Chapter 109: Team Ambush × Trap
The forest was silent under the cover of night.
Two Nen users lay hidden, exchanging only glances.
One signaled to his partner to rest while he kept watch.
The other nodded, leaping up into a tree to take a nap. His companion watched their surroundings carefully, scanning with faint, steady movements.
A moment later something unexpected happened.
Two dark figures emerged suddenly from the shadows. One slammed a hand against the ground. Instantly, the treetops surged upward, their branches twisting like ropes, ensnaring the sleeping Nen user.
At the same time, the grass below the tree writhed violently, stretching toward the other Nen user.
He reacted swiftly, leaping to his feet, about to shout
But before he could, another figure dropped from above, striking him on the back of the neck. The Nen user collapsed without a sound, his body swiftly swallowed by the tall grass.
Moments later, Feitan descended, snapping the man's neck in one clean, precise motion.
In the treetop, Anthony appeared beside the man bound by branches. Grabbing him by the throat with one hand, he squeezed tightly. With the other, he forced the man's eyes open and stared directly into them his ability activating.
Ridges formed on Anthony's face, his features darkening, taking on a demonic visage. His pupils dilated unnaturally.
After several seconds of direct eye contact, the man's struggling ceased, his limbs going limp.
"Where are your teammates? Where are they?" Anthony asked coldly.
"They've all gone… southwest," the man muttered, drooling.
"When did they leave?"
"Half an hour ago."
"Why did they leave you two behind…?"
"The boss said… there's been a powerful force outside the restricted zone lately, hunting people like us. We were ordered to stay behind to make sure it was safe before heading to the predetermined hideout…"
"How many of you, and what are their abilities?" Anthony pressed.
The man explained everything in detail.
Once Anthony got his answers, he killed the man.
Then, telepathically, he reported:
"Captain, only four remain. They headed southwest half an hour ago. Seems they anticipated our attack. Two Enhancers, one Emitter, one Specialist. Their abilities are…"
"Got it," Haze replied. "Stay put I'll go after them. We're out of Gabwich h's range. I'll cut comms for now and return once this is settled. If you need to move, leave a mark. Understood?"
"Understood," Anthony responded.
Nearby, Rita dropped down from a tree, withdrawing her ability.
In addition to being able to communicate with plants, she could also manipulate them changing their shape or commanding them to attack.
After dealing with the two men, Rita wiped the sweat from her face, trembling slightly.
Before joining the team, she had never killed anyone. She'd always worked for various groups, completing numerous missions. Thanks to her ability, she rarely faced enemies head-on her role had always been support.
She had plenty of experience, countless battles… but always from afar.
Now things were different. These Nen users weren't like the ones she'd faced before. They were far stronger one mistake could mean death. She had to follow the captain's rules.
With only six people on the team, she sometimes had to engage directly. Yet the farther she was from her plants, the weaker their effects became.
In just one week, their team had killed countless enemies… she'd lost count.
People like Anthony, Feitan, and even her younger brother Gabwich h seemed to have adapted easily.
Due to their roles, Anthony, Feitan, and Machi had killed the most.
Rita, on the other hand, had yet to kill anyone directly only indirectly, as an accomplice. Gabwich h too had killed fewer.
They were in this for the money. Coming from a poor rural village, she worked hard to improve her people's situation. The Firth Family had offered her pay and benefits too good to refuse.
Both she and Gabwich h were here for survival.
Feitan and Anthony weren't.
As for Machi… Rita wasn't sure.
Just then, Machi emerged from the forest shadows, dragging Gabwich h behind her. She glanced at the two corpses in the clearing.
"Found another one over there. Already handled it," she said, slipping a clean kitchen knife into her belt.
"Captain… that's beyond my ability," Gabwich h muttered after checking the bodies.
"It's fine. We'll wait here," Machi replied, running a hand through her hair, looking relaxed.
After a week of tracking, the insurgents outside the restricted zone were nearly wiped out.
Haze was responsible for nearly 90% of their kills. His overwhelming power left the others in awe.
