Ronin was not going to let him walk.
He moved. The card in his hand changed from Holy Water to Clairvoyance—show every specified-slot card a player was holding. Confirm the inventory first. Decide how to break Genthru after.
Genthru knew exactly what the scan was for. He also could not put Leave away. He stood there and let Ronin look.
The choice felt wrong.
The gap between them was closing. A movement spell had no window left. A defensive card was the obvious swap. Unless—
The scan finished. None of the missing cards were in Genthru's specified slots. They had already been moved. He had let Ronin see that on purpose. Survive the next ten seconds, and get close.
Close enough to plant.
If Ronin had not known the Hatsu, the bait might have worked. Even knowing it left a question. Touch plus the word Bomber was only the first beat of Countdown. Without distance, and without the full explanation spoken aloud, the bomb did not finish. That did not slow Ronin's hands.
Susanoo came up in a single breath. The skeletal hand closed on Genthru before he could step.
"You guessed wrong," Ronin said.
The court froze.
Never mind the size of the thing. The spike of aura alone hit every Nen user in the ring in the chest. The same thought went through all of them.
That is a monster.
Attack spells became movement spells. Run. Last time they had worked with Ronin and had not felt the scale. This time the scale was the only thing in the room. Stay and the binders would be empty.
Too late.
Shizuku, Abachi, and Neon were already moving. Shield of Faith was still live. Escape meant leaving the twenty meters. Twenty meters was more than enough for the three of them to keep everyone on the grass.
Genthru went cold.
The man in front of him was not the one from the last meeting. A real fight would last less than a minute. Calling it a minute was vanity. The armor also ended the only plan that had ever had a chance—no skin, no bomb.
A sour line touched his mouth.
"I lose."
"Want to work together?"
Ronin had no interest in killing him. The cards were almost certainly with the two partners. He had never met those two. Hunting them would cost days. Paying Genthru would not. Battera's prize money meant nothing. Time did.
"Do I have another option?"
Genthru tried to push his glasses up. Susanoo had both arms pinned. The hand did not go anywhere.
"Don't say that like I'm twisting your arm." Ronin smiled. "You're coming out ahead."
"How much."
Genthru did not like extra words either.
"Two billion jenny. You fill the slots I'm missing."
"Too low."
Battera was offering fifty billion for a clear. Two billion sounded like change thrown at a beggar.
The words were still in the air when the pressure started. Susanoo's fingers tightened. Ronin's smile did not move.
"I think it's generous. You?"
Genthru opened his mouth. Bone gave somewhere in his torso. The thought that landed was simple and complete.
He is going to kill me.
Blood left his mouth in a single cough.
Two billion had been a convenience fee. If Genthru could not read a room, he could be bait. Hostages were cheaper than payouts.
"Stop!"
Two figures hit the ground near Ronin as the blood came out.
Sub. Bara. One square-jawed buzz cut. One with hair to the shoulders.
Ronin had known this part from the manga. The three of them were poison to everyone else and would die for each other without a speech. Squeeze Genthru and the other two came out on their own.
"The two billion's gone," Ronin said. The hand stopped tightening. "The cards. He walks."
"Fine."
Sub stepped forward. At this distance the only thought left was getting Genthru out. Clearing the game was a dead story. The closer they stood to Susanoo, the clearer that became.
The trade was clean.
While it happened, Shizuku's group finished walking the ring in and dumped the captured players at Ronin's feet. He did not kill the three. Their faces had already given that up.
Shizuku slotted the new cards into the specified pockets one after another.
The last card went in.
The island-wide announcement fired.