The right-hand passage on the Second Floor.
An enormous procession of Monster Fish swam silently through the air in single file.
Lakshya watched them coldly as he walked fearlessly within arm's reach of the school. Marol followed in equal silence.
"Wherever these fish are headed, that guy called Qi Peixin is bound to be there."
"I guess we should be grateful for all this thick mist. Otherwise, I really wouldn't dare stroll around so openly..."
Despite his words, Lakshya didn't let his guard down. Instead, the closer he got to the Third Floor, the more pressure he felt.
By the time he reached the Third Floor, a bead of cold sweat had trickled down his forehead. A terrifying malice emanated from the depths of the corridor.
The entire procession of Monster Fish had silently passed them and continued into the thick mist.
He had studied the building's layout before coming. If he remembered correctly, that should be... the Auction's main hall?
Lakshya took a deep breath and glanced back at Marol.
Marol immediately understood. He raised his intact left hand, and nen aura surged and gathered around it.
In an instant, a Thread End appeared in his hand. He turned his hand over, stuck it to the hem of Lakshya's clothes, and signed:
"Same as always. Tug the Thread End and you'll fly back here, but it only works once in a short period. After that, I'll have to pull you back myself."
The Thread End vanished as soon as it stuck. Lakshya waved to show he understood, then turned and headed toward the Auction's main hall.
Marol crouched quietly at the entrance to the passage, keeping watch over his surroundings.
This was their usual tactic: Lakshya, who was better at assassination and combat, charged ahead and took the risks.
Marol, who wasn't good at adapting or fighting, served as a stationary safe haven, responsible for pulling Lakshya back in a crisis.
Marol stared at the long Black Thread that only he and Lakshya could see. This was Lakshya's lifeline!
He poured two-thirds of his aura into the thread to ensure it couldn't be severed and that he could pull his teammate back at the fastest possible speed.
Time ticked by.
Occasionally, an intimidating roar came from the end of the corridor, along with scattered gunshots. Marol noticed the thread in his hand stretching farther and farther.
What's happening in there? Is Lakshya having a tough fight? Why hasn't he tugged the Thread End?
Questions filled Marol's mind, but there was nothing else he could do. He could only suppress the urge to go find Lakshya and wait quietly.
Suddenly, the thread in his hand twitched.
Here he comes!
Marol's nerves instantly tensed. His aura surged, then was immediately confined to the surface of his body.
Having learned from the carelessness that had cost him an arm, he decisively activated Ken, ready to receive Lakshya.
"Fucking let go of me! Marol, run!!"
A frantic, furious voice approached rapidly through the thick mist. Marol recognized it as Lakshya's.
Again? Did a fish bite Lakshya this time too?
The thought had barely surfaced when Lakshya burst through the thick mist and into Marol's view.
With him came an unfamiliar man, flying along behind him with an arm locked around Lakshya's neck, his icy gaze fixed on Marol.
It's that guy, Dio!!
Marol's pupils contracted. He instantly recognized the face he had seen when he accepted the bounty.
But Dio, currently riding the Lakshya aircraft, had no intention of giving him time to react.
He abruptly let go. As his body dropped through the air, he had already drawn his Pistol and aimed it at Marol's head!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He emptied the Magazine without hesitation, his movements so swift and decisive that there was no time to react!
Bullets imbued with metallic ripple nen crossed the tiny distance in an instant, too fast to respond to.
In that moment, Marol felt as though time had stopped.
His body couldn't move at all. He could only watch helplessly as a bullet flashing with Silver Current passed through the white mist and struck him square in the face.
The bullet had undoubtedly hit the Ken covering his face. Marol suddenly felt there was still hope:
This bullet isn't as powerful as I imagined...
As long as I maintain Ken, these bullets can't break through my nen aura defense...
Then Marol saw something that made his eyes stretch wide in horror-
As the bullet spun, the Silver Current surrounding it actually dissolved a massive amount of his nen aura?!
While the first bullet was still spinning, the second arrived and slammed into the layer of Ken that had already been thinned!
Then came the third, the fourth...
Marol could distinctly feel his Ken crumbling and breaking apart.
Is Ken formed with only a third of my aura really not strong enough?
At last, the final bullet struck that weakened spot with unstoppable force!
Splatter!
With a sound like a watermelon bursting, Dio's bullet cleanly shattered Marol's skull!
"MA-ROL!!!"
Lakshya's furious roar rang out almost simultaneously.
Dio flipped in midair and landed. Before he had even steadied himself, he lowered his body and darted back into the thick mist to either side, not so much as glancing at the results of his gunfire.
The moment Lakshya landed, he rushed straight toward Marol's corpse.
Once he saw Marol's gruesome state, he could no longer contain the frenzy in his heart. Murder in his eyes, he turned, fired a Nen Bullet without hesitation, and charged after Dio!
But then.
ROAR!!!
A gigantic, rampaging Grotesque Fish burst through the thick mist. Brushing past Dio's back, it swallowed the Nen Bullet in one gulp and planted itself directly in Lakshya's path!
"What!"
Without hesitation, Lakshya thrust both feet forward and hurled himself backward!
Whoosh!
The next instant, a fish's tail slammed down with terrifying force onto the spot where he had just stood. A round hole instantly opened in the thick mist, and the ground gave a dull thud that made his scalp prickle.
Though he had narrowly escaped, the Monster Fish refused to relent. It opened its enormous, foul-smelling mouth again and snapped viciously at Lakshya's waist.
Lakshya inwardly cursed at the sight. Left with no choice, he hurled the Nen Bullet he had just formed at the giant fish right in front of him.
Bang!
Barely after leaving his body, the Nen Bullet struck the Monster Fish and exploded. Lakshya offered no resistance to the resulting shock wave, letting it blast him sideways through the air, just barely clear of that vicious bite.
But Lakshya felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, his frustration reached its breaking point.
Especially when he saw Dio's back not far away, slipping into the thick mist like a slippery loach. Unable to suppress his grief and rage any longer, he roared:
"Qi Peixin, you stupid fish!!"
"Why the fuck are you only biting me!!"
Before you continue