Natsu slammed headlong toward the middle-aged man, only to be blocked by a chunk of ice.
The middle-aged man froze for a moment—he could feel half of his aura suddenly pulled out of him. He still had plenty left, but that abrupt loss rattled both his body and his aura control.
The block of ice in front of him shattered, and Natsu crashed into the man, wrapping his arms tightly around him without hesitation.
Four dark-red claws wrapped around the man as well, holding him fast. Killer Queen dashed over.
Killer Queen's attack landed, and a silent explosion erupted. But just before it detonated, the man had turned to his elemental form.
He shot Ron a frosty glare.
"All that buildup for one strike, huh? Trying to kill me the same way you killed that useless idiot?
"Kid, you're too naive!
"Well, since you tried to kill me, don't blame me later for what comes next."
But he failed to notice that he was **moving**—not on purpose, but *being moved*.
When he shifted attention entirely onto Killer Queen, Natsu took action. Immense flames spewed out, forming a giant fireball, sealing the man inside. In his elemental state, he was unable to break free.
Natsu, wreathed in fire, dragged him along.
Meanwhile, outside, a huge door appeared in midair.
Natsu hurtled straight toward it with the man, who suddenly sensed danger and reverted to human form to shatter the fireball. But the dark-red claws still clung to him, along with Natsu himself. Enraged, the man lashed out; Natsu refused to back down.
Not just Natsu—Hanma Baki, Killer Queen, and Lampent all rushed forward together.
A huge projectile of aura launched at the man.
He smashed Hanma Baki aside, sent Killer Queen flying, and Lampent vanished before the man could strike him as well.
But just as the man was about to escape the flaming snare, the Nen Grenade struck.
An explosive impact knocked him back just enough—enough for him to stumble fully past the threshold of that door. Ron made the door disappear in the next instant, anchor and all.
The moment he did, every one of his Nen beasts vanished. Ron then entered Sumas's internal space.
Inside the pyramid zone, the middle-aged man stood there, a tumult of shock, dread, and fury on his face.
What did that brat do?"
He spotted the looming pyramid at the center.
"This is the Kurta Clan's Nen Spirit? Are there still Kurta survivors?
Or did that kid manage to seize their Nen Spirit?"
Previously, the old man had told Ron that only those with Kurta blood could control Sumas, but the bigger factions—Kakin, Mingbo, Meteor City—never knew that detail. That was why they jointly attacked in the first place.
In the blank area of Sumas, Ron watched the mid-air projection showing the man and finally let out a breath.
"As expected from an A-level Nen user—truly formidable.
But this also proves how far I've come. A while back, training with Uncle Silva, even his half-hearted effort left me no chance to threaten him at all.
"Now, I've handled an A-level user. Admittedly, I didn't kill him, and I had to go all out without actually endangering his life. The real key was using Sumas to trap him.
"But trapped he is. In Sumas's space, if I don't want him to leave, he can't. Not even spatial Nen abilities will help him escape."
He focused for a second, and with a thought, an unseen power seized the man. The man vanished from the open area and reappeared inside the pyramid, in a sealed chamber with no entrance or exit.
"Dammit! Dammit!" the man snarled, his face clouded with anger and gloom.
One part of his fury was that he'd been bested by someone clearly weaker, which he considered humiliating. Worse, he had only been testing Ron, wanting to bring him back to Mingbo and make him a loyal subordinate. That was why he never attacked Ron outright and kept giving Ron chances to show his abilities—he never dreamed the brat had another Nen Spirit ready to ensnare him.
And now he was stuck in Sumas, a prisoner.
"If I'd gone all out from the start, you'd never have survived!
"And you've done this to me?
"Fine! Go ahead—don't let me out, ever!
"If I get one chance, I swear I'll tear you to pieces. Not just you, but your family, your friends—everyone connected to you! I'll crush them all!"
He was so furious precisely because he knew he could not escape. He'd remain trapped here until he died.
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