NenMaster
patreon
Chapter 135
🕑 Added 2025-01-03 16:20:39 +0000 UTCThe Kute Bandit Group appeared to be thriving on the surface, but they were already burning their last reserves of glory.
Outwardly, they looked impressive, but their true strength had long since waned.
Other members of the group might not notice, but as the leader of the Kute Bandit Group, Kute saw it all too clearly.
The group had been a force in this world for decades, but their peak had passed.
Like a movie, there was a beginning, climax, and inevitable end.
Their golden age was long gone, and the curtain call was drawing near.
The brothers within the group knew this as well.
However, the rise of the Phantom Troupe last year, lauded as the world’s greatest band of thieves, stoked an uncontrollable sense of rivalry.
Initially, the Kute brothers had planned to lay low for a few years.
But sensationalist headlines, crafted to boost newspaper sales, humiliated them by comparing them unfavorably to the Phantom Troupe.
These articles hit a nerve, infuriating the entire group. Even Kute couldn’t oppose the collective will of his brothers.
Thus, the Kute Bandit Group returned to the spotlight, unprepared in Kute's eyes, but driven by pride.
While their comeback caused a stir, Kute knew they were heading downhill.
At over fifty, he felt his energy dwindling.
Though still capable, his Nen abilities had taken a toll on his body. His reckless usage in youth made the group famous but left his health depleted beyond repair.
Old injuries from battles began to resurface, haunting him during silent nights.
Kute knew his body could no longer sustain him. His brothers, too, were wearing out.
The group's growing notoriety painted a target on their backs.
Kute understood the world’s order: no bandit group could dominate indefinitely.
The louder their actions became, the sooner the Hunters Association or V5 elites would take action to eliminate them.
In his youth, he might have relished the challenge, but now...
He had to find another way.
Clutching a slip of paper tightly, Kute held onto his last shred of hope.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his scar-faced third-in-command being egged on by others.
Lifting a cup of alcohol, the man drank heartily.
Then—
Crash!
The chandelier overhead shattered and fell, and the ceiling caved in as a figure descended fiercely into the crowd!
“Another fool looking to die?!”
The scar-faced man sneered at the audacious intruder.
Such tricks were laughable to them, seasoned thieves who danced on the edge of death.
Buzz!
The scar-faced man summoned a dark, blood-hued double-edged axe with his Nen.
“Not bad. Finally, someone with decent Nen control,” he remarked, his eyes glowing with excitement as he activated Ren to study the descending figure.
Gripping his axe, he slashed upward with ferocity: Blood Wail Slash!
The axe emitted an eerie, ghostly howl, sending a blood-red arc hurtling toward the intruder.
As the scar-faced man unleashed his attack—
Boom! Boom!
The casino walls exploded on both sides, and several more figures burst into the room.
“Five intruders? Quite the bold move.”
Despite the chaos, the bandits jeered, unfazed by the newcomers.
“We thrive on numbers!” they laughed, rolling up their sleeves.
The scar-faced man’s drinking companions charged the new arrivals, while Kute and his lieutenant watched quietly.
Kute frowned, using Gyo to observe the battle.
The intruders were strong, but not on the level to truly threaten his group.
Yet...
“Why do I feel so uneasy?”
As doubt crept into his mind, he considered activating his abilities to retreat.
Before he could act—
“Your life is mine!”
The scar-faced man grinned as his blood-red arc closed in on the airborne figure.
No one had survived a direct hit from his technique.
But—
The figure dissipated like a mirage upon impact.
“It’s a decoy!”
Realizing the ruse, the scar-faced man’s eyes widened in shock.
Crash!
Unexpectedly, chaos erupted.
The floor beside the scar-faced man exploded, and a figure burst out of the ground, clawing ferociously at his midsection. Squelch!
A tiger claw brimming with chakra pierced through his abdomen before he could react.
The other claw immediately formed a fist, aiming straight for his chest.
Bam!
A solid, Nen-infused right punch struck the scar-faced man squarely in the left side of his chest. The force sent him hurtling like a cannonball, propelled by the immense impact, crashing into the far wall.
As his body flew through the air, blood sprayed everywhere—just as he had arrogantly claimed it would, though it was his own this time.
“Third Brother !!”
The crowd erupted in panic, shouting in unison.
“Trying to spill my blood?”
Amidst the chaos, Kastro stepped forward, dressed in an elegant, ornate robe. His silver hair cascaded down his shoulders, exuding the air of a refined nobleman.
He casually flicked the blood from his hands, a warm smile gracing his lips. Yet, his eyes held nothing but icy indifference.
“Let me just say—such outlandish ideas are far from commendable.”
“You bastard!”
The remaining members of the Kute Thieves Group wanted to curse him out, but before they could, several identical figures of Kastro closed in, launching a coordinated attack.
“...What?!”
The bandits, forced to focus on defense, realized that the assailants looked exactly like Kastro himself!
“Some kind of clone technique?!”
Their hearts sank. “We must be cautious of any deadly link between these clones and the original!”
Their battle-hardened instincts kicked in, and they immediately adopted a defensive stance, opting for a cautious, hit-and-run strategy to try and deduce their opponent's abilities.
Meanwhile, concern for the scar-faced man began to weigh on them. The trail of blood he left as he flew through the air, combined with his continued absence from the pile of debris he had crashed into, painted a grim picture.
“He’s not coming back.”
Kastro cast a calm gaze toward Kute, who had now risen and was glaring at him. With a soft chuckle, he added,
“I’ve ensured he’ll finally get a good night’s rest from now on.”
