The two of them deeply felt Leo's terrifying, cold gaze, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
"B-Big Brother... let's retreat..."
Fire Wolf's voice carried a hint of a sob.
Jackal's teeth chattered and ground together.
Shame, fear, anger—all sorts of emotions collided within his chest.
He was Jackal, the leader of the trio, a powerhouse who had escaped the encirclement of Hunters!
"Retreat?"
Jackal growled low.
"If we retreat now, how will we ever show our faces again?!"
He pushed open the car door and jumped out.
Fire Wolf was stunned for a moment, but he could only bite the bullet and follow.
The two walked onto the street, confronting Leo from thirty meters away.
"Just you alone..."
Jackal's voice was distorted with rage.
"You think you can stop us?!"
Nen erupted around him, his muscles bulging, and the scars on his face twisted like squirming centipedes.
Fire Wolf also released his Nen, orange-red flames igniting on his hands.
Leo watched these two guys who, instead of running, were charging toward him; the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"If you had turned and run,"
he said softly,
"I would have had a real headache."
He paused, his smile deepening.
"I didn't expect... you to be so arrogant."
The moment the words fell—Boom!
Nen erupted again, but this time it was different.
The ground beneath Leo's feet exploded into a deep pit, and his entire being transformed into a white stream of light, shooting straight at the two!
The speed was too fast.
Jackal and Fire Wolf only saw an afterimage; the opponent had already rushed to within five meters of them.
Leo pulled his right fist back, his arm muscles tensing like steel cables.
Nen frantically gathered toward his fist, compressing, then compressing again—the light changed from white to incandescent, and finally to a nearly blinding gold!
The air distorted due to the concentration of energy, emitting a low hum.
Super Destruction Fist!
Leo opened with a killing move.
This strike condensed most of his power, and combined with his refinement of 'Ko' during his recent special training, its power far exceeded the full-force strike of an ordinary Nen User.
Jackal and Fire Wolf finally felt the fear of death.
They wanted to dodge, but their bodies couldn't keep up with their consciousness—Leo's speed was too fast, and the oppressive pressure of the attack was so strong that the surrounding air seemed to have solidified.
They could only take it head-on!
The two simultaneously concentrated all their Nen in front of them, forming a layer of 'Ken'.
Jackal crossed his arms, and Fire Wolf pushed his palms forward—the fist fell.
Time seemed to slow down.
The moment the fist made contact with the Nen defensive layer, it became covered in cracks like glass.
Then—it shattered.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!
An explosion.
The shockwave radiated outward from the point of impact, flipping everything within a thirty-meter radius—streetlights, benches, green belts, cars—all of it!
The glass curtain wall on the front of the Minke Building completely shattered under the impact, shards falling like rain!
A deep pit ten meters in diameter and three meters deep was blasted into the ground.
Charred fragments and severed limbs were scattered at the bottom and edges of the pit—those were the traces left after Jackal and Fire Wolf's bodies were directly torn apart by the explosive impact and massive force.
Dust and smoke slowly rose, forming a miniature mushroom cloud.
Leo stood by the edge of the pit and shook his right hand.
Faint white smoke rose from his fist, and the skin was slightly red, but not even the surface was broken.
Two relatively strong sensations of warmth came from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Rank: 42 (1%)] He had leveled up.
Leo looked at the scene at the bottom of the pit and muttered to himself in a low voice.
"Hmm... the power was still a bit too much. I'll have to hold back a little next time."
"Is this some kind of intelligence-lowering aura? I planned so many countermeasures, and not a single one was needed..."
He really hadn't expected these two to be so stubborn as to charge straight in and take it head-on.
If they had split up and coordinated their attack from different angles, although the outcome wouldn't have changed, they could have at least lasted a bit longer.
But this was fine too, it saved trouble.
Inside the jewelry exhibition hall.
The moment the sound of the explosion reached them, the entire hall shook.
Chandeliers swayed, the glass of the display cases hummed, and several exhibits even slid off their pedestals and shattered on the floor.
Screams rang out one after another.
Visitors held their heads and crouched down, or frantically searched for cover.
Machi Komacine stood up the moment the vibration occurred.
His gaze was solemn.
"Outside..."
With such a violent commotion, it could only be Leo taking action.
And judging by the tremors, it was definitely no small skirmish.
