Stay Here for Now × Packed Together

Time rolled back a dozen or so minutes.

Using Ripple's conductivity, Dio created a constantly vibrating source of Ripple in a distant wall.

Sure enough, the thick-skinned Monster Fish abandoned Dio, who was right in front of it, and went to attack the motionless wall instead.

Or rather, it attacked the constantly vibrating Ripple inside that wall.

It was like a noisy alarm clock, ringing nonstop to remind someone fast asleep, "Come hit me!"

With that, Dio had figured out how the Monster Fish operated.

But its hide was so tough that Dio suspected he could only kill it by smashing its head apart.

Unwilling to waste bullets, Dio chose to pound it into handmade fish balls, one punch at a time.

Later, when Bokushin returned and saw the bloody scene, she kept sneaking strange looks at Dio.

"Looks like there aren't any left on the first two floors. We'll have to head to the third."

Dio withdrew his palm from the wall. His Ripple Radar could only cover a single floor at most.

But by deploying Ripple Radar at carefully calculated points, he could scan the largest possible area with the fewest uses.

Still...

"If those fish are all gone from the first two floors, that probably means the third floor is pretty dangerous..."

To avoid drawing the Monster Fish's attention, Dio had even taken care to send Ripple into the floor as he walked, canceling out the vibrations of his footsteps.

But judging by what he had found, that was completely unnecessary. There were no living people left on the first two floors, nor were there any Monster Fish.

The place felt empty and eerie.

Dio could not make sense of it. Why had the enemy made those fish leave the first two floors?

The only thing he could be certain of was that there was more than one Monster Fish, and they were attacking indiscriminately.

Moreover, judging by the enemy's deliberate choice of catfish as the model for Conjuration, these fish might be capable of multiplying on their own rather than relying entirely on the ability user to create them.

So what was the enemy after?

Stealing the auction items? Then he should have already accomplished his goal. Why was the building still sealed? Dio doubted the other party's Nen Ability could leave some kind of back door for its user.

Was it to kill people, then? But the same logic applied. Almost everyone was already dead...

Wait, not everyone. Leaving aside those mercenaries who suddenly barged in, wasn't Dio himself still alive? And there was Mumuzawa, who had already slipped out...

"So they're after the Twelfth Prince again? This mission is way beyond C-rank, isn't it?"

"I'll have to bring this up with Mizaistom. How exactly is he rating these missions...?"

Dio silently questioned the professional competence of a certain Crime Hunter who ran a private security company.

As the two approached the third floor, a foul, fishy stench suddenly filled the air, signaling that they were getting closer to the Monster Fish.

A malice that had not been there before also seeped quietly down through the building, licking at every prey animal that dared approach.

Dio gazed darkly at the enormous catfish bringing up the rear of the line above, watching it swim silently from the second-floor stairwell toward the third.

So that was where the final battle would take place. What a spot they'd picked...

Dio quietly stepped onto the stairs, but after just a few steps, he sensed something was wrong.

"Huh? Doesn't it feel like something's missing?"

He turned around and saw Bokushin, who had not moved a single step.

She barely managed to lift her head to look at him, a faint plea and fear showing in her eyes. Yet she stubbornly clenched her teeth, refusing to utter a sound.

She looked as though she had fallen into an ice cellar. Her entire body shook, her tightly clenched fists trembling.

"Shit, right! She doesn't know Nen!"

Dio immediately realized his mistake. Although the sinister Nen leaking from the third floor was not particularly strong, an ordinary person could not simply push through its pressure and charge upstairs.

She must have reached her limit a while ago. Why hadn't she said anything?

Dio turned back and pressed a finger between Bokushin's eyebrows, sending a pulse of Ripple into her.

Unable to move a muscle, Bokushin only saw Dio suddenly turn back and touch her forehead. Then a warm current flowed from between her eyebrows.

That warmth spread throughout her body, instantly heating her from head to toe. Her previously immobile joints felt as though they had been lubricated, allowing her to move freely again.

"What is this...?"

As though waking from a deep dream, Bokushin abruptly stumbled several steps backward, gasping for breath as she retreated from the terrifying, mysterious presence at the stairwell.

Only then did she realize that her back had become soaked with sweat in those few short seconds.

She had only intended to put on a brave face. After all, she was an adult, an outstanding soldier who had graduated after rigorous assessments, not a little girl trailing after her father and asking for sweets.

Yet the moment she took that first step at the stairwell, the terrifying malice shattered her resolve. Her body seemed to freeze solid, leaving her unable even to call for help!

"Find somewhere to hide for now. There shouldn't be any danger left on this floor. Leave the rest to me."

Dio's calm voice interrupted her thoughts.

Then she felt an irresistible force take hold of her wrist and lead her away.

Before long, Dio had brought Bokushin to a restroom. He inspected it carefully, confirmed there was no Hisoka (?), and said:

"Hide here for now, Miss Boku. I'll leave my cloud with you."

"Th-then what about you?"

Bokushin did not know why she had asked that. He was so much stronger than she was; what concern could he possibly need from her? Was she afraid of him leaving?

Sure enough, Dio gave her a puzzled look and answered casually:

"I have something to do. I'll be right back."

With that, he turned without hesitation and headed toward the stairs.

Holding the cloud in her arms, Bokushin lowered her head and recalled that terrifying malice. Was he going to fight an enemy like that...?