Chapter 14: Control

From the shadow emerged a figure, clearly wielding a released-type Nen ability imbued with spatial qualities.

However, Nakakai had no understanding of Nen abilities, so until his dying breath, he never fathomed how his opponent managed such feats.

Only in his final moments, with some insight, did he recognize the other’s origin by their style of attire—

A ninja!

Yet there was something off, a subtle dissonance.

A ninja, yet wielding a katana?

Nakai’s doubt died with him, swallowed by darkness.

Witnessing their boss suddenly slain, the assembled underlings were momentarily stunned, then erupted in anger, drawing their guns.

But before a Nen user, even with guns in hand, they were powerless to avenge their leader.

Minutes later.

The carnage ended. Dozens of bodies lay sprawled amidst scattered bullet casings.

Throughout, the scarred man remained seated, unmoving, coldly watching his men slaughter Nakakai’s entourage.

Numerous bullets struck his body, but his enhancement-type defensive power repelled them all.

Among the corpses, the ninja, dressed in full gear, flicked his wrist, shaking blood from his blade.

He looked toward the scarred man holding Shinra and asked, “Boss, the Nen aura of Shinra has vanished. Does that mean—”

“Yes.”

Seemingly anticipating the question, the scarred man interrupted, “Without Nen aura, there’s no way to use it for summoning. However…”

He paused, recalling the mysterious Onmyoji known to possess “Summoning Power.”

Though aware that the Onmyoji’s ability was inscrutable, even the most skillful cannot cook without ingredients.

Summoning demanded attached Nen aura on an object; without it, there was no foothold.

Shaking his head, the scarred man rose, lifting Shinra and stepping over the corpses.

“No need to worry. The ‘key’ we seek… is not limited to this one.”

Approaching the ninja, the scarred man’s gaze was as hard as stone.

Feeling the weight of that stare, the ninja bowed his head, ashamed.

“My fault for losing control.”

The scarred man slowly withdrew his gaze, then looked again at Shinra in his hands.

His original plan had been to bring Shinra back to the country, but curiosity gnawed at him over how the Nen aura had disappeared.

It was best to clarify…

Perhaps there was a way to restore the Nen aura, or at least learn the method to dispel it, which could then be used to weaken the Cloud Shadow Clan of ninjas.

And the Dream Scroll, the still-missing national treasure of the Flowing Sakura Kingdom…

That damned “Inheritance” mechanism had kept it out of their reach.

If so, maybe one day they could destroy it.

But first, they needed to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Nen aura.

“Shikahara.”

The scarred man’s thoughts shifted abruptly as he looked to his subordinate.

Shikahara immediately met his gaze.

The scarred man’s voice was low and serious. “You won’t be returning home. I have a task for you…”

Upon hearing this, Shikahara’s eyes sparked with fervor.

For him, carrying out missions was his entire life, an irreplaceable purpose.

…

A home invasion murder and robbery exposed a wealthy man’s many collectibles, which then trickled into the market one by one.

The famed blade Shinra was merely one of these treasures.

What made it special, besides its conspicuous Nen aura, was the inherent risk involved in handling Shinra.

Moro remembered clearly…

The colleague who first mentioned Shinra suggested it might carry some sort of curse.

When speaking of it, the colleague’s tone was either joking or envious of the high price it fetched.

Now—

Moro somewhat agreed with that notion.

Though not a curse per se, but the risk innate to Shinra itself.

Moro had been mentally prepared from the start.

But his eagerness to sell Shinra quickly stemmed from not wanting to become a target.

He didn’t mind sacrificing profit—even if the price was halved, he would agree.

His attitude effectively shifted the risk onto Nakakai’s shoulders.

“Such a pity…”

Learning that Nakakai had been betrayed and killed, Moro mourned silently.

He had planned to hand over future finds to Nakakai for disposal, but fate was cruel.

Yet such betrayals were not uncommon in this world…

Or rather, within the business sphere radiating from Yorkshin City, black-on-black crime was frequent.

Before mastering Nen, Moro had nearly perished from such treachery.

Only after learning Nen did such incidents decline.

These experiences deepened Moro’s understanding of the world and the indispensable value of Nen for survival.

After mourning Nakakai, Moro resumed his daily training.

With his ability improving as a foundation, he focused on consolidation.

The highest priority was mastering “Release.”

This represented the comprehensive effect of Nen.

“Deceptive Shooting Star.”

Moro raised his palm, gathering bright Nen energy, and a second later fired a glowing green Nen bullet the size of a lead ball.

It traced a path through the air.

At the trail’s end, a standing target shattered with a crash.

Moro stared at the shattered target, exhaling slowly.

“Too slow…”

“Power and speed still cannot be achieved simultaneously.”

“Perhaps when my ‘Release’ level rises, it will improve.”

“For now… I must solidify the basics before considering learning the ‘Invisibility’ technique.”

During a break, Moro pondered his upcoming training plan.

Deceptive Shooting Star was not purely offensive; it contained a degree of mechanism.

In theory, the essence of the shooting star leaned more toward mechanism.

True to its name, it carried a sense of deception.

Thus, rather than focusing on power, it was better to consider its method of use.

For example, maintaining speed while increasing the stable and controllable number of shooting stars, then hiding their trajectories with the “Invisibility” technique.

Such ideas, however, were far beyond Moro’s current reach.

But with a metaphorical sword hanging over his head, he knew he must be diligent.

After resting, Moro resumed training.

Before strengthening the basics, mastering advanced Nen techniques in a short time was impossible.

Yet one ability in terms of application was essential to master.

Moro focused his thoughts, extending his palm to shoot a flying star into the air, setting it to pause for one second.

Without watching the flying star’s movement, he immediately closed his eyes.

In midair, the glowing green star reached its maximum range, then snapped back like a stretched rubber band, speeding toward Moro.

At that moment.

Moro’s eyes were shut tight as the star headed straight for his face.

Just before impact—

Relying on his sensitivity to timing, Moro swiftly tilted his face aside.

Whoosh!

The flying star swept past just before his eyelashes.

Moro slowly opened his eyes.

Though not watching the star, he could precisely sense its movement.

This was one of his training focuses.

In the end, would it rely on instinct or timing calculation?

Either way.

As long as he could reduce errors to an extreme minimum…

Then this skill would become a crucial part of his tactics.