Hunter X Hunter - Reviewers Rage

11k Words. Two Chapters in one.

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The city pulsed with life, but it wasn't the kind of life that the everyday citizens valued.

It was a darker, twisted form of existence, where neon lights flickered like restless ghosts over crime-infested streets.

Each flicker was a strobe illuminating the decay of society—gangs staking claims in alleyways, drug deals conducted under the hum of flickering streetlights, and blood spilled on grimy asphalt.

But tonight, Togiri—known in the underworld as the Blue Demon—was the one who would spill blood.

It wasn't because he sought justice or redemption. He did it for something more pragmatic and cold: Shop Points.

These criminals were nothing more than a means to an end, the currency he collected from each life snuffed out fueling his progression.

Wiping out these criminals wasn't about cleaning up the streets; they were like vermin—endlessly multiplying. But they were a profitable vermin.

Dusk had just settled, the last rays of sunlight swallowed by the creeping blackness of night.

The air was thick, heavy with the stench of filth that clung to the streets. The city was a sprawling, suffocating labyrinth of despair and violence.

And Togiri stood at its apex, perched on the rooftop of a decrepit building, overlooking the web of alleyways below.

His prey for the night, the Gori Syndicate, was gathering. He killed on of their executives and called all members to gather in this big alley for false promises of huge score.

Togiri could not only change his outer appearance, but also his voice. If he learned some secret techniques allowing him to change his bone structure and gender, he would become a master of disguise.

His acting skills improved over the years, because of the mask he wore to hide his truest self.

@Idiots. The leader probably thinks he's smart and equipped his men with weapons, but that idiot shouldn't have brought them here in the first place.@ said Seven in cocky like usual.

"No, he's smart. I'd have done the same. Nothing is scarrier than an unkown enemy" Togiri thought back to the assassins attacking him and Rika the other night.

@Tsk. It doesn't matter anyway how many stand in the Blue Demon's path@ "...."

Two hundred men, all loyal to the Gori name, all thinking their numbers granted them safety. But to Togiri, they were insignificant.

Numbers had never meant anything to him. He was a force of nature, a storm that only grew stronger with the chaos that surrounded him.

His body hummed with anticipation, every muscle coiled like a spring ready to unleash its lethal force.

The urge to kill buzzed through him, making his fingertips tingle, almost as if they ached for the cold steel of his blades.

His heartbeat quickened, his bloodlust building inside him like the growing crescendo of a dark symphony. The world below appeared calm, peaceful even—but Togiri knew better.

The city's filth never truly slept. In the shadows, life thrived in the most vile ways. Tonight, that life would be snuffed out, unaware of its impending end.

A slow, deep breath filled his lungs as he savored the moment, his emotionaless face became even more stoic.

He sighed as he breathed out and looked over the large alley that was filled with men carrying firearms and blunt or sharp weapons.

"I can kill others, others can naturally kill me - Fang Yuan. ... Just like I treat these people like insects and I toy and destroy their lifes, the beings do the same to me.

They are probably enjoying humans killing each other and I would lie if I said I didn't feel better after killing.

I'm don't care what I became in pursuit of my revenge, but still, I meaninglessly wonder if one day, when I got my revenge, what will become of me and what will i be?" he said, his voice low and heavy with menace.

"Let them fight. It only makes the slaughter sweeter! Are what those bastards probably are thinking, while observing me"

Seven interrupted Togiri's deep retrospect as he overlooked the city. @In one of the anime I watched the protagonist quoted some guy called Nietzsche.

I think he is some scientiest or something in your world. He said "If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

To kill monsters you need to become a monster. In all the cultivation novels I read, I understood that it's important to dispel any doubts you have in your heart.

Master, please don't waver. I don't want to see you self destructing like when you first arrived in this world. @ Seven said sincerly with a quiver in his young voice.

"I don't care if I become the devil, but I'll still try to cling to my good heart. If it holds me back, I will rip it out and feed it to my enemies till they chocke from it."

Togiri didn't carry any mental burden killing others. The burden he carried were memories implanted him.

Two thirds of millions of memories were sealed by the system in exhange for limiting more than 99 percent of it's functions.

Togiri tried unsealing more of his memories and the system, but his mind and heart couldn't handle more.

The one third of memories remaining were mostly the countless moments Togiri was slaughtered in different worlds, but he never saw the moment where he or closed ones used their abilities or after his death when he faced the higher beings.

His mind is fixcated on becoming stronger. Killing didn't feel bad, instead it felt good.

Being the Blue Demon wasn't just an identity—it was liberation. Here, bathed in blood and drenched in the violence he relished, he was untouchable.

No longer did he need to pretend to be human, to wear the masks of normalcy. Here, in the dead of night, there was no need for facades. There was only the hunt, only the kill.

The Gori Syndicate would be the first tonight. They wouldn't know what hit them.

The alley was as grimy and narrow as they came, the kind of place where society's filth gathered unnoticed.

Trash piled high, rancid water pooled in the cracks, and the occasional rat scurried between dumpsters.

The men of the Gori Syndicate lounged at the entrance to their hideout, puffing on cigarettes, laughing amongst themselves, oblivious to the specter of death already stalking them.

"It's go time" Togiri's approach was soundless. His mastery of Zetsu, a technique that sealed his aura completely, cloaked him in the shadows.

His black boots reinforced by the systems crafting function didn't make a sound as he landed at the entrance of the alley.

He was unseen, unheard, moving like a wraith through the darkness, becoming one with the very shadows that stretched long across the alley.

His daggers slid from their sheaths with a soft click, the cold steel glinting under the dim, flickering light. They were small, but their lethality was undeniable. They existed for one purpose—death.

There was no warning, no theatrical flourish. Togiri struck with the precision of a surgeon, the first man's life extinguished in an instant as the blade slipped effortlessly through his throat.

His eyes widened in shock, but he was dead before he even hit the ground.

'One.'

Togiri's mind kept a calm, methodical tally as he moved on to the next.

'Two.'

Another slash, another life ended. The man's blood sprayed across the wall as he dropped beside the first, his final breath a gurgling choke.

By the time the rest of the Gori Syndicate realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Togiri was among them, a blur of death, his blades flashing in the dim light of the alley. Panic erupted like a wildfire as men stumbled over one another, fumbling for their weapons.

The leader, a brute with a scar running from his temple to his chin, bellowed above the chaos.

"It's the Blue Demon! Shoot him! F*CKING SHOOT HIM!"

Gunfire exploded in the narrow space, bullets whizzing through the air, ricocheting off the walls. But Togiri moved like the wind, untouched by the crude attempts to stop him.

His mastery of Nen rendered him impervious to the gunfire, each bullet absorbed by the dense aura and his superior body. He was unstoppable.

There was no hesitation, no pause. Togiri was a whirlwind of lethal precision, slicing through the men like they were cattle led to the slaughter.

Limbs severed, bodies crumpled, and blood drenched the ground beneath his feet. Every kill sent a surge of dark satisfaction through him. 

The sound of their screams, the sight of their blood spraying the walls—it filled him with a primal, visceral pleasure.

A low growl rumbled from his throat, his killing intent radiating off him in waves, pressing down on the men like an invisible force, suffocating them with fear.

