The moment Auren senses the ball being thrown, he doesn’t hesitate for even a second. He immediately cancels Zetsu and unleashes his full Aura, sending two throwing knives flying toward his opponent with precision.
He doesn’t pause. Before the first pair even reaches their target, he follows up with two more, keeping the pressure on.
Without missing a beat, Auren leaps toward the wall, snatches up Eternity, and switches back to Zetsu.
He vaguely senses the situation—at least one of the daggers hit its target. His opponent has retreated, likely injured, but not down. Auren wastes no time and charges forward.
I need to risk it! Ken!
As he rushes in, another baseball hits him dead on. He flinches slightly, and the scoreboard updates: a second Strike. Just one more hit, and whatever Hatsu condition is tied to those strikes might activate.
Ignoring the pain, Auren makes a bold move. He channels all of his Aura, created by Limitless Waters, into Eternity, just like he did against Nolf, and swings forward with everything he has.
His opponent reacts quickly, jumping back, barely dodging the slash, but Auren reveals a cruel, satisfied smile.
His pressure blade—formed with Limitless Waters—separates from Eternity and surges forward.
A blood-curdling scream echoes through the mist, and in the same instant, the strange scoreboard vanishes into nothing.
With a quick use of En, Auren senses the aftermath. His opponent’s left arm—and a chunk of his shoulder—are gone. Pakunoda, meanwhile, has drawn her gun and is taking aim.
Auren snaps his fingers, cancelling Hiding in Mist and activating Ken, creating a thick defensive Aura around himself as he lifts Eternity and rushes forward.
Bullets slam into him—painful, but not able to do much, besides hurt him. They sting and draw some blood, but none of them penetrate deep enough to stop him.
His male opponent’s expression shifts from cocky to terrified as he turns around to flee.
You never turn your back on an enemy, you coward!
Auren sends another Limitless Waters slash soaring through the air, following it up with a cluster of Water Bullets, spat from his mouth and hidden with In.
The man dodges the slash by inches—but he doesn’t see the bullets coming. They smack into his head, snapping it sideways from the impact. Blood sprays as he stumbles, collapsing to the floor.
He sprints toward the stunned and panicked Pakunoda, slamming Eternity into the throat of his fallen enemy on the way, just to be sure.
Then, without a moment's pause, he swings Eternity again—this time launching another Limitless Waters slash directly at Pakunoda.
She barely dodges, tumbling to the side, but crashes hard into the floor. She scrambles, stunned—only to take several Water Bullets to the back, each one driving her further down with a sharp cry.
Auren finally reaches her.
He raises his blade and swings it in a brutal diagonal arc. Pakunoda lifts her pistol in a futile attempt to block—but the blade cleaves the weapon in two and knocks it from her hand.
The slash connects, slicing deep into her shoulder.
I can’t kill her… not yet!
Without hesitation, Auren slams the hilt of Eternity into her stomach. She doubles over—just in time to take a clean punch to the face, followed by a swift chop to the back of her neck.
Pakunoda crumples, unconscious.
Auren stands there, breathing heavily. His Aura is nearly gone—spent from a flurry of techniques. Limitless Waters, multiple Emission techniques, Hiding in Mist, En, Ken, and Ren—all used in rapid succession. This kind of chaotic combat is a first for him.
My flashy moves... especially the Emission ones... they burn through my Aura fast. My body’s improved, sure—but I’ve been slacking a bit on the fundamentals. That ends now.
He pulls out his phone and quickly dials Buno.
His heart skips a beat. He immediately calls Bunu. Still nothing.
SHIT! Are they… dead?! If they are, I swear—I’ll send Pakunoda after them myself! I only kept her alive for leverage... but it might already be too late! Phantom Troupe… you’ll all pay for this. And the Elders? They’ll die too. Every last one of them.
I need to move. If there’s still a chance they’re alive, I can maybe trade Pakunoda to get them back.
Auren hoists her limp body over his shoulder and bolts for the nearest elevator.
The attendant stares at him in disbelief. He doesn’t slow down.
“I’m a Hunter! This woman needs medical attention! Get me to the first level—now!” Auren orders.
“I... of course!” the woman stammers, eyes wide as she stares at the bloodied, unconscious figure Auren is carrying.
As soon as the elevator doors open at the bottom, Auren charges out, still carrying Pakunoda.
As he carries her outside the giant tower, he activates Zetsu to conserve what little Aura he has left. Despite his attempt to stay low-key, People begin to stare at him, whispering amongst each other and even pointing at him.
“Look! That woman’s bleeding!”
“What the hell happened? Was there an accident?”
“Wait... isn’t that Floor Master Auren?!”
Ignoring the crowd, Auren leaves the Arena premises and rushes to a nearby taxi. He enters through the back door, placing Pakunoda on the seat beside him.
“To the airport, now!” Auren commands, flashing his Hunter license and tossing a bundle of Jenny—roughly 100,000—onto the front seat.
“H-Hunter?! Okay!” the driver stammers.
Auren settles into the back seat and glances at Pakunoda.
Her injuries aren’t that bad. A bit of bleeding, but nothing serious.
Still, Auren briefly activates Azure Restoration, just for a moment, to halt the bleeding.
