Chapter 282

The previous Beast Child of the Beast Dojo.

Also an A-rank Nen user—yet far stronger than Gonte or Ina.

"Wendy, Ron, what's the situation?"

Wendy spoke quickly. 

"It's an attack by the Mingbo Republic. They're after Rosgel's head. The Dark Hunter base was attacked, the casualties were terrible, and Senior Gonte was pinned down. Ron and I took out one pursuer, but there may still be other Mingbo Republic operatives in Gik City."

Achilles's expression darkened slightly. 

"Come with me."

Then he seemed worried Ron might have concerns, so he added, 

"I know the Mingbo Republic and which of them could threaten me. None of those people would come to Gik City; otherwise, Gonte couldn't have held them off. As for anyone else, they won't be able to hurt you in my presence."

Achilles clearly had full confidence in his own strength. 

"Wendy, help boost my speed a bit."

"Got it."

A gust of wind curled around Achilles, and the same enveloped Ron and Wendy as well. 

"Let's go!"

With that, the three of them rushed toward Gik City at high speed.

Now the dynamic between Ron and Wendy had completely changed. Earlier, they were fleeing Eli, but this time, they returned in force alongside Achilles. Ron glanced at Achilles.

"I wonder how strong Senior Achilles really is. Logically, he should be stronger than Senior Dominica. After all, Achilles is the Beast Child of the Beast Dojo, while Senior Dominica isn't the Dragon Child of the Dragon Dojo—that position belongs to someone else. Wendy, Ted, and Roben are obviously more talented than most of their peers. But how does Achilles compare to Uncle Silva?"

Ron didn't bother comparing Achilles to Zeno—he knew Zeno's power unquestionably exceeded Achilles's, having gained tremendous advantage through time and talent both.

Soon, Gik City appeared once more before them. 

Large crowds of people fled the city, alarmed by the fighting at the Dark Hunter base, though they didn't actually know what had happened—only that they were terrified and wanted to avoid any danger.

At this point, Gik City itself seemed oddly calm, showing no signs of combat. Ron looked toward the ruined Dark Hunter base, which was now nothing but rubble.

"How quiet. Did the Mingbo Republic people leave? Did they get Rosgel's head? What about Senior Gonte?"

Achilles led Ron and Wendy in that direction.

"En!"

A tremendous En radiated out from Achilles, centered on himself. 

Suddenly, Ron's pupils shrank. Wendy's face went pale. Achilles, too, looked extremely grim.

They saw it plainly: in the heart of the destroyed Dark Hunter base stood a wooden stake, driven deep into the ground. Atop that post hung a human head. 

It was Gonte's. 

His eyes were wide, filled with disbelief.

"Gonte!"

Achilles fumed. For him, Gonte wasn't just a fellow Fioran, but also a fellow Beast Dojo member and personal friend. Their relationship had been close.

With a single blur of motion, Achilles appeared before Gonte's head. Fresh blood dripped down, one drop falling onto Achilles's shoe.

"They're not far yet!"

He suddenly turned toward one direction. 

"Then they won't be leaving at all!"

In a flash, Achilles's body transformed, taking the shape of a huge bestial creature: his feet turned into razor-sharp golden talons like an eagle's—keen and powerful. Thick red fur sprouted across his torso. The muscles of his arms bulged, and pointed horns grew from his head and shoulders. His hair went white.

A frightening aura burst from Achilles, and the ground quaked underfoot. 

Then he vanished.

Ron gently patted Wendy's shoulder in comfort. He was used to scenes of death—he had witnessed many while carrying out assassinations or moving through Meteor City, Heavens Arena, the Underworld, and Taris. Over time, one grows numb to it.

Wendy had also seen her share of dead bodies, but Gonte was different—a member of Fiora's royal circle, like Ina had been.

"Wendy, let's take a look. See if anyone survived."

"Right."

They both used En. Yet, everyone buried under the rubble was already dead.

Suddenly, Ron sensed a faint sign of life. 

"Akutagawa Ryuunosuke!"

Akutagawa materialized. 

"Claw!"

His dark-red claws cleared away the fallen debris. Ron had a fleeting thought:

"Even if I don't use Akutagawa for battle, he's really good in rescue work—like a mechanical arm, with great strength and fine control."

A figure came into view: Ralph lay there, unconscious. 

A huge scar marred the area near his heart—yet it didn't look like a normal wound. Instead it seemed something had once punched a hole there, only to be forcibly filled and repaired later.

Ron glanced at Ralph's right hand. As expected, it felt weaker than before. 

"That monster must've burned its own power to heal Ralph's fatal injury, since it can't live without him. If Ralph dies, the monster dies, so this was its best option."

Ron told Akutagawa Ryuunosuke to carefully lift Ralph out and lay him on open ground. Then he took out a water bottle, letting Akutagawa give Ralph a drink.

"Cough… cough…"

Ralph came around, opening his eyes. 

"Where am I? Ron?"

"You're safe now. Here, drink some water—have a bit of food. You probably need the energy. Rest a while, and then I'll fill you in."

Nodding, Ralph ate and recovered somewhat. Only then did Ron explain the situation in Gik City.

"So you're saying the entire Dark Hunter squad is gone, and I'm the only one left…?"

Ralph went white as a sheet.

"Yes. From all we can tell, you might truly be the last survivor of Gik City's Dark Hunter squad. It was too chaotic at the time. Wendy and I were getting chased, the opponents were extremely strong…"

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