"Run, if you want. It won't matter." His mind was dark, swirling with thoughts of pure violence. "All of you will fall."

He could smell their fear, thick in the air, mingling with the scent of blood and death. It made the hunt all the more thrilling for Togiri.

Some men, their courage shattered, abandoned their weapons and tried to flee by running past him, while he made his slaughter through the Gori Syndicate.

They were tripping over the corpses of their comrades as they scrambled for the slim hope of survival.

Togiri let them run for a few seconds, savoring the delicious irony of their futile attempts at escape. Then, with a swift, effortless leap, he closed the distance.

They fell like the others, cut down from behind without mercy. By the time the hour was over, the alley was a graveyard and the runners that escaped the alley were also swiftly dealt with.

Two hundred bodies lay scattered across the ground, lifeless, the Gori Syndicate reduced to nothing more than another pile of corpses in Togiri's wake.

Togiri's fingers twitched as he felt the dullness of his blades. The once-razor-sharp edges had grown blunt from the massacre.

"The blades dulled from cutting through all the masses of flesh and bone. I need to repair them in the crafting tab," he muttered, glancing at the blood-drenched steel.

The sight of the carnage around him didn't stir any remorse, only an insatiable hunger for more.

With calm precision, he wiped the blood from his weapons, not missing a single streak. His breaths were steady, but inside, the thrill from the slaughter still pumped through his veins.

He wasn't tired—far from it. His entire being buzzed with exhilaration, every muscle in his body still charged with the aftereffects of the violent spree. This was where he thrived, in the heart of destruction.

He summoned his system, the familiar interface glowing before his eyes. His Shop Points flickered on the screen: 5,829 points.

The number didn't surprise him—it was an inevitable part of his work. What did catch his attention, though, was the massive value of the leader.

'The leader was worth 3,000 points,' he noted internally, a low chuckle bubbling up from his throat.

The rest of the Gori Syndicate had been nothing in comparison. 'The other 200 amounted less than their leader. Killing stronger Nen users is the best option, but my tracking prowress withouth the Phantom Society is low.

The Phantom Society doesn't have enough man power to completely cover Momo City, covering the continent or the whole world feels like a dream far away.

After Shura no Kōrin I need to scout more manpower. If I could recruit a few larged sized gangs, that could solve the problem, but now it's not the time to think about this.'

His lips curled into a dark grin. He needed more points. Speeding up the process was essential.

He couldn't afford to be bogged down by emotions or plans too far in the future, not in the middle of his hunt for Shop Points.

With the Gori Syndicate dealt with, his focus shifted to his next target: the Yasha Brotherhood.

Unlike the Gori Syndicate, the Yasha Brotherhood was prepared. They had caught wind of Togiri's massacre long before he arrived.

The news of the Blue Demon's bloody rampage had traveled fast, and fear had spread through their ranks like wildfire.

Their response had been immediate—fortifications, machine guns, armed guards, and barricades had been set up around their warehouse at the edge of the district, but none of it mattered.

Togiri's bloodlust simmered just beneath the surface, growing stronger with each passing second. The Yasha Brotherhood had taken measures to defend themselves, but in his eyes, their effort was pointless.

"Their headquarters where supposed to be in a converted beer factory, but I guess this location is more suitable because of all shooting"

The fact that they thought they could stop him only made the hunt more thrilling.

"Let them prepare," Togiri murmured to himself, his fingers flexing over his substitute daggers that were exact same as those he always used.

"Let them think they have a chance." It was a lie—a cruel lie he allowed them to believe. Deep down, they knew the truth.

They were nothing more than prey, waiting to be slaughtered. His pulse quickened at the thought.

His body thrummed with anticipation, craving the moment when their false hopes would crumble, and they would be consumed by fear and desperation.

When Togiri wore his mask, all his actions were uninhibited and his most evil sides surfaced.

He approached the warehouse from above, leaping silently from rooftop to rooftop. The night cloaked him in darkness, his form barely a shadow in the dim light.

From his vantage point, he could see them—Yasha's men scurrying around like ants, shouting orders, securing their weak defenses.

Togiri's senses sharpened through Nen. He could hear the nervous tremor in their voices, the uneasy glances they cast over their shoulders.

They were terrified. Every fiber of their being screamed it, even if they tried to mask it behind tough talk and machine guns and they had every reason to be scared.

With a predator's patience, Togiri waited, watching their futile attempts to fortify the warehouse waiting for them to relax and lower their guard.

Then, with the silent grace of a shadow, he descended from the roof.

His landing was soft, barely a sound as his feet touched the ground behind the first barricade. The guards didn't even realize he was there until it was far too late.

SWISH—SNIKT

The Blue Demon's blades flashed in the dim light, cutting through the first line of defense with lethal efficiency.

The nearest guard barely had time to raise his weapon before his throat was opened, blood spraying across the concrete floor.

Gunfire erupted immediately, bullets ricocheting off his mask and body as the men frantically tried to defend themselves.

His cloak was enhanced like his shoes and mask, but the enhancement was only practical on not having it riddled with bullets. Togiri body still absorbed all the force of the bullets.

To preserve vitality Togiri continued to dodge the hail of bullets. His movements were fluid, a deadly dance through their ranks.

The bullets were meaningless. He was untouchable, weaving in and out like a phantom, cutting down each man as if they were no more than grass in a field.

Blood sprayed across the warehouse floor, the scent of death filling the air as the Yasha Brotherhood fought back in vain. But they were no match for the Blue Demon.

His blades moved with precision and speed, too fast for the naked eye to follow. 'They thought they were ready,' he mused as another man crumpled under his strike,

'but they never stood a chance.' His blades severed limbs, punctured organs, and decapitated bodies with ease.

He reveled in the carnage, his body fully immersed in the chaos of battle. This was where he belonged, in battle, at war surrounded by blood and destruction.

At the far end of the warehouse, the gang leader stood frozen in terror, clutching a shotgun in trembling hands as he watched his men fall like dominos.

His mouth moved, stammering, but the words caught in his throat. "P-Please… we didn't—" swish Before the leader could finish, Togiri's blade flashed through the air in a clean, merciless strike. The man's head hit the floor with a dull thud, his body collapsing shortly after.

Togiri stood over the lifeless corpse, his chest still heaving, not from exertion, but from the sheer exhilaration of the slaughter.

He opened his system once more, watching as the points tallied up—4,000 Shop Points.

A grin spread across his face, darker than before.

@The previous leader was 3000 SP worth. This gang was so weak.@ Togiri's demonic nature dissapeared and he returned to his cold and unmoving self.

"Doesn't matter. Next Target" said Togiri in an coldly. His next target was the Red Fang. They were several times larger than the other gangs.

They numbered close to a thousand and they too prepared for him, but unlike the Yasha Brotherhood they prepared ages ago when the Blue Demon made his first appearance in Momo City.

They also moved their headquarters like the Yasha Brotherhood, but to the very outskirts of the city. They were isolated and couldn't be reached by rooftops.

Landmines littered their territory, ready to blow intruders to pieces. But Togiri wasn't worried once he arrived.

"Their leader should be far superior in strength to all other gangs I've wiped out till now. Recruting a thousand men is impressive. "

@Master, do you want to increase the Enemy Detection from 300 meters to 1000? It only costs a hundred thousand points.@

Togiri thought about the cost reward ratio "No, every Existence Points is another increase in Nen Mastery. I will push my limits and use them up before the Shura No Kōrin starts."

