NenMaster
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Chapter 139
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 15:25:28 +0000 UTC"Killua and Alluka are getting a little too close. It’s best to separate them."
"I understand. I’ve already arranged for Illumi to handle it. If all goes as planned, he’ll plant a needle in Killua’s head."
Illumi, in order to prevent Killua from being harmed, chose the extreme method of inserting a needle into Killua's brain to instill the philosophy of "never fighting a battle without a chance of victory."
Moreover, Illumi narcissistically and stubbornly believed that Killua's love for him was equal to his love for Alluka.
Hearing Silva’s arrangement, Zeno didn’t say anything further.
Although Illumi’s personality was somewhat twisted, he had never disappointed them when it came to the bigger picture.
As for whether it was fair to Killua for Illumi to implant a needle in his head?
Neither Zeno nor Silva cared to consider it.
In this world, the strong rule over the weak, don’t they?
Since their destination wasn’t far, the two didn’t bother using the family’s traditional mode of transportation—their flying dragon.
When the current and former heads of the Zoldyck family moved together, elsewhere, the Kute Bandit Group was facing the greatest crisis in its history.
After deploying all their members except their leader, Kute, they were met with a ferocious assault by Kastro!
No ability was more suitable for prolonged skirmishes than Conjuration.
Kastro had also deeply internalized some of the principles Morin had once taught him:
"When the enemy advances, retreat. When the enemy halts, harass. When the enemy is weary, strike. When the enemy retreats, pursue." TL: Sun Tzu’s Art of War
These sixteen-character maxims had been etched into Kastro’s memory.
The real battle for life and death was no dinner party, and Kastro was determined to annihilate the Kute Bandit Group to complete the task Morin had assigned him perfectly—even at the cost of his pride!
Once Kastro fully committed himself, even the Kute Bandit Group found it hard to withstand his onslaught.
First, leveraging the city’s maze-like alleys, Kastro created five conjured clones, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The devastating power of Tiger Bite Fist, Morin’s teachings, and Ging’s training all combined to become the Kute Bandit Group’s death sentence.
One by one, members of the group fell under Kastro’s tiger claws in the bewildering darkness of the night.
Meanwhile, they barely managed to inflict any significant harm on him.
It wasn’t until the group’s second-in-command stepped in that Kastro sustained a notable injury for the first time in the fight.
This second-in-command was not only skilled in combat and Nen but also wielded a sinister and peculiar ability.
Nen Ability: “Broom Doll.”
Effect: A conjuration-type ability that creates a doll capable of bringing misfortune and disaster to its target.
By writing the target’s name on the doll, the ability curses them, causing both physical and mental harm while subjecting them to all sorts of calamities.
If the user can obtain connective tissues or organs from the target's body, the curse’s effects grow stronger.
During Kastro’s earlier battles, the second-in-command secretly collected strands of his hair, fragments of his skin, and even droplets of blood spilled during fights with other members of the group.
Using these as a basis, he crafted a doll of Kastro and immediately activated the ability.
Caught off guard, Kastro was struck by the curse, significantly slowing his pursuit of the Kute Bandit Group.
The curse left him with serious injuries, forcing him to stop and recuperate.
By the time Kastro paused his attack, he had already taken down five members of the Kute Bandit Group.
In addition to the two he had killed in the casino hall, Kastro managed to eliminate three more through traps, direct combat, and sheer skill.
If not for the second-in-command’s cunning use of his ability, he too would have fallen to Kastro’s Tiger Bite Fist.
However, even so, neither the second-in-command nor the leader escaped the shadow of death.
After Kastro stepped back to recover, both the second-in-command and the leader briefly relaxed.
At that moment, two sharp and eerie threads shot out from a secluded corner at an unexpected, cunning angle.
Before either of them could react, the threads coiled tightly around their necks.
With a powerful yank—
Swish!
In an instant, a head was severed from its body.
The second-in-command’s head flew through the air, his face still frozen in confusion and disbelief.
It was clear he hadn’t even realized what had happened.
Hmm, to die so cleanly and swiftly, without any suffering.
For people like them, it might actually be a kind of blessing.
"One escaped, huh?"
Machi, who had been lying in wait like a mantis stalking a cicada, looked at the now-empty thread on one side and raised an eyebrow slightly.
The target had vanished into thin air before her threads could tighten around their neck.
"Teleportation? As expected of the leader of the Kute Bandit Group, they do have a trump card or two."
The residual Nen fluctuations in the area gradually faded as Machi turned her attention to the late-arriving Kastro.
"You are…?"
Seeing someone else intervene and steal his target, Kastro was both cautious and curious.
Machi did not respond immediately, instead carefully sizing up Kastro.
She observed him so intently that he started to feel uneasy.
"Not bad," she finally remarked, her tone carrying the weight of experience. "To push the Kute Bandit Group to this extent, you’ve got some skill."
"Huh?!"
Kastro was taken aback. The woman before him, who looked about his age, spoke to him in a tone as if she were an elder lecturing a junior.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering in my fight?"
His tone grew colder, his eyes sharpening dangerously.
"You don’t need to know who I am," Machi replied as she retrieved her threads. "All you need to know is that my target is also the Kute Bandit Group."
"Just think of me as someone who decided to step in and steal the spoils of your victory."
"After all, I’m determined to claim the head of the Kute Bandit Group’s leader!"
Her serious tone made Kastro’s heart skip a beat.
He could feel the unwavering resolve in her words.
In truth, Machi wasn’t lying.
Initially, she had followed Kastro out of curiosity, wanting to see what kind of person Morin’s apprentice was and how capable he truly was.
