Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
________________________________________
Chapter 109: Ryan
Ronin flared his nostrils slightly. A faint, metallic scent of blood hung in the air of the villa. Despite the heavy use of incense to mask it, the smell was impossible to erase completely.
A stench that pungent could only mean two things. Either a massive slaughter had just occurred, or bloody executions were a routine event here—and another one had happened right before their arrival. Ronin's intuition leaned heavily toward the latter.
The villa was deathly quiet. Not a single servant was in sight as the butler led them into a sprawling banquet hall. The room was decorated with bizarre sculptures depicting twisted, agonized human faces. In the center sat a massive, absurdly long dining table.
An old man sat at the head of the table. He possessed the refined, arrogant air of a nobleman, but his complexion was unnervingly pale. Paired with his long silver hair, he radiated a cold, venomous aura. As Ronin's group entered, the old man's sharp, predatory eyes swept over them. He looked exactly like an ancient count looking down on filthy peasants trespassing in his domain.
There was no exquisite feast on the table. It was completely bare, making a mockery of the butler's earlier welcome.
"Outsiders. Does killing Spence make you feel proud?" Ryan sneered from his elevated seat. He had assumed it would take a bit of effort to lure them inside his stronghold, but they had walked right in. Perhaps Spence's sheer incompetence had given these invaders a false sense of superiority regarding the Elders' strength.
Ryan certainly didn't consider himself a fool like Spence.
"Is your trump card the people hiding outside the hall?" Ronin asked, his gaze casually sweeping the room. Through his [En], he had sensed them the moment they stepped inside. Dozens of presences had silently surrounded the banquet hall, and every single one of them was brimming with Nen.
There were at least twenty of them. A terrifying number for a single ambush, but Ronin noticed a distinct anomaly: their auras all felt fundamentally identical, and the source traced directly back to Ryan.
There were three possibilities. First, Ryan was a Manipulator who had simply taken control of a large group of Nen users. Second, this was a Symbiotic Nen ability, meaning Ryan and the ambushers were working in tandem to combine their auras for a devastating effect. Third, they were all just Nen clones—flashy, but ultimately weak.
The first option was the most common. Illumi Zoldyck was the prime example, using needles to dominate the minds of his targets. If the victim was already a Nen user, their body would emit a chaotic mixture of their own aura and the Manipulator's aura. This perfectly matched what Ronin was sensing.
The second option was the most dangerous. Symbiotic Nen could produce terrifying, reality-bending results. The Ninth Prince of Kakin, for example, possessed a combined Nen Beast that could forcefully swap souls upon impact. If Ryan possessed something similar, Ronin was already prepared to weave signs, grab the others, and teleport them out instantly.
The third option wasn't even worth considering. If they were mere clones, Ryan was no threat at all.
Ryan didn't keep them waiting long for the answer.
With a heavy clang, solid metal shutters slammed down over the windows and walls, identical to the trap he had used on his own reinforcements. Instantly, thick sleeping gas began billowing into the room from hidden vents.
The moment the gas hissed into the air, the butler made a sudden, evasive lateral step, trying to put distance between himself and Ronin's group.
But before he could complete the motion, a heavy chain whipped out and bound him tight. Kurapika didn't waste a second.
Simultaneously, Shizuku summoned [Blinky]. "Suck up all the toxic gas in the room," she commanded casually.
She pressed the switch. A localized hurricane erupted from [Blinky]'s maw, violently tearing the sleeping gas out of the air before it could even spread, devouring it without a trace.
At the head of the table, Ryan—who had already donned a gas mask—watched the display without much surprise. The gas was never his primary weapon; it was just a tool to thin the herd. Failing that, it forced the enemy to reveal their abilities and waste stamina. A fair trade. Besides, two of the intruders were already wearing masks; the gas wouldn't have worked on them anyway.
Ronin's gaze shifted from Ryan to the massive double doors they had entered through. His [En] detected an even larger concentration of enemies gathering just beyond the threshold. With a grinding screech, the iron barricade covering the doors lifted, revealing the only exit out of the slaughterhouse.
Ronin gave it a passing glance before locking eyes with Ryan again.
"Is this the best you can do?" he muttered.
In the next instant, Ronin vanished. He didn't even need to activate his Lightning Style: Nintaijutsu. With his raw physical strength enhanced by his aura, his base speed was already monstrous.
Ryan's pupils contracted violently as Ronin disappeared. Ripping off his gas mask, Ryan puffed out his cheeks and violently spat a mouthful of blood directly at the spot where Ronin materialized.
The blood defied physics. In mid-air, every single droplet rapidly expanded, mutating into grotesque, fist-sized flesh tumors.
Disgusted by the horrific counterattack, Ronin quickly gathered chakra in his chest, wove a hand sign, and exhaled.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. A massive sphere of searing flames erupted from his mouth, incinerating the blood tumors on contact and roaring straight toward Ryan.
Seeing the sheer volume of fire, Ryan's expression finally broke. He threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the inferno as it scorched the wall behind him.
But as Ryan hit the ground, Ronin was already there. His fist was pulled back, coated in a terrifying density of aura, perfectly mimicking the stance of Uvogin's Big Bang Impact. He aimed a lethal strike dead center at Ryan's torso.
The fireball had been nothing but a distraction!
BOOM! Ronin's fist collided with something thick and spongy—a massive, pulsating blood vessel. The fleshy barrier ruptured, spraying blood everywhere. Ronin immediately pushed off the ground, backflipping to create distance.
He looked at the spot he had just struck. Ryan was gone. In his place, towering toward the ceiling, was a colossal, blood-red monstrosity that looked like a grotesque slime.
________________________________________
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations