"Share the pain!"
Kaizen glanced at the spectral lamp, then shifted his gaze to the pale-faced young man standing across from him.
"So, you finally used it—this ability."
"Four prerequisites…"
"The difficulty of activation is incredibly high."
"The conditions are strict."
"But the effect is remarkable."
"It directly halves the opponent's aura, and the impact is even stronger than I expected."
"It's not just about reducing capacity—it also weakens the opponent's overall state."
(T/N: This is about ability of Lantern Ghost: Share the Pain. A devastating ability that siphons a target's aura, redistributing it evenly between the target and itself.)
At that moment, the pale-faced young man looked like he was in terrible shape.
Ding!
The sound of the elevator stopping echoed.
Two figures appeared at the door.
It was Sally and Nina.
"I'm going to kill you!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Two voices rang out at the same time.
The first came from Nina.
The second belonged to the pale-faced young man.
The next moment, his eyes became vacant.
"Nina, let's go downstairs."
"Yes."
Kaizen turned and walked straight into the elevator.
Sally and Nina followed closely behind.
The pale-faced young man trailed after them.
As the group descended, several people entered the elevator at different floors, some going up, others going down. Many cast curious glances at Kaizen's group, sensing something off about them—but none dared to speak.
Some recognized Kaizen.
Others recognized the pale-faced young man.
The four of them exited Heavens Arena and entered a nearby alley.
This was the same alley where Kaizen had previously fought against Gluttony.
During that battle, several buildings had been reduced to rubble.
But now, everything had been repaired, as if nothing had ever happened.
What once had been a major event was now nothing more than a piece of gossip for those who had witnessed it.
Kaizen pulled out the pale-faced young man's phone and handed it to Altan.
Then, he systematically broke all the man's limbs.
"Nina, you can release your control over him now."
"Yes."
Nina was unfazed by the gruesome scene.
As a Synthetic Beast, she had long since built up a psychological resistance stronger than most. Moreover, below the 200th floor of Heavens Arena, death matches weren't uncommon.
The pale-faced young man glared at Kaizen with a dark expression.
"Tell me everything you know about Taris. Do that, and I might spare you some suffering."
"Otherwise, the pain you'll endure will be beyond your imagination."
As a member of the Zoldyck family, Kaizen had been trained in torture.
No assassin lacks such skills.
A killer knows how to make death quick.
But they also know how to make it agonizingly slow.
"Humph!"
The pale-faced young man scoffed defiantly.
Kaizen smirked.
"Not in the mood to talk? Perfect. That works for me too."
He turned to Nina and Sally.
"Nina, head back to Heavens Arena."
"Sally, go take care of your own business."
"From here on, I'll handle things alone."
Nina and Sally exchanged glances and nodded before leaving.
Kaizen's real work was about to begin.
Screams of agony echoed through the alley.
Half an hour passed.
The pale-faced young man could take no more.
"You devil!"
"You're asking for it!"
His face twisted in sheer terror.
At first, he had assumed Kaizen would follow the usual pattern: torture him a bit, ask questions, then repeat.
But he was wrong.
Kaizen never asked.
He simply tortured, relentlessly, round after round, without pause.
That sheer unpredictability broke the man's spirit.
"S-Sorry… I got carried away."
Kaizen finally stopped.
"Well? Say what you need to say. Hurry up."
Faced with Kaizen's chilling indifference—his complete lack of curiosity—the pale-faced young man's fear peaked. His mental defenses shattered.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Desperately, he spilled everything he knew.
Kaizen frowned slightly.
Most of the information was worthless.
None of it led to the real mastermind.
Until… the last thing the man said.
"They told me… if I succeeded… I should go to Fiora Kingdom to find them."
"Fiora Kingdom?"
Kaizen's pupils contracted.
"Anything else?"
"N-No! That's everything! I swear! Please, spare me! I won't ever target you again! I can be your lackey—"
Before he could finish, Kaizen ended his life.
"Sorry, but you're not worth keeping alive."
After disposing of the body, Kaizen immediately headed for the airship station.
He bought a ticket to Fiora Kingdom.
However, the airship wouldn't depart for another two hours.
It was far from the ideal route—longer, with more transfers.
Kaizen pulled out his phone and dialed Wendy's number.
"Kaizen, are you already on the airship?"
Wendy's voice carried a note of excitement.
Kaizen shook his head. "No. Something happened. It delayed me."
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Kaizen reassured her. "On my way to the station, I was attacked. I captured my attackers and got them to talk. Turns out, they're connected to the Nen users from Taris Kingdom."
"Taris Kingdom?"
Wendy's tone turned serious.
"That's right," Kaizen confirmed. "According to the intel I gathered, those Nen users have already made their way to Fiora Kingdom."
"They're likely up to something—something bad."
Wendy fell silent for a moment, processing the information.
"Okay. I understand. I'll inform Dominica immediately. Kaizen, thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. This is something I should do."
Kaizen hesitated before adding, "My airship takes off in two hours. It'll take about two days to reach Fiora Kingdom. See you then."
"Alright. I'll come pick you up."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"You don't need to. This is something I should do."
For a moment, the two chuckled over the phone.
Then the call ended.
Kaizen walked into a nearby café and ordered a cup of coffee.
Now, all he could do was wait.
Two hours later, he boarded the airship.
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