These barriers were quite strong, but they weren't indestructible. He had felt the sensation of breaking through them multiple times during the attack. Yes, multiple times. It wasn't just one layer; countless walls had been constructed in multiple layers. Because the barriers were colorless and transparent, an ordinary person couldn't see them, but a Nen user could grasp their shape from the aura imbued within.
And the most inexplicable point was the strength of those barriers. If one were to create a wall strong enough to stop Tok's Nen bird bombs using Nen, it should have required a corresponding amount of aura. How was he creating shields that could so easily block Nen bullets Tok had spent days imbuing with aura?
On the surface, it seemed like an entirely unnatural phenomenon, but Tok realized the truth. It was because Tok used a similar ability that he was able to notice it so quickly.
Faced with the swarm of Nen bird bombs, Tsukuteku had been moving his fingers at high speed in the air, drawing characters with his aura. These were called 'Divine Script,' a practice well-known to Nen users as a sort of hobby, but the important part was the content being written.
"A Nen formula using Divine Script. To think you could write it at such speeds..."
"Tch, you caught on? And here I thought I'd surprise you more."
Just as Tok used his [SENJI] script to apply complex programs to his birds, Tsukuteku could create barriers by writing these Divine Script symbols in the air. More accurately, he used 'air' as a material to craft things. This was Tsukuteku's ability, [FICTION WRITER].
Tsukuteku was his online handle; even in the underworld where he resided, his real name was unknown. For that reason, he was known by the alias 'Craftsman.'
Most of his work involved the creation of 'commemorative items.' These items, also called magical tools, possessed mysterious effects that modern science couldn't explain. Unbreakable locks, letters that always arrived even if burned, cameras that could photograph places never seen... their effects were diverse.
These were created by Nen artisans who had studied specialized techniques, carving Divine Script along with their aura into their creations. The production process required a great deal of time and effort, and naturally, the quality of the finished product depended heavily on the creator's skill.
Tsukuteku possessed unparalleled skill as a craftsman of these items. He had many clients due to his overwhelming production speed and high degree of perfection, but the pity was that he hailed from Meteor City and possessed absolutely no morals regarding the jobs he accepted.
[FICTION WRITER] was, so to speak, 'commemorative items made of air.' The materials were everywhere. And the speed with which he could create items capable of being used at a combat level in an instant was a feat no other craftsman could match.
Divine Script brought various effects to objects or places depending on the formula carved into them. Most were used for the reinforcement or assistance of Nen abilities. While there were many restrictions—such as securing a location, the time required, and the need for tools—there was also the benefit of being able to strengthen abilities without bearing the heavy risks of Limitations or Vows.
Generally, those who could only fight by relying on Divine Script were thought to lack basic strength as Nen users, but that story changed entirely when it came to a master of the craft. With Tsukuteku's skill, the cost-performance of the aura and the scale of the phenomena he could cause were on a different level.
According to the six categories, Tsukuteku was a Manipulator, and his [FICTION WRITER] fell under the manipulation of matter using Divine Script as a medium. However, the ability was originally intended for manipulating living creatures; air manipulation was an applied technique developed by incorporating his rare craftmanship skills. If it were an ordinary person who couldn't protect their body with aura, he could manipulate humans as well.
It was also Tsukuteku who had been manipulating Pomerni to act according to the Mafia's wishes. Pomerni acted according to the carved program, and even if Tsukuteku were to die, she wouldn't stop until the command was completed.
"Well, that last attack actually freaked me out. You're not just some Nen user who happened to be mixed in with the general public. What are you guys? Not that you'd tell me."
Tsukuteku couldn't manipulate a human while they were shrouded in aura, but if he knocked them unconscious, he could easily write a formula on them. Once that happened, he could forcibly make them talk.
"So, yeah, let me leave you half-dead."
A Divine Script formula was carved into the air. Barriers weren't the only things Tsukuteku could create with air. He could shape it however he pleased. He wasn't bad at close combat either, handling weapons of various shapes.
Whether that weapon was a sword or a spear, its size, shape, and all information were contained within the formula, and the enemy wouldn't know until it was activated. Furthermore, the shape could be changed in any way by rewriting the formula.
Tok released his Nen birds, but Tsukuteku wrote his formulas at high speed, advancing while creating barriers. Colorless, transparent attacks lunged at Tok as he finally allowed the man to get close. It was difficult to even measure the distance of an attack from a shapeless weapon that could not only harden the air but even give it properties like flexibility.
Having consumed even more aura by using the birds, Tok couldn't hold out and fell to one knee. It was checkmate; Tsukuteku was certain of victory.