"Let's go!" Togiri navigated the landmine littered ground cautiously, his senses sharp, his Nen heightened to detect any anomalies.

Still, even the best Hunters make mistakes and Togiri has been a Hunter for less than a year.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion tore through the ground, sending Togiri flying backward, landing in mud. His head landed on a sharp rock.

"Shit! My leg!" Togiri hissed, pulling his injured leg from beneath his cloak. Trembling slightly, he sat up and looked down at the damage, feeling the shock creep in.

Even the surge of adrenaline couldn't negate the pain tearing through him. His Nen had absorbed most of the blast, but not all of it.

Pain flared in his side, where shrapnel had lodged deep into his flesh. His head slammed into a random stone on the ground.

Nousea and dizzines hit him as thick and dark amounts of blood were flowing down his head.

Gritting his teeth, Togiri forced himself to stand. "Shit!" Pain shot through his body, but he ignored it. He had been through worse.

"Bastards!" he said, blood trickling from his ripps, head and legs. "But you'll have to try harder than that. Shop!"

Three small blue pills appeared in his hand after a quick selection. Togiri swallowed them in one motion, feeling the numbing effect kick in almost immediately.

They worked fast, but they weren't nearly as effective as they would have been on an ordinary human like Rika.

His body had long since surpassed that level. The bleeding stopped and most of his wounds partially closed.

Rika used two pills and her wound dissapeared as if she was never injured.

Togiri took three pills and his head and foot mostly healed. Unlike Rika he could direct the enegy inside his body to the areas where he was injured.

"500 points per pill, you bastards will literally pay with your lifes for that" @good one@ Togiri rolled his eyes at Seven's comment.

With his wounds partially healed, he pressed on. The Red Fang would be next, and they wouldn't live to see the morning.

The Red Fang had fortified their hideout—a huge warehouse on the edge of the city.

Togiri's stealth had been blown by the explosion, and soon guards swarmed outside the warehouse, observing and waiting for him to approach.

"These guys must think I'm an idiot. Why would I risk stepping on another landmine?" Togiri muttered to himself.

He took a deep breath as his orange Nen began swirling in his hand like a miniature typhoon.

A few moments later, a white book materialized in his right hand. The Phantom Book

He opened the book, poked at the wound caused by the shrapnel, to cover his finger with blood and wrote on a page: [Run forward in a straight line].

Togiri tore the page out. The torn page illuminated the darkness with a white glow, and a figure emerged from it.

The figure was an exact copy of the Blue Demon, but it was completely white and it held a white katana. "Nice. Let's see how many it takes."

The men in the distance could only see a white blur appearing, running and disappearing after it stepped on a landmine.

Another Phantom Warrior began running forward in a straight line. "One... two... three... four..." BOOM! The Phantom Warrior stepped on a landmine and exploded.

The dismembered parts flying in the air slowly turned translucent, disappearing back into Aura.

'

At most, a Phantom Warrior can take one or two limbs being cut off before the construct collapses,' Togiri thought.

'Piercing their head, heart, or stomach doesn't destroy them. Only fully collapsing their structure will. I've made one hell of a twisted ability to fight regular humans. Zombies should be easier to deal with'

Togiri repeated the process several more times until the fourth Phantom Warrior finally reached the men guarding the warehouses.

Prepared the guards opened fire, quickly destroying it. With their attention focused on the Phantom Warrior, Togiri moved.

His dark blue mask and black cloak made him nearly invisible in the darkness as he navigated the minefield and leaped over the guards.

He landed on the roof of the warehouse with a soft thud. "Seven, give me a Timebom- PANG! - CRACK! Togiri instantly reacted THUD!

"Argh!" Togiri fell to his knees. A sniper shot pierced his left shoulder. "Damn it" His already injury ridden body carried now another fatal injury.

He felt fresh blood trickling down from his shoulder "I just stopped the bleeding from the other injuries. Tch. I'm getting sloppy,"

@The bullet passed through your shoulder and it didn't get stuck in any bones, but you will die of blood loss in 6 minutes. Without your special physique you'd already be dead. @

"Give me another three pills" Togiri muttered, wiping the blood from his hands. This was one of the worst situations Togiri found himself in, but the pain only added to his thrill.

His blood was pumping and his mind consumed by battle. Each wound only fueled Togiri's rage, his need to kill growing with every step.

His breathing was heavier now. The pills had stopped the bleeding, but they couldn't fully heal the damage or restore his blood.

PANG!—CRACK! — DING!

"Hehehe" Togiri laughed as he saw the dented bullet that just hit body. Another sniper shot was fired, but this time it didn't do any significant damage because Togiri used Nen.

Togiri didn't waste any time and entered the warehouse through a window. The warehouse mainly consisted of one big room that was built into something similiar like an arena or stadium.

Rows of men equiped with guns stood on the higher platforms that were 10 feet above the ground, but most men were on the ground floor building various groups.

'I don't think the men on the platforms will shoot down. Unless they want to hit their fellow members." Togiri jumped into a group of dozens of men.

The Blue Demon pulled out his daggers and began to massacre everyone in his vicinity. He could feel his body straining, but the fire in his veins refused to be extinguished.

The thrill of battle, the ecstasy of the kill—it overpowered the pain, drowning it out with each pulse of adrenaline surging through him.

'I need more. This isn't enough.' Togiri's mind was consumed by the desire to kill, to feel the life drain from his enemies as his blades sank into their flesh.

His movements were precise, yet a feral madness underlined every strike as he carved through the Red Fang members.

He was a predator, and they were nothing more than prey. As he pushed deeper into their lair, the gang members scrambled to mount a defense.

These weren't like the others—more organized, better trained—but that only excited Togiri further.

The Red Fang had three Nen fighters. He could sense their presence, sharp and distinct, as they prepared to intercept him in the warehouse.

But Togiri didn't hesitate. His killing intent spilled out like a tidal wave, crashing against the hearts of the men inside.

Fear radiated from them, thick and palpable, but the three Nen users stood firm. The Blue Demon's killing dispersed the crowd around him, giving him room to analyse the room.

His eyes gleaming beneath his blue mask, blood from his slain enemies dripped from his body. He moved with purpose, his blades still hungry for more.

The three Nen practitioners stepped forward— their leader in the middle, each radiating a controlled, focused power.

Togiri saw the confidence in their eyes. "You three are nothing," he said with a mocking tone.

Attack plans coursed through Togiri's mind as he took his first step toward them, ignoring the rest of the gang members surround him with weapons.

These three were the only ones who mattered—the only challenge worth his time. The crowd made way for the three Nen users and the Blue Demon to battle.

The first of them, a tall man with a massive, muscular frame, unleashed his aura. A dense, protective barrier formed around him, crackling with energy.

He carried a massive iron club and looked like an oger as he towered over the Blue Demon's small frame.

He swung his club toward the Blue Demon with the force of a freight train, but Togiri dodged effortlessly, creating distance between them.

"...."

Silence fell over the warehouse as the three Nen fighters and the Blue Demon stood opposite each other, waiting for the first to engange.

