Chapter 36: Give Me Some Respect
Babimyna's En wasn't exceptionally large, but it was sufficient to cover the area of a decent-sized hotel apartment. As he walked, maintaining his En to search, it naturally encompassed Haru and the others following him.
"So, this is what it feels like to be under someone else's En? Not much to it, really," Haru mused as they reached the spot—hidden among the moonlit piles of scattered stones.
The Blanchett Corporation staff following them exchanged uncertain glances, speaking into their earpieces in hushed tones.
Babimyna stopped in front of a massive boulder, placing one hand against its side. With minimal effort, he shifted the multi-ton rock to reveal a previously hidden surface.
"This is it," Shizuku said, her glasses slipping slightly down her nose.
The bottom of the stone was partially concealed by grass. Menchi brushed the vegetation aside, revealing a series of strange symbols etched onto the rock.
"So, this is what you call Nen inscriptions?" Menchi asked skeptically, turning back to Haru.
The densely packed symbols resembled ancient totems, invoking feelings of mystery and ritual.
Shizuku reached out, her hand moving toward the inscriptions, but Haru grabbed her wrist. "Not so fast. We don't know what these inscriptions do yet."
He turned to Babimyna. "Is this the only site?"
"For now," Babimyna replied, before suddenly narrowing his eyes and sharply glancing toward the forest.
A chilling wind swept through the air.
Babimyna's men immediately drew their pistols, pointing them toward the source of the disturbance.
"What is it?" Menchi asked.
Haru and the others used Gyo, focusing their aura into their eyes.
Sure enough, a pale, ghostly figure of a boy flickered into view like a will-o'-the-wisp.
The Blanchett staff, oblivious to what the others could see, were thoroughly confused.
Haru, Menchi, and Shizuku shifted their aura to their ears, tuning in to the ghostly figure. The haunting words it muttered were enough to send shivers down their spines:
"Hui Guo Rou… must die… Hui Guo Rou… must die…"
As the spectral voice echoed, the forest around them grew alive with light. The gleaming stripes of Moonlit Tigers emerged from the shadows, their glowing eyes fixated on the humans.
"Hui Guo Rou… must die…"
The pale ghost chanted over and over, its voice hollow and haunting.
Babimyna, catching on, focused his aura to his ears as well. For the first time, his composed expression shifted slightly.
Menchi wiped sweat from her brow, while Shizuku stared at the ghost curiously. Its resemblance to Haru crossed her mind, though she wasn't sure why. Haru, if he had known, would have been quick to refute her thoughts with a flick to the forehead.
Babimyna gave a signal, and his soldiers sprang into action. With a few swift strikes of their rifle butts, the Blanchett Corporation staff were knocked unconscious and carefully laid on the ground.
"Prince Naste?" Babimyna addressed the ghost.
"Hui Guo Rou… must die…" The ghost's reply was as empty as its pale eyes, devoid of any emotion.
"Prince?" Menchi whispered incredulously. "What's with this guy? Why is he assuming every ghost is a prince or royalty? Do Kakin royals have a high mortality rate or something?"
"Hui Guo Rou… must die…"
The pale ghost's voice grew more sinister, as if the very moonlight around them turned frigid, making everyone's skin crawl.
"What the…" Dago and his group appeared, having followed the commotion. They froze upon seeing the pale apparition, as well as the glowing eyes of the Moonlit Tigers gathering around.
"You found something?"
Dago glanced at the unconscious Blanchett staff, exchanging uneasy glances with his companions.
"Take a look for yourself," Haru said nonchalantly, pointing at the inscriptions on the rock. "Try pouring some aura into it. Something might happen. No guarantees it's safe, though."
Dago hesitated. "What do you think?"
"What do you think?" Haru echoed, turning to Menchi and Shizuku.
"I'll follow your lead," Shizuku replied.
"Don't beat around the bush—just say it," Menchi added, crossing her arms.
Haru smirked. "Fine. Professionals handle things properly. Let's do it."
As Babimyna continued addressing the ghost—"Prince Naste?"—Haru rolled his eyes.
"Give it a rest, man. The ghost isn't targeting you—it's chanting about Hui Guo Rou. Let's focus on these inscriptions instead. If something goes wrong—"
Before he could finish, Haru, Menchi, Shizuku, and Dago's group poured their aura into the inscriptions.
In an instant, their bodies were engulfed in blinding white light. With a flash, they disappeared, as if absorbed into the stone.
"...something goes wrong," Haru's voice trailed off as the light faded.
"What just happened?" Babimyna's soldiers exclaimed in alarm.
Before anyone could react, the pale ghost twisted and transformed. Its body stretched and morphed into a grotesque four-winged skeletal dragon, emanating an overwhelming and malevolent aura.
"This aura… can it be real?" Babimyna stepped back, activating Ken to shield himself as the enormous skeletal dragon loomed closer.
"Hui Guo Rou…"
The dragon's hollow eye sockets burned with ghostly green flames, its skull lowering toward Babimyna. Its voice, even more chilling than its monstrous appearance, reverberated:
"MUST DIE!"
The dragon roared, a sound like a lamenting wail. Yet ordinary humans could not hear it.
Amidst the gathering tigers, one pair of glowing eyes stood out—a pair belonging to Toru. Possession its was Haru, wide-eyed as he took in the scene.
---
"Endless Cycle of Life"
Specialization-Type Cooperative Ability
"A soul consumed by hatred, fused with its host Nen beast, forming a miracle of undying resentment. It lingers in the ancestral grounds, forever bound to the Moonlit Tigers as vessels for its reincarnation. Without true consciousness, it only awakens to its fiercest malice upon encountering a Hui Guo Rou royal."
---
"Haru, are you okay?"
In the dimly lit corridor, Menchi waved a hand in front of Haru's face. "Did you hit your head?"
"I'm fine," Haru muttered, gripping Shizuku's outstretched hand and springing to his feet. Dusting himself off, he surveyed his surroundings. "Where the heck are we?"
A beam of flashlight swept over them, making Haru squint.
"Don't shoot! It's us!" came Dago's voice from the other side of the light.
"Stop waving that thing around," Haru snapped. "If I'd accidentally blasted you, it would've been your fault."
Dago looked sheepish but didn't apologize.
Haru let it slide, dissipating the Nen Bullet he had almost launched. He turned his attention to the stone walls, narrowing his eyes as he concentrated his aura into Gyo.
"Find something?" Menchi asked, leaning closer.
Shizuku followed suit, her eyes widening. "There's writing on the walls?"
Haru nodded. "These are messages left with Nen. Only Nen users can see them. It's almost pointless, though—anyone entering here would've had to trigger the inscriptions. What's the point of showing off with Nen writing?"
"What is this place?" Dago asked.
"Looks like an ancient tomb…"
Menchi read the faintly glowing inscription aloud:
"'Give me some respect. Don't disturb this place.—Ging Freecss.'"
(End of Chapter)
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