Illumi added, "After reaching the second floor, our original abilities are suppressed. When the needleman opened the door and entered the second floor, I could feel my Nen being forcibly sealed, instantly entering Zetsu. So on the second floor, it seems you can only use the additional power granted there and not our own."
Ron frowned. "That makes things much harder. Even if the two of us entered the second floor, we wouldn't be able to use our abilities, while they would have a numerical advantage—at least one more person—and could ambush us. Under these conditions, it would be difficult to defeat them."
Ten people, all with abilities. Even newcomers would immediately gain a power, but without knowing exactly what that power would be, how could you counter it?
"How did great-grandfather do it?" Ron wondered. He knew that in the original story, the Ten Dons had died—killed by Maha Zoldyck, Illumi, and Kalluto. But Kalluto was too weak to play a major role; the main force had to have been Maha, with Illumi likely providing support.
"Cousin Illumi, did you notice what ability that needleman obtained just before entering the second floor?"
"I didn't," Illumi said.
Ron looked at the laptop, instructing Chii to replay the footage at a very slow speed. "Gyo." He inspected frame by frame.
A card appeared in the footage—the moment the needleman pushed open the door, a card appeared and flew straight toward the needleman, striking his body. Ron clearly saw the card had the image of a snake on it.
"A card… a snake…" Ron's gaze sharpened. "Could this be an ability tied to the zodiac system? There were already ten Ten Dons. Great-grandfather brought Illumi and Kalluto as well—that makes thirteen people."
A theory took shape in Ron's mind. "Twelve cards… but with thirteen people, would that force a reshuffle? Not to the extent that everyone would lose their powers, because if that were the case, the Underworld Mafia and the Ten Dons wouldn't rely on the ark so much. But maybe there would be a redistribution of abilities. Redistribution would require time. If that delay happens, then even if the opponents have ten people and unusual abilities, with my and Illumi's strength, we could still win."
Ron shared his hypothesis with Illumi.
"So, Ron, you're saying we should send in three people at the same time onto the second floor?"
"How many needlemen would we need?"
"Maybe twelve… maybe thirty." Ron couldn't be sure. During the earlier test, a second needleman survived after nine others died, but he was killed by the Don before he could ascend to the second floor. So Ron couldn't be sure if the Don had the authority to enter.
"Then let's send thirty," Illumi said, leaving to prepare.
Under Illumi's control, thirty needlemen entered the ark. One after another, they died quickly. Soon, more than twenty were dead, leaving three who qualified to ascend.
Ron noted that creating three entrants seemed to require exactly three times the time it took to create one.
The three needlemen ascended the stairs together and reached the door.
The moment the door opened, all the Ten Dons inside turned toward them, prepared to attack. But at that very instant, their powers vanished before they could act. Check latest chapters at N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Streams of light flowed from their bodies, transforming into cards. A total of twelve cards floated in the air.
Ron saw clearly, just as he expected, they were the zodiac symbols, or rather, the twelve earthly branches, the same as the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve: dragon, snake, rat, rooster, monkey, ox, pig, rabbit, dog, tiger, goat, horse.
The three needlemen entered the room. The Ten Dons glared at them grimly but did not act rashly. Without the power of the cards, they weren't particularly strong.
The next moment, the twelve cards seemed to select their targets and shot toward twelve individuals—nine Ten Dons and two needlemen.
A battle was about to erupt.
Ron watched the screen closely. "Chii, record this."
The fight soon ended. The Ten Don's numerical superiority gave them the edge—three times as many as the needlemen. Even though the needlemen had received card powers, they were merely former ordinary members of the Underworld Mafia. Illumi's method for acquiring needlemen was simple: he would lure people from the Underworld Mafia to attack him, lead them in a chase, and when their numbers thinned enough, he would control them with needles and turn them into puppets.
All three needlemen died.
But Ron still gained valuable information about the twelve card powers.
He compiled a list. "Initial analysis: all twelve cards grant the user strength roughly at the level of an A-rank Nen user. When someone enters the second floor, their original Nen abilities are sealed, but physical attributes are not."
That was Ron and Illumi's key advantage. Their physical strength, technique, experience, and reflexes far exceeded those of the Ten Dons.
It was comparable to this: the twelve cards gave everyone something like a kunai. With cards in play, Ron, Illumi, and the Ten Dons all had a kunai each, but it was like comparing Hanzō during the Hunter Exam wielding a kunai versus an ordinary person with one. The weapon's power and quality were the same, but skill made all the difference. Ten people with kunais might not necessarily defeat two experts like Hanzō.
Of course, the powers granted by the twelve cards were far stronger than kunais. But Ron and Illumi weren't without a chance of victory.
Moreover, they could try more than just sending in three needlemen simultaneously.
What would happen if ten entered at once?
Among the Ten Dons, there couldn't be that many cardholders.