[104] : The Path of the Hunter! No Shortcuts to Strength!

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...

"Moo!"

With a resounding bellow, Mika steered the Gordius Wheel, soaring across the skies of Yorknew City.

Lightning crackled and danced around the chariot as the divine oxen thundered through the air.

"Ha! Riding a chariot is so exhilarating!" Mellie shouted gleefully from behind Mika, her hair whipping in the wind.

"Focus, Mellie. We're about to engage in battle," Airmid cautioned.

"Yes, yes, I understand!"

Heeding Airmid's words, Mellie quickly composed herself, her playful demeanor replaced by a calm focus.

She held her staff firmly, an aura of serenity surrounding her.

Seeing Mellie's transformation, Airmid relaxed slightly. A focused Mellie was always a reassuring sight.

"Gabriel, are we almost there?" Airmid asked, a sense of anticipation building as the figures below grew smaller.

"Almost. Just up ahead!"

Mika's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked in the direction Gabriel pointed.

"I believe we should make a grand entrance."

"How so?" Mellie inquired.

"Like this!"

As Mika spoke, an immense En expanded outward, encompassing everything within a radius of several hundred meters in an instant.

The next moment, the scene within the dilapidated building Gabriel had pointed to appeared clearly in Mika's mind.

"It seems things are quite lively in there!"

Mika's eyes narrowed as he saw Gon, pinned to a stone table by Feitan, and Killua, restrained by Hisoka.

"If it's lively, then let's join the party."

"Moo! Moo! Moo!"

As if sensing Mika's intentions, the two divine oxen pulling his chariot bellowed loudly.

The surrounding lightning intensified, crackling with unrestrained power.

In a flash, bolts of lightning, surpassing the chariot's speed, shot towards the building where the Phantom Troupe had gathered, engulfing the structure in a devastating electrical storm.

Amidst the raging lightning, Mika steered the chariot towards the ground, landing smoothly in front of the now-ruined building.

The structure, ravaged by the lightning strike, began to crumble and collapse, ultimately reduced to a pile of rubble.

"Who's there?!"

As the dust settled, thirteen figures emerged from the debris.

Despite the lightning's speed and power, thanks to Mika's En, the Phantom Troupe members had emerged unscathed.

"Who's there?!" they demanded again.

"My name is Mika," he replied with a casual smile. "These two behind me are Airmid and Mellie."

"Mika!" Gon shouted, struggling against his restraints.

"Hey there, Gon, Killua!" Mika greeted them with a wave and a cheerful grin. "I'm here to rescue you!"

"Run! You don't have to save us!"

Despite his gratitude for Mika's arrival, Gon didn't believe they could defeat the Phantom Troupe.

After all, they were all Hunter Exam graduates from the same year.

They had all been learning Nen for roughly the same amount of time.

Therefore, Gon and Killua assumed that Mika, Airmid, and Mellie were around the same level as them, a level insufficient to challenge the Phantom Troupe.

While Gon often acted impulsively, he never intentionally endangered his companions.

He would rather face death himself than witness the demise of his friends.

Mika simply waved dismissively, clearly having no intention of heeding Gon's advice.

Unlike Gon, the Phantom Troupe members, seasoned criminals, possessed far greater experience.

The moment they saw Mika, a single thought crossed their minds:

A formidable opponent!

An unprecedented threat!

They felt a palpable sense of danger emanating from Mika.

Among the eleven Phantom Troupe members present, Hisoka was the most surprised.

Having crossed paths with Mika before, he couldn't believe how much stronger Mika had become in just six months.

The once unripe apple had now reached full maturity.

This was an incredibly exciting development for Hisoka.

"I want... I want to fight him so badly!" he thought, his excitement barely contained.

"Are you these kids' friends?" Shalnark inquired. As the brains of the Phantom Troupe, second only to Chrollo, he was currently acting as their leader in Chrollo's absence.

