The bald butcher was barely holding on, swaying unsteadily.
The shirtless youth lay on the ground, almost entirely devoid of resistance.
Old K directed his Nen Beast toward the shirtless youth.
But just then, the giant rat twitched its nose and suddenly charged, colliding with Old K's Nen Beast and sending it flying.
It then opened its gaping maw wide toward the shirtless youth.
One bite.
*Crunch!*
With just two bites, it swallowed the shirtless youth whole.
Afterward, Old K could clearly feel the giant rat's aura intensify.
The giant rat's eyes locked onto another corpse lying on the ground.
However, at that moment, Old K snapped back to his senses.
"Don't let that rat devour another corpse, or it'll become impossible to handle!"
Old U, having dealt with one of the twins, rushed over immediately.
By now, the bald butcher had also fallen at Old T's hands.
Only the young man in the suit remained.
"Are you still going to resist?"
"Most of your Mad Beast members are already dead," Old O said coldly, fixing his gaze on the man in the suit.
"As a B-rank Nen user, you've done remarkably well, far better than expected."
"You've earned my recognition."
"I'll give you a chance."
"Stop fighting now and join us to deal with the disaster. When this is over, we'll allow you to join the KUTE Thieves. That's a far better life than anything Meteor City can offer you."
The man in the suit had indeed shown extraordinary skill.
Despite being a B-rank Nen user, he had performed on par with, or even better than, many A-rank users.
This earned Old O's respect.
Before the official formation of the KUTE Thieves, internal conflicts were not uncommon.
To Old O, this fight was no different—something they could move past.
The man in the suit scanned the surroundings.
"Earned your recognition?"
"You kill my people and then expect me to join you? To be your lapdog?"
"Do you really think you're a match for me?"
"If not for your poor timing, do you think I'd be in this situation?"
"One-on-one, none of you would be my match."
"Don't underestimate The mad beast!"
"Don't underestimate Meteor City!"
"Time's up!"
In the next moment, the man in the suit's aura changed.
Previously subdued, it now became sharp and fierce, exuding a deadly intensity.
It was as if the man in the suit had been a sheathed blade—and now, the sword had finally been drawn.
His aura surged, crossing the threshold between B-rank and A-rank Nen users with ease.
He now surpassed the two A-rank Nen users from Mad Beast by a wide margin, matching the KUTE Thieves members in strength.
"Let me show you my true Nen ability!"
"The real me only comes out after working hours!"
"And this is only a part of it."
"I'll kill each and every one of you!"
"I'll avenge my subordinates!"
"I'll wipe you all out!"
"Your luck has been unbelievable."
"If it weren't for that, none of them would have died."
The man in the suit's eyes turned blood-red.
To him, every member of Mad Beast—regardless of which Elder they reported to—was his teammate, his brethren.
He had poured his heart into building Mad Beast.
He had dreamed of a future where all its members could live the lives they desired.
But that future had been crushed before it even arrived.
"KUTE Thieves!"
"It's all because of you!"
The KUTE Thieves' arrival had brought this battle upon Mad Beast, leaving them devastated.
Aside from one member who had fled to deliver a message, only the man in the suit remained standing.
Most of them were already dead.
The bald butcher still clung to the faintest trace of life, but his end was imminent.
A gust of wind swept through, but the suited man felt no chill. Instead, his entire body seemed engulfed in flames—the flames of rage, burning fiercely.
Old O observed the suited man's transformation, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"So that's it... A pact and a vow."
"This is disappointing."
"To think your performance relied on such restrictions. I was wrong about you. You're not worthy of joining our KUTE Thieves. Consider my earlier invitation withdrawn."
"And let me clear up one thing."
"Even with this newfound strength of yours, you'll never be a match for the KUTE Thieves!"
Meanwhile, Old K and Old U worked together to suppress the giant rat.
Old O faced the suited man alone.
Old T, having finished off the bald butcher, hesitated briefly.
Should he deal with the giant rat first?
Or should he eliminate the suited man?
None of them noticed three figures standing high in the distant sky.
A golden dragon hovered above.
On its back stood Zeno, Silva, and Hanma Baki.
Yet, the two hadn't made their move.
The Zoldycks only acted when they had a 100% chance of victory.
Currently, the KUTE Thieves still held the upper hand.
On Meteor City's side, only the suited man remained standing.
If Zeno and Silva intervened now, the KUTE Thieves could abandon their fight with the disaster and focus entirely on them, creating a three-on-two scenario.
In such a high-level battle, Hanma Baki's presence would have minimal impact.
The KUTE Thieves were already on high alert.
After Ron's earlier strategy, it would be challenging to catch them off guard again.
Especially since Old O had already lost an arm, the odds of victory in a two-on-three fight for Zeno and Silva were only fifty to sixty percent.
This wasn't acceptable to them.
"They're coming!"
Zeno's gaze shifted downward.
A powerful aura was rapidly approaching, making its presence known.
It belonged to a man who didn't appear particularly old.
He wasn't tall, and his greyish-white clothing, scruffy beard, and dark blue cap gave him a slightly dishevelled appearance.
But when Zeno and Silva saw the figure approaching, even their expressions turned serious.
"It really is him."
"That settles it, then."
"Ging Freecss…"
Both Zeno and Silva knew of Ging Freecss.
In the world of Nen users, the Freecss family was highly significant.
Their history extended even further than that of the Zoldycks.
The Zoldyck family's rise to prominence as the world's foremost assassins began with Maha Zoldyck.
But after Maha, no other Zoldyck had reached his unparalleled level.
While Zeno, Silva, and even Zigg Zoldyck were extraordinarily strong, they still fell short of Maha's greatness.
Nonetheless, they remained far superior to ordinary Nen users, keeping the Zoldycks firmly at the top of the assassin world.
Meanwhile, the Freecss family had produced two exceptional geniuses.
One was Don Freecss from long ago.
When most humans were confined to the human continent, Don Freecss had ventured to the Dark Continent and even wrote a journal about his journey.
To Zeno's knowledge, Don Freecss was perhaps the only person who could rival, or even surpass, Netero.
And Ging Freecss was another prodigy of the family.
Despite his youth, Ging was already recognized as one of the world's top five Nen users.
"It's time for us to act as well!"
Zeno's thoughts shifted, and in an instant, the golden dragon disappeared.
The three figures plummeted straight toward the ground.
--------------------
You can read up to 120 Advanced chapters!
Patreon(.)com/IDKjust
Also check out the other story "Help! I am bound to Aizen!"