Fragments of words coming from the darkness—
Cole was shocked unable to believe it.
Even the question of "Who are you?" slipped out involuntarily from his mouth.
This, in itself, was a question that would not receive an answer.
But it was also his instinctive reaction under the mix of shock and disbelief.
Because-
The figure, whose silhouette was revealed in the darkness, had probably seen through his abilities.
Only this can explain why the 'harvest' was so dismal.
And what he couldn't understand the most was...
If the other party indeed discovers his ability on the way here and wants to stop it, he should have destroyed the plants on the armed personnels as soon as possible.
And if the other party destroys one of the 'corpse soils', he would be able to notice it immediately and choose to harvest in advance to minimize the damage.
However, the other party did not choose to destroy the 'corpse soil'. Instead, they interfered with the 'nutrients' needed for growth without affecting the 'growth process'.
That is to say—
The other party has most likely analyzed his ability based on the small amount of information, and at the same time, realized that 'uprooting' the plants might attract his attention...
Then, they chose to take advantage of the situation and use this method to make his harvest miserable, thereby wasting his invested Nen.
If this speculation is correct, then this person's understanding and sensitivity of 'Nen'...
Is too terrifying!!
Cole couldn't control his expression, and the question that slipped out from his mouth naturally received no response.
He could only stare at the silhouette standing silently in the darkness.
He could clearly see the Aura in that person, but it was so weak that it could only emit an almost hazy luster.
In order to confirm this, he used Gyo to observe the surroundings, but he did not see any other hidden Nen nearby.
At least from his perspective, he could only see the Nen in that person.
'What a weak mind...'
'I'm afraid they can be solved with just one punch, but-'
'Is it on purpose? They're trying to bait me into making the first move?'
'So, he is a passive counter-attack type...?'
'There's a possibility of it, then, I can't recklessly make the first move. Maybe I can use En to assess the situation first... No, my En can't reach there, and there is a risk of being attacked when using En...'
'What should I do? Should I just use wait and see approach, wait for Genbu and the others to come over?'
'Or should I test the waters first... Damn, why don't I have the habit to carry a gun!'
Cole's thoughts were a bit chaotic. Just staring at the motionless silhouette in the darkness, he felt a tremendous pressure out of nowhere.
'My ability is not only seen through by the other party, but also exploited in turn.'
This realization not only made Cole aware of the opponent's formidable abilities, but also inevitably disturbed his thoughts.
So, upon seeing the other party releasing only a small amount of Nen and standing still in the darkness, his first reaction was that the other party was deliberately revealing a flaw.
With this preconceived notion, Cole did not dare to act rashly.
Both sides remained in a standoff, with no one moving or speaking.
In comparison, the battle on the other side was intense.
Genbu's "Gambler's Fantasy" and Cole's "Harvest Moment" are the same type of abilities, requiring a certain degree of preparation to unleash their maximum potential.
So the way to smoothly pass through the preparation phase—
Relying on the strength of companions is one option, and improving one's own ability to cope with the situation is another.
And Genbu chooses to do both.
That's why his direct combat ability is not weak.
Similarly, Cole's direct combat ability wasn't weak either.
Therefore, even if their abilities were disrupted, they could still do something.
At least Genbu can deal with Hawk's offensive and also had the upper hand.
"What's happening with Cole over there..."
Turning sideways to dodge the incoming Nen bullets, Genbu rushed towards Hawk. At the same time, he took a quick glance at Cole, who was standing motionless in the same place, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Originally, they were counting on Cole's "Harvest Moment" to give them the power to end the battle in a short time, but in the end, Cole didn't do anything even after such grandiose.
And the mastermind behind all this, the one responsible for everything, was that elusive guy.
But so what?
In terms of numbers, their side still has the upper hand.
However, with Cole not moving, it would only waste their advantage.
Without time to spare for Cole, Genbu closed the distance and suppressed Hawk with a fierce onslaught.
'Damn, the injury on my left hand hasn't fully healed yet.'
Hawk struggled to defend against Genbu's attacks.
'Despite appearing as a preparation-type Conjurer, this guy also possesses excellent close-combat abilities. He is likely a core member of the Seirin Group...'
'On Moses's side …"
Hawk intended to check Moses's situation, but under Genbu's pressure, he found himself powerless to do so.
Considering Moses had only awakened his Nen for less than half a month, Hawk believed that even if he had developed his Nen ability independently, he would most likely wouldn't be a match for a member of Seirin Group.
On the other side…
Facing the combined assault from Ken and Sivir, Cheadle still remained calm.
'Although I don't know what that long-haired man's ability is, it seems to have been interrupted. Was it Moses?'
Cheadle glanced towards Moses, her eyes shining as she evaded the attacks from Sivir and Ken.
If Hawk's reinforcement took her by surprise and pleased her after seeing the Post-Mortem Nen removed…
Then Moses's arrival and his action to interrupt the opponent's Nen user's ability were something pleasantly surprising to her.
The more outstanding Moses is, the stronger her impulse to take Moses away becomes.
Against Cheadle's prolonged defense, Ken remained patient, but Sivir grew visibly more irritated, and her attack patterns began to lose coherence.
Ken noticed this, but refrained from reminding Sivir to stay calm.
Because 'irritated' emotion…
is the necessary fuel for Sivir to activate her ability.
At this moment, the situation on the three sides battle showed no significant changes.
The situation remained in a stalemate—
In the pitch-black darkness.
Moses was a little surprised.
He had first spoken to expose the long-haired man's ability, inducing a preconceived notion on him, and then set up a situation that seemed like a trap.
This approach is nothing more than to allow the long-haired man to actively use his brain to think and hypothesize, so as to contain the long-haired man as much as possible. At least, he can share the pressure Hawk and Cheadle faced with this method.
After all-
Putting aside his Nen ability, this long-haired man is also an above-average Nen user.
'It's beyond my expectation for him to be so suspicious.'
Moses didn't expect these manipulative tactics he used would distract the long-haired man for an extended period.
Although he has set up a trap, it is nothing but a paper tiger.
However, he didn't anticipate that the long-haired man would be so cooperative.
'Such is human nature…'
'As expected, will it also be subtly amplified by Nen?'
Despite manipulating the long-haired man like a puppet, Moses didn't feel complacent. Instead, he began thinking about the influence of Nen on human nature.
'Maybe it can be used as a weapon sometimes, but its power should never be underestimated.'
'Now…'
'It's time to think about all the available means and figure out how to take down that long-haired man with the resources at hand...'