"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have barged into the Phantom Troupe's hideout."

"I have no desire to associate with vile criminals like yourselves," Mika replied with a playful grin.

"Then perhaps we can resolve this peacefully?"

Until Chrollo returned and issued his orders, Shalnark was reluctant to confront this terrifying opponent.

The sheer amount of aura emanating from the two beasts pulling Mika's chariot was staggering.

Their aura surpassed even his own potential aura output.

This alone spoke volumes about Mika's strength.

"Certainly. As long as you release Gon and Killua, we'll leave and we can all go our separate ways."

"No way!"

"Impossible!"

Feitan and Nobunaga, who had been arguing moments before, immediately rejected Mika's proposal.

"Are you an accomplice of that chain user?"

"Or perhaps… you are the chain user yourself!"

"Did you kill Uvogin?!"

Their suspicion wasn't unfounded.

A powerful individual capable of defeating Uvogin had suddenly appeared in Yorknew City.

While they had initially suspected that Uvogin had been ambushed, the possibility of a direct confrontation couldn't be ruled out.

Under these circumstances, the newly arrived Mika was the most likely suspect.

The probability of two individuals capable of surpassing Uvogin appearing in the city simultaneously was incredibly low.

Upon hearing Nobunaga's accusation, the Phantom Troupe members became visibly wary.

Even Shalnark couldn't suppress his unease.

While Mika's strength was undeniable, if he truly was Uvogin's killer, they had to capture him.

"Uvogin? The chain user?"

Feigning ignorance, Mika struck his left palm with his right fist, as if suddenly remembering something.

"You mean that large, Enhancement-type guy? I remember him!"

He then quickly waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not a chain user. I don't use chains at all. However, I did happen to observe the battle between him and the chain user."

Mika continued with a playful grin. "Actually, I was already there when that big guy was fighting the mafia. I also witnessed his fight against the chain user."

"That battle… tsk, tsk, tsk… it was truly brutal!"

---

"They agreed to a duel in the wilderness, both unleashing their full power," Mika began, his voice calm and measured.

"But unfortunately, Uvogin severely underestimated his opponent's strength."

"He assumed that his inability to break free from the chains was due to his injuries. He never considered the possibility that his opponent was simply stronger."

"So he lost. He lost decisively."

"In every aspect of Nen, he was completely outmatched."

"In the end, the chain user asked him about the Troupe's base. Uvogin refused to answer, enduring countless blows for his loyalty."

"Finally, the chain user activated his Nen ability, piercing Uvogin's heart with a chain. He asked him about the Phantom Troupe one last time. If Uvogin provided false information, the chain would kill him."

"And so, he died."

"Bastard!"

Nobunaga, Uvogin's closest friend, roared in anguish upon hearing Mika's account.

The other Phantom Troupe members' faces darkened.

Mika's words confirmed Uvogin's death.

And he had died protecting the Troupe.

While the Phantom Troupe members, born in Meteor City, didn't adhere to conventional notions of good and evil, living by the law of the jungle, they still held a certain camaraderie and loyalty towards one another.

Now, Uvogin, their vanguard who often cleared the path for their operations, had died protecting them.

This news understandably stirred a range of emotions within the group.

"Damn it! You know so much detail… You must be that chain bastard!" Nobunaga shouted after a brief silence.

Mika's description was incredibly detailed, even including information about the chain user's Nen ability. This naturally raised suspicions, leading Nobunaga to believe that Mika was the culprit.

However, this was all part of Mika's plan to mislead them.

"How could that be?" Mika replied with a playful grin.

As soon as he finished speaking, Mika vanished from sight.

Startled, the Phantom Troupe members frantically scanned their surroundings, but they couldn't find any trace of him.

Suddenly, a hand appeared behind Nobunaga, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What?!"

Sensing the presence behind him, Nobunaga, a seasoned combatant, instinctively reached for the katana at his hip.

