Chapter 22 The Leader of the Phantom Troupe in Meteor City 22 (Revised to Represent the Moon...)
"Nobunaga, were you thinking about that again just now?" the knight asked worriedly.
The boy, known as "Nobunaga," had sharp features, but he looked listless, as if all his energy had been drained away.
Nobunaga had been trembling all over when he was alone, and his expression was filled with fear, but the moment he met Ayana and the others' eyes, his fear completely disappeared.
He suddenly became irritated, clicked his tongue in annoyance, turned his head to the side, and asked.
"Hero, what brings you here?"
Nobunaga had long black hair. Because of his sharp eyes and brows, his temperament should have been sharp and spirited. But at this moment, he was hiding in a corner, his hair was messy and tangled up, and he was biting his thumb. His listless appearance was on full display.
The swordsman, hands on his hips and cheeks puffed out, muttered, "Of course it's because I'm worried about you! You're always hiding here by yourself, muttering whatever you want to yourself. I think you're going crazy!"
A chivalrous person's kindness towards others comes from the bottom of their heart.
Nobunaga's expression softened slightly, but he still maintained a guarded demeanor, offering a soft thank you. The dark cloud over his face didn't dissipate much, and he continued to bite his fingertip, keeping everyone out.
"You can go now, don't worry about me."
Nobunaga's voice was very soft, as if he was afraid that someone would hear it.
Ayana and Kuroro exchanged a glance. Ayana stepped forward and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Hello, you're Nobunaga, right? I'm Ayana."
Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the alley, illuminating the girl's face. Her eyes were curved, the kind of face that easily gained people's trust, yet her tone carried a persuasive quality: "Can we be friends? I want to ask you for some information."
In situations like this, it's better to be frank and state your purpose directly.
Nobunaga glanced at Ayana with a cold snort, then returned to his previous demeanor, hiding himself in a corner with a blank stare and his teeth clenched so tightly around his fingertips that it was unclear whether he was in pain.
It seems that asking questions is useless.
Ayana gave Kuroro and the other two a wink, and stopped pressing the matter.
…
The moon hangs high in the sky.
The moon wasn't very bright tonight; it was a pale color, making the ground of Meteor Street even dimmer.
The nights in Meteor City are terrifying.
Nobunaga buried himself in a corner, using countless piles of garbage to conceal his figure.
He was on edge, too scared to sleep, and even closing his eyes was terrifying. His whole body trembled like waves, as if he was afraid of something getting closer.
...Here it comes!
The beast stomped heavily on the ground, the sound not very loud, but Nobunaga heard it very clearly, for he could never forget the footsteps of that terrifying beast.
He gasped, clenched his fists, and tried to shrink himself even smaller, but his body was already bent to the limit, and he even felt pain.
These past few days, Nobunaga has frequently heard the footsteps of wild beasts.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating from fear, but it wasn't until he saw his reflection in the water not far away that Nobunaga realized what was going on.
The man and the beast were searching for Nobunaga's trail.
The beast's nose seemed to have a deep memory of Nobunaga; it would appear every night, sniffing the ground frantically, searching for Nobunaga.
No matter where he was, the beast could pinpoint his location with pinpoint accuracy.
no!
We can't stay here any longer, if this continues...!
Nobunaga's eyes widened suddenly, and he tried to find another place to hide. He had used this method to escape several times in the past few days.
A direct confrontation would be utterly useless; he was no match for that man and that beast. His only option was to run away.
However, this escape did not go so smoothly.
Nobunaga had barely moved a step, without even making a sound, when the beast, as if suddenly sensing something, pounced on Nobunaga's location.
Its claws, sharper than knives, tore through the obstructions, slapping them all away with a single blow; its speed was simply incredible.
Nobunaga knew his position had been exposed, so he immediately took action, but as soon as he turned around, the man appeared behind him.
"Found you, you brat." A cold smile appeared in the man's eyes, and a smug smile appeared on his lips as he blocked Nobunaga's path.
The beast suddenly charged from behind Nobunaga, leaping onto his back and pinning him to the ground. The irresistible weight pressed him down, leaving him only able to lift his head slightly.
The friction caused Nobunaga's body and cheeks to ache, and brought tears to his eyes.
However, Ke Chang had no time to feel the pain. She struggled to lift her head and looked at the man who was getting closer and closer through her blurry, tearful eyes.