The five now understood why Haze had accepted the two-star mission so casually.
Without teamwork, any Nen user outside the restricted zone could kill them one-on-one. Victory wasn't guaranteed. For Rita and Gabwich h, survival odds were slim.
Meanwhile, Haze moved swiftly through the forest, using tree trunks as cover.
Following a faint scent in the air, he soon spotted two figures sneaking through the darkness.
He exploded into motion, shattering a trunk with a kick and shooting forward like a cannonball.
The two Nen users turned in alarm, taking defensive stances too late.
The one on the left was kicked through the air, half his skeleton shattered.
The other tried to react but lasted barely thirty seconds before dying.
"Emitter and Enhancer types… only two. Where are the other two?" Haze muttered, frowning.
Anthony said there were four.
Suddenly, Haze's eyes narrowed.
A dark figure latched onto his back, arms wrapping around him, locking him in place.
Impressive truly an expert.
The grip was perfect.
As the person's hand made contact with Haze, telekinesis erupted encasing him instantly in a shell of stone slabs. His body was pinned, pressure building from the constricting arms.
"No sneak attack? You figured you couldn't break my defense or that striking too early wouldn't hurt me. So you used your ability to buy time… a special-type user, huh?"
Haze's eyes stayed calm as realization dawned.
"Now!" shouted the one holding him.
At once, a woman appeared before Haze. She raised her arms, moving them up and down slowly.
Telekinetic energy spread from her palms, forming a square that solidified into a mirror before him.
Haze's gaze sharpened.
The mirror rippled then a blurry figure stepped out of it. Faceless, featureless… but identical in shape to him.
"Hmm?" Haze was slightly surprised.
"Not an Enhancer? Anthony's info wasn't wrong…"
The man holding Haze immediately leapt back to a safe distance, trembling slightly.
The woman's scent felt familiar… she'd appeared briefly before.
"This replica requires long-term observation and data collection," Haze realized, "and the mirror then reflects me… A trap."
The two he killed earlier had been bait.
A beacon suddenly flared in the dark forest.
Dozens of figures appeared one after another under its light.
"Hehe… finally caught you!" sneered a man with yellow fangs, raising the lantern. "You've been busy killing people from several factions. I'm guessing you're a temporary operative for the Sori Group, right? Never seen you before."
Before he could continue, someone beside him warned sharply:
"Be careful. This guy's dangerous."
The crowd spread out, encircling Haze.
"Did you really think we'd just watch while you slaughtered us? How naïve!" the yellow-fanged man growled.
"So that's how it is… joint factions," Haze thought, scanning them.
He had no fear of ambushes. He could handle emergencies. This mission wasn't just about skill it was to train his team, especially Rita and Gabwich h.
Crack!
The stone shell around Haze suddenly shattered.
With a ghostly roar, his true form seemed to blur through space, appearing before Yellow Fang. Their eyes met.
The man's face froze in shock, eyes wide.
"I can't… even move !"
The mirror woman stared in horror. She didn't understand.
Every clone she'd ever made could at least restrain its target. Once the replica appeared, victory was assured.
But this time… her clone disintegrated the moment Haze struck.
Before she could react, Haze's cold eyes locked on her.
He moved.
The yellow-fanged man's neck snapped like dry wood. His body fell forward, lantern still in hand.
In the next instant, Haze appeared before the woman and struck her square in the chest.
Her body split apart midair.
She'd been confident in her power but to Haze, she was nothing but trash.
Not because of her ability,
but because of her incompetence.
As she died, her clone vanished. Haze immediately understood it had been data-based. The more complete the information, the stronger the replica.
But clearly, the woman wasn't skilled in observation or data handling. A powerful ability, wasted by an unskilled user.
"Attack!" someone shouted.
In seconds, Haze had killed two.
The rest froze, horror gripping them.
Haze released his full Nen.
Ghostly mist surged outward, blanketing the forest its range now twice what it had been before.
The oppressive aura made several men pale. Those with weak wills trembled, knees buckling.
"Where… did this monster come from?!"
(End of Chapter)
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