"Shachmono? You..."
Linssen, wary of any potential enemy attacks, handed the Scarlet Eyes to another guard for safekeeping.
He was standing close by, and before he even asked, he could see it clearly.
Shachmono's eyes were wide open in shock, his mouth slightly ajar. He was undeniably dead.
A strange cane was stuck in his forehead, piercing all the way through his head. It now looked like a morbid decoration on the lifeless body of Shachmono.
At that moment, a figure dressed in a black robe and wearing a bird-beak mask emerged from the darkness, standing just five meters from Linssen.
Linssen suddenly felt an itch in his throat, and cold sweat dripped down his body. He hadn't even noticed when this person had arrived. Normally, it would have been impossible for someone to approach him without him noticing.
Unless...
The masked figure yanked the cane out of Shachmono's head and tossed it aside, shaking off the sticky dark blood. Then, he turned his gaze toward Linssen.
As Linssen locked eyes with the black eyes behind the bird-beak mask, a wave of cold washed over him, as if he'd been dropped into a world of ice and snow. Fear paralyzed him, leaving him unable to move.
Much like how animals can sense when they're faced with a more dangerous predator, Linssen instinctively knew.
I'm going to die.
If I stay and fight him, I will die!
I... I don't want to die.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
To everyone's shock, Linssen screamed in desperation.
He spun around, leapt over the railing of the embankment, and plunged into the rushing Theodore River with a splash, disappearing from sight.
Germain glanced but didn't bother to chase after him.
He wasn't interested in opponents who had too large a gap in strength unless they provoked him or did something that disgusted him.
Linssen didn't meet either of those conditions. Since he fled on instinct, Germain decided to let him go.
If he wanted to kill someone, there would always be a reason. If he didn't want to, no reason would change that.
Germain wasn't bloodthirsty and hadn't forgotten his main goal—to help Kurapika recover the Scarlet Eyes.
The guards stood in shock, watching the scene unfold. Less than half a minute after Germain appeared, Shachmono was dead, and Linssen had jumped into the river out of fear.
What just happened?!
These two were supposed to be the best fighters after Captain Dalzollene!
Now, with Germain's gaze turning toward them, the guards started to back away, unsure of what to do.
The man in the bird-beak mask called out loudly, "We don't want to make this difficult. Hand over the Scarlet Eyes, and you can leave. Otherwise, you'll end up like this guy."
The "guy" Germain was referring to was Shachmono, who lay dead at his feet.
For a moment, everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected the intruders to be robbers rather than assassins. Their eyes darted nervously to Neon, Eliza, and Dalzollene.
But before they could even process it, Neon shoved Eliza aside, hands on her hips, yelling, "No way! I'm not giving up the Scarlet Eyes! I worked too hard to get them!"
"If you want the Scarlet Eyes, go find them yourself! Why are you trying to steal from me, you two thieves! Dalzollene, kill them! Don't let them take my treasure!"
Neon didn't care about Shachmono's death or Linssen's escape. To her, these two didn't seem any stronger than the other guards. She didn't notice the huge difference in power.
People like Neon, who often study and collect human organs, think that once you peel off the skin and open up a person's stomach, everyone is the same. To her, status doesn't matter at that point.
She was still confident even now. With Dalzollene and more than a dozen guards holding pistols, could they really not handle two robbers?
No matter what, she would never hand over the Scarlet Eyes she had always dreamed of!
"Miss Neon..." Dalzollene had witnessed the brutal death of Shachmono and the escape of Linssen without even a fight. His confidence was shaken, and he now wore a helpless expression. "The enemy is strong, maybe we should..."
Neon, hearing the hesitation in Dalzollene's voice, shook her head vigorously, refusing to back down. She stubbornly screamed, "No! Absolutely not! These eyes are mine! Why should I give them to anyone?"
"If you let them take my Scarlet Eyes, I'll tell my father, and he'll fire you!"
Even as she threatened them, Neon still looked so naive.
Dalzollene and his guards were truly caught in a tough situation. If Miss Neon really reported them, they would end up in serious trouble.
"Eliza, Harvey," Dalzollene finally ordered, "Protect the young lady and the Scarlet Eyes. Get her out of here. We'll hold the enemy off and catch up later."
Eliza and the guard, Harvey, who was holding the Scarlet Eyes, quickly agreed and began to escort Neon away.
Seeing Dalzollene follow her orders, Neon smiled. Before leaving, she encouraged him, "Dalzollene, make sure you teach them a lesson. I'll use their bodies for specimens later!"
She had no idea that Kurapika was the last of the Kurta Clan. She only thought of him and the others as ordinary people. If she knew, she might have been even more excited.
Even though the bodies and organs of regular people didn't have much value to her, she still enjoyed turning them into specimens to relieve the stress from tonight. It was her usual practice.
Dalzollene had no choice but to agree, though deep down he doubted they could win this fight. Still, he figured he could at least delay the enemy.
Meanwhile, Germain could feel the murderous intent radiating from Kurapika, even without turning around.
To Kurapika, every pair of Scarlet Eyes he saw once belonged to a familiar face. Each one was someone he had spoken to, someone who had lived alongside him.
Now, they were dead, and their eyes had been stolen without any respect or mercy. How could Kurapika not be filled with rage?
********
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