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130 HxH: The Strongest Assassin
🕑 Added 2024-11-19 06:00:11 +0000 UTCKaizen opened his laptop and played the audio file Altan had sent him. The recording captured a conversation, involving Nock and two others.
Kaizen had anticipated this. Weeks ago, he had ordered Altan to hack into Nock's phone.
When Kaizen first connected Gluttony and Laziness with the Wilhelm family, he had instructed Altan to monitor not just Nock but several key members of the family. Now, that decision was bearing fruit.
"The situation is better than I expected," Kaizen murmured to himself, a faint smile crossing his lips.
"The mafia have no clue about the real condition of Carlisle and Nina. Even if they confront Nina now, they'll think she's fine. They'd never suspect the truth unless they understood the process of aura removal."
Kaizen paused, considering the rarity of aura users on the human continent.
The few who could manipulate aura were either teachers or elite students. Even among them, the art of removing malicious aura, or "exorcism," was exceedingly rare. If they knew Nina had been transformed into a synthetic beast and then restored, they'd demand to know how and where Kaizen had found an exorcist.
"Jingle, jingle!"
Kaizen's phone rang, pulling him from his thoughts. He answered quickly.
"Hello?"
"Kaizen?"
"Speaking. Who's this?"
"Is Nina nearby? I need to speak with her about Carlisle."
"She's not here right now," Kaizen replied, his tone measured.
"Can she take the call?"
"Give me a moment."
Kaizen stepped out of the room, phone in hand. He waved Nina over.
"Nina, someone's asking for you."
Nina hurried over, taking the phone from Kaizen.
"Hello, this is Nina."
The voice on the other end was grave. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Nina, but your father, Carlisle, passed away yesterday. I had hoped to tell you this in person. When can we meet?"
Nina's expression stiffened. "My father... dead? That's impossible! You're lying!"
"I wish I were, but it's true," the voice replied. "Not just your father—others were killed by the same murderer."
Feigning shock and sadness, Nina's voice quavered. "How can I trust you? Why should I believe any of this?"
"I guarantee every word is true," the voice said firmly. "I want justice for your father, but the murderer left no clues. I need you to share everything you know."
There was a pause before the speaker added, "Don't you want to avenge him, Nina? Or will you let his death mean nothing?"
Nina hesitated, her brow furrowing.
"Who are you?" she finally asked. "What was your relationship with my father?"
"I'm a close friend of Carlisle's," came the reply. "If you don't believe me, let's meet. You can pick the place, and Kaizen can come along if it makes you more comfortable."
"Fine," Nina agreed. "We'll meet at the restaurant on the 200th floor of Heavens Arena."
Heavens Arena was bustling, as usual. For most spectators, the fights were the main attraction, but the venue also offered restaurants, shops, and entertainment. The restaurants on the higher floors, in particular, were prestigious, catering not only to spectators but also to the renowned fighters.
When Nock arrived at the designated restaurant, he spotted two figures seated in the corner—Kaizen and Nina. He pushed the door open and approached their table.
"You must be the one who called earlier," Nina said, her gaze sharp. "My father's... friend?"
"Yes," Nock confirmed, taking the seat across from them.
As Kaizen and Nina scrutinized him, Nock did the same. He mentally compared their appearances with the profiles he had compiled.
Nina, Carlisle's daughter, had been by her father's side for years until his mysterious disappearance. Since then, she had stayed close to Kaizen.
Nock's gaze flickered briefly to her aura.
"Her aura is impressive," he thought. "Carlisle must have trained her well. This level of skill isn't something that comes from talent alone."
Then he turned his attention to Kaizen. The information Nock had on the young fighter was limited—just details from his recent matches at Heavens Arena.
"Young," Nock mused. "To reach the 200th floor at his age is impressive, but not extraordinary. He must come from a strong family."
Still, Nock dismissed Kaizen as no more than a mid-tier Nen user, a promising rookie but hardly a threat.
What Nock didn't realize was that Kaizen had already surpassed the threshold of mediocrity. While Nock pegged him at an "E rank," Kaizen had quietly achieved "C rank" mastery—well beyond the average Nen user.
Nina's eyes reddened, her expression a mask of worry and sorrow. "What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
