Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Kaizen - "Is There Such A Good Thing?"
Raiken raised the baseball bat high in his hands, aiming directly for the back of Old K's head.
Bang!
Just as it was about to connect, a figure moved in front of Raiken—a beast of Nen conjured by Old K. This beast was autonomous, designed to appear when Old K was in mortal danger, acting as a shield to block attacks.
The bat struck the aura beast square on the head.
In the next moment, the beast's head burst apart.
Old K froze, momentarily stunned, then turned, glaring at Raiken with a look of dark intensity.
"Nen Beast!" Old K spat. "Is that kid Kaizen here too? Did you take Old O's arm?"
"I barely sensed you creeping up on me," Old K growled. "If it hadn't been for my special Nen Beast, I'd have been finished in your trap."
His eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for Kaizen, but Kaizen wasn't even in Meteor City.
Zeno and Silva approached Old K, their steps slow and deliberate. Old K glanced over at Old T and Old U on the other side, his face darkening.
"Damn it!"
Without a second thought, Old K spun on his heel and bolted, heading toward the giant rat for cover.
He hoped the rat might create enough of a distraction to escape.
Close behind him, Zeno, Silva, Raiken, and a suited man gave chase.
Suddenly, a massive pile of debris collapsed with a resounding crash, and an intense, foreboding energy erupted from the heap. Emerging from the wreckage was a colossal creature—the fourth disaster.
The Kute Gang of Thieves had unleashed four plagues upon the world, powered by the twisted aura of millions sacrificed to breed fear, hatred, and revulsion.
The disasters: a giant cockroach, a giant rat, and now, a giant fly.
The rat squealed in excitement as the fly soared high above, its wings buzzing as it looked down, dropping eggs from its tail. As soon as the eggs hit the ground, they hatched, revealing pale, mantis-like larvae and bloated maggots.
Zeno and Silva remained unfazed. As assassins, they'd long been hardened by brutal challenges.
Raiken, now a towering beast of Nen, stood ready, while the suited man's eyes burned with hatred.
Across the way, Ging Freecss watched the unfolding chaos, relaxed. Old T and Old U barely held his attention as he raised an eyebrow at the scene, muttering,
"Gross."
The pale, wriggling bugs charged at Zeno and the others. Both the larvae and the giant rat seemed drawn to their aura.
But Zeno and Silva ignored the swarming pests, instead keeping their focus on Old K. As assassins, they never lost sight of their objective.
The suited man, however, turned his attention to the larvae coming for him. A flash of red appeared in his eyes as he noticed thin red lines marking each larva's weak spot. Calmly, he slashed along the lines, killing them instantly.
Meanwhile, Old K sprinted desperately through the rubble. Raiken took a shortcut, intercepting him. Kaizen had ordered Raiken to fight until his last breath, sacrificing his life if necessary—after all, Raiken was just a construct. Even if he died, Kaizen could summon him back.
Old K sneered as he saw Raiken blocking his path. "Out of my way!"
Raiken didn't budge. Muscles rippled across his back, forming a fearsome grimace, as he lowered himself, poised to strike like a mantis preparing to attack.
A shadow flickered in Old K's gaze. Another Nen beast appeared, lunging at Raiken. The two collided, but the aura beast didn't push Raiken back. Instead, it clung to him, morphing into a sticky, mucus-like substance, pinning Raiken in place.
At that moment, a massive creature with a blood-red maw loomed over them.
Crunch!
It devoured both Raiken and Old K's Nen beast in one gulp.
A golden dragon erupted from Zeno's hands, crashing into the ground and blocking Old K's escape. As he hesitated, Silva surged forward, trapping Old K in a pincer with Zeno.
Old K's eyes narrowed, assessing his dire situation.
Meanwhile, just outside Meteor City, Kaizen's brow furrowed slightly.
"Raiken... defeated."
A cloud of aura swirled beside Kaizen, coalescing into Raiken's form, bringing with him memories of the battle.
"The Kute Gang of Thieves have no chance," Kaizen murmured, "and Ging Freecss… his strength is overwhelming."
Reflecting on how the Zoldycks were now tangled in this mess, Kaizen thought, Without the Zoldycks, the Kute Gang of Thieves wouldn't stand a chance against Ging anyway.
Recalling Raiken's final moments, Kaizen realized that Ging seemed to be toying with his opponents, as if he were merely enjoying a game.
"Two more disasters have appeared," he thought. "I wonder who will end up with the remains of those creatures."
Suddenly, Kaizen sensed something strange within Raiken's Nen—a new consciousness, one that belonged to neither him nor Raiken.
Kaizen's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Raiken.
"Is there such a good thing?"
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