If she dies, all hope of getting the Marshmallow brothers back is gone. I dragged them into this mess. If there’s even the smallest chance to get them back, I’ll take the risk….
Suddenly, a buzzing sound interrupts his thoughts. Auren pulls out his beetle phone—but there’s no activity. Then he realizes it’s Pakunoda’s phone. He picks it up and answers.
“Paku, what’s going on? I can’t reach Jack. Are you still chasing our target?” a female voice asks.
That voice should be… Machi.
“This is your target speaking. I’m afraid your baseball-throwing imbecile of a friend won’t be taking any more calls… your revealing companion is injured, but I’ve stopped the bleeding—for now. I’ve invited her on a little trip to my personal floor,” Auren says, lying to throw them off his track.
“…Do you know who we are?” Machi asks coldly.
Auren’s hands tremble with fury at her arrogance.
“Second-rate Nen users, hired by the filth calling themselves Elders—who tried to kill me?”
“You…!!” she snaps, furious.
“If you want your friend Paku, or whatever you call her, back, that can be arranged. Return both Marshmallow brothers to me. If even one of them is dead, the deal is off. They’re linked. A life without the other isn’t one they want. You have thirty minutes to discuss it between you and if even one of them is dead… I’ll repay you—in blood. Also, if you think torturing them is a smart idea, you won’t like my response either,” Auren says, then hangs up.
The taxi reaches the airport in under ten minutes. As the driver parks, Auren surprises him with a sharp chop to the neck, knocking him out cold.
He slips out of the vehicle, still carrying Pakunoda, and bolts into the airport. Determined to get a clear view of the docked airships, he sprints up the stairs to the rooftop. From there, he spots hundreds of ships spread out across a massive open area. Using Gyo, he quickly locates the one used by Buno and Bunu—its balloon marked by a distinctive black, white, and red pattern.
Without hesitation, Auren jumps from the roof to a lower level, still carrying his hostage. Landing silently, he continues downward, level by level, until he hits the ground—and rushes straight for the airship.
Bursting aboard, he shouts at the small crew inside: “GET GOING NOW!”
“What… Vice-leader Auren?!”
“What’s happening?!” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelFirｅ.net
“LIFT OFF, NOW!” Auren screams.
Auren steps into the cabin, sets Pakunoda down on a bench, and immediately calls Rakshala.
“Hello Auren, what’s wro—” she starts, but he cuts her off.
Trying to sound composed and firm, Auren explains everything in a rush: “Emergency! Listen to me! I hired Buno and Bunu as backups, after what you said about Meteor City and their interest in me, I thought that was a smart idea. I specifically didn’t ask about their location. The plan was for them to shadow me, to make sure I don’t get ambushed. Well… after the fight, I was ambushed. My challenger was clearly bribed. After I won the match, I was immediately attacked by two members of the Troupe. I killed one and captured the other. We’ve left the airport—we’re airborne now. I can’t reach Buno or Bunu. They called my hostage’s phone, and I offered a prisoner exchange. They should call me back any moment. What should I do?!”
There’s silence for a few seconds before Rakshala finally responds.
“You did the right thing. First, do not attempt any prisoner exchange there in the area around Heaven’s Arena, as that will be very disadvantageous to you. Set something up a few weeks from now—preferably somewhere close, like Yorknew. That’s your destination. I’ll make the preparations and assemble a small army. I’ll also handle negotiations with the Meteor City Elders—or the Troupe, if needed. Keep the hostage alive. Now, quickly—tell me the details of the battle.”
Auren recounts his fight with the man Machi had called Jack, and with Pakunoda.
“I see. Stay calm and head for Yorknew,” Rakshala replies. “I’ll contact you soon. If they call, answer it—but tell them I’m handling things now. You can mention the exchange and Yorknew, but leave the rest to me.”
“I see… thank you, Rakshala…” Auren says, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
“Calm down, Auren. None of this is your fault. You did everything you could. Just wait for the call, and follow my instructions… understood?”
“Yes…” Auren murmurs, ending the call.
He glances at Pakunoda, still unconscious, and lets out a long sigh.
A few minutes later, her phone rings again. Auren hesitates for just a second before answering.
“…Do you have a reply to my proposal?” he asks immediately.
“This is Nobunaga speaking. Your offer is accepted. Meet us in front of Heaven’s Arena in one hour,” says a calm male voice.
“Rejected. The trade will happen in Yorknew in around ten days. I want to speak with the captives,” Auren replies without missing a beat.
“Listen, you’re not in a position to—” Nobunaga begins, but Auren hangs up.
Fifteen seconds later, the phone rings again. A slightly calmer Nobunaga speaks, “We accept your deal. Let us speak with Pakunoda first, and you’ll get to speak with our captives.”
“She’s still unconscious. But her injuries are minor. Just a few superficial wounds,” Auren replies.
“Can you prove that?” Nobunaga asks, sounding suspicious.
“Yes. You can talk to her when she wakes up. I’ll take good care of her until then—and I expect you to do the same with your prisoners,” Auren says. “The rest will be handled by others. Yorknew. Ten days. Be there.”
“Deal… call me as soon as she’s awake. Until then, I will personally guard our hostages,” Nobunaga answers, ending the call.