"I'll look into the situation with those three and send you an email later."
"Alright, thanks for your help, Doppo."
Kaizen hung up the phone and turned to Roy.
Roy forced an awkward smile. "Do you have a plan?"
"The only way I see is getting one of them out of Heavens Arena—my teacher."
Roy continued, "If you can capture my teacher alive, he should be able to get the other two to leave as well."
Kaizen frowned slightly. "You think your teacher would betray his companions?"
"Of course. My way of doing things comes from my teacher. If even I would act like this, then my teacher would understand it even better."
Kaizen nodded. "Alright, make the arrangements. I want results by the end of today."
"Yes."
...
Time passed, and the three core members of AKA remained unaware that Kaizen was still alive. They believed he was dead, celebrating their supposed victory with drinks.
"I knew this plan would work. A kid who achieved such results at his age is bound to be full of ambition and reckless. No way he'd be cautious enough at just 17."
"So arrogant."
"He really thought the world was as simple as it seemed."
"Now that he's dead, we don't have to worry about any challenges."
"And TST won't get any stronger."
"Double the celebration."
"That kid went down too easily. What a joke."
Just then, the phone of the thin, middle-aged man among them rang. It was Roy calling. He picked up, and as the conversation continued, a subtle smile appeared on his face. The other two men exchanged glances, immediately grasping what was happening.
One smirked. The other quickly hid a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
Despite being core members of AKA, the three had different perspectives. One was pragmatic, another obsessed with strength, and the last—the thin middle-aged man—had a particular weakness for women.
Spending nights with multiple people at once was nothing unusual for him.
Judging by his expression, they could already guess the call's subject matter.
"I'm heading out for a bit. I won't be at tonight's training," he said, standing up.
The two watched as he left.
When his figure finally disappeared, the pragmatic man scoffed.
A figure staggered out of Heavens Arena. As a Floor Master, even if he was from a lower tier, he was still well-known. Numerous eyes turned toward him as he walked past.
The thin middle-aged man relished the attention.
Meanwhile, Roy moved closer to Kaizen.
"My teacher will be here soon. This place is remote—perfect for an ambush. You can set things up now."
Kaizen nodded. There was no need for further instruction—he would handle it.
One clean kill.
Kaizen had no intention of wasting more time on these people.
Before long, a figure entered Kaizen's line of sight. "He's coming."
Kaizen had his phone on the line with Sally.
"Sally, do you see him?"
"Yes, Captain. I have him in sight."
"Alright. Once he rounds the corner, take the shot."
"Understood."
Perched at a high vantage point, Sally had a clear view of the area, with no obstructions.
For a sniper, this was the perfect position.
The sniper rifle, Barrett, materialized in Sally's hands—a weapon she conjured with her Nen ability.
She took aim.
The moment the thin middle-aged man entered her crosshairs, she didn't hesitate.
Boom!
The bullet tore through the air at incredible speed.
The man had no time to react. He only sensed it at the last moment—too late.
A sharp, cracking sound rang out as blood sprayed from his body. His figure was sent flying backward, slamming into a nearby wall before collapsing onto the ground.
Roy's pupils shrank.
He had already anticipated this the moment he betrayed his teacher. Kaizen was too strong—escaping his ambush was nearly impossible.
But what truly shocked Roy was that Kaizen hadn't even lifted a finger.
It was just the girl with him.
'She's that strong? I didn't notice at all...'
Roy turned to Kaizen, his fear deepening.
'Does Kaizen still have even more hidden strength?'
'Who is backing him?'
It suddenly dawned on Roy—if Kaizen had reached this level of power at his age, it couldn't be through sheer effort alone.
There had to be someone behind him.
Simply joining TST wasn't enough to explain it.
'The teachers were too careless.'
'Not careless—just overconfident. They've done this kind of thing many times before without issue. They thought there was no risk.'
'It's just a car bomb. If it worked, great. If it didn't, nothing would happen to them.'
'More importantly, this method keeps their involvement hidden.'
'The problem wasn't with the teachers. It was me. Kaizen—found me, which led him to the truth. If he hadn't discovered me, they wouldn't have been exposed.'
'But how did he find me?'
'I was so far away.'
'What gave me away?'
Roy finally realized the key issue.
But there was no way for him to know the truth.
Kaizen had identified Roy through Altan's computer expertise. But Altan wasn't just a tech genius—she was Kaizen's Nen beast.
It was a connection no outsider could predict.
A figure appeared behind the collapsed man.
Schlick!
Akutagawa Ryunosuke pierces the man's limbs and binds him.
Within moments, the man appeared before Kaizen.
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