"Let's hurry, Gon," Kite urged.
But Gon didn't move.
"Gon?" Kite looked at him in confusion.
Gon, however, pointed at Aoki with astonishment. "Kite, look at him… is he opening his aura nodes?"
"What?"
Kite was stunned and immediately used Gyo to observe.
What he saw left him shocked!
Aoki's aura was rapidly gathering, surging wildly within his body, expanding uncontrollably—as if it might burst through his flesh at any moment.
This was the unmistakable sign of opening one's aura nodes!
Nen users channel their aura through these nodes, releasing it outward to wield as a controllable force.
However, aura nodes are naturally sealed at birth and must be forcibly opened later in life.
Right now, Aoki was mobilizing the aura within his body, attempting to break through this innate barrier!
"Did the threat of a powerful enemy awaken his aura?" Kite muttered in disbelief.
Normally, ordinary people are completely unaware of their own aura.
To awaken it, one must either undergo rigorous, specialized training or experience an intense external stimulus.
These are the two primary methods of awakening Nen: training-based awakening and forced awakening.
"But unfortunately, there's no time for him to awaken Nen now," Kite said regretfully to Gon. "We have no choice. Before he fully opens his nodes, we need to forcibly interrupt him."
Gon hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly.
Opening aura nodes is dangerous.
If the suddenly released aura isn't properly controlled, it will dissipate into the surroundings, draining the user's life force and leading to death.
Thus, time and a calm environment are crucial.
But right now, a formidable enemy was approaching.
There was no opportunity for this ordinary person to safely awaken his Nen.
'Better to have Gon interrupt him now than to let him recklessly open his nodes, lose control of his aura, and die from life force depletion,' Kite thought with a sigh.
Though forcibly interrupting the process might cause harm—
Even potentially hinder future Nen awakening—
There was no other option.
Better alive than dead.
'To awaken his aura under these circumstances… he must have real talent,' Kite mused. 'But being interrupted like this… even if he awakens again later, his potential will be greatly diminished.'
Shaking his head, Kite dismissed the thought.
A promising talent, wasted just like that.
But soon, he pushed these concerns aside.
There was still a powerful enemy to face.
"Crazy Slots!"
Kite reached out, and a long staff with a clown's wheel appeared in his hand.
The wheel was marked with numbers 1 through 9.
Each number corresponded to a different weapon.
This was his Nen ability—a Conjuration-type power called Crazy Slots.
...
"Hey, mister up ahead, stop—"
Gon approached Aoki, just beginning to speak—
Whoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Gon's expression changed as he rolled aside, retreating several meters.
A vicious claw mark tore through the spot where he had just stood, gouging out a layer of dirt.
"Gon!"
Kite gasped in alarm, rushing forward to shield him.
"I'm fine, Kite," Gon said calmly, though his eyes were grave.
Trickles of blood seeped from the back of his neck.
Three thin, crimson lines had been carved into his skin.
He had dodged—
Yet the razor-sharp aura had still grazed him.
"You..." Kite glared coldly at the tree ahead.
A white-haired cat-person with curly locks swayed her slender tail while crouched on a branch, smiling mischievously.
She licked her sharp claws and said with a grin, "Such an interesting event—I can't let you interrupt it."
"You!?" Kite's expression shifted slightly as realization dawned.
"My name's Neferpitou. And yours, humans?" the cat-girl asked cheerfully.
Kite and Gon remained silent, watching her warily.
"Well, your names don't matter anyway," she chuckled, turning her gaze toward Aoki in the distance. "That one's the interesting one."
"Is this how you humans awaken this 'Nen' power?"
"How fascinating. Let me give him a little push."
Baring her fangs in a sharp grin, Neferpitou's aura intensified—razor-sharp and oppressive, stabbing toward Aoki like invisible blades.
The surrounding air grew frigid.
Nearby.
Sensing the malice, Aoki glanced up briefly.
'Neferpitou, huh?'
Memories of the original Hunter plot surfaced—how Kite had died by this creature's hands, his corpse turned into a puppet. Gon's eventual descent into darkness, sacrificing his future potential to destroy her.
'One of the Royal Guards indeed. Such murderous intent and presence right after birth... Not that it affects me.' Aoki smirked inwardly.
In his Gene-Lock state, mere bloodlust meant nothing.
Even death itself wouldn't make him flinch.
Focusing inward, he maneuvered his fluctuating aura—darting left and right through his meridians.
Soon.
The chaotic energy suddenly converged toward his head.
'Found it—the aura nodes.'
In the next instant, his gathered aura surged upward in a decisive charge.
...
"Damn it!"
Kite paled, his eyes filling with pity as he watched Aoki.
Awakening Nen was most vulnerable to disruptions. The cat-girl's overwhelming pressure would only agitate the novice, destabilizing his energy flow toward certain failure.
"Stop this!"
Gon shouted angrily at Neferpitou, "You'll kill him!"
"So what?" She laughed dismissively. "My pressure should help unlock his potential faster, no?"
"He'll die!" Gon insisted.
"Then he dies. My amusement matters more." Her cheerful tone made both hunters' hearts sink.
This creature lacked any empathy.
Despite her humanoid appearance, she couldn't be considered human—nor even a sentient being.
Just a beast with intelligence.