The expressions on the other two Nen users immediately darkened.
"Who?!"
"Damn it!"
One of the B-rank Nen users stopped fighting his current opponent without hesitation and charged toward Tessia, aiming to eliminate her first.
Boom!
Their auras collided mid-attack.
A shockwave rippled outward, sending several bystanders flying from the sheer force.
The other C-rank Nen user turned his attention toward Sally.
She adjusted the barrel of her sniper rifle, lining up her sights on him.
Bang!
The bullet tore through the air.
At the same time, a small bee fluttered toward Nina, clutching a tiny note.
She snatched the message and read it quickly.
As the C-rank Nen narrowly dodged Sally's shot and turned back toward her—
"You're dead."
A voice rang out just ahead of his own.
It was Nina.
She'd recited the man's signature catchphrase—the very words he always uttered before going in for the kill.
Intel gathered by Altan on Kroll's gang included things like verbal habits and behavioral tics. Kaizen had passed this particular line to Ponzu, who relayed it to Nina via her bees.
The moment Nina spoke, the C-rank Nen user's body froze.
He had stepped right into the conditions of her ability.
For a second, he stood completely still—his mind aware, but his body paralyzed.
Sally didn't miss the opportunity. She adjusted her aim and fired again.
Bang!
The bullet drilled straight into the man's chest—right through the heart.
It exploded on impact.
Blood burst from the wound, soaking his chest and splattering the sand at his feet.
Nina's effect lifted.
The man regained control of his body—but it was already too late.
The damage was fatal. His heart had been obliterated.
Thud!
The Nen user collapsed in the sand.
Even those trained in aura are still human. Without reinforced defense or specialized techniques, a bullet to the heart is just as deadly.
Most low-ranking Nen users are like glass cannons—powerful offense, but fragile defense.
Unless they've undergone special training, firearms can still be fatal.
They're not like Chimera Ants, who are born with monstrous strength. Some of them haven't even awakened Nen, yet can crush low-level users with brute force alone.
That's why getting caught off-guard, especially under the rules of an ability like Nina's, means instant death.
In this kill, the key wasn't Sally's bullet—it was Nina's setup.
Without that paralysis, the enemy might have dodged, or at least deflected the shot.
But frozen like that? Even a regular person could've pulled the trigger.
...
With two allies dead in rapid succession, the remaining B-rank Nen user was furious.
"Who the hell are these people?"
"How are they this strong?!"
"They've been hiding their strength all along."
"And judging by how they're working together… this isn't some temporary alliance. They're a team."
Nina faded back into the crowd.
Kaizen and Ponzu never left it.
Sally, having taken out her second target, immediately redirected her sights to the remaining B-ranker—upping the pressure.
That Nen user was already going all out just to fend off Tessia.
And now he had a sniper watching his every move.
Sally's crosshairs felt like the final straw breaking his balance.
...
"Kroll-sama!"
A massive mole burst from the ground before Kroll.
"Something's not right. A few very capable Nen users have appeared."
"Two of our west flank are already dead. The last one's barely holding on."
Kroll's face turned grim.
"Kroll-sama, should I go?"
The mole offered to assist.
"Go."
"Yes, sir!"
The creature burrowed back beneath the sand, swimming through it as naturally as a fish through water.
...
Near Tessia—
Fwoosh!
The mole erupted from the ground and grabbed her leg, yanking down with full force.
Part of her lower leg sank into the sand.
But that was it.
Suddenly, Tessia's aura exploded outward—pure white flame bursting around her.
The mole screamed.
His hand began to sizzle. The searing heat scorched his flesh.
He quickly released her.
But the momentary distraction had already opened a window.
The B-rank Nen user lunged forward.
"Die!"
However, Tessia wasn't alone.
Sally pulled the trigger again, timing it perfectly.
The bullet screamed through the air—on a direct intercept course with the attacker.
The B-rank user hesitated.
He had two choices: evade the bullet, or tank the hit and go for Tessia in a trade.
In that second of hesitation, he chose wrong.
And it was already too late.
Opportunities missed in battle never come back.
...
Tessia drove her fist into the ground beneath his feet.
Boom!
The terrain exploded. Sand sprayed in every direction.
The mole was caught in the shockwave and slammed backward.
Panicked, it tried to dive deeper into the sand to escape.
But it paused for just a moment—gasping for breath, eyes wide with terror.
"She hasn't even gone all out yet?"
"How strong is this woman?!"
Realizing how outmatched he was, the mole didn't dare turn back toward Tessia.
Instead, he redirected—toward Sally.
But Sally had already predicted this.
She expanded her En—her aura circle—just enough to monitor his approach.
It wasn't large, but it didn't need to be.
Small or not, stepping into it meant certain death.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)