Auren stares at Netero, who's still radiating his massive Aura while smiling calmly, the act looking casual, seemingly not bothering him at all.
His Aura reserves must be massive....
"It's not that impressive," Auren states after staring at him for a few seconds. "Give me a couple of decades and I'll surely be able to surpass that display of Ren."
Damn monster, openly bragging in front of me... don't think I'll be intimidated.
"Hoho," Netero laughs, ceasing his Ren. "You may be the first person who wasn't shocked or impressed by my Aura. You're a true monster yourself, aren't you, young Hunter?"
"Who's the monster?" Auren mutters under his breath.
I want to stab him with Eternity so badly... I want to drain every drop of that Aura... No, this isn't the time, nor does this geezer deserve it. As far as I can tell, he is not someone who deserves to die for something as trivial as absorbing Aura. I have enough potential enemies I can ask to donate....
"Anyway," Auren says, turning back toward the exit. "I'll see you in a few days... I'm grateful for the opportunity. But don't think I'll still be on the same level as I am today."
Still aching, with both his ribs and nose broken, Auren activates Zetsu to speed up his natural healing and begin recovering his Aura as he makes his way back to the airship.
Thanks to Zetsu, his presence is concealed entirely, allowing him to move unnoticed through the city.
Back aboard the airship, he steps into the spacious kitchen and finds Marsha cleaning up.
"Hey there," Auren says.
"Wha?!" Marsha spins around in surprise. "Ah, it's you, Auren. Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. You missed lunch... Should I cook something fresh for you?"
"No need. Do we have anything left?" Auren asks.
"Of course," Marsha says, opening the fridge and retrieving the leftovers from earlier, heating them up without hesitation.
In the meantime, Auren grabs his usual selection of protein drinks, bars, and a few of the high-quality, expensive fruits Marsha always insists on buying.
He devours the food and snacks quickly, eating enough to satisfy nearly five normal adults with ease.
With his stomach full, Auren returns to his private room. Sitting down on his bed, he enters the state of Zetsu again, spending a few more hours restoring his Aura.
Once fully recovered, he activates Azure Restoration, the familiar, calming azure Aura enveloping his body. The energy spreads through him, knitting his broken bones back together and healing every bruise and strain without any sort of resistance.
Not even five minutes pass before he's completely restored to his peak form—with plenty of Aura still left in reserve.
I'm getting better at this... At this point, I can recover even serious wounds like these in just five minutes without using up too much Aura. I'm nearing the level where I can actually use this during a real battle. That's incredible progress... I thought it would take way longer.
The daily training in the gym, followed by healing sessions with Azure Restoration... It's paying off. Slowly but surely, all of my once-basic, mediocre abilities are reaching frightening levels. I just need to keep this up. If I stay consistent, I'll soon reach the limit of what top Nen users can do—maybe even before I'm an adult. And with that, I'll have a real chance to go a step beyond... much like Netero did. Only I don't plan to spend a decade on it.
Feeling refreshed and renewed, Auren makes his way to the gym, where Neffi and Goreinu are both in the middle of their training.
Neffi is focusing on weight training, pushing herself to improve her physical strength. Auren watches her movements carefully. While the weights she's using are far beyond what any normal person could dream of lifting, for a Nen user of her level, they aren't extreme.
But then he notices the repetition—hundreds of reps across multiple machines.
So she's going for an athletic build... There are different ways to build muscle. I'm aiming for balance—power and speed. Neffi's clearly focusing on lean, efficient muscle rather than brute strength.
Goreinu, on the other hand, is openly using his Hatsu. Both of his gorillas are at his side, sparring with him as part of a coordinated training session.
He's beating himself up—that's a rather funny sight to behold.
That looks like difficult and advanced training. I guess for an Emitter, focusing on Nen Beasts, this is a great way to train.
He's dodging, blocking, and striking at his Nen beasts, all while controlling them at the same time. And it's not just one—he has to coordinate both of his Nen beasts along with his own movements, simultaneously. That's really incredible. He's a genuinely skilled Nen user, I have to admit.
