Mayer sailed through the air, his massive legs carrying him further than any human could with a single bound. He landed on the street with a crack of the asphalt.

He stared up at the gaseous 'barrier' surrounding his 'headquarters'. He looked around to see the streets barren. Most of 'his' mafia soldiers and security guards had cleared out the block before Pariston arrived. Even more helpful, the police had sectioned off the entire area for a few blocks.

So he had no fear of anyone taping anything.

He sighed. He hated being the 'face' of the Tao Long.

Whatever it took to achieve his goals…

With a frown, he walked over to one officer who directed him to the commanding officer at the scene. A fellow mustachioed man in his fifties with greying hair and a wrinkled, stern face. The man nodded and craned head up to see the mammoth Mayer, his police hat shading his eyes.

He replied, as gruffly as Mayer. Albeit with half the baritone.

"We've got the surrounding five blocks shut down. The story we got the public eating is a pipe broke and is spewing hazardous steam. We're evacuating the surrounding buildings as we speak, but most of 'em are already empty. Your boys did good work. No cameras, no eyes, no civilians."

Mayer nodded back, followed by a grunt. He replied, his low, bellowing voice soft.

"Yes, my people are efficient. What do you know about the gas?"

The man grunted as well before replying, "Nothing for now," he pointed his finger past Mayer toward a beat-up, undercover cop car. There was a blonde man leaning against it, his head turned toward the gas, "That guy from the A.C.U's got more for you than I do."

Mayer turned and frowned when he saw Charlie. He sighed and walked over, his gigantic frame not making a sound. By the time Charlie realized someone was upon him, Mayer was already shadowing him.

Literally.

The corrupt cop turned and shook in fright. Clutching his chest in one hand and holstered gun in the other…

"Jesus Christ!... I don't know how you do that… I'm guessing you're wondering about the gas?"

Mayer nodded before looking around. He turned back and replied, "Where is your partner? The nosey one?"

Charlie frowned, "After your red-haired guy gave him a talking to, he quit. He's looking for a Nen master. He's hoping to enter the Hunter Exam next year."

Mayer snorted, "Possible death. That is better than him staying on the force and poking his nose into certain death... What do you know about the gas?"

Charlie sighed before pinching his nose, "It's gas, for sure. Heavy-duty conjuration and transmutation. Some type of sleeping gas. Whoever the user is, they got some serious skill and power. Transmutation for the effect, conjuration to block sight. It's even denying any cell or radio service…"

Mayer looked past the man, into the white cloud of sleep. He frowned. The giant knew from experience that whoever was doing this would be capable of sensing a person enter using En. The user would also need experience with sedatives… possible poison user…

A smokescreen, surveillance barrier, and sleeping gas. All in one…

Charlie spoke up, drawing Mayer's attention, "Also, Mercutio walked in. Came by in his Henry Hill persona... Tch, using my last name like that… He asked for a gas mask. I didn't stop 'em. Everyone who we sent in has gone down screaming. I told 'em as much, but that guy does what he wants…"

Mayer looked down at the corrupt cop. His brown suit was worn and frayed, stubble filled covered his jaw, and dark circles shaded his eyes. It seems he had been having quite a few nights of sleep.

The cop frowned, drilling a glare at Mayer, "Is… Pariston there?"

Mayer turned his head back to the cloud and grunted. He began walking forward into the white fog. Charlie panicked.

"W-wait! What're you, nuts?! We don't got a gas mask big enough for you!"

"I shall be fine, Charleston…" Mayer stated without stopping.

Just before he entered, he stopped, then took a titanic breath. He continued, his chest bulging slightly, though it was barely noticeable.

He held his breath as the cloud surrounded him.

He walked through the white. So thick was it he could barely see his hand a few inches in front of his face. With his vision gone, he used his sense of direction and memory to retrace the path to the Condo.

The giant passed several corpses of SWAT members garbed in gas masks. Their masks were damaged by some sharp weapon, which allowed the gas to enter as easily as air... Some were attacked around the hard plastic that surrounded their head. Or cracked plastic glass surrounding their eyes…

All had their throats were cut.

Mayer frowned.

No bullet casings on the floor. The attacker had acted silently… one of the SWAT members looked to have thrown his gun and ran….

