CHAPTER 208: THE DEVIL’S FOLLOWERS!

The elite soldiers, clad in top-tier gear, exuded an intimidating aura that alone was enough to make one’s legs tremble.

Compared to them, Pride’s group seemed like nothing more than a disorganized mob.

Much like the soldiers Akira had seen at the port, they wore suits resembling astronaut gear.

These outfits weren’t just highly defensive—they also provided protection against toxins and gases.

This unit was one of V5’s trump cards, the cream of the crop in their military forces.

All of them were candidates for the Dark Continent expedition.

Before the group could react, another faction emerged—a squad of gangsters, each brandishing firearms.

"Do you even know where you are? Daring to cause trouble here?!"

"If you’ve got the guts to barge in, then prepare to die!"

A bald leader spat, then hoisted a rocket launcher onto his shoulder, firing alongside the others.

In an instant, the dark muzzles flashed as rockets streaked through the air, trailing flames in their wake.

A series of eight powerful artillery shells hurtled straight towards the V5 army.

The bald commander could already envision the opposing forces being blown to smithereens.

"BOOM!"

Suddenly, a massive blade flew out from the military formation, spinning through the air.

Its razor-sharp edge sliced through one of the shells.

The shell detonated instantly, sending ripples through the surrounding air as the shockwave carried the acrid smoke into the distance.

"Boom! Boom!..."

Yet the momentum of the blade did not falter.

It continued spinning, striking down several more shells in rapid succession.

In an instant, the battlefield was left shrouded in endless smoke and dust kicked up by the explosions.

Having fulfilled its purpose, the blade completed a full rotation in the air before returning to the military ranks.

"This... this can’t be real?!"

The bald leader’s narrow eyes, usually hidden beneath layers of fat, widened in disbelief.

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed.

Each of those shells was immensely powerful—how could the enemy have deflected them so effortlessly?

Not only that, but the blade had circled through the air, detonating multiple shells before returning to its wielder.

For the bald leader, who was not a Nen User, this was nothing short of a fantasy.

The previously orderly military ranks now parted like a sea splitting in two, clearing a straight path down the middle.

A powerfully built man emerged from the gap, the same massive blade resting casually on his shoulder.

His presence was entirely different from the other soldiers—like a crane standing among chickens, drawing all eyes toward him.

It was as if a full moon had appeared amidst a swarm of fireflies.

Even his attire set him apart from the soldiers, who resembled astronauts.

He wore only a simple tracksuit, its tight fit accentuating the well-defined muscles beneath, each one brimming with explosive power.

Adding to his intimidating aura was a long scar running across his face.

Jonah glanced at the trembling bald man, then at the few Nen Users who were already preparing to flee.

"Annihilate them all! Leave none alive!"

With a casual wave of his hand, Jonah’s voice boomed like thunder.

At his command, the soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.

In moments, the entire estate was engulfed in smoke, punctuated by the residual shockwaves of Nen battles.

The gang members—mostly ordinary people—and the lower-tier Nen Users were no match for the elite soldiers.

Despite their numerical advantage, the gang forces crumbled rapidly, unable to hold out even for a little longer.

Jonah was the leader of this elite unit and the only one among them who had reached the S-class threshold, ranking at S-.

Akira’s earlier speculation had been correct—V5 indeed had hidden S-class powerhouses.

Jonah, the leader of the secret forces, was one of them.

After all, as the five superpowers governing the six continents, V5 had no trouble cultivating a few S-class experts through long-term training.

However, due to the classified nature of their identities, the outside world remained unaware of their existence.

The so-called "World’s Top Five Nen Users" were merely the strongest figures known to the public.

As the long-standing rulers of the six continents, V5 naturally nurtured many formidable individuals.

Though their numbers were limited, it also meant that V5’s true strength was far greater than it appeared.

Yet, all of this had now become nothing more than a stepping stone for Akira.

Apart from the leaders of the five nations, the few hidden S-class powerhouses of the V5 were also dealt with by Akira in the same manner.

They all became puppets controlled by Nihilego!

*****

Inside the villa.

"Boss, we can’t hold out any longer!"

"The elite soldiers of V5 have surrounded the estate! Most of them are Nen Users!"