Vanessa, Eren, and even Konrad are standing nearby, all clearly impressed by the display.
"That is impressive!" Konrad says.
"Yeah... I'd love to be able to do something like that," Eren comments.
Vanessa, nodding in agreement, before smirking, adds, "But those gorillas look so weird... also this scene looks silly. I would be embarrassed."
"Glad to see everyone's making progress," Auren says with a small smile as he walks deeper into the gym. "I've got some news."
At his words, everyone gathers around him. Killi, Mio, and Kai hesitate in the background, unsure whether to approach, but Auren waves them over.
"This concerns you three as well," he says. "Three days from now... we're hoping the exorcism will be complete."
"Really?!" Killi asks, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Yes..." Auren replies. "But I won't lie to you. There are still risks. I've come up with a plan, but this whole situation is surrounded by mystery. Even the Association's Nen exorcist isn't completely certain anymore. All I can promise is that I'll do everything I can to save Ella."
"Until then," Auren continues, "we won't be taking on any missions. Neffi, Goreinu—if you two have some time, I'd like to spar with you. I noticed a few weaknesses during a spar earlier. After Ella is safe, I've got one more match lined up, and I want to be ready for it."
"Sure," Neffi says. "But I won't go easy on you!"
"I'm not sure how much help I'll be," Goreinu adds, "but I'll do my best."
"What about us, huh?!" Vanessa suddenly chimes in, hands on her hips.
"If you're up for it... you can help out too," Auren says. "Grab a few guns and try to ambush me while I'm sparring."
"Auren... isn't that a little risky?!" Eren says, looking worried.
"At this point, I can withstand bullets—even if you aim for my head," Auren replies confidently. "As long as you're not using Shu or Ko to strengthen the shots, they won't pose a real threat to me."
"Okay then!" Eren says, nodding, looking relieved.
Taking out his phone, Auren quickly sends a message to Pariston, asking for a suitable location to use for training and sparring.
Almost immediately, he gets a response with an address and a brief description:
"Rented by the Association."
"It's a little outside the city," Auren says, glancing at the screen. "But if we run there, we'll make it in under an hour. It'll serve as a decent warm-up, too."
Konrad's face instantly changes into one of dread, a bead of sweat forming on his temple.
"I have work lined up so I'll have to pas—" he tries to protest, but Vanessa cuts him off, wrapping an arm around his neck in a chokehold.
"You're coming along, bro," she says, grinning. She pokes him in the stomach, smirking. "Or you'll never get rid of that baby fat!"
Everyone, aside from Konrad, smiles, feeling a hint of Schadenfreude as they see him looking dejected and sigh loudly, clearly unable to disobey his sister.
The next three days are spent in full training mode. The group visits the location Pariston sent them—a run-down but secure abandoned military base, staffed by members of the association.
A few employees are stationed there, maintaining the grounds. The base includes training fields, a few small, agile airships, and even a few helicopters—a rarity in the world and something only the richest people can afford.
Auren spars daily with Neffi and Goreinu, fighting them at the same time, constantly pushing his limits. The others occasionally join in, using their firearms to interrupt and increase the pressure while he's mid-fight. Sometimes they ambush him while he is already being attacked by Neffi and Goreinu, forcing him to adjust, react, and defend, while staying vigilant for the entire fight.
By the end of the third day, Auren feels like something has changed. His senses feel sharpened—refined to their limits. He's been fighting nonstop, and his reactions and his decision-making have clearly improved.
Not only himself, but also Neffi, Goreinu, who is now a little more adept in fighting using his Nen Beasts, and Auren's students have improved another level.
On the evening of the third day, after another busy day of training, they all sit in the airship, enjoying one more delicious meal prepared by Marsha.
This is it... time for the grand exorcism. I'd better go to bed early.
-----------------------------------------
A/N: Always thankful for Power Stones, Comments, and Reviews. Thank you for reading!
If you are interested, then please support me at patreon.com/FRWriter
34+ Early chapters available
New Chapters every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday!
Bored? Complains? Demands? Check out the Discord: https://discord.gg/puVqWsf3y9
Thank you for supporting the story with Power Stones!