Auren carefully analyzes the situation. There's one Nen barrier surrounding the entire group—and another one specifically around Kolmata and his allies.
I see! So Silva and Zeno probably can't leave, nor can they break through to their targets.
This is an incredibly powerful Hatsu. From what I can tell, multiple users are needed to maintain it. Some of them already look exhausted… Sooner or later, their Aura will run out. That's when the barriers will collapse. They're just stalling for time. They need to defeat Zeno and Silva, which seems impossible.
More importantly—four of them are already dead. And their corpses aren't inside the smaller barrier. That either means they were allowed to enter and leave freely, or they simply didn't fit, or couldn't reach it in time.
So… what do I do? I can't—and don't need to—save Silva and Zeno. The best move is to go for the real target. These guys can't beat the Zoldycks anyway, so they'll likely try to flee.
Auren activates Zetsu and silently begins circling along the outer edge of the garden.
He positions himself directly behind Kolmata, hiding in a thick bush.
He's close enough to overhear some of the conversation.
"I'm getting pissed off!" Kolmata shouts. "You're the strongest Nen user in the entire Republic! I paid you a fortune! Look at them! It's just two men! It's eight against two! Stop stalling and finish these invaders!"
Idiot…
One of Kolmata's men mutters, "We can't beat those Zoldycks. You can control the barriers, right? Why don't we just sacrifice this stupid idiot and run? This country is finished either way. That's our only shot at staying ali—"
Before he finishes, a woman standing next to Kolmata drives a rapier through his back, killing him almost instantly.
"You… bit—" the man gasps, only for the woman to draw her pistol and shoot him twice in the head.
"Treason will be punished," she declares coldly. "However wrong this scumbag was, what he said is true, my King. We can't defeat them. You need to flee—we'll buy you time!"
"You… fine! How long can you hold them off?" Kolmata snaps.
"The barrier will collapse in three minutes!" another man calls out, already kneeling, his Aura nearly drained.
"I can buy you one more minute! Please, run, my King!" the woman shouts.
"Then I order you to stop them—with your bodies if you must!" Kolmata yells before rushing toward the barrier.
One of the men forms a hand sign, and Kolmata passes through, now on the outside, right next to Auren.
Too bad for you!
At that moment, Auren springs from the bush, landing squarely in front of him.
"Hehe, I win," Auren grins, drawing Eternity and slicing cleanly through Kolmata—cutting his body in half, from his skull all the way to the ground.
"NO!" the woman screams, charging forward—but slams into the barrier, bouncing off and crashing to the ground. She collapses to her knees and sobs uncontrollably.
Auren kneels down next to him and grabs the jewelry Kolmata is carrying, multiple breathtaking rings, an expensive watch, and even a diamond necklace. In fact he also carries more on his body.
Did he want to flee the country? Thanks for gifting your state treasures to me!
Suddenly, another figure drops down from a tree beside Auren—it's Illumi.
"So you were here too? I didn't even notice you," he says casually, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"I didn't see you either…" Auren replies, only now realizing it made perfect sense for Illumi to stay back and guard against an escape attempt. He wasn't meant to engage directly, after all.
Illumi is not someone who engages in an open battle with his enemy. It should have been obvious that he would be around… well, it doesn't matter.
Suddenly, the barrier begins to glow, slightly vibrating, growing fainter.
It's going to collapse any second now.
A few seconds later, it indeed does collapse, and the woman with the rapier rushes at Auren, bloodlust in her eyes.
Auren braces himself and prepares to slash—but with a flick of his wrist, three needles shoot from Illumi's hand, piercing the woman's skull. She drops to the ground instantly and dies without being able to even react to her attacker.
Auren ignores the woman and dashes forward towards the other targets and holds Eternity.
He slashes through one man's torso, then uses Limitless Waters to release a wide Aura slash, catching two more as they try to run—cutting them down instantly.
The rest are kneeling, completely drained of Aura.
Zeno and Silva calmly walk forward.
"Your technique wasn't bad," Zeno says, looking toward the exhausted nen users, who created the barrier. "It's a shame you used it for someone this worthless."
His body suddenly blurs—disappearing for a split second—then reappears in his original spot.
Damn, he's fast! He kicked them! That speed… I need to reach that level someday!
The necks of the four collapsed men snap simultaneously, their bodies going limp as they fall to the ground, dead.
"Good job, kid. Though your interference wasn't really necessary," Zeno chuckles.
