Chapter 41

Once, in front of Kido, he said, "I am of the same type as Shiver, the Enhancer..."

Thinking about it now, it did seem deliberate, and it was only natural that it was noticed.

In the rapidly changing battle situation, he used all the conditions and factors available to lay the groundwork for a decisive attack, but it didn't achieve the desired effect, and that was fine.

What was important was—

Compared to the "inability to counterattack," the safety of the father and son in the distance was a more stringent constraint that the member of the Twelve Earthly Branches had to bear.

That was enough.

Otherwise, Ken would not naively think that a single wound could determine Kido's ultimate fate.

Without this crucial constraint, without the "Gambler's Frenzy" and "Harvest Time," he and Shiver would probably have been drained of all their "latent energy" by Kido if they had continued to struggle.

Two of the Ten Heavenly Stems working together found it so difficult to deal with one of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Shiver might roar in frustration over this, but Ken didn't care about such meaningless feelings.

He only cared about the result.

Seizing the "King's Scales" and eliminating one of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

A beautiful result.

"Are you not going to save them?"

Ken smiled as he attacked Kido.

At this moment, his body and even his "aura" became incredibly sharp.

He was a Nen user who least needed a weapon, yet he chose to use a knife to deceive and confuse the enemy.

How could such a person be an Enhancer...

Kido's brows furrowed, but instead of retreating, she advanced, taking the initiative to meet Ken.

She had to reach Moyu no matter what.

"Once humans are constrained... they become very predictable."

Ken's eyes narrowed, and he was not at all surprised by Kido's advance.

This would increase the accuracy of his attack.

"Try to dodge this next strike of mine..."

The large amount of Nen that surged from his body, in accordance with his thoughts, gave him the greatest assistance.

Then—

With his arm as a blade, like a fleeting lightning arc, he slashed directly at Kido's body.

This strike—

Ken poured everything into it, and in terms of angle and timing, it was the most perfect attack of his career.

Unfortunately—

Doctors are meticulous, able to spot even the smallest flaws.

What Ken considered a perfect strike still had a path for Kido to avoid.

She bent her body, then charged forward, effortlessly dodging Ken's attack and continuing her rush towards Moyu.

"Dodged again."

Ken turned to look at Kido's back.

On the other side.

Under the rhythm of war, Shiver attacked Moyu and Hawk without hesitation.

The surging aura like a waterfall provided her with all-around protection.

Moyu tensed, staring intently at Shiver.

"What should I do in this situation..."

He, who was the first to face her, deeply felt the overwhelming pressure.

Strategy, tactics.

Any tricks were meaningless at this moment.

With all his cards on the table, he was at a loss.

"Access denied."

Hawk's gaze swept over Shiver, his voice low.

Hearing Hawk's words, Rat immediately stopped its bouncing, and its round body and the three-dimensional straight line mark on its head glowed with Nen.

"Click."

Rat looked at Shiver, and red straight line marks appeared in the air, sticking to Shiver's body.

The restraining force generated by the red straight line marks forced the charging Shiver to stop.

"Oh?"

Shiver raised an eyebrow, looking down at the red straight line mark on her body, which displayed the number 3.

The flowing "manifested energy" was unaffected, but she couldn't move.

The moment Hawk used his ability to restrain Shiver, blood arrows spurted from various parts of his body.

But he didn't care, turning to look at Rat and softly murmuring, "Thank you for all your hard work over the years."

After that, he looked at Moyu's back.

"Moyu, remember to eat on time from now on."

"Huh?"

Moyu suddenly turned around, but a green light caught his eye.

"Ho—"

His voice cut off.

His body disappeared in the green light.

Hawk's eyelids drooped, and he raised his index finger, slowly pointing at Kido, who was charging towards them.

At this point, he had little strength left to speak.

But Rat understood the meaning of Hawk's gesture.

"Click."

Rat's eyes, which took up half of its face, shimmered with tears.

"Click, click!"

Then, its body glowed with Nen again.

"One-way ticket"

A green glowing straight line mark appeared in front of Kido.

"..."

Kido's gaze seemed to pierce through the green light, landing on the man she had always despised.

She wanted to say something, but before she could speak, she was sent away by the green light.

Rat and the red straight line marks on Shiver's body also disappeared.

This sudden turn of events surprised Shiver and Ken.

"Hey, Ken."

After regaining her freedom, Shiver turned to look at Ken.

"Let's chase them, they can't have gone far."

Ken gave Shiver a definite response.

The item was always there, and they could get it anytime, but if the people ran, they might never be found again.

Ken walked over, squinting at the half-dead Hawk leaning against a tree.

In this state, how far could his ability send the target?

"Futile struggle."

"..."

Hawk lifted his eyelids and gave a cold laugh.

Memories flashed through his mind.

"Irena, I'm a useless waste, always messing things up."

"Hawk, how can you say that about yourself? I can confidently tell you that in my heart, you are absolutely not useless."

"Really?"

"Yep, because even waste can be recycled and reused."

"..."

Hawk's lips curled slightly.

He forgot to tell Moyu...

Finding a wife is something you should do early.

At this moment—

A violent aura, indescribable in words, suddenly erupted from the temple on the mountaintop.

"!!!"

Ken and Shiver suddenly looked at the temple.

Even from a distance of several hundred meters, they could clearly feel the terrifying nature of the grudge aura.

"This intensity... it's different from what the intelligence said."

Shiver muttered to herself.

Ken's brows furrowed, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

He instinctively looked at Hawk.

He saw Hawk lift his head, and a chilling smile slowly spread across his blood-stained and dusty face.

On the mountaintop.

Amidst the surging grudge aura, a black curtain dotted with a brilliant starry river suddenly appeared, blooming like fireworks and descending like a birdcage over the mountain forest.

"Psychic Space"

Ken looked at the descending curtain, his face suddenly changing dramatically.