Both Killed

Leo's terrifying, icy gaze made them feel as though they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"B-Boss... let's get out of here..."

Fire Wolf's voice carried a sobbing tremor.

Jackal's teeth ground together with a clack.

Humiliation, fear, rage—every emotion collided within his chest.

He was Jackal, the leader of their trio, a formidable man who had escaped a Hunter manhunt!

"Leave?"

Jackal growled.

"If we leave now, how are we supposed to show our faces afterward?!"

He shoved open the car door and jumped out.

Fire Wolf froze for a moment, then could only steel himself and follow.

The two walked into the street and faced Leo from thirty meters away.

"You alone..."

Jackal's voice twisted with fury.

"Think you can stop us?!"

Aura erupted around him. His muscles swelled, and the scars on his face writhed like crawling centipedes.

Fire Wolf also released his aura, orange-red flames igniting in both hands.

Leo watched the two fools who not only failed to run but instead charged right at him, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.

"If you'd turned around and run."

He spoke softly.

"I would've had quite a headache."

He paused, his smile deepening.

"I didn't expect... you to be this arrogant."

The instant his words fell—Boom!

His aura erupted once more, but this time was different.

The ground beneath Leo's feet exploded into a deep crater. His entire body turned into a streak of white light and shot straight toward them!

He was too fast.

Jackal and Fire Wolf saw only an afterimage before he had closed to within five meters of them.

Leo pulled back his right fist, the muscles in his arm tightening like steel cables.

Aura surged wildly into his fist, compressing, compressing again—the glow shifted from white to blazing white, then finally to an almost blinding gold!

The air warped under the gathering energy, releasing a deep hum.

Super Destruction Punch!

Leo opened with a killing blow.

This strike contained most of his strength. Combined with the progress he had made in Ko through recent special training, its power far surpassed an ordinary Nen user's full-force attack.

Jackal and Fire Wolf finally felt the fear of death.

They wanted to dodge, but their bodies could not keep up with their minds—Leo was too fast, and the pressure of his attack was too overwhelming. Even the surrounding air seemed to have solidified.

They could only take it head-on!

The two simultaneously focused all their aura before them, forming a layer of Ken.

Jackal crossed his arms while Fire Wolf thrust both palms forward—the fist came down.

Time seemed to slow.

The instant the fist touched their aura defense, cracks spread across it like shattered glass.

Then—it broke.

BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!

An explosion.

A shockwave spread outward from the point of impact, blasting away everything within thirty meters—streetlights, benches, hedges, cars—all of it was sent flying!

The glass curtain wall at the front of Minke Building shattered completely under the impact, fragments raining down like a storm!

The ground was blasted into a crater ten meters wide and three meters deep.

Charred chunks and severed limbs lay scattered across the bottom and edges of the crater—the remains of Jackal and Fire Wolf, whose bodies had been torn apart by the explosive force and overwhelming power.

Smoke slowly rose, forming a miniature mushroom cloud.

Leo stood at the edge of the crater and shook his right hand.

Faint white smoke rose from his fist. His skin was slightly red, but it had not even broken.

Two relatively strong waves of warmth came from the tattoo on the back of his hand.

[Level: 42 (1%)]

He had leveled up.

Leo looked at the scene at the bottom of the crater and muttered quietly.

"Hmm... it was still a bit too powerful. I'll have to hold back more next time."

"Were they hit by some kind of stupidity aura? I came up with so many contingency plans, and didn't use a single one..."

He truly had not expected the two of them to be so stubborn that they would charge straight at him and take the attack head-on.

If they had split up and coordinated their assault from different angles, the outcome would not have changed, but they could at least have lasted a little longer.

Still, this was fine. It saved him the trouble.

Inside the jewelry exhibition hall.

The instant the explosion sounded, the entire hall shook.

The chandelier swayed, the display cases buzzed, and several exhibits even slid off their stands and shattered on the floor.

Screams rose one after another.

Visitors crouched down with their heads covered or frantically searched for cover.

Mizai Istom stood up the moment the tremor began.

His expression was grave.

"Outside..."

Such a violent disturbance could only mean Leo had made his move.

And judging from the tremors, this was certainly no minor scuffle.

Just as he was about to head for the entrance, a string of impacts and dull thuds came from the rear door—that was Kanzai fighting Coyote.