The gang members behind the Nen users cowered, reloading their guns or grabbing whatever weapons they could, waiting for orders from their leader.

'An Enhancer, or maybe just a poor Transmuter,' Togiri thought. 'His aura forms a field like En, but it's for blocking attacks, not sensing them. He is specialized in defense and attack'

'Seven, scan only the three Nen users,' he ordered. Without a word, a translucent status window appeared before Togiri.

Enemy Detection:

3 Nen users:

2 Unknown: ★☆

1 Unknown: ★★★

Togiri was surprised. Few gang leaders knew about Nen, even less who awakened to Nen reached two-star combat power, but the leader in front of him had a rating of three stars, and both his subordinates held one and a half stars.

It was only an estimate, based on their maximum Aura Units and physical strength. The system didn't account for their mastery over Nen, martial arts, or Hatsu.

Togiri's own combat power was estimated at four stars, though his actual combat ability sat closer to three stars.

Togiri's Aura Units, totaling a staggering 130,000, far surpassed most seasoned fighters. However, in battle, he could only tap into about an eighth of that—around 16,000.

But raw Aura Units alone didn't decide a fight. Nen was unpredictable, and victory hinged on countless factors.

Togiri's talent was horrible and below average. In half a year Togiri surpassed his old self multiple times in physique and Nen.

He knew that his talent slightly increased as his physique did, but without the system or even Seven basic healing abilities back then, all his efforts were depressing.

But that changed, Togiri started from the lowest levels. He was a loser with insane amounts of rage and motivation, but still nothing changed.

He wasn't like novel protagonists who controlled their fate and the world because they had a cheat or future information.

Togiri built his mind and mentality steel strong. He had no controll over anything, the only thing he could control was his mind.

So he made himself to a person that could take all that negativity and push himself to be strongest.

Even if they were snail steps, he had patience and he after long consideration he created the Phantom Society that produced weapons, technology and trained assassins.

Togiri was now confident. He mental strength surpassed the average human. After losing his previous life and losing all his strength of the last five years, he grew stronger mentally.

Togiri chuckled beneath his mask "What? Scared of a little boy?" He taunted, his young voice betraying his age. "If you surrender I will make your deaths quick"

His voice hadn't yet dropped, giving away just how young he was, but everyone in the room feared him and his blood covered appearance and now they were dumbfounded at the voice of a boy in mid-puberty.

"AAAAHHH!" The muscular man roared and rushed at him, swinging his massive club with brutal force.

Togiri met the attack head-on, his blade cutting through the air to intercept the club's crushing arc.

The onlookers excpected a shockwave from the impact of their clash, but Togiri's Nen blade cleaved straight through the iron club, shattering it as though it were brittle wood.

Blood sprayed as the man staggered back, his arms severed at the elbows. His scream of agony ripped through the air.

Before the sound had even died, the second Nen user—a woman with sharp eyes and a sadistic-like presence—struck.

She flicked her wrist, sending a crackling tendril of energy snaking toward Togiri.

'Transmutation,' Togiri observed calmly, reading the woman's aura.

'Her Nen has a snake-like property.' He mentally called on Seven. 'Make note of her Nen ability for the Training Simulator'

Her snake like whip made out of Nen, designed for constriction, aimed to bind and crush him, but Togiri was faster.

He dodged the first strike, his movements fluid, weaving through the air like a shadow.

The whip came again, this time wrapping around his leg. But Togiri barely paused. His blade flashed once, severing the tendril before it could tighten its grip.

In one seamless motion, he lunged forward, his blade piercing her heart with lethal precision. "Hmrgh. Cough" The woman spat out a mouthful of blood.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, her body collapsing to the ground, blood pooling beneath her as she gasped her last breath.

Without hesitating Togiri pulled out his dagger out of her chest and decapitated the buff man. "..."

The fight between the three of them didn't even last 5 seconds. Togiri looked at the last danger remaining before him.

The final opponent, their leader, stood watching his comrades die and didn't act or react.

There was no fear in his eyes, just cold calculation. He remained eerily calm, his aura radiating control rather than brute strength or speed.

"Interesting" He said as he smiled—a thin, knowing smile—as his Nen flared, extending like invisible threads into the room.

Togiri felt the subtle shift in the air as the gang members behind the Nen user suddenly stiffened, their eyes glazing over.

The fear in their eyes dissapeared. 'Manipulator. He's controlling them. Perfect. This is the type of opponent I've been waiting for.' Togiri grinned inwardly.

'As long as I don't die instantly, my Existence Points will outlast me in a war of attrition. I was worried, because of his three stars in combat power.

I fought often against Manipulator's in the Heaven's Arena. Thanfully he doesn't controll objects.'

Just as Togiri prepared to strike, it was too late. The gang members, now puppets of their master, rushed forward, their faces blank and expressionless, moving with mechanical precision.

They threw themselves at Togiri without hesitation—human shields, a relentless tide of flesh and bone.

One after another, they charged at him, their minds completely under their boss's control. Togiri's blades flashed, cutting them down as quickly as they came, but there were too many.

His arms began to ache from the ceaseless motion, his body protesting under the strain as his earlier injuries worsened.

Blood splattered across his mask, his vision beginning to blur as he fought to keep pace with the onslaught.

A few of the gang members managed to land blows in their kamikaze-like attacks, driven by the manipulator's unyielding will. Even thought the damage was insignificant, it kept up accumulating.

@If he wanted he could bury your body with hundreds of people, but he purposefully wants to stall and drain your stamina. If you aren't carefully he will try to controll you too@

Togiri's breathing grew heavier, and his Nen output slowly diminished. Countless attackers charged at him like possessed beings.

A few snipers that returned from their scouting positions also joined the fight. The warehouse was filled to the brim with sounds of gun fire.

Unlike before where Togiri was caught off guard, the sniper shots did less damage, but Togiri focusing on both offense and defense still relieved small injuries.

@Master, if you stay like this, you will die. Use Existence Heal@ Seven urged. 'N-No! I won't waste points. Buy me some healing pills'

A thin smoke cloud was created as the firing of machine guns filled the room. The leader of the Red Fang—Yotsuba still had clear vision through the smoke cloud.

"Just a little more and the Blue Demon will become my puppet. Hehe" as he laughed while having full controll over the situation Yotsuba's eyes widened.

He saw the Blue Demon stop swinging his arms to slash the men coming at him, he insantly reacted and intensified the gun fire. He took a deep breath and yelled through the thick gun fire "All snipers shoot!"

Three pills appeared in the air, but they were shot to smithereens as soon as they left the system panel.

'This bastard! He's smarter than I gave credit for—argh! ... At least he's not controlling the snipers. He chose quantity over quality."

For over 5 minutes Togiri has been riddled with dozens of bullets per second and slashed through bodies like a madman.

Some fired guns as they charged, others swung blades or hurled daggers. Togiri endured dozens of attacks per second from all directions, his body moving instinctively in the chaos.

Yotsuba didn't care that the gunfire hit his own men. He couldn't controll all thousand of his subordinates, instead he controlled the firing squad and a few hundred members at once to stop his orher subordinates leaving and keeping the Blue Demon in a stalemate.

Togiri's mind was heavily strained like never before as he multitasked in using Nen, killing and thinking.