An ability that birthed formless weapons. It was certainly powerful. If Tsukuteku had spent his life training with the resolve to dedicate himself to that craft, Tok wouldn't have been his match. However, he wasn't a true 'warrior,' but a 'craftsman.'
Similarly, Tok didn't consider himself a man with a deep understanding of martial arts. He was a soldier, but his main role on the battlefield was rear support. He didn't possess any particularly notable martial arts in other fields.
Even so, he had trained. There are times when a soldier must stand their ground no matter the situation. He had hammered in the basics enough to do his best even when the odds were stacked against him.
Tok didn't manifest the paper charms into birds; instead, he bundled them into a long, thin shape. Befitting his samurai attire, he took an Iai stance with one knee up. His single eye stared at the enemy without a hint of wavering.
Regarding his own ability, [SHIKIGAMI], he didn't believe its greatest merit lay in the precise manipulation of the birds. Its best feature was that he could store aura in advance.
As long as he had paper charms imbued with aura, the user themselves could call out as many Nen birds as they wanted without exhausting their own aura. However, in this battle, Tok had exhausted himself until his internal aura was nearly empty. He had 'made it look' that way.
By going as far as using his own aura to attack, he had lured the enemy into letting their guard down. It wasn't an act; Tok was truly in a state of aura depletion. Normally, aura once used would not recover without rest, such as sleep. At the very least, it was impossible to recover during a battle.
But he could do it. The paper charms also functioned as external tanks that could store aura transferred from another container. By drawing aura back out from the paper charms that had been storing it, vitality returned to Tok's entire body. Before Tsukuteku could realize that fact, his attack was complete.
[FORMULA BLADE: FALLING LEAVES UNDER THE MOON]
The wind kicked up by the lightning-fast step and draw passed by Tsukuteku. The paper sword gripped in Tok's hand converted the vast amount of stored aura into a slash, melting into the wind as it burned out.
"M-my... arms..."
There was no time for Tsukuteku to write a formula. Even so, the way he had sensed something wrong at the moment of the attack and moved to defend instinctively was impressive, but it was one step too late. He was sliced through along with the air weapon he used as a shield. Tsukuteku's arms flew through the air in a spray of blood.
"Gaaaaaaaah!?"
With this, he could no longer write formulas. Without missing a beat, Tok moved in to finish Tsukuteku off. He had no intention of letting his guard down just because he had neutralized the enemy. As long as life remained—and sometimes even after it was gone—there was no telling what could happen in a battle between Nen users.
There was no telling what could happen.
Tsukuteku cried out in pain from the loss of his arms, but his eyes weren't dead. Despite the desperate situation where he could no longer use his Nen formula abilities, there was no fear in the expression he directed at Tok, who was about to bring death.
"I already wrote it...!"
Tsukuteku had been injured because he underestimated his enemy's strength. He was a craftsman, not a warrior. However, Tok also hadn't accurately grasped the enemy's strength—specifically, the extraordinary skill of a master craftsman.
Tok noticed a presence behind him. What was there were the very arms of Tsukuteku he had just sliced off. The masterless arms floated in the air on their own, their fingertips moving at a dizzying pace to construct a formula.
It was true that Tsukuteku was a peerless craftsman, but in fact, even with his skill, he shouldn't have been able to create weapons or barriers from air on the fly. Even if he could make things, it took time. It wasn't a technique that could be used on a battlefield where a split-second decision was life or death.
How, then, had he overcome that challenge? He had written a formula on his own arms to manipulate them. It was a 'formula to write formulas.' Through this, Tsukuteku had programmed himself to automatically write formulas with a single flick of a mental switch.
It was a characteristic of the automatic-pilot type. A manipulated target would not stop its activity until its given command was fulfilled. As long as the formula lived, even if they were just arms, they would continue to move according to the program.
"Blow up!"
What Tsukuteku had created wasn't a weapon or a barrier made of air. It was a formula to scramble the control of the Nen birds.
It was true that Tok's birds were programmed by Nen formulas, but the language used wasn't the Divine Script commonly used by Nen users; it was the [SENJI] script known only in a very limited region. Tok never imagined someone would interfere with his control using a different descriptive format.
By finding the slight commonalities between the two Nen formulas and striking the vulnerabilities to rewrite the program—Tsukuteku had completed that task in parallel with the combat. Tok tried to regain control, but he was too late.
The aura contained within the paper charms went haywire and exploded. Tok was forced to take the full force of the aura he had stored to destroy his enemies.s