Whoever attacked was skilled enough to have killed them in an instant, yet chose to force the men to sleep before killing them.

Taunted them.

Hunted them.

Mayer grunted.

A disturbed, sadistic individual.

He continued for several minutes before arriving at the double doors of the condo. Standing in front of the doors was Mercutio. Pin-striped suit, fedora, and a black gas mask on his face. He was trying to open the door and found them locked. Frustration leaking into his calm body language since the doors could survive a tank shell.

Mercutio turned around to see Mayer a few inches away, the enforcer's bored eyes peering up at the looming form through his gas mask lens. The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Nothing passed between them.

This was followed by Mayer's abrupt turning away into the white. Mercutio raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Silence.

A few moments later, Mercutio's squinted through the gas. He saw his the giant come back while carrying something over his head. His eyes grew wide when he realized what it was.

He held on to the top of his hat and quickly ran clear of the doors.

Not a second later a car flew through the entrance with the force of several tank shells, imbued with Shu and thrown with titanic strength. It hurtled through the bulletproof plastic with a booming crash, then a thundering explosion of the car. The sound of hardened plastic falling to the ground and squeaking metal echoed through the silent fog.

Mayer gazed through the hole. Debris dust, and black smoke from a flaming car filled the area. The three gases combining with the supernatural white fog, mixing and churning from the fire. A swirling combination of brown, black, and white floating up to the sky.

Mercutio walked up from behind Mayer and stared up at the giant, who turned around and stared indifferently at Mercutio.

The fedora clad enforcer shook his head, as though critical of his lack of subtly.

Mayer frowned. He did not not care.

With a single point of his massive right index finger, he ordered Mercutio into the condo to find Evira and protect her. The giant would stay and find the Nen-user who created this cloud. Mercutio gave a lazy salute and walked off. No words were exchanged.

Just as Mayer liked it.

Mayer turned around and almost sighed in reflex. This was the closest thing to paradise he found.

He closed his eyes.

Absolute silence.

But he did not sigh. He was too well trained to do that by accident.

The rest of Red Squad was too far away to come in time. It was up to everyone here to stop this attack. Hopefully, James would be able to defend against the attacker without his Hatsus. He would need to fight using that blasted red head of his.

Both.

He opened his eyes.

Topaz stones glaring into the white…

Now to find the Nen user in this sea of fog.


We were in a small safe room that reminded me of a steel freezer. Metal table. Metal chairs. Metal lockers. Metal toilet and sink with self-contained plumbing and water.

Metal, metal, metal. Metal all over... whoever designed this place had a thing for metal.

At least there was plenty of stuff here for us. There were enough supplies in said lockers to last us a month. Enough food. Plenty of food.

And guns. Lots o' guns.

Nice as it was, we couldn't wait here. Considering we're dealing with, (probably) multiple Nen-users… we were just sitting ducks.

I stared at Evira, who was on the floor laying on a sleeping bag. Her body limp and unmoving in her dark green business suit. Her eyes were full of exhaustion, covered by her red, curly, shoulder length hair. But in those eyes held furious willpower. They shined through the bundle of loose hairs in front of her eyes. She fought to stay awake against the effects of the poison.

Fighting to move.

She just couldn't.

Acardi stared at the cut on her face. He clicked his tongue in frustration.

"She is being affected with a paralyzing sedative. I have dealt with a similar venom before, a toxic snake called the Sleeping Spell. We are lucky she was fast enough to react. Had anymore entered her system… she would have died. Though safe, she will still be in this state for twelve hours."

I turned to Briannaisa, who was frowning furiously. Concern and frustration warping her face with wrinkles. It was obvious she was taking this as a personal failure. I wouldn't.

Whoever was attacking us knew exactly what they were doing. They're pros. Beyond pros.

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to give her a pep talk. Now was the time to figure out an escape plan.

And… we still had…

"That's a relief! My sincerest apologies about this mess! Had I known that picture would do that, I'd have never received it from that homeless man!" said Pariston with flick of his wrist, the only person I've met to troll with his life on the line…

He was lying. He had to be. Trolling the shit out of us and I wanted to punch him in the dick.

