Kaizen frowned as he watched the progress on the crystal ball co to a halt.
"Not moving? Where else can I get information on the Kurta Clan?"
His thoughts drifted to Kurapika.
"But where would Kurapika be now?"
He recalled the original tiline—when Kurapika returned to the Kurta settlent, the massacre had already taken place.
"That kid was hiding nearby before... If Kurapika cos back, he’ll be walking straight into a death trap."
That ant one thing: at this point in ti, Kurapika had yet to return.
Kaizen hesitated.
"I could stay here and wait for the aura signature... but I need to keep myself hidden."
He had two reasons for this caution. First, he didn’t want Kurapika to mistake him for the one responsible for the massacre. Even though a note left on the corpse—one of the Kurta—seed to pin the bla on teor City, Kaizen suspected it was a ploy. A transaction between teor City, the Kakin Empire, and the Mimbo Republic, using teor City as a scapegoat.
Kakin and Mimbo weren’t afraid of the Kurta Clan, but getting directly involved in genocide would still stain their reputation. As a powerful nation, reputation mattered. teor City, however, had no such concerns. If anything, Chrollo’s way of thinking suggested the worse their reputation, the better—it kept outsiders from interfering.
The second reason was more pragmatic: Kaizen wasn’t sure whether the forces from Kakin, Mimbo, or teor City would return. He wasn’t looking for another battle, not right now. His recent fights had drained him, and after clashing with multiple adversaries, he was in no rush for another pointless confrontation.
With that, his figure flickered as he moved to a concealed spot. From his vantage point, he could still observe the ruins of the Kurta Clan’s village while keeping a safe distance.
Ti passed slowly.
Kaizen sat cross-legged on the ground, recovering his aura.
anwhile, in the Kakin Empire, the Aiyi family had returned ho, as had most of the Mimbo Republic’s forces. The only exceptions were the dead youth and the middle-aged man trapped in Sumas. However, Mimbo wasn’t too concerned.
"A B-Rank Nen user, and an A-Rank Nen user. In a ruined settlent, who could possibly be a threat to them?"
Then, Kaizen’s eyes snapped open.
"He’s here."
He saw a lone figure rushing toward the ruins of the Kurta Clan. A shrill cry echoed through the silent land.
For Kurapika, this was the worst kind of tragedy.
He had left ho, and when he finally returned, there was no ho to go back to. The entire Kurta Clan had been wiped out. The village lay in ruins. Friends, family, everyone he had ever known—gone.
It was a grief too heavy for most to bear.
A soft glow appeared—a wisp of aura, drawn toward Kaizen’s crystal ball, feeding into it. The progress of his observation resud, inching forward bit by bit.
Kurapika moved through the ruins, burying the bodies of his clansn one by one. Eventually, he reached the village entrance.
With a heavy heart, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground.
Then, he turned and left.
Despite the pain, the anger, the overwhelming sorrow, Kurapika understood one thing: the ones responsible for this massacre were powerful—far beyond his current abilities.
If he stayed, he would die, too.
He had to survive. He had to grow stronger.
Only by living could he one day take his revenge.
In his clenched fist was a crumpled note—the one left behind by teor City. But right now, he had no idea what it truly ant.
Kaizen trailed behind him from a distance. With their current gap in strength, Kurapika had no way of detecting him.
They were the sa age.
But the difference in power was imnse.
"That last one percent is taking forever to fill..." Kaizen muttered, glancing at the crystal ball.
anwhile, Kurapika had reached a small town.
With no money and no allies, he quickly attracted unwanted attention. His striking features made him an easy target.
Two young thugs followed him into an alleyway.
"Hey there, little girl. All alone? Why not co have so fun with us?" one sneered.
Kurapika’s expression darkened.
"I’m a boy."
The first thug hesitated, but the other smirked, even more intrigued.
"Doesn’t matter. You’re coming with us, one way or another."
He reached out to grab Kurapika.
Already in a foul mood, Kurapika snapped.
His scarlet eyes burned as rage overtook him.
Boom!
His fist smashed into the thug’s face.
The man yelped in pain, but his companion growled.
"You little shit! Think you can fight back?"
Both rushed him at once.
They had the advantage in age. They had the advantage in numbers.
But in reality, they never stood a chance.
Kurapika had trained. His Red Eyes boosted his abilities. And these two were nothing more than drunken lowlifes, their bodies weakened by years of indulgence.
Blow after blow, Kurapika took them down with ease.
Yet even after they collapsed, he didn’t stop.
His fists kept swinging, driven by raw fury.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
He only stopped when his hands were covered in blood, and the alley was silent.
Panting, he spat at their crumpled bodies.
"Trash."
Turning to leave, he hesitated for a mont before doubling back. He rifled through their pockets, taking anything of value before finally leaving the town.
What he didn’t realize, however, was that soone was following him.
Not Kaizen.
A thin, middle-aged man, his aura twisted with malice.
"So those are the Scarlet Eyes the boss was talking about..." he muttered, his lips curling into a grin.
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