As soon as he landed, the middle‑aged man used Zetsu to suppress his aura and took a moment to deal with his wounds, using a loose robe to hide them. He glanced back a few times without spotting Ron, and finally allowed himself to relax.
Before long, he slipped into a deserted corner.
"Looks like he really didn't chase me. I'm alive…"
His face darkened.
"Damn that man. Next time we meet, I'll be prepared to kill you myself!"
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Lido."
"My lord, forgive me—we failed."
"Hm?"
"That person's strength far exceeded our estimates. His techniques, abilities, Aura capacity, and cunning went beyond anything I expected. We lost. He has multiple Nen Beasts, and they're all strong. One uses fire at an A‑level. Another is highly defensive, also A‑level. There's one that spreads thick fog—B‑level. Another has some kind of tracking bomb—B‑level as well, but the explosive was strong enough to badly injure me in a single hit.
I suspect it can't be used too many times in quick succession. Dass and Nier are both dead. He's still chasing after me. To beat him, we'd need at least four A‑level Nen users."
He knew his master's methods well. Exaggerating or lying would only worsen his own fate. Suddenly, the man's pupils constricted.
Thud, thud, thud!
A series of needles sank into his body.
"Found you," came Ron's voice as he appeared behind him. The man struggled to turn, disbelief etched across his face.
"How…? How did you track me?"
Ron lifted his gaze upward to a Blood Butterfly hovering above. The man looked up.
"That butterfly…? A Nen Beast? No, that's just a normal creature."
"Exactly. It's just an ordinary magical beast with a strong craving for blood. It can sense blood from very far away."
"That's impossible. There must be so many places in this city with blood spilled, not just on me—"
He was right; a Blood Butterfly alone couldn't have located him so easily. But Chii had hacked every surveillance camera in the city. Matching that coverage with the zones where the butterflies converged pinpointed the man's hiding place.
Poison laced with the Crystal Feather toxin spread through the needles, eating away at his life force.
Thump!
He collapsed, still conscious but paralyzed, leaning against a wall to glare at Ron with utter resentment.
"Curse you… Who are you?"
Ron didn't reply. Chii stepped forward, picked up the phone, and a voice on the other end spoke:
"So it seems you've killed him. Well done—more than I expected. Would you care to join me? I can offer rewards beyond anything you've known."
Ron gave no answer. Chii crushed the phone in her hand.
"Beep, beep, beep…"
In a certain study, a refined-looking middle‑aged man set his phone on the desk without any change in expression.
"What a pity…"
A seductive woman at his side nodded.
"Yes, it's a shame. Someone like that could've been useful if he served you, my lord."
The man glanced her way.
"What I find a pity isn't that. If he'd been willing to follow me, he could've had a bright future, but now…his only end is death."
His gaze sharpened.
"Come here. Kneel."
He pressed her head down, then picked up another phone to dial.
"The Three Hounds are dead. Send in the Four Beasts."
"Yes, my lord."
Meanwhile, Ron's eyes narrowed.
"The Three Hounds? Four Beasts? But if I leave the Saheerta Federation, how far can they pursue me?"
By evening, Ron had arrived at an airship terminal. In the waiting lounge, he raised a hand and opened a door in the wall, stepping inside. The door vanished, but a marker remained, so he could reopen it at any time.
"Captain!" Ponzu hurried over. "What happened?"
Ron gave a concise explanation. "The culprit behind your village's disaster has made a move. Gogus turned into a monster, and his whole team was slaughtered. The ones who attacked us were sent by that same person, someone with major influence in the Saheerta Federation."
Ponzu went pale.
"Captain, I'm sorry…this is all my fault. If not for me, you wouldn't be involved. Maybe you should let me go. Their real target is me. If you leave me behind, they'll probably leave you alone."
Ron shook his head.
"They're after us because we visited the village and discovered those insects, not simply because you're from there. The fact they're so anxious about this leaking out must mean there's a serious problem with it.
If it became public knowledge, they'd face enormous trouble."
He didn't seem overly worried.
"They do appear to have a powerful faction—enough to deploy one B‑level and two A‑level Nen users in an instant. But I have connections of my own. Besides, like I said, consider how the Hunter Association intervened with the KUTE gang of thieves and Meteor City. If these people's crimes are severe enough, the Association should take action here too, even if their base is in Saheerta. This world is bigger than one nation alone. Their research is probably as forbidden as what Taris was doing. One way or another, it won't be tolerated."