"Sorry… I didn't see Illumi. I guess I should've assumed something like this," Auren replies. "Anyway, we secured the path. I also took out that general, and a strong Nen user who could create golems from the castle walls."
He pulls out two wallets and shows them to Illumi.
Illumi takes them, pulls a few cards from each, and crosses two names off a small list.
"Good job. The core targets appear to be dead. The rest might be hiding—or could have fled through the catacombs or down the mountain. I'd say we're done here," Illumi says flatly.
This was easier than I thought… I guess that's what happens when you're working with the Zoldycks. Success is basically guaranteed. Silva is even capable of killing someone from the Troupe, so what's a small-time dictator like this supposed to do?
Illumi speaks calmly through the comms, "Land the airship at the same spot we landed earlier."
"I have something to pick up. I'll see you later," Auren replies before vanishing into the shadows.
He quickly retraces his steps to the main entrance, removes the rubble he'd piled on top of the hidden bag, and grabs it.
Thankfully, carrying around 100 kilos of gold bars isn't much of an issue for Auren, especially not with his improved physique.
Not wanting to be left behind, he exits the castle the same way he entered.
Along the way, he notices the butlers have already left their posts. Sprinting through the forest, he soon spots the airship waiting in the clearing, having already landed.
Auren steps inside, a satisfied smile on his face.
Larazul eyes him and the bag with a mix of amusement and pity. "Kid, did you join us just to become a cheap looter?"
"No. I did my part. I just stumbled across this… it would've been stupid to leave it behind. Surely, you agree?"
Larazul shakes his head. "You care about money that much?"
"Yes, I do! Don't you?" Auren replies, visibly confused.
As Auren argues with Larazul, the other butlers and assassins begin arriving one by one.
"Everyone is accounted for. Nobody's missing," Illumi confirms.
"Let's get out of here, then. This place is hardly pleasing to the eye," Zeno mutters.
Yeah… because YOU wrecked it. This old guy sure loves to joke.
The airship quickly lifts off, the cold night breeze drifting through the cabin windows, strangely refreshing.
"Good job," Illumi says to Auren and the other three assassins. "As promised, we'll transfer you 200 million Jenny."
"It was a pleasure working with you," Larazul says, nodding towards Zeno before entering the ship.
Greiffon doesn't say a word—he simply walks off to his cabin.
Dantu, on the other hand, laughs heartily. "That job was easy! Just drop me off somewhere near Yorknew. I'm not going all the way back to the Republic of Padokea."
Good idea. We're already nearby.
Auren adds, "If that's possible, I'd appreciate it too. Somewhere in Yorbia would be fine. Doesn't have to be Yorknew. Just as long as there's an airport nearby. I could fly directly from here, but with all the chaos… I'd rather leave this broken country behind."
"No problem. We'll land in Yorbia—probably that famous gambling city in Adaven. It'll still take two days to get there," Illumi responds.
"Thank you, Illumi," Auren says, genuinely grateful.
They're treating us better than I expected.
Auren carries his duffel bag of gold into his cabin. He puts the jewelry from Kolmata on top of it. He carries the bag with him into the bathroom as he showers, washing away all the dirt, blood, and grime from his body.
After tossing out his old clothes, he changes into a fresh outfit. Feeling more relaxed, he lies down on his bed and contacts Buno, Bunu, and Neffi—explaining his situation to them. Buno replies quickly, promising to arrange a small private airship for him.
By the time the sun rises, Auren is already up again, training.
I guess I'm addicted. I can't slack off.
He spends the next two days aboard the airship like before—training, healing, and eating. The only thing he actively does outside of that is exchange contact info with Larazul. He might want to learn the spear sometime in the future.
Finally, the airship lands in a large Yorbian city famous for its gambling, located in the United States of Saherta.
Auren steps off with his things. Silva, Zeno, and Illumi are there to see him off.
"Thank you again for trusting me. I really appreciate the training—and the gift," Auren says, looking at Zeno and Silva.
"You're a talented kid," Zeno responds. "If you ever decide to become a full-time assassin, you're welcome to visit me."
Auren hands two more cards to Silva and Zeno, receiving theirs in return.
"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to contact me," he says before stepping off the ship with Dantu.
Dantu grins and offers him his card. "If you're ever in Yorknew and need help—I'll give you a discount!"
Auren hands him one of his own and waves goodbye.
As soon as he steps away from the airship, a girl sprints toward him with unnatural speed. Auren immediately tenses up, preparing for a confrontation—only to see that it's Neffi, who throws her arms around him in a tight hug.
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