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'Tsk... what a terrifying aura... We haven't seen each other in a while, and he wants to give me a show of force right off the bat?'
Staring back at Maha Zoldyck without a hint of fear, Sean loosened his grip, letting the plastic bag fall. With a flick of his hand, he summoned the Kusanagi Sword from the Sage's space.
"I heard Grandpa used me as a gambling chip and made tens of billions. It wouldn't be right if I didn't get a cut, would it?"
Clang!
Top-tier Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, ruthlessly pressing down on Maha Zoldyck. Sean swung the Kusanagi Sword, the arc of light reflected from the blade shining directly onto Maha Zoldyck's face.
The old man's mouth twitched twice, and his eyes widened. "You brat, what are you trying to do?"
Closing his adult manga, he flipped over and sat up from his rocking chair.
"Heh... the ten-year mark hasn't even arrived, and you already can't hold back?" Maha Zoldyck narrowed his eyes. Boom!
A monstrous wave of killing intent suddenly erupted from his seemingly withered yet extremely condensed small frame.
In an instant, it surged back toward Sean! It held its ground against Sean's Conqueror's Haki without yielding an inch!
"Rebellious brat. If I don't hit you for a few days, you start trying to tear the roof down. Fine then..."
"Today, I'll let you know... what a real assassin is!"
Assassins... in the world of Hunter x Hunter, they were also divided into two types.
One was a Zoldyck assassin. The other was every other assassin besides the Zoldycks.
And within the Zoldyck family, assassins were also divided into two types.
One was Maha Zoldyck. The other was every other assassin besides Maha Zoldyck.
Having not made a move for years, many people in the world had already forgotten the existence of Maha Zoldyck. Even in places like the V5, Balto, and the Kakin Empire, many people didn't even know the Zoldyck family still had an ancestor-level figure like Maha Zoldyck!
The old man hadn't tasted the feeling of being ignored for a long time.
"Ah!" Alluka, who was following behind while holding a calico cat, was instantly blown backward. Her black hair flew upward, buffeted by the killing intent. Maha Zoldyck's feet were nailed to the floor like spikes as he stood with his hands behind his back, facing Sean.
Hum! The void trembled. The physical manifestation of killing intent intertwined with the Conqueror's Haki, creating ripples that violently expanded outward. They pierced through the entire castle's roof and directly shredded the drifting clouds in the blue sky into scrap.
Looking down from a bird's-eye view, the collision of dark and crimson gold split the sky in two, tearing it open down the middle.
'Hiss... this aura... is it the Old Master?!'
The split sky exposed the ozone layer behind it. Tsubone was stationed at the Butler's Manor, handling daily affairs. When she looked up, the glasses on the bridge of her nose shook, nearly falling to the ground!
Boom!
The clouds in the blue sky mutated and twisted. The sky darkened instantly, and a massive, hideous wound could be seen clearly stretching across the horizon. It was terrifying!
'It's definitely the Old Master!' Taking a deep breath, she quickly adjusted her glasses. Having served the Zoldyck family for so many years, the old head butler had never seen such a situation. She stepped to the window and narrowed her eyes. To think another aura could stand against the Old Master's killing intent, holding its own without being suppressed... Who could it be?!
The old head butler's heart pounded with suspicion and uncertainty. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. Gotoh flashed to her side, his hands behind his back as he said in a heavy voice, "It's the Young Master. He said he was coming home today. Canary saw him."
"Then that explains it," Tsubone realized, muttering, "I heard the Young Master defeated Netero in the Hunter Exam. It seems it wasn't just a case of the opponent intentionally holding back."
"I can only say it's also possible that neither of them was being serious," Gotoh said in a low voice, looking up at the torn sky.
Was Netero strong? As the strongest human, that went without saying. But the Young Master... Gotoh hadn't been able to understand him ten years ago, let alone now, ten years after he had consecutively defeated Silva and Netero!
Hum! The clash of auras became increasingly violent.
Awe, horror, and helplessness... various negative emotions swept out as the sky warped. The entire castle was shaking.
