When Parker heard those words, he instinctively began to turn his head.
However, Zeno's aura instantly locked onto him, halting him mid-motion.
Zeno gave Parker a brief glance.
"This way, you shouldn't have any connection to those people."
Kaizen frowned, deep in thought.
"They're targeting us? But there's no reason for it."
"Our Zoldyck family is just a family of assassins. We don't have deep grudges with any particular group."
He folded his arms. "I've worked with the elders of Meteor City for years. Besides, very few organizations would dare challenge us."
Kaizen couldn't figure out why someone would aim for him and Zeno specifically.
"If their target were Parker or Peter, it wouldn't take much strength. If that were the case, you wouldn't have even bothered to come."
He paused, recalling past events.
But this time, Zeno's serious demeanor suggested their new opponent was far more dangerous.
Kaizen tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Only a select few people know where we are—either that elder from Meteor City or someone among his closest subordinates. But he has no reason to attack us."
"If the Zoldyck family seeks revenge, even the elders of Meteor City wouldn't be able to handle it. Not if Maha gets involved. If my great-grandfather makes a move, no one stands a chance."
Zeno began walking again, hands behind his back.
"It could have something to do with that disaster we heard about."
Kaizen raised a brow. "The giant cockroach?"
"Exactly," Zeno replied.
He stopped suddenly and turned to Kaizen. "Let me ask you something. How do you define 'aura'?"
Kaizen tilted his head, thinking. "It's a combination of physical and mental energy."
Zeno nodded. "That's correct. But do you know what kinds of mental energy exist?"
Kaizen shook his head. "Not really."
Zeno clasped his hands behind him as they walked. "Aura is the fusion of physical energy and spiritual energy. Physical energy is easy to understand—it's the energy within the body. Every living being has it."
"But spiritual energy is far more complex," Zeno explained. "It can be broken down into several components."
He began listing them off:
"Willpower."
"Desire."
"Resentment."
"Sorrow."
"Fear."
"Anger."
"Pain."
"Loneliness."
"Disgust."
"Happiness."
"Most people can only channel a few aspects. Using excessively negative energy comes with high risks—it can consume you."
Zeno's voice grew grim. "Even I won't touch some of those energies."
He gave Kaizen a knowing look. "This is something you'll need to be careful about in the future. There are Nen users who have tried to harness these darker energies. They may gain power, but they often lose control of themselves in the process."
Kaizen thought back to a figure from an old story—Jed, the villain from The Last Mission.
(T/N: Jed was the leader of the Shadow. He only appears in the movie The Last Mission, in which he is the main antagonist.)
Jed claimed that his power wasn't Nen but pure resentment. Yet, from what Zeno was saying now, it seemed Jed's ability was just a twisted form of Nen.
"He wasn't using anything different," Kaizen murmured. "He just let too much negative energy affect his mind."
"Some people have even weaponized negative energy," Zeno continued. "That's where disasters come from."
"Disasters?" Kaizen echoed, intrigued.
"Yes. Most disasters arise naturally in harsh environments, but some are artificially created."
Zeno's voice dropped to a near whisper. "That cockroach... it was probably one of those. It was made by collecting humanity's fear, disgust, and resentment toward cockroaches and concentrating those emotions into a powerful, destructive force."
Kaizen's eyes narrowed. "I've never heard of anything like that before."
It reminded him of something from another world—a story about beings called curse spirits, born from human fears.
In that world, people's fear of things like volcanoes, oceans, or even other humans gave birth to terrifying entities with immense power. Those beings were nearly impossible to defeat.
"This curse-like phenomenon is eerily similar to what you're describing now," Kaizen muttered.
"If that cockroach was man-made," he continued, "it must mean whoever's behind it is trying to gather materials for some twisted experiment."
Zeno's expression remained impassive. "Possibly for manufacturing even more disasters."
Kaizen's eyes flickered with resolve. "So... should we return that bone to them?"
Zeno snorted. "Of course not."
He gave Kaizen a sharp glance. "Remember who we are."
"We're assassins," Kaizen replied.
"No," Zeno corrected him, a cold smile creeping onto his face. "We're the world's greatest assassins."
He turned his gaze forward. "You know some of the family rules already, but let me remind you."
"The Zoldyck family lives by strict principles."
"First: Always gather complete information about your target. If you're not at least 99% sure of success, don't act."
"Second: Never accept a bad deal."
"Third: Whatever ends up in our hands belongs to us."
"And fourth..." Zeno's voice grew darker. "If anyone poses a real threat to us, we mobilize the entire family to eliminate them—unless they're truly unbeatable."
Kaizen couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, have we ever met anyone we couldn't beat?"
Zeno gave a slight nod, but then shook his head.
"There is one... but it's not a life-or-death enemy."
Kaizen already had a suspicion about who that might be.
He decided to ask anyway. "Who?"
Zeno's lips curled in a sly grin.
"The president of the Hunter Association—Isaac Netero."
"He looked ancient when I was young, and even now, after all these years, he still looks the same."
Zeno chuckled softly. "The only man who ever fought your great-grandfather, Maha... and lived to tell the tale."
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