An earth-shattering roar echoed within the Black Whale, shaking the mind of every Nen user.
As everyone reeled in shock, their hearts were quickly filled with gravity.
Regardless of who had caused this commotion, they were undoubtedly hostile.
This was very likely an attack targeting the Black Whale's voyage.
If not for the presence of important figures from the V5 and the International Permit Agencies on board, the Kakin side would have even suspected that this might be the V5's doing.
In that brief moment, the initial clash between Morrow and the Lotus Anchorite had, with the commotion it caused, forged an unspoken, tacit understanding among the various factions that had been secretly vying for power on the ship.
That was to jointly deal with this sudden assault.
In an instant, under the orders of their superiors, the expert Nen users from all factions quickly liaised with the Kakin Defense Army.
The core forces of the Defense Army converged on King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's location at top speed, strictly guarding against any harm befalling the supreme ruler.
As for the other princes, although they were also brought under the Defense Army's protection immediately, the level of importance and resources invested in them was far from comparable to that for Hui Guo Rou.
After all, in the eyes of the Defense Army, their statuses and weights were simply not on the same level.
Besides, all the princes had their own Personal Guards.
In the event of an attack, those Personal Guards would be the first to step forward and defend their masters to the death.
It could be said that within that short half-minute, every Nen user had sprung into action.
They were unsure what had caused such a violent disturbance.
But the astonishing energy fluctuation was enough for them to draw an immediate conclusion.
The number of attackers was likely substantial.
It wasn't strange to reach such a conclusion.
In their perception, this wave of energy was simply too absurdly powerful to be caused by a single individual.
That being the case, the only conclusion was that the attacking team possessed a rare "cooperative-type" ability.
Only this possibility could explain how such a massive amount of Nen could be concentrated and unleashed at a single point.
—--
Upper decks of the ship.
After a brief loss of composure, Hui Guo Rou had also arrived at the same speculation.
He believed that since the attackers could withstand the rule-based power of the Lotus Anchorite, they must have utilized a cooperative-type enhancement ability. This was clearly a premeditated attack.
The enemy had specifically planned this highly targeted operation with the full knowledge that the Black Whale was equipped with the Lotus Anchorite.
"Sss..."
Hui Guo Rou's emotional fluctuations clearly affected the bizarre and terrifying Guardian Spirit Beast behind him.
The monster, a fusion of human and spider features, suddenly rubbed its long, hairy, jointed limbs together, producing an unsettling hissing sound.
As its movements intensified, the female nurturing features hanging like clusters of fruit from its torso swayed violently, making it look even more ferocious.
"Hiss!"
Amidst a more piercing screech of rubbing limbs, the spirit beast's vertically slit giant mouth abruptly shot out a long tongue, its surface erupting with fine, sharp granules. Each one radiated a strong desire to attack, as if ready to tear its prey to shreds and devour it at any moment.
Hui Guo Rou clearly felt the Guardian Spirit Beast's impulse to strike, an urge that was almost bursting out of its body.
But he merely leaned back slowly into his chair, a layer of icy killing intent surfacing on his fat-laden face.
As the supreme ruler of Kakin, he could not allow himself to be swayed by emotions and put himself in harm's way.
"Nugui."
He only called out this name.
The short, middle-aged man standing guard outside the room immediately understood.
This right-hand man, who had followed Hui Guo Rou through thick and thin since the Shinrinkan Incident during the Kakin revolution thirty years ago, appeared unremarkable but was, in terms of strength, a rare master in the Kakin Empire.
Understanding Hui Guo Rou's meaning, he did not leave any guards behind but turned without hesitation, preparing to lead the Defense Army to intercept the attackers.
Soon, Nugui was leading an elite guard unit toward the uppermost open-air deck.
During the deployment process, he also received tentative inquiries and offers to join the battle from several factions on the ship.
After an extremely brief deliberation, he ultimately agreed to let the various parties dispatch a few experts to act in concert.
The fundamental reason for this decision was the violent commotion coming from the upper levels.
Even through several layers of ceilings, the intense collision and impact of Nen could be felt.
Although Nugui didn't understand the three sacred treasures of Kakin as well as Hui Guo Rou, as the host of the Seed Urn ceremony, he knew more about the abilities contained within those regalia than anyone else besides the King.
And the attackers could not only hold their own against the power of the regalia but could even breach the defenses and invade the ship.
This was enough to show that the enemy's strength was no small matter.
In Nugui's view, the assailants were at least a formidable and well-coordinated team of Nen users, not a force that ordinary factions could contend with.
Therefore, hastily accepting combat support from factions like the three major Kakin mafia families was not out of the question.