I stayed calm… which I've gotten better at, but in this situation and with this man… keeping my temper it was almost as hard for me as staying out of trouble. Now was not the time to start trying to beat up the Vice Chairmans of very important organizations…

I squinted at him, glaring at him from the corner of my eyes as I replied, "You're the Vice Chairman, aren't you? You should be strong enough to help us?"

He pointed to himself as if surprised.

"Me? Oh no, not at all! I'm not much of a fighter! I look forward to being in your care!" he said with a glittering smile.

I stared at the metal ceiling. My face a mask.

I heard an 'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE' ring through my head of rage. Like an endless string from a violin that never changed tone.

This lying piece of shit. No one can be in the Zodiac and Vice Chairman of the Hunter Assocation and be weak

All I wanted to do was shove Stick up his ass…

Acardi shook his head, "Unfortunately, I am at a disadvantage as well. My talents lie in information gathering. Primarily at night. Indeed, if I suspect it is who it is that is attacking us, then only Mercutio or Mayer can defeat them."

We all turned to Acardi, who was frowning and staring at the floor. His eyes focused as he recalled information from deep inside his mind.

"Amongst the assassins in the world, on top are the Zoldyck. But there is one group who are just as skilled, if not as well-known. They are the Magi. Three individuals who are shrouded in secrecy. From my knowledge, they have been around since Netero was young…"

Pariston nodded, "Yes! The Association managed to capture the leader, but it turns out that was a ruse. He waited close to a year until the previous Trick Tower Warden visited his own prison. He killed him and escaped. To this day we still don't know how he did it. Well, now we do! You see, there was a painting in the warden's office, you understand?"

I nodded, "So he teleports through paintings? If he paints them himself… that'd be quite the Hatsu. He wouldn't need too much Aura to do that with that kind of condition and restrictions on his powers."

Pariston nodded. He flashed a smile and held up a finger.

"Seeing as there are a few hundred paintings in the lobby of this building, it stands to reason the Magi intend to spread the paintings throughout the floors of this building. That would allow them to move throughout the building uimpeded, while limiting our movements. In essence, we're trapped inside and surrounded."

Briannaisa shook her head, "Not only that... The cafeteria and kitchen are located on the tenth floor, directly in the middle of the building. When went to get the food, I noticed a white fog outside. That was before… things came out..."

Acardi frowned, his eyes narrowing on Briannaisa, "Explain…"

She shook her head as if trying to get rid of the images she saw.

"These horrific creatures... Like someone drew them from a nightmare. Their movements were jerky and inhuman. They… had too many limbs and heads… they attacked anyone and anything. They were carrying countless paintings…"

Pariston smiled, "See? Their plan seems to be to use the paintings to not only teleport but to summon more of those creatures. We're lucky we haven't encountered any!"

Briannaisa frowned, barking at the blonde pretty boy, "Because I kill them all with my bare hands! They're made of aura, so they disappear after dying. The blood is from the guards who-"

Pariston face somehow frowned slightly. Something flashed in his eyes.

"It's ok, I can tell your experience has shaken your fragile constitution. You did a good job for one unequipped to handle this situation. Even if you couldn't protect your boss."

"You…" she said before lunging at him. I grabbed her and pulled her away from this walking asshole. Pariston held his hands up, as though he did nothing wrong. His face frowning and his eyes scrunching up as if confused. More like feigning confusion…

"I'm just stating facts. You did fail as security."

I growled, "Enough…"

He nodded, giving a lackadaisical shrug, "Very well. Our best bet is to find a way around the creatures and avoid the cloud. We can't stay here, since I think they're at the door," he said with a point to the metal vault-like door. Followed by the scrapping of something on the other side. Then pounding…

I frowned. I transitioned to Ren and kicked the metal door as hard as I could, bracing myself for it to fly off.

It dented.

I frowned.

I kicked it again.

It barely moved.

I heard Pariston cough as if embarrassed for me…

I growled in a rage and kicked it several more times until the damn door flew off its hinges. Sneering as I did. With one final titanic kick, it smashed into the hallway wall with a thunder. I grimaced in annoyance, my chest rising and falling from exertion.

Fucking… being a specialist… fucking sucks…

I looked through the new hole in the wall to see countless… zombie-like monsters pinned to the wall against the metal door.

I exited to see several more creatures down the hall. I turned to Briannaisa and Acardi, lingering at the entrance of the safety room.