Pride answered the call, his gaze fixed on Akira’s composed expression as a chill ran down his spine.

’What the hell is going on?!’

’Why would V5 help Akira?!’

’Those elite soldiers are rarely ever deployed by V5—how could they possibly mobilize them just to assist Akira?’

This didn’t seem like help to Pride—it felt more like... They were being commanded by Akira!

Noticing Pride’s horrified expression, Akira’s lips curled slightly into a faint smile.

He was, after all, the strongest combatant across the six continents!

"Time’s up. Is this all the strength you’ve prepared?" Akira raised an eyebrow, his tone calm.

Around Pride stood twenty to thirty people.

Aside from Pride, Sloth, and Lust, many of the others were so-called "new Nen Users," bearing animalistic traits.

There was also another peculiar group—their Aura was mixed with the same pinkish Aura, the source of which...

Akira glanced at the scantily clad Lust and realized that Aura originated from her.

Name: Lust

Strength: A

Nen Ability: Lust’s Servants (Manipulator)

Her body emits an exotic fragrance composed of Aura. Those who inhale it gradually let their guard down.

Once their defenses are completely lowered, they fall entirely under the user’s control, becoming so-called "servants."

The more suggestive fantasies the target harbors about the Nen User, the more potent the fragrance’s effect.

Name: Sloth

Strength: A

Nen Ability: Rest Period (Manipulation)

Releases a domain, the size of which depends on the amount of Aura expended.

Anyone within the domain is affected—their willpower declines until they lose all combat capability.

The degree of willpower reduction depends on the amount of Aura used and the victim’s own willpower.

Restriction and Vow: Spends most of each day in a state of laziness, drastically enhancing the ability’s effects.

Name: Pride

Strength: S-

Nen Ability: ...

From the looks of it, the anomalies on those people were caused by Lust.

With Sloth’s Nen ability complementing hers, Lust’s power became even more terrifying.

Given how well their abilities synergized, these two likely operated as a team most of the time.

At the same time, Akira noticed that those under control were no ordinary individuals—most were in the A-class range.

Combined with the "new Nen Users," this was indeed an impressive force.

Of course, the most crucial among them was still Pride.

His strength had actually reached S- rank.

After reviewing Pride’s Nen ability, Akira roughly understood how he had achieved this.

The ability was quite interesting—the higher his reputation and status, the greater his own strength.

Truly befitting of Specialist.

One S-, multiple A-class, and some B-class.

This was the core force Pride had amassed.

Too bad it still wasn’t worth looking at.

"Hm?"

"Earthworm, what are you doing?"

Pride watched as Akira prepared to make his move, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, before noticing Earthworm stepping out from the crowd.

Since Earthworm was the only surviving member of the Shadow Beasts, upon returning, he was placed under Pride’s command.

Earthworm walked steadily towards Akira, his expression calm and composed, with a hint of excitement.

Strangely, Akira made no move in response.

Earthworm then stood behind Akira, silently observing Pride and the others.

"So that’s how it is!"

Now Pride fully understood!

"Earthworm! You betrayed me long ago, didn’t you?"

Faced with Pride’s accusation, Earthworm’s somewhat ugly features twisted into a sneer.

"Betray you? You never had the ability to make me submit to you."

"From the very beginning, I joined your ranks under Akira-sama orders!"

"I didn’t betray you—I was just a spy." Earthworm’s voice trembled with fervor, his fanaticism for Akira unmistakable.

Despite the long separation, Earthworm’s reverence for Akira hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

He was a true zealot.

"So you’ve been lurking here all along?!"

Pride gritted his teeth, Earthworm’s words stoking the flames of anger amidst his fear.

But even in his rage, Pride didn’t lose his rationality—he intended to seize this moment to strike!

A direct confrontation would mean certain defeat, despite their numerical advantage.

Pride knew this all too well.

To survive, they had to seize the initiative and succeed in a swift ambush.

In this life-or-death crisis, Pride found his mind unusually sharp, racing at full speed.

All to find a sliver of hope!

Yet before he could think further, he noticed Akira’s hand twitch slightly—a sign of impending action.

"B!"

Pride’s pupils contracted as he suddenly shouted a single letter, seemingly meaningless.

