A dark shadow shot out, bypassing Baki and heading straight for Ron.
But at that moment, Baki clapped his hands together.
Ron and Killer Queen's positions instantly swapped.
Killer Queen took the hit, leaving a massive hollow in her body. If Killer Queen were flesh and blood, her guts and limbs would have already been gushing and flying out.
But Killer Queen was a Nen Beast.
Half of her body remained standing on the ground.
Dandins returned to his human form, but his body was now only half intact.
A tremendous amount of life force drained from him, leaving him incredibly weakened.
"You had another trump card one even more hidden too?"
Dandins's face twisted with rage, so furious he almost spat blood.
"Kid, who the hell are you?"
Ron commanded Killer Queen.
Killer Queen stepped forward, approaching Dandins.
Then, she slammed it down on Dandins's head.
In the final moment before Dandins's death, Ron stated his full name.
"You're... a Zoldyck?"
When Ron had killed the five death row prisoners, he'd announced his full name. Back then, his opponent had shown relief, saying it was an honour to die by the hand of a Zoldyck.
But for Dandins, it was different.
This revelation had left Dandins in utter despair.
Earlier, he thought that even if he died, Ron would surely die too. After all, this was Aurean, and the Underworld Mafia wouldn't let Ron escape.
But a Zoldyck? That changed everything.
Would the Underworld Mafia really risk clashing with the Zoldycks just to avenge him?
Based on what he knew, Dandins absolutely doubted it!
He would die, while Ron would survive and face no repercussions.
Dandins couldn't accept this outcome.
He began roaring with resentment.
But before he could say anything, Killer Queen activated her power, Dandins's body completely disintegrated, and all signs of life vanished.
Just then, a dark, sinister aura appeared.
Ron narrowed his eyes.
The scene was eerily similar to what had happened when Kyler had died.
Ron felt the Rotten Life Blade in his hand pulse with excitement.
"Ron, I'll have your life!"
Dandins's Death Nen transformed into a ghostly figure, lunging toward Ron.
Ron lifted the Rotten Life Blade and slashed.
Dandins's Death Nen split in two, and a powerful pull emanated from the Rotten Life Blade, absorbing every bit of Dandins's Death Nen.
In no time, the Rotten Life Blade grew still again.
Ron sheathed the blade at his waist.
Killer Queen continued clearing away Dandins's remains.
Using explosions, she obliterated every last trace.
Once done, Ron turned his attention to the crystal orb in front of him.
The progress bar had now reached halfway—fifty per cent.
"It's about time to leave this city."
"Chii has already gathered enough intel. Now that I've absorbed the Underworld Mafia's traits, I won't need to infiltrate it as deeply as I have been."
"I can now employ far more convenient methods."
Previously, Ron had accepted Greed's invitation because Greed held a high position within the Underworld Mafia, which would allow Ron to access the Mafia's core areas directly—like Aurean City.
Another reason was that Ron hadn't known enough about the Underworld Mafia's structure back then.
But now, things were different.
With Ron's help as an insider, Chii had managed to collect substantial information on the Underworld Mafia within Aurean.
Ron had learned something interesting.
Apart from Aurean, which was somewhat unique, the other core cities of the Underworld Mafia were, in fact, open to outsiders.
Among them, the most famous city was Yorknew.
To put it in simpler terms:
Aurean was like the Mafia's production factory, whereas Yorknew was more like its trade port.
In that city, many shops were directly supplied by the Underworld Mafia.
Using Yorknew as a platform, they conducted transactions with people from all over the world.
The auction held there was the Underworld Mafia's largest external trade event.
"Based on importance, Yorknew might be slightly less significant to the Mafia than Aurean."
"I wonder how much progress I can gain for Observer's Will by heading to Yorknew."
Ron looked down at his waist.
"An unexpected bonus aside from my progress..."
"Absorbing Death Nen has enhanced the Rotten Life Blade's power."
"It'll now absorb aura even faster."
Ron took Dandins's phone and drafted a text message to Greed, then waited where he was.
Greed received the message with joy.
"Earlier than expected?"
"Senior Dandins really came through."
"Now, I'll finally have the strength of a Shadow Beast!"
"I'm going to become one of the Shadow Beasts!"
Excited and exhilarated, Greed wasted no time heading to lab 2 after reading the message.
A figure awaited him at the base's entrance.
As Greed approached, he was led to a massive chamber.
"Master Greed, Master Dantins is waiting for you inside."
The huge iron door opened.
Greed stepped inside.
"Senior Dandins, I'm here."
But there was no response.
Looking down, Greed noticed an arrow marked on the floor.
After a brief hesitation, Greed followed the arrow.
Although he felt an uneasy sense of foreboding, he dismissed it after thinking it over.
"Senior Dandins's experiments—I've seen them. There's no issue; he wouldn't trick me."
"As for Ron, he's even less of a threat."
"What could an E-class Nen user possibly do?"
But after taking a few more steps, a figure appeared at the iron door.
The switch was pressed.
Instantly, the massive iron door began to slide down.
It landed firmly on the ground.
Hearing the noise, Greed instinctively turned around, and his eyes widened in shock.
Ron stood by the iron door, gazing at Greed with a calm expression.
"Good to see you again, Senior Greed."
"Good to see you too."
Seeing Ron only intensified the ominous feeling in Greed's heart.
Greed couldn't understand why Ron was here.
If the experiment was ready, Ron should have been on the operating table, shouldn't he?
And where was Dandins?
"Ron, where's Senior Dandins?"
Ron took one step after another, closing in on Greed.
Greed instinctively took a few steps back but then realized something was wrong.