Karen's voice carried through the courtyard gate, his mild tone concealing a venomous chill. Fei Lan's body instantly tensed. His knuckles whitened around the Revolver, his face expressionless, but his eyes churned with hatred and cold fury suppressed for over a decade. He slowly turned toward Karen at the gate, his voice hoarse and icy. "Karen." "My old captain. How have you been?" Karen smiled as he pushed open the battered gate and strolled into the courtyard with Wild Lion and a dozen or so Nen users. His gaze swept over the five bodies on the ground, his smile unchanged. "It seems a few of my men failed to give your family a proper welcome. How rude of them." He placed particular emphasis on "family," his gaze settling on Lin Ye and Lina with scrutiny and malice. "Karen, what happened back then was between the two of us." Fei Lan stepped forward, shielding Lin Ye and Lina as his aura slowly surged like a volcano on the verge of erupting. "Come after me. Let those two leave." "Let them leave?" As though he had heard the funniest joke in the world, Karen suddenly burst into wild laughter. He laughed for a long time before stopping in his tracks. The smile vanished from his face, leaving only a bone-chilling coldness. "Do you honestly think that's possible, old captain?" "Back then, you were a god to all of us, a bounty hunter renowned throughout the Hunter world. You trained every one of us yourself. We never dared disobey you. But what did you do? For a bunch of strangers, for that laughable line you refused to cross, you gave up billions in bounty money. You threw away all our futures!" Karen grew increasingly agitated, his facial muscles twisting, his eyes filled with frenzied resentment. "I risked my life alongside you for over a decade, and what did I get in the end? Nothing! Why shouldn't I look out for myself? Why shouldn't I take the money and live above everyone else?" "So you sold us out?" Fei Lan's voice was bone-chilling. "You betrayed the brothers who risked their lives with you, left two of them to die in an ambush, and cost me half an arm, forcing me to hide in Meteor City for over a decade?" "They were idiots who insisted on following you straight into ruin!" Karen roared. "You were too naive, old captain! In this world, the strong have always preyed on the weak! Your limits, your principles-they're worthless in the face of money and power!" "I thought you died in that ambush long ago. I never imagined you were still alive, hiding in this hellhole of Meteor City like a coward for over a decade." Karen's gaze swept over Lin Ye and Lina again, and a mocking smile appeared on his face. "What's this? The once iron-blooded hunter is hiding here, teaching two brats to play house?" "Shut your mouth!" Lin Ye stepped in front of Fei Lan, his eyes blazing with anger. "A treacherous bastard like you has no right to speak my master's name! You betrayed him and killed our two uncles. Today, we're going to avenge them!" "Avenge them?" Karen looked at Lin Ye as though he were a pathetic clown, his face full of disdain. "You? An eleven-year-old brat? I hear you're the one who killed my Blood Hand Gang men and ruined my plans to take District 13. You have some talent. A shame you're too young to know your place." Wild Lion stepped forward behind him, staring viciously at Lin Ye and Fei Lan. "Lord Karen, stop wasting words on them! That old bastard beat me up back then and humiliated me. Today, I'm going to slaughter all three of them myself and avenge my brothers!" Fei Lan gave Wild Lion a cold glance. The killing intent in his eyes made Wild Lion instinctively step back. Even after more than a decade, even with half an arm missing, Fei Lan's old might still frightened him to his core. "Karen, I'll ask you one last time." Fei Lan's voice was utterly calm, yet carried an unshakable resolve. "Let the two children go, and I'll come with you. Kill me, carve me up-do whatever you like. We'll settle every last score between us ourselves." "Master! No!" Lin Ye immediately shouted. "We can't leave you here alone!" "Do you think I'd believe that nonsense, old captain?" Karen shook his head, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "None of you are leaving today. You and your two precious disciples will all die here. I'll show everyone what happens to those who betray me." As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand, and his aura swelled explosively. Cold, violent aura swept through the entire courtyard like a tide, making even the surrounding air seem to freeze. The dozen or so Nen users behind him and the hundred-plus gang members outside the gate raised their guns together, aiming at the three in the courtyard. Their auras erupted as they prepared for battle. "Attack!" Karen's voice was icy. "Kill the males. Leave the girl alive. I want Fei Lan to watch me destroy everything he protects, piece by piece!" At his command, the dozen or so Nen users charged at the three of them together. Violent Nen bullets, sharp slashes, and poisoned hidden weapons rained down on them from every direction. "Lin Ye, protect Lina!" Fei Lan shouted, his aura instantly surging to its limit. He raised the Revolver and fired six bullets infused with his Nen, sending them flying precisely toward the six Nen users at the front. Bang! Bang! Bang! The six shots rang out almost as one. Before the six Nen users could even mount a defense, the bullets pierced their Nen defenses and killed them on the spot. Over a decade as a bounty hunter had honed Fei Lan's marksmanship to near perfection. "Lina, get behind me!" Lin Ye pulled Lina behind him. The Samurai Sword flashed from its sheath, black Armament Haki covering the entire blade. He spread his Observation Haki to its fullest, predicting the paths of every attack. Activating Flash Shave in rapid succession, he darted back and forth through the barrage like a bolt of black lightning. "Kami-e: No-Mind!" His body moved like a leaf in the wind, perfectly evading every Nen bullet and slash. At the same time, he swung the Samurai Sword, Ryuo flowing along its edge. Each swing unleashed a fierce slash. In an instant, he cut through two Nen users' weapons and severed their arms along with them. Master and disciple stood back-to-back, one wielding a gun and the other a sword, keeping Lina securely between them as they counterattacked the charging enemies. A brutal battle erupted in the courtyard. Blood sprayed, and screams rang out one after another. Fei Lan's marksmanship was terrifyingly precise. Every pull of the trigger brought down another enemy. Though he was missing half his left arm, his movements remained agile. Bolstered by Nen, he maneuvered effortlessly through the encirclement, letting no one come within three meters of him. Lin Ye pushed his Six Powers and Haki to their limits in this battle. Flash Shave's blindingly fast movement, Kami-e's flawless evasion, Iron Body's absolute defense, and Finger Pistol and Tempest Kick's lethal attacks combined with Ryuo's penetrating power to turn him into a meat grinder. Every time he struck, another enemy fell. Within just a few minutes, more than half the dozen or so Nen users who had charged inside were dead or wounded. Watching from the gate, Karen slowly lost his smile, shock and malice flashing in his eyes. He had never expected Fei Lan to remain so powerful after more than a decade. Still less had he expected this eleven-year-old brat to possess such terrifying strength. "Useless trash!" Karen cursed, his aura swelling explosively. "Wild Lion, take the men in! They must not leave this place alive!" Wild Lion acknowledged the order and charged into the courtyard with a roar, leading the remaining dozens of gang members. He was a top-tier Enhancement Type Nen user, his whole body covered in thick aura. The Mountain-Cleaving Axe in his hands swung viciously toward Lin Ye with world-shattering force. "Brat! You got away last time, but this time I'm splitting you in two!" Lin Ye's gaze turned cold, without a trace of fear. He pushed Lina toward Fei Lan and shouted, "Master, look after Lina for me! Leave this idiot to me!" Before his words had faded, he charged straight at Wild Lion. A fresh round of slaughter erupted. Meanwhile, Karen stood at the courtyard gate, coldly watching the battle as he slowly twirled a silver dagger in his hand. His gaze remained fixed on Fei Lan, the killing intent in his eyes growing ever stronger. He was waiting for Fei Lan and Lin Ye to exhaust themselves, waiting for them to leave an opening. He would settle this decade-long grudge with his own hands and personally kill the man who had loomed over him like a god for more than a decade.
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