After all, if the attackers were to open a breach from the top deck and wreak havoc inside the ship, it would be a threat to all passengers. Their interests were aligned.
The Defense Army's efficient emergency response mechanism allowed Nugui to lead his team to the open-air deck in the shortest possible time.
However, the expected formidable team of Nen users did not appear.
On the vast open-air deck, there was only one person.
Countless black hand-shaped auras were seeping out madly from the deck, pouncing ceaselessly toward that figure.
But no matter how dense the assault, it crumbled and dissipated before reaching him, as powerless as waves crashing against a reef.
How is that possible?!
Seeing this, Nugui's pupils trembled violently, almost unable to believe the scene before him.
It wasn't just because the attacker was a single person.
It was also because he knew very well the nature of this black hand-shaped aura.
It was power originating from the three sacred treasures of Kakin!
But at this moment, this power, which could be called the foundation of the nation, was being suppressed by this one person.
The accompanying Defense Army soldiers were not confused by the appearance of the black hand aura.
They immediately locked onto the sole intruder on the deck, but upon sensing the terrifying aura emanating from him, their nerves tensed up abruptly.
An unprecedented gravity appeared on every face.
This oppressive feeling at close range could no longer be described as powerful; he was fundamentally a monster-class existence.
But as soldiers of Kakin, the beliefs of dedication and sacrifice were already deeply ingrained in their souls.
Even when facing Morrow's chilling aura fluctuation, not a hint of retreat showed in their eyes.
This iron will prevented their Nen from collapsing under the pressure; instead, it stood firm like a boulder in a raging tide.
However, the Nen masters from the three major mafia families who arrived subsequently did not share the ironclad resolve of the Kakin soldiers.
The moment they stepped onto the open-air deck, their first reaction was regret.
Before coming up, they had all speculated that the attackers were a well-trained and well-coordinated team of Nen users.
Based on the common interest of maintaining the safety of the Black Whale's voyage, they had actively taken the initiative to assist.
But when the expected team turned out to be just one person, the first thought that surged in their minds was: How could it be just one person?!
Immediately after, an indescribable fear seized their nerves.
If that suffocating aura had been jointly condensed by a team, then the situation would still be within their scope of understanding. In terms of how to respond, they could use their numerical advantage to pick them off one by one.
But if such a terrifying presence all originated from a single person...
Then this was no longer a simple matter of strength or weakness.
This was an unbelievable power, beyond the scope of their cognition.
Faced with a monster of this level, all they could feel was despair.
The crowd of Nen users on the deck had a clear numerical advantage, yet they lacked even a shred of the confidence they should have had.
Morrow slowly opened his eyes. His focused perception just now had allowed him to not only crush the Lotus Anchorite's offensive but also confirm its specific location.
"You got here quick."
He glanced sideways, looking at the several hundred Nen users who had already formed a semi-encirclement on the deck.
Nen can only be countered with Nen.
This was common sense.
In a closed environment like the Black Whale, facing a pure Nen threat, Kakin's conventional army could hardly leverage its advantages.
Only on an open, conventional battlefield could the army use firepower and numbers to suppress, or even eliminate, powerful Nen users.
Therefore, the several hundred elite Nen users gathered on the deck at this moment were the core force that could be mobilized the fastest to deal with Morrow under the current circumstances.
A Nen user from the Cha-R Family, a heavy gamer, felt the oppressive force become almost suffocating as Morrow's gaze swept over him.
He muttered in a daze, "This is definitely Dragon-class, and not a wild dragon, but a final-stage Boss... no..." His voice began to tremble with fear. "This is basically a 'Bug'... not something we can handle!"
Although he knew that losing focus at this moment was extremely dangerous and foolish, the overwhelming presence made it difficult for him to maintain even basic self-control.
The other two Cha-R Family Nen users with him had no time to warn their companion.
They didn't dare to take their eyes off Morrow for a second, their muscles tensed like fully drawn bowstrings.
Nugui had no mind to care about the pathetic reactions of the mafia Nen users, much less to investigate Morrow's identity and origins.
The mere fact that Morrow had appeared here was enough to satisfy the condition that he must be eliminated swiftly.
"Kill him!"
With no intention of communicating, Nugui gave the decisive order.
The Nen users from the military executed the command without hesitation.
They instantly pushed their auras to the limit, each assuming a combat stance, preparing to launch a siege with their most proficient abilities.
However...
In the split second before they could act, Morrow simply took a step forward.
His foot had not yet landed.
His figure vanished.
Tap.
By the time the crowd barely reacted, the undisguised sound of a footstep came from behind them.
