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Rumble——
The thunderous explosion echoed across several kilometers.
Even on the far side of the city, the disturbance could still be felt.
Residents in the city center stared blankly at the rising column of dust in the outskirts.
No one could tell what was happening.
An earthquake? A bombing? A terrorist attack?
It didn't feel like any of those.
At the center of the battlefield.
The bombardment lasted a full five minutes before it finally ceased.
A chilling silence followed.
As the wind blew and the dust slowly settled, a desolate, apocalyptic scene unfolded before Kai.
The area where Illumi Zoldyck had previously stood had once contained a small garden, a pond, and a courtyard tucked into the corner.
Now, all of it had been reduced to rubble.
Only deep craters remained—no trace of what once stood.
"That was quick!" Kai muttered.
Through the extended range of his En, he detected Illumi's aura fleeing at an astonishing speed.
At some point, Illumi had managed to escape under Kai's nose.
Still, based on the residual energy signature and the trail of blood, the injuries sustained by the assassin were far from minor.
"As expected, Nen is the true core of battle in this world," Kai reflected.
In close combat earlier, he hadn't even been able to lay a finger on Illumi.
But after activating Hundred Styles of Asura, the tide had turned completely—he was able to force Illumi to retreat without sustaining injury himself.
And knowing the Zoldyck family's code, they would never abandon a contract unless completion was utterly impossible. Life or death of the employer was never their concern.
"But I suppose this doesn't tarnish the Zoldycks' reputation either."
After regaining his composure, Kai turned toward the villa district.
Da da da—
Three infiltrators emerged, escorting a fourth man between them.
"Boom!"
Uvogin threw the captive at Kai's feet.
Machi offered a brief explanation.
"Kai, this seems to be the one in charge."
"And the mission objective?"
"All targets eliminated."
The coldness of her words made the man on the ground visibly tremble.
Kai crouched down and placed a hand on the man's neck.
"Keep pretending to be dead and you really will be," he said coldly.
"I'll count to three. One... two—"
Before the third count, the man flipped over and dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
Without even raising his head, he cried out,
"Please, sir! Spare me!"
"I'm useful!"
"I swear I'm useful!"
He begged and kowtowed furiously, his large frame quivering like a grotesque larva.
"Interesting..."
Kai was intrigued by this unique display of desperation.
"Stop."
At his command, the man froze immediately.
"Let me ask you: why do you think you're useful?"
"With someone as powerful as that man," the captive said, "if he didn't need me alive, I would've been dead a long time ago. He wouldn't have spared me this long."
As he spoke, a realization seemed to strike him. He trembled again.
Kai turned to Uvogin, curious.
"Did you do anything unusual in there?"
The fact that this man remained coherent under such pressure proved his mental resilience.
Kai never underestimated ordinary people. While the average person was no match for a Nen user in combat, there were areas where they could outperform even elite fighters.
Uvogin scratched his head.
"Just fought, killed a few people... Nothing special."
He seemed genuinely confused as to why the man feared him so much.
Kai rolled his eyes internally.
With Uvogin's mindset, everything—intimidation, torture, even psychological warfare—was likely filed under "fighting."
"Forget it. The process isn't important."
"Fatty, tell me—who hired the Zoldycks?"
Kai stroked the man's head, his gaze growing icy.
Even though he had bested Illumi, that didn't mean the danger was over.
Someone had tried to kill him. Whether or not they succeeded, they still needed to be held accountable.
While the Zoldyck family might be beyond reach—for now—the person behind the contract could not be allowed to walk free.
"Y-Yes..."
The man hesitated.
Kai increased the pressure on his skull.
"Aghh! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
"It was one of the Ten Dons—Abreu!"
"The Ten Dons?"
Kai's expression darkened.
The Ten Dons—known in the world of Hunter x Hunter as the shadow leaders of the global criminal underworld—each governed one of the ten largest mafia syndicates. They secretly controlled the underground auction in Yorknew City and commanded elite forces, including Nen-using enforcers like the Shadow Beasts.
"Why would those people get involved in this?" Kai muttered.
The targets of this mission were only connected to a miscarriage of justice.
Even if local crime syndicates took issue due to Uvogin's involvement, it shouldn't have escalated to this level.
"Isn't Meteor City supposed to have strong ties with the mafia? Aren't they supposed to cooperate?"
That much was true. Officially, many mafia groups used Meteor City as a source of talent.
Even the Zoldycks recruited there—Killua's butler trainees like Canary and others came from that very place.
So why the betrayal?
"Given Illumi's pride, he wouldn't lie about this. Which means..."
"...Their target was me all along."
Kai sorted through the facts rapidly.
All signs pointed to a single conclusion.
"I didn't want to act this soon," he thought, "but if they're coming after me, I have no choice."
He looked at the man again.
"By the way, I forgot to ask your name."
"I'm... I'm Aruba!"
"Aruba, I want you to serve under me. Will you?"
A sharp mind, resilient nerves, and deep-seated ambition.
This man had potential—exactly the kind of person Kai needed.
"A minion...?"
Aruba seemed confused.
Was this really a choice?
"Yes! Yes, I'll do anything!"
As long as he lived, food and survival were enough motivation.
Kai withdrew his hand from Aruba's head with a slight sigh.
"Uvogin, take him back to the hotel."
"Be careful not to kill him—he's a valuable asset."
Uvogin glanced at the man's bulging gut, skeptical.
"What's this guy good for...?"
Still, Kai had made the call.
It wasn't a hard task anyway.
—
Machi and Nobunaga exchanged glances, saying nothing—but both understood.
They remembered an old conversation they'd had with Kai one evening.
"Kai, do you have a dream?"
"A dream...? I guess—to build a massive organization."
"You want to be the leader?" Machi asked, puzzled.
She'd heard of people chasing wealth or love—but this?
"No," Kai replied, "I want to explore the Dark Continent."
They remembered the light in his eyes when he said it.
They hadn't known exactly what the Dark Continent was.
But the fire in Kai's gaze... it had been unforgettable.
And even then, they had made a silent promise:
They would follow him.
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