As a member of the Phantom Troupe's combat division and an Enhancement-type Nen user, Nobunaga possessed terrifying strength.

Unlike other Enhancement-type users who focused on strengthening their bodies, Nobunaga, a master of Iaijutsu (quick-draw sword technique), channeled his Nen into his blade, enabling him to cut down his opponents with a single stroke.

This was his signature fighting style.

When Nobunaga drew his sword, his En would expand rapidly, allowing him to sense everything within his range, leaving no opening for his opponents to exploit.

That four-meter radius was Nobunaga's domain.

The range of Nobunaga's En didn't match his overall strength because he didn't use En for reconnaissance. Instead, it served to enhance his attacks.

For him, a four-meter radius was more than sufficient.

Yet, as Nobunaga drew his sword, his arm was seized, abruptly halting his Iaijutsu technique.

"As I said, when I choose to conceal my presence, very few can detect me. I am a top-tier assassin, after all," Mika chuckled, his grip firm on Nobunaga's arm.

Mika possessed numerous abilities to mask his presence.

Gyo (Emission Seeing), Zetsu (Aura Suppression), and even the En no Shoku (Territory of Enchantment) he had mastered during his martial arts training in the Type-Moon world granted him such capabilities.

En no Shoku was a secret technique derived from martial arts in the Type-Moon world.

Since the philosophies of martial arts varied across different worlds, Mika would use Gabriel to understand the unique principles of each world's martial arts.

En no Shoku was a technique Gabriel had developed after secretly learning and mastering Bajiquan from Risei and Kirei Kotomine.

It was a technique that utilized aura to perceive one's surroundings while simultaneously erasing one's presence.

A master of En no Shoku could even achieve unity with nature, seamlessly blending into their environment.

Because En no Shoku synchronized the user's internal energy with nature, their presence was undetectable until that energy manifested as an attack.

This was undoubtedly the ultimate technique for concealing one's presence.

Thanks to the martial arts knowledge he had accumulated in the Demon Slayer and Hunter x Hunter worlds, Mika quickly mastered this technique under Gabriel's guidance.

With these three abilities combined, Mika was undoubtedly a master of concealment.

He was a true assassin.

"Damn it!"

Nobunaga gritted his teeth, struggling against Mika's overwhelming grip.

Normally, Nobunaga was incredibly calm and collected, especially in critical situations.

However, Uvogin's death had shaken him. What he found even more unsettling was Mika's ability to anticipate and counter his sword draw.

As a martial artist specializing in Iaijutsu, it was everything to Nobunaga. It was the single skill he had honed for years, the technique he trusted most.

Yet, in front of Mika, he couldn't even draw his sword.

This was a devastating blow to a warrior's pride.

As Mika was about to offer some words of comfort to the distraught Nobunaga, a gust of wind swept past him.

It was Feitan.

With blinding speed, he appeared beside Mika, aiming a swift hand-chop at a vital point.

However, with Gyo active, Feitan's movements appeared in slow motion to Mika.

He effortlessly caught Feitan's arm, his grip like iron.

"Oh? Concerned about your comrade? I haven't even laid a finger on him," Mika said with a playful grin, looking at the impassive Feitan.

Following Feitan's attack, Phinks and Franklin, the other two Enhancement-type Nen users in the Phantom Troupe, lunged towards Mika.

Meanwhile, from a distance, the Emitters, Machi and Franklin, launched their attacks.

Nen bullets, Nen threads, and even aura-infused playing cards rained down on Mika.

With a flicker of movement, Mika reappeared on his chariot.

"My, my, such enthusiasm!" he chuckled, glancing at Hisoka, who was holding a handful of playing cards.

Observing Mika's cheerful demeanor, Shalnark suddenly felt a sense of unease.

"Wait, Machi!"

Hearing Shalnark's warning, Machi, a long-time comrade, instinctively reached for Gon and Killua, but her hands passed right through them.

"Illusions!" she exclaimed in surprise.

...

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