His hands never stopped, constantly slashing through the gang member as though cutting through endless weeds in a dense jungle.

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through him, and he cried out, "Argh!" Togiri felt the sting of a knife plunging into his ribs.

Before he could look down a slim men jumped towards him holding a grenade.

BOOM!

The force of the impact of the grenade exploding before him, knocked the air from his lungs. Limbs of other gangsters flew through the air.

'This bastard... aimed for the one spot I barely covered with Ken.' His eyes narrowed as he lashed out in fury, severing heads and limbs, but the pain, injuries and blood loss was beginning to slow him down.

'Damn it... he's throwing them away, just to wear me out.' Togiri has been pushing his limits for quite a while.

Even regular bullets began to leave injuries on him. Across the room, through the writhing mass of bodies, Togiri caught sight of the gang leader's twisted grin.

Yotsuba, the Nen user orchestrating the assault, stood still, his face lit with cruel satisfaction as he watched Togiri struggle.

Yotsuba wasn't just a Manipulator—he was a tactician. Every one of his underlings had become a living bomb, throwing themselves at the Blue Demon without regard for their lives.

'This isn't working... There are too many of them. Better to use pills than Existence Points. Seven!' Togiri's thoughts raced as his body began to fail him, blood seeping from multiple wounds.

Seven who was in his masters consciousness followed the battle through Togiri's eyes. Seven gripped his chest in anxiety.

Seven wanted to say that Togiri tried this already and that his thoughts repeated themselves multiple times in the heat of battle, but he didn't have the heart to @Yes...@Seven did as he was ordered.

A system panel opened and spat out ten pills. Half of them were pulverized by bullets and Togiri barely caught three out of remaining five pills in the flurry of battle.

Without wasting a second, he swallowed them, trying to maintain his footing. But even as the pills took effect—slightly closing his wounds and lessening the pain—they weren't enough.

His injuries ran deep. His body, though far stronger than that of an ordinary human, was reaching its limit.

At the far end of the room, Yotsuba watched with a calculating gaze, his fingers twitching as he continued to manipulate his soldiers.

"You're strong," Yotsuba's voice carried easily over the noise. The gunfire was heavily reduced because of the lack of ammunition "But strength alone isn't enough. You're bleeding. You're breaking. I will rip off the mask of your cold body and wear it myself"

Yotsuba spread his arms far in the air and yelled "The Blue Demon! The Demon of justice will be no more!

I—YOTSUBA, LEADER OF THE RED FANG WILL CONQUER THE WORLD AND BECOME A GOD!!!!"

Togiri gritted his teeth, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He knew Yotsuba was right about him breaking and being not strong enough.

His stamina was draining fast. He couldn't keep this up much longer. But surrender wasn't an option.

The fog in his mind was cleared when he heared the last word of Yotsuba—God. Togiri took a deep breath and spoke with his dwindling strength.

"If staying in the back while playing with the lifes of others makes you a god, then you are one!" Togiri's breath became even heavier. Only will continued to move his body.

'Seven, how much does a full-body heal cost?' Despair gnawed at the edges of Togiri's mind as his slashes grew weaker and his strength continued to ebb.

Blades that were thrown at him now pierced his skin, leaving deep, stinging wounds. It was a miracle that he was alive not to mention standing and still fighting.

@ 7000 Points, Master. You currently have over 3 Million Existence Points. @ 7000 EP was a drop in the bucket when he had three million, but every Existence Point was another step towards an increase in his Nen Mastery and the systems abilities.

'Do the complete heal!' Togiri hesitated for only a fraction of a second. Gaining strength was meaningless, if he died now.

He wasn't ready to face the beings that put him into this world. He didn't even have the time to swallow more pills or catch his breath. Without a second thought, Seven activated the Existence Heal.

Power surged through his veins, his wounds knitting together rapidly as his body healed at a supernatural speed.

His vision sharpened, and his muscles tightened as if the battle had never strained them.

The overwhelming fatigue and pain vanished as the Existence Heal flooded his system. Togiri felt invincible.

His body hummed with newfound strength, his limbs freed from the oppressive weight of exhaustion.

His heart pounded in his chest, not from fatigue, but from the exhilarating rush of being fully restored.

It was as if he had been reborn, every fiber of his being pulsing with power. Yotsuba's smug grin faltered as this miracle.

Togiri's Nen intensified, an ominous wave of energy warping the very air around him. @Master, your foundation in body cultivation got better and your stats increased by 0.01@ Togiri smiled in response.

For the first time, Yotsuba hesitated, and the puppets—his remaining subordinates paused, their actions faltering for a split moment.

That moment of hesitation was all Togiri needed to strike. "I've had enough of this." A whirlwind of Togiri's orange Nen surged into his right fist, the energy condensing and growing more intense by the second.

With a swift motion, Togiri pulled a cauldron larger than himself from his inventory. He clenched his charged fist and swung it toward the cauldron, "KO!"

BOOM! BANG! BANG!

The impact of Togiri's punch created a shockwave so powerful that it blocked the bullets flying at the Blue Demon.

The cauldron flew through the air, annihilating everything in its path. People crumbled, and the very air trembled as the cauldron barreled forward, wiping out anything standing in its way.

The cauldron soared at incredible speeds, crashing into the ground 30 meters (100 feet) away from Yotsuba, leaving a deep crater in its wake.

The path ahead was now clear. The devastating assault had obliterated most of the Red Fang, reducing their numbers by more than a third.

Togiri's relentless efforts had turned the tide of the battle. Yotsuba, who had been confident just moments earlier, stood frozen, his expression one of shock and disbelief.

The scene before him—his men decimated in an instant—left him shaken. But while Yotsuba hesitated, Togiri was already on the move.

His body became a blur, faster than ever before. His twin blades were extensions of his being, slicing through Yotsuba's puppets like they were nothing but fragile dolls.

The twin blades were very dull after slicing through a few hundred people, but now free from the fatigue and injuries that had previously slowed him, Togiri moved with an unearthly precision and speed.

His strikes were graceful, yet brutal, a perfect balance of efficiency and savagery. Every minute of fighting had sharpened his mastery in combat, killing and handling his twin blades.

For the half an hour, Togiri had refined his movements, slashing and stabbing with minimal exertion, conserving his energy while maximizing his lethality.

As exhaustion threatened to pull him under, he had pushed through, his understanding of combat and control over his twin daggers reaching new heights.

He moved with the least amount of energy to kill the fastest way, making his stamina last one and half times longer that before.

Togiri tore through the wave of kamikaze attackers, leaving nothing but a trail of blood and broken bodies.

The puppets had no chance; Yotsuba's control over them meant nothing now. Togiri's speed and precision had surpassed them.

With each swing of his blade, Togiri drew closer to Yotsuba, who watched with growing dread.

Yotsuba's eyes widened as he realized his plan had utterly failed. His calm, calculating exterior cracked, and for the first time, a flicker of fear passed over his face as Togiri advanced, relentless and unstoppable.

"Impossible…" Yotsuba whispered, instinctively backing away, his mind scrambling for a new strategy.

"Yotsuba- The Puppeteer! How can you conquer the world if you defeat kill a thirteen year old?"