Just as he was about to head toward the entrance, a series of impacts and muffled thuds came from the direction of the back door—that was the battle between Kansai and Coyote.
Machi Komacine paused for a moment and instantly made a judgment.
The Three Jackals Trio was operating separately.
There was at least one outside, and the one inside... had to be dealt with as quickly as possible to prevent him from rushing into the exhibition hall and causing even greater chaos.
He turned and rushed toward the back door.
In the freight passage, the battle had already reached a fever pitch.
Kansai was covered in blood—most of it was Coyote's, but he also had a wound on his left arm where he had been slashed by a dagger.
Coyote was in even worse shape.
One of his arms was twisted at a bizarre angle, clearly broken.
His face was covered in blood, his nose had collapsed, and at least three of his ribs were broken.
But both were still fighting.
Kansai's fists slammed into Coyote again and again, while Coyote used his remaining arm to parry and counterattack, his dagger tracing arcs in the dim corridor.
"Bang!"
Another heavy punch, and Coyote was slammed against the wall, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
His vision began to blur; he knew he couldn't hold out much longer.
The Hunter in front of him... was too strong.
It wasn't technique or ability; it was pure, crushing power and speed.
Coyote bit the tip of his tongue, using the pain to stimulate himself and stay conscious.
He saw another figure rushing from the direction of the exhibition hall—dressed in a suit, with a steady aura.
It's over.
A final thought flashed through his mind.
The next second, Machi Komacine's hand-blade precisely struck the back of his neck.
Coyote's vision went black, and he slumped to the ground.
Kansai panted heavily, leaning against the wall.
He glanced at the wound on his left arm and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
"Tch... this dagger is quite sharp."
Machi Komacine knelt to check Coyote's condition, confirming he was only unconscious, then looked at Kansai's wound.
"The wound isn't deep, thankfully."
He tore off a sleeve from his shirt and quickly tied it tightly above the wound on Kansai's arm to slow the blood flow.
Then he pulled a small bottle from his pocket and poured some powder onto the wound—the powder hissed and emitted white smoke the moment it touched the wound.
Kansai grimaced in pain but didn't make a sound.
The two of them escorted the unconscious Coyote out of the freight passage and back to the exhibition hall.
The visitors were still in a state of panic, and seeing them emerge with someone in custody caused another stir.
Just then, at the main entrance.
Leo pushed the door open and walked in.
He was very clean—his suit wasn't even particularly wrinkled, only the soles of his shoes were stained with some dust.
His hands were empty, and his expression was as calm as if he had just returned from a stroll.
The moment Machi Komacine saw Leo, he understood.
"The other two... are both dead?"
Leo nodded without speaking.
Kansai's eyes widened. He looked Leo up and down—no scars, no fatigue, not even his breathing was labored.
"Not bad!"
Kansai grinned, even though the movement pulled at his wound.
"I didn't expect you to be so strong, kid! Looks like Old Cow didn't find the wrong person!"
Leo smiled slightly.
"Mr. Kansai, it's 'didn't find the wrong person'."
"Uh..."
Kansai scratched his head.
"That's what I meant."
Machi Komacine was silent for a few seconds.
He looked at Leo's calm face, then looked outside, and finally sighed.
"If possible..."
His voice was somewhat low.
"I still hope you can show some mercy. Bringing them to court for trial is the most correct way. Mindless killing... cannot solve problems."
Leo shrugged.
"But it can solve the people who create the problems."
This was said very softly, but with an air that brooked no argument.
Machi Komacine looked at Leo with a complex gaze.
He wanted to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head and didn't argue further.
Kansai, on the other hand, was very happy and slapped Leo's shoulder hard with his uninjured hand.
"I'm starting to like you!"
He laughed loudly.
"You're right up my alley!"
Leo smiled and said nothing.
Machi Komacine took out a communicator and contacted the Association's logistics department.
After explaining the situation and hanging up, he looked at the two of them.
"Let's leave here first. The airship is already waiting for us."
The three of them escorted the unconscious Coyote out of the Minke Building under the suspicious and uncertain gazes of the visitors.
Outside, the sunlight was still bright. It was just that there was now a huge pit in the middle of the street, along with corpses and bloodstains all over the ground.
Leo took one last look back at the pit, then turned and followed the footsteps of Machi Komacine and Kansai.