Seven days passed, and everything inside and outside the manor was calm.
The Waldeck Family made no further moves, as if they had gone completely silent.
But Leo and Gorenou both knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.
The other side was waiting for an opportunity, or perhaps preparing for a more lethal attack.
Leo did not waste any time.
He had Gorenou log into the intelligence website via the dedicated Hunter channel to gather information on The Purifiers organization.
Information was scarce; it was only confirmed that this was an underground organization active in recent years, known to have six members, with a leader called "The Doctor."
Their main area of activity was the southern Urubian Continent, and they operated secretly with cruel methods.
Following Leo's suggestion, Gorenou posted an anonymous intelligence tip on the website.
Time passed during the preparations.
On the ninth day, April 10th.
Leo was in his room conducting basic training in Nen—maintaining the state of "Ken," while attempting to expand the range of his "En" to eight meters.
Sweat trickled down his temples, and his breathing was steady and rhythmic.
A knock on the door sounded.
"Mr. Leo, Mr. Gorenou invites you to the second-floor conference room."
It was the butler's voice outside the door.
Leo gathered his Nen and let out a long breath. What was meant to come had finally arrived.
When he arrived at the conference room, Gorenou was already by the window.
The thick-browed, burly man turned around with a grim expression.
"The Waldeck Family has made a move. A convoy of more than twenty vehicles, over a hundred people, is heading toward the manor. They aren't hiding it this time; they are coming straight for us—it's clear they are absolutely certain of success."
Vivian was not present.
Gorenou explained: "She has already been transferred to a safe house according to the plan. I am in full charge of this operation."
Leo walked to the window and looked at the road vaguely visible outside the manor: "Let's proceed according to the plan."
Outside the manor, the Colton Family guards were already battle-ready.
Nearly ninety gunmen and guards were distributed throughout the manor and its perimeter, with a dozen more acting as a mobile reserve force.
Everyone knew that this battle would determine the survival of the Family.
Three kilometers away, at the top of a tall oak tree.
Three figures stood on the thick branches, their posture as steady as a rock.
Leading them was a grey-haired man with a strange, bright red tattoo on his face, slanting from the corner of his right eye to his left jaw.
He had his hands in his pockets, his posture arrogant, with a mocking smile hanging on his lips.
"Terence, Gabri, you two are truly useless."
The grey-haired man, Theodore, spoke in a lazy tone, "To fail such a simple mission. The Doctor is very unhappy, so he sent me to assist you."
Terence, wearing gold-rimmed glasses on the left, pushed up his frames, his tone calm.
"The ability of that guy Gorenou is a bit tricky; his Nen beast can swap positions. Theodore, you'd better be careful."
On the right, Gabri, dressed in black, kept his head down, his fingers gently brushing the scabbard of his Bian-style blade, remaining silent.
Theodore snorted dismissively: "You two must listen to me for this operation. Let those Waldeck Family people go up first to exhaust them. Once they've fought enough... we'll go up."
He glanced toward the manor, "Gorenou is left to you two. I'll go take care of that woman."
Terence frowned: "Their leader, Vivian, might have already been transferred."
"Then turn the manor upside down."
Theodore said casually, "Anyway, all the organization needs is'samples.' Gorenou is a good piece of material to bring back; The Doctor will be very happy."
Only then did Gabri lift his head, a flash of bloodthirsty light in his eyes.
He licked his lips and gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Let's move." Theodore ordered.
The three figures moved, leaping from the treetop like ghosts, disappearing into the woods after a few bounds.
Outside the manor perimeter, gunfire erupted suddenly.
The Waldeck Family's attack was simple and brutal: four vehicle convoys spread out, approaching the manor from different directions.
The gunmen used the vehicles as cover, engaging in a firefight with the Colton guards behind the walls.
To avoid large-scale police intervention, both sides tacitly agreed not to use heavy weaponry; the battle remained at the level of rifles and handguns.
The Colton guards, relying on the terrain and pre-arranged cover, temporarily held off the attack.
But the Waldeck Family had a clear numerical advantage, and the defensive line was in jeopardy at multiple points.
On the second floor of the manor, Leo and Gorenou stood by the window observing the battle.
"They are exhausting us," Leo analyzed. "Using the lives of gang members to drain our stamina and ammunition. Once we are exhausted, those two Nen Users will make their move."
Gorenou clenched his fists: "Then let them exhaust us. Let's see who can't hold on first."
Time ticked by second by second.
Meanwhile, at the Tote City airport, an airship slowly descended.
The cabin door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a well-tailored black and white suit stepped slowly down the gangway.
He was tall and upright, with a resolute face and eyes as calm as a deep pool.
He exuded a rigorous temperament that commanded respect without anger.
Most striking were the bull horns on his hat, which were quite distinctive.
After taking his phone out of his pocket and checking a message, the man headed toward the outskirts of the city.
Half an hour later, the Waldeck Family still hadn't broken through the outer perimeter.
Theodore, hiding behind a dirt slope, smacked his lips in irritation.
"This bunch of trash..." he cursed under his breath, "Terence, Gabri, it's your turn. Clear out those guards."
Terence pushed up his glasses: "It should have been done long ago."
Gabri didn't respond, but his figure had already disappeared from where he stood.
The next instant, the situation on the battlefield changed drastically.
Terence appeared outside the east wall of the manor. He held his right hand up, and a silver handgun materialized.
Without any aiming motion, a flash of fire erupted from the muzzle—a Nen Bullet whistled out, tracing a strange arc in the air and precisely drilling into the center of a guard's forehead.
Following that was a second shot, then a third. Every Nen Bullet could automatically track its target; even if the guards hid behind cover, the Nen Bullet would bypass the obstacles and kill with a single hit.
The Colton Family's defensive line began to collapse.
And Gabri was even more bizarre.
He moved through the battlefield like a ghost; every time he appeared, the cold light of his Bian-style blade flashed, and someone inevitably fell.
The speed of his blade was too fast for the naked eye to discern; the guards didn't even have time to turn their guns before their throats or hearts were pierced.
Screams, gunshots, and the dull thuds of bodies falling mixed together.
The outer perimeter of the manor was completely routed, and the surviving guards began to retreat toward the main building.
Gorenou watched the rapidly deteriorating battle outside the window, his expression changing as he said.
"They've made their move. The Colton people can't hold on. I'll go down and stop them first!"
Gorenou opened the window and leaped from the second floor.
Upon landing, he bent his knees slightly and stood steadily.
Two balls of light slowly emerged on the ground, and two Nen beasts—gorillas—"Black Sage" and "White Sage"—instantly materialized on either side of him.
The battle had begun.