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144 HxH: Tombbound Power
🕑 Added 2024-10-20 07:05:55 +0000 UTCHearing the commotion outside, the nobleman immediately yelled for his bodyguards to rush in and protect him.
One of the bodyguards, who had been standing anxiously at the door, saw three strange figures emerge from the palace halls. Startled, he instinctively made a move to follow, but his young master's urgent call from inside stopped him in his tracks.
In the end, the incident was reported as a terrorist attack staged by thieves after Princess Anna's precious gems.
Amid the chaos, Punk and Kaelen were dragged from where they had been embedded in the walls, both looking worse for wear. Kaelen's arm was broken, and a long recovery lay ahead for him. As for Punk—Phinks' casual strike had inflicted far worse damage since Punk lacked any Nen ability to shield himself. His lower body was devastated, leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, Princess Anna lost seven of her prized treasures, and two nobles were slain by Feitan and Phinks after attempting to disguise themselves and escape. Baker Creston, currently fleeing from the criminals, had vanished without a trace.
Though much of the disaster was averted, the guards of Baiya Palace—who were slaughtered by Shalnark—were left forgotten. If any had survived, they would've faced the fury of terrified nobles eager to assign blame for the palace's weak defenses.
Once the immediate danger had passed, the nobles shifted their ire toward Punk, who was carried out by medics. His reputation was now in tatters among the aristocrats. But while they looked at him with contempt, they regarded Baker with reverence.
In their eyes, Baker had selflessly put himself at risk to draw away the dangerous criminals. To them, this was the epitome of noble valor.
"God help him," they murmured in prayer.
"Let him escape from those men!" Though they knew the odds were grim, the thought soothed their guilty consciences.
Baker, however—now going by Ronnel—was still running.
Behind him, Feitan and Phinks tore away their cumbersome disguises as they pursued him. They moved at a relentless pace, fast enough to stay close but just short of catching him.
Ronnel glanced back, catching their familiar faces.
"So it really is them," he thought, feeling a strange mixture of excitement and unease. It had been a while since he'd seen them in person. But before he could fully process the moment, another figure joined the pursuit.
"Shalnark…" Ronnel muttered.
From behind, Shalnark called out, wasting no time with small talk.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing much. Thought I was chasing a rat, but turns out it's more interesting prey," Phinks said with a grin, his eyes gleaming as he looked ahead at Ronnel.
Even from this distance, Phinks could tell Ronnel was far from ordinary. His fluid, measured movements stood out from the clumsy scrambling of nobles and guards. The way Ronnel stayed just ahead, effortlessly drawing them forward, told the Phantom Troupe members all they needed to know: he was toying with them.
But underestimating the Phantom Troupe was never wise.
"Boring..." Feitan muttered, his expression cold and empty as he suddenly surged forward, closing the gap between him and Ronnel.
Phinks and Shalnark exchanged looks before speeding up as well.
Ronnel, noticing their acceleration, chuckled under his breath.
"Finally getting serious, huh?" His smirk widened as he veered toward the rooftops.
He landed gracefully atop a tall building and stopped.
Within seconds, Feitan joined him, his expression unreadable. Phinks and Shalnark arrived moments later, fanning out across the roof.
Feitan slid his hands into his pockets, giving Ronnel a flat stare.
"Why'd you stop running?"
Ronnel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached up to remove his mask.
"Your speed isn't bad. Wanna see how good you really are?" Phinks asked, cracking his knuckles with a dangerous grin.
Shalnark remained silent, watching the exchange carefully in case things took an unexpected turn.
With a small sigh, Ronnel pulled off his mask. As it came away, he greeted them with a smirk:
"Long time no see, Shalnark."
The sight of Ronnel's face stunned Shalnark.
"Ronnel?! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Ronnel...?" Phinks echoed, rolling the name on his tongue, as though it sounded both familiar and strange.
"That name... I've heard it before," Feitan muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Where?"
"That's the guy Machi and the others mentioned," Phinks said, recognition dawning on him. "He's the one who's really good at disposing of bodies. I remember seeing him win the Battle Olympia in Heavens Arena. Guess he wasn't just some weakling."
Shalnark nodded slowly, still processing the encounter. "Yeah... He's the one the boss recruited a year ago, from back when we last scouted the arena."
Phinks grinned. "So that's him! I've heard stories, but I didn't think we'd run into you like this."
Ronnel gave them a nonchalant shrug. "What can I say? Life's full of surprises."
Feitan tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Surprises don't last long."
Ronnel chuckled. "Good thing I like living dangerously."