Togiri's mind remained focused, but deep down, he relished the slaughter. This was the release he had craved—the opportunity to let loose without restraint, without the rules of ordinary life holding him back.

In the depths of his mind, a monologue simmered. A quiet, dark voice reveled in the destruction unfolding around him.

'This is what I am. This is who I've always been. A monster. A demon. That's what I became, all for the sake of killing false gods like this guy.'

As he stepped over the bodies of the fallen, their blood pooling at his feet, Togiri's breathing remained steady, calm as he wiped blood of his mask.

It was in this chaos, this carnage, that he felt truly alive. There was no room for mercy here, no need for compassion.

All of the rage, the killing intent, everything he had buried deep within from his mundane daily existence, was free to be unleashed.

Here, he was the Blue Demon. And his only purpose was to kill.

The Blue Demon spoke as he killed the last of his Yotsuba's men "It's over. I've killed all your puppets," his voice cold and unfeeling.

His mask and black cloak were drenched in blood, making his appearance even more terrifying.

Yotsuba's aura flared, and for the first time, he stepped forward to face Togiri directly.

He wasn't just a Manipulator—he had his own physical prowess, something he had been saving for this very moment.

He had waited, expecting that the Blue Demon would be weakened enough for him to capitalize on. But this wasn't the same Blue Demon he had anticipated.

Yotsuba's hands moved with lightning speed, his fingers twitching in quick, practiced movements. From his fingertips, strings of Nen shot out, aiming to ensnare Togiri's limbs.

Togiri dodged the first few strings with ease, his blades slicing through them with effortless precision. But Yotsuba was relentless, conjuring more and more strings in an attempt to trap his foe.

"Do you think you can just cut through everything?" Yotsuba snarled, his voice rising with a mixture of fury and desperation.

"I am the leader of the Red Fang—YOTSUBA!!!—THE PUPPETEER!!!!"

As he roared, Yotsuba reinforced his Nen strings with black Aura.

Togiri felt the difference immediately. The threads now had the consistency of reinforced steel, their tensile strength far beyond anything he had faced before, similiar to the level of his twin blades.

Though Togiri could bend steel with his bare hands, cutting it—even with his daggers—was much harder.

Yotsuba flicked his wrists, and the threads wrapped tightly around Togiri's right arm and piercing and penetrating deeper into his flesh. "No!"

The momentary pause in Togiri's movement was all Yotsuba needed to launch his attack.

With a swift, calculated motion, Yotsuba lunged forward, his fingers crackling with compressed Nen, aiming for Togiri's neck, intending to end the fight in one decisive blow.

But Togiri wasn't caught off guard. Even as the hardened threads bound his arm, he allowed himself to be pulled in, intentionally closing the gap between them.

Yotsuba's hand shot forward, aiming to crush Togiri's throat, but Togiri screamed "AAARRHHH!" and cut his right dominant arm off.

Yotsuba's extemly surpised still swung at Togiri to finish it once and for all. Yotsuba felt as if time moved slower.

He heard the Blue Demon's young voice "Yotsuba, if we met under different circumstances I would have made you my companion."

Togiri was faster than Yotsuba, he dodged his attack and his arms were gripping Yotsuba's body. In this long lasting second Yotsuba tought subconsciously "Hug?"

Togiri slighty pushed away Yotsuba and drove his knee into his stomach with brutal force, knocking the breath out from his opponents body.

Yotsuba stumbled back, gasping for air, his eyes wide with disbelief what kind of maniac he was facing. But Togiri gave him no time to recover.

In a heartbeat, Togiri was upon him, his blade gleaming as it sliced through the air, aiming straight for Yotsuba's heart.

With a desperate flick of his wrist, Yotsuba summoned more threads and build a small shild around his heart.

SWISH!

Togiri's blade pierced Yotsuba's upper leg. @Nice one!@ 'I didn't do it at purpose. My sense of balance is off since I lost my arm'

Togiri's situation was worse than excepted. He used a massive amount of energy with his Ko attack and he lost his dominant arm. The wound was fatal.

Yotsuba noticed the Blue Demon's wonky standing and Togiri noticed that Yotsuba noticed.

Yotsuba flicked his wrists and threads shot in all directions. They weren't aimed at Togiri, instead, they shot toward the lifeless bodies of the fallen Red Fang gang members scattered across the room.

The corpses twitched, then jerked to life, once again becoming Yotsuba's puppets.

Their dead eyes gleamed with a sickly energy as they lurched forward, their limbs moving unnaturally, driven by Yotsuba's manipulation.

Togiri's blade sank deep into the chest of one corpse, but something felt off. Before he could retrieve his weapon, two more puppets charged him from the sides.

Togiri swung back his right shoulder and punched forward only to notice his arm was missing.

He was forced to release his grip on the blade, spinning on his heel to kick one corpse away while dodging the other.

Suddenly, the room was teeming with the undead. Their sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm, and their relentless movements left no time to rest.

Yotsuba was panting now, his aura flickering with the strain of controlling so many puppets at once. But a wicked grin spread across his face.

"You can't kill what's already dead, Blue Demon. Let's see how long you can keep this up."

Togiri clenched his fists, his breathing steady despite the mounting chaos. He could feel his heartbeat quickening, but it wasn't from fear.

It was from exhilaration. Yotsuba's tactics were clever, but Togiri's resolve was unshaken. "This won't stop me."

The undead surged toward him, but Togiri's mind was clear, his movements swift and calculated. He weaved between the puppets, exploiting their stiff, predictable motions to his advantage and got used to fighting with only one arms and his you knew body balance.

In one quick movement, he snatched up a discarded knife from the floor, using it to sever the threads connecting the puppets to Yotsuba's Nen.

Each time a thread was cut, the puppet collapsed to the ground—but more just kept coming. Yotsuba's grin widened. "You're slowing down, Blue Demon. That little healing trick of yours might've brought you back, but you can't last forever. My aura reserves are far bigger than yours."

Togiri didn't respond, but he knew Yotsuba wasn't fully wrong. He had been fighting at full power since the battle began.

His devastating Ko punch had consumed nearly half of his total aura. Even though his Existence Heal had restored his physical strength, it hadn't fully restored his Aura, and now he was running on less than a fourth of his total Aura Units.

Still, Togiri's eyes remained locked on Yotsuba. Despite the overwhelming odds and the mounting pressure, his mind was calm.

He sidestepped another puppet's attack, his focus shifting inward. He could feel the pull of the shop, the familiar lure of another Existence Heal tempting him.

But no. Not yet. 'I'll use it when I need it. Not before.' His blade flashed as he retrieved it from a fallen corpse, slicing through three more puppets in quick succession with lethal precision.

Yotsuba's aura was faltering, the immense strain of controlling so many dead bodies visibly wearing him down.

His face contorted in frustration, his once-smug grin now fading under the weight of his own failing power.

"You can't—" Yotsuba began, his voice strained, but Togiri was already moving, a blur of speed and intent.

In a single fluid motion, he lunged forward, closing the gap between them in an instant. Yotsuba's fingers twitched, his Nen attempting one last defense, but it was too late.

Togiri's blade pierced clean through his chest with a swift and brutal thrust. Yotsuba gasped, his control over the puppets faltering as his aura flickered and sputtered out like a dying flame.