Mizai Istom halted, making his decision in an instant.

Jackal's trio had split up.

There was at least one outside. As for the one inside... he had to be dealt with quickly, before he burst into the exhibition hall and caused even greater chaos.

He turned and rushed toward the rear door.

The battle in the freight corridor had already reached its fiercest point.

Kanzai was covered in blood—most of it belonged to Coyote, though there was also a cut on his left arm from a knife.

Coyote was in far worse shape.

One of his arms was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.

His face was covered in blood, his nose had been smashed flat, and at least three of his ribs were broken.

Yet both of them were still fighting.

Kanzai's fists hammered at Coyote again and again, while Coyote used his remaining arm to block and counterattack. His dagger carved streak after streak through the dim corridor.

Bang!

Another heavy punch slammed Coyote into the wall, making him spit out a mouthful of blood.

His gaze began to lose focus. He knew he would not be able to last much longer.

This Hunter before him... was too strong.

It was not skill. It was not ability. It was simply the overwhelming superiority of pure strength and speed.

Coyote bit through the tip of his tongue, using pain to force himself to stay conscious.

He saw another figure rushing over from the exhibition hall—a man in a suit with a steady aura.

It was over.

That final thought flashed through his mind.

The next second, Mizai Istom's hand struck precisely against the back of his neck.

Coyote's vision went black, and he collapsed limply to the floor.

Kanzai panted heavily as he leaned against the wall.

He glanced at the wound on his left arm and spat out a bloodied mouthful of saliva.

"Tch... that dagger was pretty sharp."

Mizai Istom crouched to inspect Coyote's condition. After confirming that he was only unconscious, he turned to look at Kanzai's injury.

"The wound isn't deep. That's fortunate."

He tore off one of his shirt sleeves and quickly tied it tightly above Kanzai's wound to slow the blood flow.

Then he took a small bottle from his pocket, poured out some powder, and sprinkled it over the wound—the moment the powder touched it, it sizzled and gave off white smoke.

Kanzai bared his teeth in pain, but did not make a sound.

The two escorted the unconscious Coyote out of the freight corridor and returned to the exhibition hall.

The visitors were still in a panic. When they saw the two of them dragging someone out, another wave of commotion broke out.

At that very moment, from the main entrance.

Leo pushed the door open and walked inside.

He was spotless—his suit was barely even wrinkled, with only a little dust on the soles of his shoes.

His hands were empty, and his expression was as calm as though he had just returned from a stroll.

The instant Mizai Istom saw Leo, he understood.

"The other two... are both dead?"

Leo nodded but said nothing.

Kanzai's eyes widened. He looked Leo over from head to toe—there were no injuries, no sign of fatigue, not even any disruption in his breathing.

"Not bad!"

Kanzai grinned, though the motion tugged painfully at his wound.

"I didn't expect you to be this strong, kid! Looks like Old Ox really picked the right man!"

Leo smiled.

"Mr. Kanzai, he didn't pick the wrong man."

"Uh..."

Kanzai scratched his head.

"That's what I meant."

Mizai Istom was silent for several seconds.

He looked at Leo's calm face, then outside, and finally sighed.

"If possible..."

His voice was somewhat low.

"I still hope you can show restraint. Sending them to court for judgment is the proper course of action. Blind killing... cannot solve the problem."

Leo shrugged.

"But it can solve the people who create the problem."

He said it softly, yet there was an undeniable certainty in his tone.

Mizai Istom looked at Leo, his gaze complicated.

He wanted to say something, but in the end, he merely shook his head and did not argue further.

Kanzai, on the other hand, was delighted. He slapped Leo hard on the shoulder with his uninjured hand.

"I'm starting to like you!"

He laughed loudly.

"You're exactly my kind of person!"

Leo smiled but said nothing.

Mizai Istom took out his communicator and contacted the Association's logistics department.

After explaining the situation and ending the call, he looked at the two of them.

"Let's leave first. The airship is already waiting for us."

The three escorted the unconscious Coyote out of Minke Building beneath the visitors' uncertain, alarmed gazes.

Outside, the sunlight remained bright. There was simply now a massive crater in the middle of the street, along with corpses and bloodstains scattered everywhere.

Leo gave the crater one final look, then turned and followed Mizai Istom and Kanzai.