The sound came from the entrance to the passage leading to the ship's interior.
It was also the path they had just taken to get here.
Their ears caught the sound, their brains processed the information, and everyone instantly understood the situation.
That monster of a man had just bypassed their defensive line of several hundred people.
As if passing through thin air, he stood nonchalantly before the entrance to the ship's interior.
An irrefutable fact instantly surfaced in everyone's mind:
Since he could bypass their defensive line so easily...
Then taking their lives would naturally be just as easy.
This was an indisputable reality.
The battle intent of the mafia-born Nen users completely collapsed in an instant.
Just as that Cha-R Family Nen user had said.
The opponent was simply a Bug-like existence.
In front of a monster of this level, the so-called numerical advantage was nothing but a joke.
Unlike the mafia members who instantly lost their will to fight, the Kakin soldiers, led by Nugui, still maintained a minimum level of combat will, thanks to years of fanatical ideological indoctrination.
They reacted with extreme speed, turning and aiming their collective bloodlust at Morrow's back.
And at that very moment.
The Nen users from the V5 and the International Permit Agencies rushed up from the lower passage.
Their original positions were farther from the upper level, so their support was naturally a step slower.
As they rushed out of the passage entrance, they came face to face with Morrow.
And... the entire Kakin elite force that Morrow had "left" behind him.
This completely unexpected scene sent a violent tremor through their hearts.
What made their hearts pound even more, however, was the exaggerated Nen pressure emanating from Morrow, something that simply couldn't be measured by human standards.
Then, a scene that would be etched into their memories for a lifetime unfolded.
Within their retinas, a faint red phantom image flashed past from behind Morrow.
Then, invisible yet dense palm strikes, like a torrential downpour from the heavens, slammed down on the Kakin elites who had just assumed their offensive stances.
Bang, bang, bang...!
The forms were unseen, only the sounds were heard.
Unstoppable power, in a single instant, slapped all several hundred Nen users into the deck.
What was even more horrifying was how exquisitely that power was controlled.
After the palm strikes, the deck was left with countless clear palm prints, yet it had not suffered any structural damage.
And this force, which had clearly been "restrained," was still enough to severely injure most of the Nen users present, causing them to vomit blood and collapse to the ground.
Those with slightly weaker Nen intensity died on the spot.
In particular, the Nen users from the Heil-Ly Family, who had been propped back up by the Fourth Prince Tserriednich, were wiped out in an instant.
Only Nugui, who usually kept his true strength hidden, was not critically injured by Morrow's scattered attack.
But sometimes, that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
"Oh?"
Morrow tilted his head slightly, looking at Nugui, who was struggling to get up after being hit.
"To be honest, none of you even have the 'value' to be killed by me."
The value he spoke of was, naturally, experience points for leveling up.
But how could the Nen users from the V5 and the International Permit Agencies, or Nugui with his face flushed with blood, possibly understand its true meaning?
They only felt...
This man was arrogant to the extreme.
And yet, this arrogance was matched by corresponding strength.
Nugui glared with furious eyes and charged fearlessly toward Morrow.
The next instant, endless darkness spread before his eyes, churning and annihilating his consciousness.
It was a casual point of Morrow's finger, combining the conceptual power of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva with a high-level Emission ability, that blasted Nugui's head into a bloody mist.
Thud.
Nugui's short, headless corpse fell forward onto the deck with a dull thud.
Witnessing this scene, the V5 and International Permit Agencies' Nen users almost forgot to breathe.
Morrow strode toward them.
When his gaze swept over, they felt their minds go completely blank.
It wasn't until Morrow walked straight through their midst and disappeared into the passage entrance that they awoke as if from a dream, realizing they were still alive.
Why didn't he attack them?
Was it because they had completely lost their will to fight in that instant, not showing a hint of hostility?
Or was it...
That this monster's logic of action carried a dissonant thought of being too lazy to endanger others?
How could that be?!
But when they looked at Nugui's fallen, headless corpse, and then at the deep, concave palm prints on the deck where the destructive force had been deliberately restrained, that was clearly the result of precise power control.
Why was that?
Could it be because...
If the deck were completely blasted through, the waiters, staff, and other ordinary people in the cabins below would be caught in the crossfire and die?
At this moment, the Nen users from the V5 and the International Permit Agencies felt not the slightest relief of having survived a disaster.
On the contrary, absurd speculations churned uncontrollably in their minds.
They didn't know if this was their remaining sanity struggling, or some kind of self-preservation mechanism activated by their brains under excessive shock.
They only knew that from this moment on.
A nightmarish figure would be forever etched in their hearts, never to be erased.
(Translated by yourtl.app)