This aura emanated from Linne.
Eya and Deerbie aimed to finish the fight swiftly, but there was no way to avoid Linne's notice.
After all, they were only separated by a wall.
The moment the bodyguards fell, Linne stood up.
In the hospital room were only herself and Netero. While her guard, Shachmono, was dealing with the assassin on her orders, two more killers had arrived within this short time and instantly took out the guards outside.
Smelling the blood seeping in from outside, Linne's aged face was covered in a cold, murderous intent.
If she hadn't happened to be visiting Netero, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
On the bed, Netero's expression remained serene. He seemed completely unconcerned about his own safety.
Watching Linne's back and sensing the murderous intent she could barely contain, a sense of apology arose in his heart.
Then, he saw Linne press both hands against the door.
Aura burst from Linne's palms, transforming into shockwaves that shot through the door towards the two assassins outside.
The sudden turn of events caused Eya and Deerbie's expressions to change slightly, but they were mentally prepared. They dodged to the left and right.
The Aura Wave slammed into the wall opposite the door, yet not a sound was made. Fine, dense cracks spread across the wall.
Creak.
The hospital room door opened.
Under the wary gazes of Eya and Deerbie, Linne walked out, then closed the door behind her.
Seeing that the person who emerged was such an elderly woman, a strange light flashed in both of their eyes.
Judging by sheer, Manifested Aura released, this old woman was inferior to them.
However, just observing the flow of her Ken, they could clearly sense a threat.
This feeling was familiar.
Eya and Deerbie couldn't help but glance at each other, knowing their thoughts were the same.
The old lady before them was on the same level as those old monsters in their family.
Although great age causes physical decline, and both potential and Manifested Aura steadily decrease, the older a martial artist is, the more terrifying their experience and techniques become.
Even though they recognized Linne's formidable strength, Eya and Deerbie didn't hesitate in the slightest. They attacked Linne simultaneously.
Eya from the left, Deerbie from the right.
Given the terrain, Linne was sandwiched in the middle, a rather unfavorable situation.
Moreover, she couldn't retreat because Netero, in his current state, was utterly defenseless. Even a glancing blow from their Aura would leave him with no chance of survival.
Watching the enemies closing in from both sides, Linne stood her ground, her Aura maintained in the state of Ken.
The first to get close was Deerbie. After closing the distance, his figure shook, producing a dazzling series of afterimages… a high-level application of Rhythm Echo.
Creating so many feints was to conceal the real strike within them.
'Rhythm Echo?'
Linne narrowed her eyes, then suddenly thrust her arm diagonally upward to her side, catching Deerbie's wrist with pinpoint accuracy.
Simultaneously, all those dazzling afterimages vanished.
"Someone else's Rhythm Echo is much more impressive than yours."
Ignoring the Aura Defense Deerbie mustered, Linne directly shattered the bones in his wrist.
At that moment, Eya closed in from Linne's other side.
Yet, Linne didn't release Deerbie's wrist. Her left foot traced a semicircular arc towards Eya's direction.
Aura rose like a water curtain, blocking the path of Eya's attack.
Eya, expressionless, raised her hand and slapped downward, releasing Aura to neutralize the 'water curtain'. Then, she abruptly crouched, evading Linne's left hand sweeping towards her.
Following through with her momentum, she swept her leg towards Linne's lower body.
Linne remained unflustered in the face of danger. While flinging Deerbie towards the corridor ceiling, she jumped in place, dodging the leg sweep. Then, her right palm pushed against the air towards the ceiling.
An Aura Wave shot from her palm, aimed directly at Deerbie who had just been pressed against the ceiling.
At the critical moment, Deerbie's body turned into a black, water-like substance, swiftly burrowing into Eya's shadow, narrowly avoiding Linne's Aura Wave imbued with 'soft force' properties.
That was a preparation he had made just before Linne threw him towards the ceiling… he had already shot his Shadow Thread into Eya's shadow.
To ensure Deerbie's Shadow Thread accurately hit her own shadow, Eya had deliberately adjusted her position. It was a small but significant display of tacit cooperation, allowing Deerbie to avoid an attack.
The way Deerbie vanished was bizarre, but Linne was well-experienced. Her heart remained utterly calm.
After Deerbie retreated into the shadow, Eya adjusted her posture, took a forceful step forward, and flicked her hand towards Linne, who was now right in front of her, scattering a white powder.
Linne merely swept her hand across, pushing all the powder of unknown function aside.
Simultaneously, Eya seized the opportunity to circle to Linne's right side, extending her arms as if to embrace her.
Fist-elbow strike!
Linne swiftly adjusted her posture slightly. Her right elbow drove towards Eya, while her other hand formed a fist, striking against her own right palm.
A surge of Aura traveled from the fist of her left arm to her right palm, then flowed into her forearm and elbow, hammering into Eya's body.
Soundlessly, Eya was sent flying backward.
In that very instant, Deerbie emerged from the shadow. Extending his left hand, he shaped it like a serpent's head and pecked at the shadow by Linne's feet.
An ink-black serpentine shadow shot out like lightning, targeting Linne's own shadow.
Having seen this shadow-diving ability before, how could Linne be unprepared? She retreated a step, causing the serpent shadow to miss.
Then, timing it perfectly, she advanced again, stepping past the serpent shadow.
'This old hag...!'
Seeing Linne press close, a chill ran down Deerbie's spine. He retreated hastily.
From the brief exchange just now, he recognized Linne as a master of a martial arts school, possessing grandmaster-level combat skills.
If that were all, he wouldn't have retreated so decisively. But Linne could easily see through his movement techniques. In close-quarters combat, he would be completely outmatched by her.
With this thought, Deerbie, of course, chose to avoid her sharp edge first, then wait for Eya to recover and join forces again, using the unique properties of their Nen Abilities to decisively eliminate this troublesome old woman.
His thoughts were optimistic.
Linne's speed suddenly exploded, startling Deerbie. He defended hastily.
Another soundless contact occurred, and the bones in Deerbie's other wrist were shattered as well.
Linne did not pursue. She stood guard outside the hospital room.
At this moment, she was breathing slightly heavily.
Although the confrontation had been brief, each movement required coordinating the offensive and defensive transitions of Aura, consuming considerable mental energy and physical stamina.
And with Linne's body aged, her stamina naturally couldn't quite keep up.
Through the exchange, Linne knew the two opponents were experts.
Otherwise, they would already be corpses by now.
One point, surely the other side understood as well.
That was, as long as she stood here, they could forget about harming Netero inside the room.
In other words, Eya and Deerbie stood no chance of winning.
As the parties involved, Eya and Deerbie certainly knew this.