A man with a wound on his body was immediately affected.
The moisture in his body was drawn out.
It rose into the air—only to be absorbed into the surrounding sand.
His body shriveled at a terrifying speed.
Unlike the slow, withering death Kaizen had observed before—when life force was drained—this time, the victims were being completely dehydrated. Every drop of water in their bodies was stripped away.
Boom!
His corpse fell into the sand with a dull thud.
Then another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Two... three... four...
They dropped like dominoes.
One by one.
Soon, thousands of people had been drained dry and collapsed, lifeless, under the effect of Kroll's ability.
A young man with an afro watched the carnage unfold, lips curling into a faint smile.
"This is Kroll-sama's ability... No matter how many times I see it, it still blows my mind."
"Amazing...!"
But then—
His smile froze.
"What...?"
The afro-haired youth looked down.
His skin was drying up—visibly.
Moisture was leaving his body.
So was his life.
"Why...?"
His disbelieving eyes turned to Kroll.
This wasn't the first time Kroll had used his ability. The afro-haired youth knew well—Kroll could control its range. He could choose who to exclude from the effect.
Why was he being targeted?
"Kroll-sama?!"
The fat man beside him also noticed his body beginning to shrivel.
Kroll glanced in their direction. His expression didn't change.
"For Rosgel-sama."
"For Mimbo."
Kroll raised his hand slightly.
Desperation flashed across the faces of the afro-haired youth and the fat man.
Kroll was willing to sacrifice everything—even himself—for the revival of Mimbo and Rosgel. But his subordinates couldn't do the same.
They thought Kroll's limits had already been reached when he allowed Kaizen and the others to slaughter their teammates earlier.
They hadn't expected this.
That he would personally take their lives.
That he would willingly turn on his own allies to complete the sacrifice.
"We're still just short of the energy needed to bring Rosgel-sama back..."
"Forgive me."
Kroll showed no hesitation.
The two dying men turned toward the only person who might have the strength to intervene—the brawny man standing nearby.
Among them, he was the only A-rank Nen user.
If anyone could stop Kroll, it was him.
But the strong man averted his eyes.
He lowered his head and refused to look at them.
Their bodies collapsed, drained of all life.
The aura of every person who had fallen was drawn together—
And surged toward Rosgel's remains.
Kroll frowned.
"Still not enough?"
"That doesn't make sense..."
He turned his gaze toward Natsu.
He wanted to check the rest of Kaizen's team. Other than Kaizen himself, Kroll was sure the rest couldn't possibly survive his ability.
He knew how strong it was.
He'd been preparing for this moment for a long time. Ordinary Nen users had no hope of resisting it.
Only those on the same level as Kaizen might stand a chance.
In Kroll's calculations, the afro-haired youth, the fat man, and the dozens of others whose life force had already been harvested... they should have been enough.
But they weren't.
They were still just a little short.
He didn't understand why.
But there was no more time to think.
Rosgel's recovery was close.
It had to happen now.
If they missed this window, they'd have to start everything over again—and it might not go as smoothly next time.
So Kroll had to finish it—this time.
His gaze shifted to one of the B-rank Nen users among his own men—
The one they called Candle.
When their eyes met, Candle instinctively took a step back.
But then... he smiled bitterly.
This entire space was under Kroll's control. There was nowhere to run.
"Kroll-sama?"
He looked at Kroll with a pleading expression.
...
"For Rosgel-sama."
"For Mimbo."
"I'm sorry."
At Kroll's command, a powerful suction enveloped Candle's body.
In the next moment, his moisture drained out at a speed visible to the naked eye.
But Kroll didn't realize—
Everything was being watched.
Kaizen had already seen it all.
A hidden camera was strapped to Natsu's body—an infrared one.
Its cable was connected to a miniature door—
The Door of Sumas.
Tiny, discreet.
Nestled close to Natsu, protected by his aura.
Even from inside, Kaizen could feel the moisture being pulled in from the outside world.
"It's powerful..."
"No one could resist it but me."
"Not even Tessia or Shizuku."
"Everyone else is probably dead by now."
"Even Kroll is turning on his own allies."
Candle's body shriveled and hit the ground.
But even that wasn't enough.
"Kroll-sama... is it still not enough?"
The strong man finally spoke.
Kroll shook his head.
"Still a little short."
"All the ones we could sacrifice, they're basically gone."
"Only one left."
Kroll turned toward Natsu's direction.
"He's hiding somewhere... but this has to be his Nen Beast. If it's still active, he's still alive. Let's take it down together."
"In this environment, he doesn't stand a chance."
"I'll create an opening."
Kroll's eyes were firm.
The brawny man nodded.
"All right."
He charged straight toward Natsu's position.
...
Kaizen watched everything unfold through the hidden camera feed. His eyes narrowed.
"Almost time..."
"This is the best chance."
With a thought, he activated the Door.
The one that had vanished earlier—reappeared.
Kaizen stepped through.
At the same moment—
A figure appeared beside him.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)