Chapter 8 It Seemed Like Joy, Yet It Also Resembled Satisfaction

The atmosphere in the temple's courtyard changed instantly with the arrival of the man.

The aura could vividly reflect the emotional fluctuations of a Nen user.

At this moment, the man's aura exuded a cold and ruthless killing intent.

In the face of this aura, Monica, as an ordinary person, suffered torment.

However, Moses remained unaffected. He hid his presence as best he could in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to act.

The man continued to walk towards Monica.

From the moment he entered the courtyard, his gaze remained fixed on Monica without the slightest change.

Stopping in front of Monica, he smiled and said, "Do you know why I haven't killed you yet?"

Monica's face turned pale, and she could only stare wide-eyed at what she perceived as a "monster" approaching step by step.

Intimidated by the killing intent, she had lost all ability to think and was unable to answer the man's question.

"No energy left for even a guess?"

Seeing Monica's reaction, the man's smile deepened, "Don't worry, I love to chat the most. In the limited time we have, let me slowly tell you why I didn't kill you directly. Of course, it's because…"

Mid-sentence, the man suddenly pounced at Moses, as if a fierce beast launching an attack, instantly changing his demeanor from chatting to aggressive.

From this moment on, whether the words he spoke earlier about not killing Monica directly or his claimed love for chatting became irrelevant.

What the man wanted was to distract and manipulate Moses's attention through speech and then swiftly end the battle.

"…"

Facing the man's sudden assault, Moses's face involuntarily showed signs of panic.

The man sneered with disdain upon seeing Moses's reaction. He gathered his abundant aura into his right fist and aiming for Moses's vital points at the fastest speed.

As the lethal strike approached, Moses, seemingly startled, hastily retreated in an attempt to dodge the attack. However, it appeared that he tripped over something, and he ended up sitting on the ground.

This resulted in the man's powerful punch to miss.

However, the fallen Moses had clearly lost any capacity for counteraction.

Unless he had a weapon to extend the reach of his attack, he was left defenseless against the man's potentially deadly second assault.

However, Moses clearly had no weapon in his hand.

In the end…

The man felt that the brat before him was, at best, a novice who had just glimpsed into the power of Nen, with no understanding of what combat really was. He was hardly a threat.

"You probably thought that's what I was thinking, right?"

The man's mocking smile suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold, snake-like gaze, focusing intently on Moses's hands which supported him on the ground.

At that moment, the fallen Moses with a swift motion, drew out a long, sharp kitchen knife concealed under a rag. He then fiercely thrust it towards the man's right wrist, which was maintaining a punching posture.

This was the closest target for Moses to attack.

However, the man had been vigilant from the start. He immediately noticed Moses's subtle move and, of course, evaded the thrust.

Dodging was entirely within his capabilities-

However, in order to end the battle more swiftly and efficiently, the man, who seemed to take pleasure in killing, shockingly spread open his right palm and actively met the oncoming thrust of Moses's kitchen knife.

Splurt!

The sharp blade pierced through the man's palm, splattering a considerable amount of blood.

Yet, the man's face remained expressionless. Instead of pulling back his hand, he exerted force, pressing the knife down with the blood-soaked palm.

Amidst the splatter of blood, the man's entire hand slid from the blade to the hilt of the knife.

Following that, as if he couldn't feel any pain, the man tightly gripped Moses's hand, which is holding the knife, with his bloodied and pierced hand.

"My aura output is leagues above yours. Therefore, from the moment I got close to you and caught you, you've already lost everything. Come on, let me see your real panic."

The man looked calm and composed. As long as he wished, his other hand, which is filled with Aura, could end Moses's life at any given moment.

Defeating a Nen user without even using a special ability could bring a certain sense of accomplishment. Although Moses was just a novice, it still provided a slight sense of achievement to the man.

Moses attempted to struggle, but due to his aura output being inferior to the man's, his struggles had little effect.

The man's unexpectedly high alertness surprised him. The determination and ruthlessness to achieve victory, even at the cost of injury, was not to be underestimated.

'This guy… was more troublesome than he appeared on the surface.'

"So, you deliberately talked so much to Monica not just to distract me, but because you really like to chat, huh?"

Moses sighed softly. While not entirely composed, he didn't display the panic and fear the man hoped to see.

The man stared intently at Moses's reaction and coldly said, "It seems I underestimated you. In your next life, don't casually intervene in others' matters. That way, you might live a bit longer."

"As if you'd let me go if I don't act. Your Aura blatantly exposes your sinister nature."

"Tsk, was I that obvious?"

The man murmured, "Indeed, after sensing your aura, I already marked you as prey."

Before he even finished his words, he launched a punch, aiming for Moses's vital point.

Seemingly cornered and unable to evade, Moses had actually been waiting precisely for this moment when the man would make his lethal move.

Just as the ferocious punch was about to crush Moses's head, a pair of pitch-black hands, appearing out of nowhere, emerged on either side of the man's face. Then, they forcefully twisted his head backward.

Snap!

The man's head was abruptly twisted backward by these hands, causing the bone on his throat to break through the skin, accompanied by a spurt of blood.

"Hmm?"

The sudden turn of events froze the man's expression. Confusion spread through his mind like rapidly growing vines.

'What just happened?'

He tried to say something but could only produce incomprehensible sounds, then quickly transforming into a lifeless body collapsing to the ground.

The shadow figure, which mysteriously appeared behind the man, slowly retracted its hands, and following Moses's command, it returned to its normal shadow state.

First, he created a layered illusion to conceal the existence of the shadow figure. Then, at the crucial moment, this shadow figure revealed itself to deliver the fatal blow.

Thus, the battle ended in less than a minute.

Moses looked down at the man's corpse, a peculiar emotion brewing within him.

It seemed like joy, yet it also resembled satisfaction.

"It's strange. I'm quite certain I don't enjoy killing, but why do I feel this way?"

Moses raised his index finger to his chin, speaking in self-reflection:

"Is it because I saw this guy step into the traps I set in advance, step by step? Or is it because I effortlessly dealt with a nuisance? A sensation similar to speedrunning a game?"

"That's right, I don't even know this guy's name, or his Nen ability… Um, did he even have one?"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter."

Moses lightly shook his head, then looked at the man's corpse again.

The feeling of triumph from moments ago still lingered in his heart.

'The battles with Nen are indeed fascinating. I only needed to successfully set up a trap, and the fight could end in an instant.'

'Moreover, I can still become even stronger…'

Thinking about this, a smile unknowingly crept onto Moses's face.

Monica, having seen the man's fate and Moses's emerging smile, felt a chill running down her spine.