Kikyo, Milluki, Kalluto, and the many butlers serving nearby shivered uncontrollably beneath the hideous blue sky. They looked up at the sky in a daze; in the panic, it seemed no one could remain calm!
"This kid, he turns the world upside down as soon as he gets home. He really... doesn't stop for a moment." With his white hair swaying, Zeno placed his hands behind his back and rushed out of the castle. He stood atop the tallest tree in the mountain forest. Looking at the torn sky, his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Silva stepped out from the lush forest behind him and leapt up to stand beside him. His eagle-sharp gaze looked down as he suppressed a low laugh. "Father, you might run, but Grandpa certainly won't."
The heart of the current head of the Zoldyck family was shaking; he didn't look much better than Zeno.
In just ten years, the child had become strong enough to trade blows with Maha.
Even though they were mentally prepared, seeing it now was still difficult to accept.
After all, the opponent was Maha! In the eyes of the Zoldyck younger generation, he was the family's inviolable icon. Yet now, Sean was starting to approach that icon... and was even about to step on it.
"Even if you don't want to, you must accept it." No one knew a son better than his father. Zeno glanced at Silva. "Stop talking nonsense. I thought you had already learned to accept things since the day you were defeated."
"Looking at you now... aren't you just as unwilling to concede?"
'But it's better than someone surrendering without a fight.' Silva smiled coldly, folding his arms as he looked at the ground. One old and one young stood facing each other across the rocking chair; neither had any intention of backing down.
Only after a long while could a sneer be heard from Maha Zoldyck.
"Not a bad aura. If I hadn't eaten a few more years of salt than you, I might have actually been scared by a brat like you."
The collision between Conqueror's Haki and killing intent grew more intense. Maha Zoldyck kept his hands behind his back, his eyes burning as he looked at Sean.
Sean curled his lip and smiled. 'Please change "a few years" to "a few hundred years". Acting young isn't something a three-hundred-year-old man should be doing.'
'Soru!'
He utilized a speed approaching the fourth limit break. The moment the word 'Soru' flashed through his mind, his body moved before his thoughts. In less than 0.01 seconds, he suddenly appeared in front of Maha Zoldyck. He swung a slash imbued with Armament Haki directly at Maha Zoldyck's face.
"Starting a fight over a single disagreement? You really are looking for a beating," Maha Zoldyck cursed with a laugh. He watched the Kusanagi Sword cleave toward his head without any intention of dodging. Suddenly, he reached out two fingers and lightly pinched the blade.
Ding!
A crisp sound rang out. Sean immediately felt as if his Kusanagi Sword had fallen into a swamp. He couldn't push it forward or pull it back, an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
"Hmm?" The Kusanagi Sword trembled incessantly, letting out bursts of humming. Feeling this sluggish, viscous sensation, Sean glanced at the film-like substance wrapped around Maha Zoldyck's fingers.
From the looks of it, it didn't seem like ordinary Ken!
Final Note: A Message from the Author
Sean's story has reached a point where it must come to an end. In truth, it probably should have concluded right after the battle with Netero. That was the absolute climax of the Hunter arc; after defeating him, everyone else—even Maha or the Chimera Ant King—are merely on the same level.
Unfortunately, reader feedback confirmed this reality. Since that battle, this book has suffered a disastrous collapse in engagement. Aside from a few familiar faces who continued to support it, most readers have moved on, and the subscription numbers are pitiful.
As a result, I must consider the reality of putting food on the table.
It is my own fault for being an amateur and failing to control the pacing. I set the tone far too high at the start, which made it impossible to write many of the original manga plots, such as the Yorknew City or Greed Island arcs. This was my mistake, and I sincerely apologize to all my readers.
I am sorry; I will take my punishment standing up.
Life truly spares no one. The conflict between ideals and the need for daily bread is simply too cruel. Ultimately, I was not skilled enough, and my lack of ability exposed many problems that I desperately need to reflect upon and resolve.
I will strive to find a way to balance survival with my dreams in my next work.
Flying Flower Pig, bowing in respect.