But only they understood—B referred to the prearranged Plan B.

They had prepared numerous contingencies plans for various emergencies...

Abruptly, Pride’s companions sprang into action, their bodies erupting with multicolored Aura...

Five burly, muscular men charged at Akira, their forms bearing traits of rhinos, tigers, and lions.

Without exception, these were new Enhancer-type Nen Users.

Their aura was remarkably solid, enhanced by animalistic features.

Their mission was to divert Akira’s attention.

Unlike the Nen Users under Lust’s control, these men were also partially manipulated.

This ability had been implanted during experiments—a sort of mental indoctrination—which was why they dared to charge forward.

Earthworm, being among the first successful subjects, hadn’t been subjected to this ability.

Meanwhile, among the Nen Users controlled by Lust, a pale-faced man’s body began emanating eerie, shadowy Aura.

Clusters of dark aura, like Death aura, flowed down his body, merging with his shadow.

Then the writhing shadow streaked across the floor towards Akira’s shadow.

[Shadow Bind]: By consuming one’s lifespan, users aura can fuse with shadows.

When one’s shadow touches another’s, it can immobilize the target.

The stronger the opponent, the more lifespan is consumed.

This technique was meant to lock Akira in place.

Similar to the Shadow Imitation Technique in Naruto.

Another Nen User controlled by lust, a man wearing bizarre patterned clothes, immediately drew the knife he carried with him.

In the next moment, he slashed it directly across his own neck.

A chilling silver flash streaked through the air.

Without actively using aura for protection, the razor-sharp blade instantly sliced through his throat, and deep red blood gushed out like a torrent.

In the blink of an eye, the luxurious golden carpet was dyed a vivid crimson, as a thick metallic scent of blood gradually filled the room.

At the same moment the man collapsed, a deathly aura emerged from his corpse.

A mere glance at it was enough to evoke the illusion of impending death.

This massive surge of Postmortem nen, saturated with deathly energy, rushed towards Akira.

[Devotee of the Demon King]: By self-inflicting wounds, the user can deal proportional damage to an enemy—the more severe the injury, the greater the effect.

[Restriction and Vow]: If the user commits suicide without any prior injuries, the power of the Nen ability is drastically amplified.

This man was arguably the most meticulously acquired Nen User by Pride, precisely because of his Nen ability.

He belonged to an extremely rare ethnic group across the Six Continents, numbering only a few dozen in total.

They held a rather eerie faith, all devout followers of the Demon King—a tradition said to have been passed down since ancient times.

Nearly all Nen Users born among them possessed similar abilities, revolving around self-harm and curses.

This was similar to Bonolenov of the Phantom Troupe or Heavens Arena’s ’The Plant Empress’, Lena.

In essence, their ethnicity—or rather, their bloodline and beliefs—shaped their Nen abilities.

If the five newly acquired Nen Users charging forward were merely distractions, these two were the main killing moves—especially the latter!

And this was only the first wave of attacks Pride had prepared!

To ensure his own survival, he had arranged at least three waves of assaults for every plan!

All of this preparation was solely for Akira.

"Seems you haven’t been idle after all. This is somewhat interesting."

Akira observed the flurry of attacks before him, a flicker of intrigue crossing his mind.

His attention was particularly drawn to the man who had committed suicide from the start.

The effect reminded him of Hidan from Naruto, while another manipulating shadows resembled Shikamaru.

Regardless, Pride had certainly picked some impressive individuals.

"Too bad~"

"No matter how much you’ve prepared, it’s all futile in the end."

Akira shook his head, and ripples emerged from his shadow as a petite figure leaped out.

With Marshadow’s appearance came a towering surge of black aura!

An endless tide of dark aura, like an ocean of ink, rapidly engulfed the entire battlefield.

A suffocating, terrifying pressure filled the room, as if one were submerged in the abyssal depths of the sea—unable to breathe, surrounded by pitch-black darkness, crushed by overwhelming force.

Despite its small stature, Marshadow loomed like a colossal Demon King!

’This ... is a power I could never hope to oppose!’

Pride’s face turned ashen, consumed by utter despair.

Like an old man awaiting his final breath, he could only brace for death.

Before today, he had never imagined that someone in this world could possess strength of this magnitude!

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