lethal.
Yet Leo remained completely at ease.
He strolled through the flashing blades as though taking a leisurely walk. Each movement was minimal, yet he always evaded by the narrowest margin.
He was observing, analyzing, and figuring out Gabri's fighting habits, rhythm of exertion, and patterns of changing moves.
Two minutes later, Leo moved.
He stopped dodging.
Gabri slashed diagonally. Instead of shifting aside, Leo stepped forward.
The instant the blade was about to touch his shoulder, his left foot stomped down. A shallow crater exploded into the ground, while Nen Aura around his body surged madly into his leg.
A quick step into a side kick.
The speed of that kick exceeded Gabri's limit of reaction.
He only felt an unimaginable force strike his abdomen. It was as though his organs had shifted in an instant. He spat out blood, his body flying away like a rag doll.
The instant he was sent flying, Leo's right hand shot out like lightning and accurately seized Gabri's ankle.
"Bang!"
The muscles in Leo's arm bulged as he swung Gabri up and smashed him viciously into the ground.
The earth trembled, and shattered stones flew everywhere.
Gabri spat blood again, his consciousness already fading.
"Bang bang bang bang bang—!"
Leo's expression remained blank as he alternated between left and right, smashing him down with all his strength.
Each blow slammed Gabri's entire body into the ground. The force was so great that the earth caved in with every impact, blood blooming like flowers.
This savage scene terrified the surviving Colton members in the distance.
Some covered their mouths. Some turned away. Others' legs went weak as they collapsed onto the ground.
Five times, ten times...
When Leo finally stopped, Gabri had become a twisted heap of flesh, devoid of any breath.
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 Nen bullets at Goreinu, then turned and ran frantically toward the estate wall.
Goreinu recalled his two Nen beasts and placed them in front of himself, enduring the Nen bullets head-on. He had no strength left to give chase.
Just as Terrence was about to get away, he saw a yellow card beneath a tree ahead of him.
Leo was about to move when a calm yet intensely penetrating voice sounded from beside a tree at the edge of the estate.
"Closed-Room Judgment—Yellow Card Warning."
The moment the words fell, a pale yellow curtain of light descended from above and precisely enveloped Terrence as he fled.
Like an insect trapped in amber, his movements abruptly froze, leaving him suspended in Empty mid-leap.
Then, a figure stepped out.
A black suit, a 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 imprisoned Terrence, every step steady and forceful.
Leo recognized him.
Mizaistom Nana—one of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs, a Two-Star Crime Hunter known for fairness and rigor. His ability, Closed-Room Judgment, could establish rules and enforce them compulsorily.
So he really came.
Leo helped the exhausted Goreinu up. "Are you all right?"
"Good thing you were here, or 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.
"I'm sorry, but I need to take the one who was trying to escape."
His tone was calm, but brooked no refusal.
"He has committed numerous crimes—he murdered twenty-three civilians and carried out two terrorist attacks. The evidence is conclusive. So please do not stop me."
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 remained unchanged.
He had actually arrived long ago—he had been hiding in the tree and observing even before Leo joined the battle.
The reason he had not acted was twofold. First, he wanted to confirm both sides' identities. Second, Leo's displayed strength had astonished him, so he decided to watch for the moment.
Leo continued.
"Also, I know Terrence, the man you want to arrest, is one of the Cleaners' members. You're investigating that organization, aren't you?"
Mizaistom's gaze abruptly sharpened.
"The intelligence report on the Hunter information website about the Cleaners operating in Toth City."
Leo met his gaze.
"We were the ones who posted it. The purpose was to draw you here."
He paused, allowing those words to fully sink in.
"You want to capture these people, while I want to eliminate future trouble once and for all. You saw it yourself—they have already come to attack us. I don't want them retaliating against me later."
Leo extended his hand.
"So, I want to work with you. My name is Leo."
Mizaistom remained silent.
His gaze lingered on Leo's face for ten seconds, seemingly assessing the sincerity and risks of the proposal.
Then, he made his decision.
"You know about the Cleaners, which means you came well prepared."
Mizaistom extended his hand and shook Leo's.
"In that case, we can cooperate. But on one condition—every operation 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 imprisoned by the yellow card.
The destruction of the Cleaners had begun.
Before you continue