His eyes widened in disbelief as they flicked down to the blade now protruding from his chest. The cold steel gleamed in the dim light, a reflection of the fate he couldn't escape.

"You… can't… be… real…" Yotsuba choked out, blood bubbling from his mouth, staining his lips as his words came out in jagged breaths.

Togiri leaned in closer, his voice low and freezing cold, dripping with disdain. "I'm more real than you'll ever be."

With a final, merciless twist of the blade, Togiri ended it. Yotsuba crumpled to the floor, his body twitching once before going completely still.

The remaining puppets collapsed as well, their strings metaphorically cut, their grotesque, unnatural movements ceasing entirely.

Togiri stood over the lifeless corpse of the manipulator, his breathing steady, controlled. The adrenaline that had fueled him during the fight began to ebb away, leaving behind a cold, quiet satisfaction in its place.

He methodically wiped the blood from his blade, the once gleaming steel now stained with crimson.

As he sheathed it, the thrill of the hunt still pulsed beneath his skin, like a steady hum of power.

@That was anti climatic. Anway~ Master, do you want to use Existence Heal or sacrifice a third of you Aura to restore your missing arm and blood@

"Existence Heal, but I'm not done yet. System!"

He summoned his system window, watching as a flood of Shop Points poured in—30,000 points for wiping out the Red Fang.

A grim smile curled at the edges of his lips. An amount he had previously taken a month for was made in a few hours.

He had spent a few thousand points to heal himself during the fight, but it had been worth every point.

The night was not completely over, and there were plenty more gangs to eliminate, but not tonight.

After using over thirty bottles of water from his inventory to wash the blood and grime from his skin, Togiri returned to his hotel room.

He collapsed onto the bed, the faint metallic scent of blood and iron still clinging to him like a second skin.

Even with the gallons water, it lingered—a reminder of the slaughter he had unleashed.

His body was healed, free from the cuts and bruises that had once marred his flesh. But his mind... his mind was a storm.

Physically he had been restored to peak condition, but mentally, he was utterly drained.

The relentless fighting, the concentration needed to survive the onslaught, and the unceasing carnage had taken their toll on him.

Even though his physical wounds had been mended, he couldn't shake the cloud of fatigue that clung to his thoughts like a weight.

He reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, his hand trembling slightly as he brought it to his lips.

The cold liquid slid down his throat, soothing the dryness that had settled there during the battle. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes, letting out a slow, relieved breath.

The exhaustion washed over him like a heavy wave. "I can finally sleep..." But then, something shifted inside him. A bitter taste settled in his mouth, and an unfamiliar dread coiled tight in his stomach.

Suddenly, Seven's voice cut through the brief silence like a blade. @Master, you've been poisoned.@

The words slammed into him like a blow, and panic surged, an uncontrollable spike of adrenaline that fought against the suffocating fatigue gnawing at his muscles.

His chest tightened, and his pulse quickened as if his body already knew before his mind had processed the threat.

His organs began reacting immediately, his enhanced physiology struggling to flush the toxin from his system—but not fast enough.

The room around him tilted. His vision blurred, the outlines of the furniture warping and twisting, turning into a disorienting swirl of colors and shadows.

'Damn it.' The thought hissed through his mind like venom. His body could handle most poisons, even such one would eventually be flushed out of his system—but the dizziness was already sinking its claws deep, distorting his senses.

He staggered, his legs barely supporting him as he gripped the edge of the bed, knuckles white, fighting the rising nausea that threatened to pull him under.

The room seemed to spin faster, every movement feeling like he was being flung into the air and flipped, over and over again, caught in a whirlwind of vertigo.

His breath came in shallow, labored gasps. 'Should I heal myself?' The thought pierced through the fog, desperate yet clear. 'No… I can't waste any more points on this', his mind debated, clinging to reason, even as his body screamed for relief.

His hard-earned Existence Points earned by selling his family safety felt like they were slipping through his fingers before he even spent them.

To squander them now on something as "simple" as a poison felt reckless, wasteful.

But doubt crept in, dark and insidious.

'What if I can't fight? What if I need them later?' The uncertainty gnawed at him. The poison wasn't just in his blood—it was in his thoughts, clouding them, shaking his resolve.

"Damn it," he muttered, his voice barely a growl as he fought the rising bile in his throat.

His head pounded, and the nausea was a living thing inside him, clawing its way up his spine. He needed to think, to focus, but the dizziness was relentless and tired mind was working again in overdrive.

@Seven, scan all the people around me. If none of them are Nen users, force me into unconsciousness and wake me if I'm in danger.@

Before Seven could respond, a loud clatter shattered the air. The closet door behind Togiri rattled violently, the hinges straining under sudden, forceful movement.

His muscles tensed, but his body felt heavy, sluggish. He turned just in time to see two dark shapes explode from the closet, shadows with blades gleaming in the dim hotel light—assassins!

Instinct kicked in, but it was like moving through thick, choking mud.

His body resisted him, weighed down by the venom still coursing through his veins. He barely had time to raise his arms and use unstable Ken in a desperate attempt to shield himself.

His Nen was fluctuating widly just like how Togiri felt. But even as the protective aura wrapped around him, he felt the searing sting of cold metal slicing across his ribs.

Pain tore through him, sharp and blinding, but distant at the same time, as if the poison numbed the true depth of the agony.

Togiri staggered backward, gripping his side, warm blood seeping between his fingers. The room swam violently, the assassins blurring into shifting shapes, shadows dancing just beyond his reach.

"Shit!" he cursed, stumbling, the floor tilting beneath him. His balance slipped away like sand through his fingers.

Every breath felt like he was dragging himself up from deep water, fighting to stay conscious as the poison clawed at his mind. @The poison is affecting your ability to use Nen. Quickly use Existence Heal!@ Seven urged.

Seven's voice echoed in his head, calm and detached, an almost mocking edge to its mechanical tone.

"Shut up!" Togiri growled, frustration boiling in his chest, anger momentarily cutting through the haze. But even that burst of rage was fleeting, lost in the tide of nausea and dizziness.

He knew he was out of options. His fists clenched, every instinct screaming at him to survive.

With a flick of his hand, the Phantom Book materialized before him, its ethereal pages glowing faintly in the dim light.

He didn't hesitate. His fingers tore the two last remaining pages free, the delicate paper almost weightless, but the power within them heavy, potent.

As the pages disintegrated in his grasp, he felt a surge of energy flood his body, and with it, the poison's grip began to loosen—but he could already sense the toll it would take.

Suddenly, Seven's cold, mechanical voice pierced through his brief reprieve. There was no time to think, no moment to plan—everything was happening too fast.

In his rush, Togiri didn't have time to write out the precise commands. His fingers clutched at the Phantom Book, pages already crumpling and fluttering to the floor, twisting and folding into shapes before his eyes.

The paper seemed to writhe, forming into Phantom Warriors, their figures resembling his iconic Blue Demon persona.

Each warrior stood with paper-thin katanas, their blades catching the dim light of the room as they materialized. But the moment they solidified, a sickening realization washed over him—he'd made a mistake. A terrible mistake.

He just revealed his identity. 'Shit. Now I need to kill them' The Phantom Warriors were weak, fragile constructs, summoned hastily without any real substance or guidance.