The man squatted down, grabbed Nobunaga's cheeks with both hands, and slapped him across the face.
Nobunaga's face turned to the right from the slap, but the man pressed his cheek down and forced him back to the right.
“Kid, you dare to stab me? You’ve got some nerve.” The man’s eyes gleamed with interest. His wound had already been bandaged. “If you hadn’t resisted, I could have let you die sooner and suffered less.”
The man raised his hand, his eyes suddenly gleaming. His palm was about to land on Nobunaga's face, and his voice held a hint of madness: "Then I'll let you experience what pain and torture really mean!"
"What does it mean to be unable to live and unable to die?!"
Nobunaga gritted his teeth, trying to pull out the knife he had prepared beforehand, intending to take this despicable man with him at least before he died, but his body was pinned down by the beast and he couldn't move an inch.
Just as the slap was about to land on Nobunaga's face, at the critical moment, a pebble suddenly shot out from the shadows, hitting the bullseye and striking the man on the head.
The pebble didn't hurt much, but it successfully stopped the man from moving.
He looked hesitant and confused, held his head, and squinted slightly. Before he could turn around, he heard the girl's voice.
"Cough, cough."
Ayana Yana wasn't very good at playing the role of savior. She coughed twice to bolster her confidence, put one hand on her hip, pointed the other thumb at the man, and raised her voice.
"Let go of that boy!"
The moonlight shone on Ayana, bathing her in a warm glow. Her expression was serious, and she seemed to have no intention of joking at all, but the words she spoke made one want to complain. She said solemnly.
"Otherwise, I will punish you in the name of the moon!"
There was a silence for about two seconds, then the man suddenly burst out laughing, as if he had found something funny.
The man burst into laughter, his original composure completely gone. He laughed for a long time until Ayana felt a bit hot, at which point he finally stopped laughing, wiped away the tears that had streamed down his face from the laughter, and waved his hand.
"Little kid, where did you come from? I'm in a good mood today and don't want to argue with you, so I'll let you off this time. Now get lost."
The tense atmosphere dissipated in the air, and Ayana cursed the system several times in her mind.
After all, the system had given her this task, which would earn her points, so she had no choice but to do it.
[Pfft.]
[Ahem, host, please rest assured, I will not issue such tasks again.]
After all, you only need to see a joke once.
Ayana's forehead veins bulged. She wasn't someone who got angry easily, but now she was furious to the extreme, probably because her sense of shame had exploded.
Laugh, laugh, laugh, and you'll soon be unable to laugh anymore.
Ayana glared at the still-smiling man and, without hesitation, activated her special ability.
[Special Ability [Powerful Amplification] Confirmed for use, 3 uses remaining.]
[Host, please be careful.]
As soon as the system finished speaking, Ayana rushed out from where she stood.
She suddenly vanished from their sight, leaving no trace, and then quickly appeared behind the man, kicking him to the ground.
The laughter stopped abruptly, and the man was forced into a face-first position. Before he could react, Ayana kicked him hard in the buttocks again.
The man finally came to his senses, realized something was wrong, and tried to get up.
But this posture is so ridiculous that the man has to kneel down or lie completely on the ground before he can get up.
The man realized just how ridiculous he looked if he stood up from that position.
He had never been so disheveled before, and for a moment he hesitated, unsure whether he should get up. But thinking about the kick he had received in the buttocks, he still felt extremely angry.
The man then suddenly dropped to the ground and rose to his feet at an incredibly fast speed, so fast that no one could see him.
But no one here is blind. The comical scene was witnessed by both Ayana and Nobunaga, and they both sneered in unison. The laughter was sharp and piercing, shattering the man's fragile heart.
His eyes quickly reddened as he stared at Ayana and Nobunaga, almost squeezing out the words through clenched teeth.
"If I teach you a lesson today, then I'll have wasted my time in this position."
The beast suddenly let out a thunderous roar, its voice booming, and its body grew several times larger than before.
It released Nobunaga, rubbed its paws together, fixed its gaze on Ayana, and let out a dangerous, threatening growl before a beast's attack.
At the same time, a powerful pressure of psychic energy erupted from the man, binding Ayana firmly to the spot like invisible shackles.
She already knew the man was a Nen user, but she didn't expect him to be so powerful, and her nerves immediately tightened.
This man and this beast together will be a formidable opponent.
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