The stench of blood in the air was overwhelming, to the point that even the atmosphere felt viscous. Lights flickered all around, flowing toward the crystal ball in front of Ron. The progress of his Observer surged rapidly.
Ron walked across the battlefield.
Suddenly, a figure collapsed right in front of him—a member of the Kurta clan. Before Ron even had time to look at the body, a fierce attack came hurtling toward him.
"Kid, back off! This is my spoils!"
The attacker was a young woman with rough features and merciless strikes, aiming directly for Ron's vital spots. A single hit could have left Ron seriously wounded—or even killed him outright. But a figure stepped between them:
"Rashōmon!" (note: If you forgot it was Ryunosuke black cloth-like thing that can transform into various offensive or defensive shapes, he wore it like a coat)
A shield materialized in front of Natsu.
The woman's blow landed, ringing out with a metallic collision. Ron frowned as he looked at her. Seeing her attack thwarted, her gaze grew even colder.
"You still won't back off?"
She dashed to Ron's side, trying to bypass Natsu and strike him directly. From the presence of Natsu—a summoned Nen Beast—the woman deduced Ron was an Emitter who specialized in creating such beasts, which often meant his physical body was a weak point.
But just as she was about to close in on Ron—
A dark-red claw stabbed into her chest, then withdrew, yanking out her heart.
"H-how is that… possible? Some mere kid…"
Her eyes widened, and she crumpled to the ground.
Ron glanced at her corpse.
"She wasn't that strong, yet she was vicious."
In truth, her strength might not have been low. Ron's own abilities had already reached a rather high level. This woman was a C-rank Nen user, just like Ron, yet she had spent much of her aura battling the Kurta and was in rough shape. Overall, she was likely on the lower end of C-rank.
Ron, on the other hand, was close to pushing into B-rank. By his own estimation, adding one or two more Nen Beasts might let him break through. Furthermore, Ron was a very unusual case, stronger than most people at his rank. Natsu was currently his most powerful Nen Beast, having merged with Akutagawa Ryunosuke. The combined form wielded abilities more powerful than before. In Natsu's hands, Rashōmon was deadlier than it had been in Akutagawa Ryunosuke's.
Meanwhile, the woman had no special defensive skills. Though both were C-rank, their gap exceeded that between a C-rank Nen user and a regular person. Even before creating Natsu, Ron's power had already surpassed Wendy, Roben, and Ted—talents among Nen users. He could handle all three at once without losing. Now, with Natsu, the difference only grew.
Killing a C-rank Nen user in a single blow was a testament to that.
Not long after, Ron realized why the woman had been so ruthless. The Kurta clan put up a fair fight; yes, many ordinary non-Nen users among them had fallen earlier or were now in hiding, but those who could use Nen—especially those with awakened Scarlet Eyes—were powerful, each one a gifted fighter by outside standards. Yet the intruder's numbers were far greater, with many more Nen users among them, bolstered by modern weaponry: guns, grenades, even artillery.
Under this numeric disadvantage, the Kurta clan was steadily forced back. It was clear the intruders would ultimately prevail, turning the Kurta into prey and themselves into hunters. But there were far more hunters than prey to go around, leading to inevitable competition over the "spoils."
Ron frowned. A new sight caught his attention—an unusual aura.
Greedy desires were radiating from the intruders, growing in intensity over time and merging into a single malignant force. Yet greed wasn't all that pervaded the air. From the Kurta came an aura of rage and hatred—questions and bitterness that seemed to echo:
"Why do this to us? What did we do wrong? Is it just because of our eyes? You would kill us all for that? Why won't you even spare those who haven't awakened their Scarlet Eyes, who pose no threat?"
A Kurta youth stood with blood seeping from his eyes. Before him lay his wife and child, brutally murdered by outsiders right in front of him while he was held back, unable to do anything. And the intruders hadn't simply killed them swiftly; they did it in a cruel, humiliating way, hoping to ignite the youth's anger so his Scarlet Eyes would flare to life. But such an act only fueled his fury.
"All of you… deserve to die! Every last one of you—go to hell! I won't let you get away with this!"
A spear appeared in the young man's hand. In the next moment, its shaft extended with a thrust.
It pierced the heart of one intruder. But more of them appeared at once.
"He's on his last legs—exhausted. Let's finish him off!"
They converged, ready to strike.