They weren't built to face seasoned killers like these assassins. Worse, without commands to steer them, they stood aimless, their empty eyes searching for enemies in every direction.

The lack of strategy—of control—was evident in their hollow movements.

"Shit, shit shit shit!" Togiri muttered through clenched teeth, frustration building like a storm.

His mind churned, tangled in a mess of panic and regret. Not only had he summoned worthless fodder, but he had also revealed himself—the Blue Demon was now exposed.

The two assassins stood still observing Togiri, each holding a purple dagger.

The Phantom Warriors moved in wild, disorganized chaos, their katanas slashing wildly, cutting into anything and everything in their path.

One swung at the air, another struck a fellow warrior. Then, in the confusion, a sharp gleam of a blade came toward Togiri himself—one of his own creations mistaking him for an enemy.

Togiri ducked, his body sluggish from the poison still coursing through his veins. He stumbled, his balance faltering, barely dodging the misplaced strike.

His head pounded, and his vision blurred further, the dizziness making every movement feel like wading through a swamp.

His Nen flickered weakly around him, the effort to keep his defenses up draining what little concentration he had left to stsy awake and standing.

Meanwhile, the assassins moved with cold, lethal precision. They were like predators, their blades cutting through the Phantom Warriors with practiced ease, dispatching the fragile constructs one by one.

The paper-thin forms fell apart after a few slashes, disintegrating like dust in the wind, their katanas clattering uselessly to the ground and dis turning into Nen just like their wielders.

Togiri's heart raced, a sharp, suffocating mix of panic and fury flooding his veins. 'I'm powerless', the thought hissed at him, tightening his chest.

'I'm standing here, helpless…' His breath quickened, frustration boiling over. 'What the hell am I doing?'

His mind screamed at him to act, to fight, but his body remained sluggish, uncooperative.

Then, in the midst of the chaos, something shifted.

Both assassins stopped—almost in unison. Their eyes met, an eerie, silent communication passing between them.

Before Togiri could react, their jaws clenched tight, and he caught a glimpse of something—the flicker of movement inside their mouths.

'No…' His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. They bit down, hard. 'A poison pill.'

The assassins crumpled to the floor, their bodies convulsing for a moment before going still. @Just like that? That was anti climatic@

"What the hell…?" Togiri's voice was barely a whisper, his heart pounding in his chest.

His mind raced, the scene before him unfurling in confusion. They were winning—no, they had won. They had the upper hand, had pushed him into a corner, and yet… they chose to die.

Frustration surged through him, raw and bitter. 'Why kill themselves when victory was so close?.... thid reminds me of the rooftop. The assassins that attacked Rika and me did this too'

He shook his head, trying to piece it together. It didn't make sense. The assassins could've easily escaped unlike the other time.

Togiri was poisoned, outnumbered, out of options. They had seen it, had felt it. 'So why? Did they achieve what the their mission?'

His mind reeled, spiraling into a mess of questions that twisted like knots in his gut. Something's wrong.

His thoughts raced, trying to make sense of it all—the way they moved, the eerie synchronization between them. It was almost as if they were being controlled.

'Puppets, just like Yotsuba did' he thought, a sick realization sinking in. 'They weren't acting of their own will. Whoever sent them wasn't after a fight—they wanted something more.'

@Stupid Master, take a Detoxification pill. That should help@ Seven's voice broke through the whirlwind of his thoughts, its calm, rational tone cutting through the confusion.

"I know!" Togiri snapped, the words tumbling out more harshly than he intended. His breath came in heavy, ragged bursts as he fought to clear his mind.

The dizziness still clung to him, the remnants of the poison refusing to let go. He was shaking, not from weakness but from anger. 'Why didn't I think of that?'

Togiri opened the shop, bought two Detoxification pills and swallowed them. "Ah, I can feel the poison flushing out of my system"

Togiri stopped clinging to the bed and holding covering his mouth in fear of vomiting. He settled down as he assed the situation in the hotel room with clearer eyes.

He used 10 000 Shop Points, but he felt satisfied because he finally concentrate on thinking.

Togiri's thoughts raced faster, trying to find the missing piece. "Whoever sent those assassins hadn't just wanted to kill me."

Togiri stood above the teo corpses. "No, they were probing, testing me, trying to uncover more about me—more about the Blue Demon. My abilities. My weaknesses.

This isn't over. It's just beginning."

As Togiri knelt down he squashed two tiny cameras. @It's weird. This world shouldn't have such high grade technology released in the open market. Also the assassin attack started before you announced the Shura no Kōrin@

The assassins lay crumpled on the floor, lifeless, yet Togiri couldn't shake the lingering unease.

Death hadn't ended the threat; it had merely paused it. His muscles twitched involuntarily, a grim reminder that the poison still coursed through his veins even if little.

Each pulse was a silent scream of warning. His mental strength was used up and pushed past its limit.

His body, always a weapon, was betraying him, and the pull of unconsciousness tugged at him like a whisper in the back of his mind.

He staggered, bracing himself against the wall, his thoughts growing hazier with each passing second.

'Should I sleep here?' The thought wavered like a flickering candle. That insidious calculation gnawed at his pride. He was too fearful of his hidden enemy.

'Can I afford to ride this out?' His vision swam again, and the walls of the hotel room seemed to shift in and out of focus, adding to his disorientation.

Every breath felt heavier, weighed down by indecision. He could feel the next wave of danger looming, like an unseen blade hanging just above his head.

'Risk it? Or… not?' His mind spun with conflicting thoughts that further tired him out.

Togiri's chest tightened. 'The assassins—puppets—hadn't come for a victory; they had come to send a message. But who had pulled their strings? And why target me?' His thoughts spiraled out of control, but even amidst the mental fog, a hard truth settled into his bones: he couldn't afford to stand still.

If he waited too long, he'd be too vulnerable for whatever came next. His heart pounded with renewed urgency. 'Enough waiting'

"Fine!" The word escaped in a rough growl, forced out through gritted teeth. His resolve hardened like iron.

Without another moment to waste, Togiri put the bodys in his inventory and left the hotel, the heavy scent of battle and blood still clinging to him.

The city felt oppressive in the night air, a vast labyrinth of shadowy streets and unseen eyes.

Each step felt like a battle of its own, every streetlight a dim reminder of how thin the line between life and death had become.

His mental exhaustion pressed harder with each minute, the weight of the night dragging on him like an invisible chain.

'Stay sharp', he reminded himself. 'Don't let your guard down'

Hours passed, and by the time the first pale rays of sunlight broke across the horizon, Togiri's body felt like it was running on nothing but sheer willpower.

His mind screamed for rest, but the constant sense of danger kept his senses heightened, paranoid, as if every shadow hid another assassin.

He finally found an inn—small, unassuming, but safe enough. Togiri staggered inside, barely able to register the welcoming atmosphere.

His body ached with exhaustion, the last remnants of adrenaline fading from his body.

He collapsed onto the bed, his limbs heavy, as though they were made of lead. The sheets were rough beneath him, but he barely noticed.

His mind was shutting down, the exhaustion overwhelming. For once, he didn't need Seven to pull him to unconsciousness.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Togiri slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. The nightmares that usually haunted him were absent, leaving nothing but the silence of rest—a quiet victory amidst the chaos.