At first, when she saw Kastro kill two powerful members of the Kute Bandit Group only to be relentlessly pursued, she was quite surprised.
But as Kastro continued to take down members of the Kute Bandit Group one after another, her surprise gradually transformed into something else.
It turned into a hunger for money.
The Kute Bandit Group was an infamous S-rank criminal organization.
Their bounties, posted by both the V5 and the Hunter Association, were extraordinarily high.
Even in the underground black market, the Kute Bandit Group ranked near the top of the bounty list.
In other words, if she could take down the Kute Bandit Group…
This single job could rival—if not surpass—all the money Machi had made doing stitching jobs at Heaven’s Arena over the years.
"I never expected that just by coming out to check on Morin’s little apprentice, I’d stumble upon such a lucrative side opportunity!"
The moment money entered the equation, Machi’s mindset shifted rapidly.
Now, the Kute Bandit Group was in shambles, with most of their members dead or injured, and their leader reduced to a desperate fugitive.
This kind of opportunity was one in a million—almost as if the heavens had personally prepared a financial windfall just for her.
To not seize it would be downright foolish!
"The leader of the Kute Bandit Group escaped, but I’m determined to claim his head," Machi stated calmly.
Among the bounties offered for the entire group, their leader’s was by far the largest—representing the lion’s share of the reward.
Moreover, taking down the leader would symbolize the group’s destruction and serve as proof of their eradication.
Under no circumstances would Machi let that slip through her fingers!
"You’re trying to steal my prey?"
Kastro flexed his hands, cracking his knuckles in midair.
"Let’s see what gives you the confidence to make that claim!"
Despite his words, Kastro was extremely wary of Machi.
From the moment he saw her take out the group’s second-in-command with ruthless efficiency, he knew she was no ordinary opponent.
If not for the leader, Kute, instinctively activating his ability to escape, he might have met his end here too, another victim of her deadly threads.
Her timing, angles, and keen understanding of human behavior—every aspect of her attack was calculated with incredible precision.
Kastro, despite having only a few years of experience wandering the world, had developed a sharp eye thanks to Morin’s rigorous training.
He could tell that the woman with pale purple hair was no ordinary individual.
"The weapon she uses is fishing line, and judging by the Nen imbued in it, she clearly integrates it as an inseparable part of her combat style."
"In that case, she’s either Manipulation-type or Transmutation-type, though there’s also the possibility of Conjuration."
"She’s in excellent condition right now, while my injuries have just started to recover. It’s unwise to clash with her at this moment."
"For now, I’ll choose to avoid conflict and observe. If I can locate Kute and take him out before she does, that would be ideal."
"But if she finds me first… there’s no way I’ll back down!"
Though his expression remained calm, Kastro’s thoughts churned rapidly.
Having one’s prey stolen was something no hunter could tolerate.
After making up his mind, Kastro decided to act cautiously. He took one last deep look at Machi before turning and leaving, continuing his pursuit of Kute by his own methods.
Machi, meanwhile, reeled in her fishing line. Kastro was no longer her top priority to monitor.
No matter what, Kute’s head was hers to claim!
Both, driven by their individual goals, embarked on a new round of pursuit.
Elsewhere, in a shadowy alley of the city:
"Ha… ha…!"
Kute, panting heavily, leaned against the wall for support.
His face was pale, and the sweat dripping from him was forming a small puddle at his feet.
"That woman… is she that brat’s accomplice?"
In his paranoid imagination, Kute linked Machi and Kastro together.
"Striking at the last moment—well played, very well played! Truly, you’re something!"
Kute’s bloodshot eyes burned with searing hatred, his gaze filled with a deep, bone-chilling grudge.
"No matter who you are, I’ll make sure you die! You’ll both die!"
Like a wounded beast, Kute howled his lonely cries of despair.
Everything was gone—his brothers, his group, all of it wiped out!
If not for his teleportation Nen ability, he would’ve met the same fate.
With trembling hands, Kute pulled out his phone and angrily dialed a number.
Click—
"Are you here yet?!"
As soon as the call connected, Kute yelled into the phone without any preamble.
"If you’re not here soon, you can come collect my corpse, and you won’t get a single cent!"
"We’re already here," came Silva Zoldyck’s calm voice from the other end.
"Tell us your location. We’ll come find you," Silva added.
"You’re here?"
Hearing this brief confirmation, Kute let out a small sigh of relief but still kept a sharp tone:
"Meet me at the eastern coast outside the city."
"You’d better get here fast, or you’ll be picking up my corpse!"
With that, he hung up angrily.
At this point, Kute had nothing left but the funds his group had managed to stash away. His only remaining asset of value was his own life.
Because of this, he no longer held back or controlled his emotions. His life was hanging by a thread, and at a moment of life and death, who cared about politeness?
The only small comfort Kute had was the assurance that in this world, money could indeed buy safety and survival.
At least when hiring the Zoldyck family, once they took on a job, they would flawlessly complete the assassination.
"As long as those two bastards are eliminated, I’ll survive and have a chance to rise again!" Kute thought fiercely.
"No one escapes the Zoldyck family’s pursuit—no one!"
"It’s a shame I can’t kill them with my own hands. Otherwise, I’d relish the chance to torture them properly!"
That was the only thing Kute regretted.
"I need to hurry to the eastern coast and meet with the Zoldyck family."
Feeling the emptiness in his body, Kute wiped the sweat pouring from his forehead, his pale face growing more haggard.
"I also need to replenish my strength. That last teleport took a serious toll on me!"
Kute’s Nen ability was a seemingly simple but immensely practical Emission-type ability: Teleportation.
