Worrying that these monks might use the power of a Nen Spirit.
However, these monks had no such abilities.
"Yē!"
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa approached Ron.
The fabric of his robe began to shift behind him, transforming into sharp claws.
"Swish!"
A series of slicing sounds filled the air.
In mere moments, the dozen monks charging at Ron were pierced through by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's Nen ability.
"Just like that?"
Ron shook his head and then glanced at Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, nodding slightly.
With the capabilities of someone like Hanma Baki, it was certainly possible to eliminate these monks in an instant.
But not as effortlessly as Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.
Baki would need a bit more effort, while Akutagawa managed it in a single strike.
That was the key difference between the two.
On the other side, the temple master was falling into a dire situation.
When a Zoldyck assassin takes action, it means they are fully confident in their victory.
Since Silva was already aware of the Nen Spirit's existence, he wouldn't allow the master any chance to turn the tide.
Continuous, high-intensity attacks forced the master to retreat repeatedly.
Even with the support of the Nen Spirit, defeat was only a matter of time.
Realizing this, the master became increasingly desperate.
At this moment, several figures came rushing over at high speed.
"Master!"
"This is bad!"
They were the young monks of the temple.
Seeing the arrival of these young monks, the master's eyes lit up.
"Attack!"
Under the master's orders, the young monks charged at Silva.
But they were too weak.
Silva didn't even need to take serious action.
The shockwaves from his punches were enough to kill them.
"How are things on the other side?" the master asked the young monks.
"Reporting to you, Master, there's a boy over there, but he's very strong. None of us are his match."
"There's also something invisible attacking us from the shadows."
Hearing this, the master immediately realized it was Nen.
At that moment, regret surged in his heart.
He regretted not teaching these young monks Nen abilities.
If he had, even one or two capable disciples could have helped him overcome this crisis.
Based on their description of Ron, the master assumed he wasn't very strong.
He thought Ron had only managed to attract the attention of the Nen Spirit using some special trick.
If he had a disciple proficient in Nen, he could easily defeat Ron and resolve his current predicament.
But now, the master's regret was useless.
He looked at the young monks who had rushed to his side, his eyes flickering with a sinister light.
Then, he suddenly opened his mouth wide—unnaturally wide.
"Crunch!"
He bit down on one of the young monks.
Blood and flesh were devoured by the master in an instant.
His previously weakened aura stabilized immediately.
The consumed flesh transformed into life energy for the master.
Silva's brows furrowed slightly.
This was the first time since entering the Kannon Temple that Silva's expression changed.
However, his face quickly returned to normal.
This minor twist wouldn't affect Silva's plans.
"Boom!"
A massive tremor echoed through the air.
At the same time, Ron sensed that the energy watching him from above had grown even stronger.
The entire focus of the Nen Spirit was now on him.
However, the energy still showed no intent to attack Ron.
A figure approached him—it was Silva.
In Silva's hand was the body of an emaciated, elderly monk.
The old monk's face was covered in fresh blood, and a thick, iron-like smell filled the air.
"Ron, let's go."
"Yes."
Ron glanced at the old monk in Silva's hand.
The monk was clearly dead, his life force completely extinguished.
However, his body was peculiar. Unlike a normal corpse, there was no lingering aura of death, nor any signs of decay.
"Uncle Silva, this guy seems a bit unusual."
"Indeed," Silva nodded.
"His ability is unique. Not only could he borrow the power of the Nen Spirit from Kannon Temple, but he could also replenish his aura and enhance his physical body by consuming human flesh."
"Consuming... living humans?" Ron paused, startled.
In any world, this would be considered despicable behaviour.
Usually, such acts only occurred during times of war, under extreme hunger, or among the deeply deranged.
In Meteor City, Ron had encountered similar cases, but those involved corpses, not the living.
"Correct," Silva confirmed.
"Those young monks were his food. By eating them, he could heal his injuries, replenish his aura, and even gain a temporary burst of power."
"According to him, his Nen ability is called 'Cannibal Demon.'"
"Outside of battle, he would also eat people to enhance his training."
Ron frowned.
"So, those monks who left were actually eaten by him?"
"And the nearby disappearances—he's responsible for those too?"
The numbers were staggering. From Ron's investigations with Chii, they had uncovered hundreds of cases.
And for those hidden in the shadows, the real count was undoubtedly much higher.
"Yes."
"Uncle Silva, what about the Nen Spirit here? Should we deal with it?"
"We can't," Silva said, shaking his head.
"The Nen Spirit is bound to Kannon Temple. Unless we move the entire temple, it cannot be taken elsewhere."
"Destroying it serves no purpose either."
"I'll figure out another way to handle it."
The two quickly left the temple, descending the mountain and returning to their parked vehicle.
They loaded the old monk's body into the trunk.
Silva started the car, simultaneously pulling out his phone and dialling a number.
"The target has been secured." With that single statement, he hung up the phone
Afterwards, Silva dropped Ron off at a nearby town.
"Ron, head back to the Sky Arena first. The task handoff is some distance away, so I'll handle it alone. Once I return, I'll give you one-third of the Multicolourd Eggs."
"Understood."
Ron nodded, entering the town and purchasing a bus ticket.
A few hours later, Ron arrived back at the Sky Arena.
---
Two days later, Silva returned.
After receiving a call, Ron left the Sky Arena and met Silva at a nearby hotel.