"Priority is getting the Vice Chairman out of here. I'm sure he'll be grateful enough to consider overlooking the event that happened in June…"

Pariston frowned, "Hmm… How do I know you're not simply using this ruse to gain my gratitu-"

I pointed down the hallway toward the stairs, "GET HIM OUT OF MY FUCKING SIGHT! I'LL STAY WITH EVIRA!"

Acardi, Briannnaisa, and Pariston peered through the hole in the wall. Out of the right corner of my eye, I saw Acardi and Briannaisa hesitate, before resolving themselves and grabbing the most annoying, aggravating person I ever met. They ran past me, pulling the Vice Chairman along.

I frowned. Even Flole was gone, today of all days. She was still figuring out a way to solve our surveillance issue and was in the sewers, still fixing the damages to the Tao Long surveillance room. These fuckers… dealing with assassins was bullshit.

"MCP…" I said while walking into the safe room and lifting Evira over on to my left shoulder. She weighed absolutely nothing compared to my strength.

Yes.

"I need you to keep an eye out while I'm holding on to her."

Simply kill her. Be done with it.

"I'm not having this conversation right now. Just do what I say..."

It growled, but I could tell it would follow my orders."

I stared down the hall at the shambling nightmares out of an H.R Giger or death metal album cover. Bloody corpses with far too many arms or heads. Organs dripping out of empty, sludge covered cavities. Gangly, skeletal arms. Heads that were little more than skulls with fleshing clinging on to it. Disgusting atrocities ripped out of a nightmare.

Well, at least I didn't have to hold back.

I smirked as I thought of things that would keep my mind off the horror… got it…

I poured aura into my right hand, tightly wrapped around Stick. My aura surrounding my weapon in the white field of aura….

It glowed with an awesome power. It's burning grip tells me to defeat them…

Shu filled my sword with a glowing light…

I ran towards the horde of living nightmares.

I didn't hesitate as I ripped them apart with ease.


Several floors below James…

Three cats the size of small humans with hats, helmets, and three different kinds of swords led the way. They tore through the nightmare creatures that would fit right in with a Zdzisław Beksiński painting.

Briannaisa stood behind her soldiers, giving them commands and making sure none of the horrors made it past them and to Pariston. Her eyes glaring hard at the unbound horrors in front of her. She took her role as Head of Security seriously…

And these intruders were a blow to her pride.

Her knights cleared a path through the throng of terrors with speed, swiftness, and efficiency.

Henri, the musketeer cat, stabbed into eyeholes with its rapier with machinegun speed and surgical precision and accuracy.

The cat in a knight helmet was named Goann and used her arming sword to slice through torsos with single, powerful slices.

The last feline with a scimitar and turban was named Talib. He tore through them with circular swipes and spinning grace; a whirling dervish of death.

They reached the tenth floor. Each subsequent floor had been harder and more grueling than the last. The lower floors had more time for the assassin to set up the paintings and allow a continuous generation of enemies. Larger, more fearsome enemies that defied conventional physical forms found in nature. Unspeakable abominations of multi-legged hydra that slithered and galloped. Flying bodies with stiff stalks for wings and tentacles for legs. Large ogre-like forms with far too much bone, muscle, and too little skin.

Not only that, but the terrible pictures hung on the walls, driven into them by fingers of dead guards and workers. Lesser, annoying creatures that resembled small rats with maggot skin crawled out. Gremlin like monsters with tiny sinewy bodies, tight skin, and vicious smiles; and even more vicious attitudes.

The walls were bathed with blood and torso. The floors were littered with body parts and gore.

It was a living nightmare.

Yet they trudged on.

Briannaisa's cats served as the vanguard through the swarming, painted, undead horrors. Acardi brought up the group with Pariston in the middle. All of them wadding down the flickering, dimly lit hallways. The sound of wet footsteps as they did their best to keep their situation out of their minds.

Lestat, the giant dark gargoyle Guardian Nen Beast, appeared when the lights temporarily abandoned the long, flickering hallways. An ethereal being that grew stronger the closer it was to Acardi and the darker it was. More than capable of tearing apart anything around in the few, fleeting seconds of darkness. Greyed out windows made dim these hellish hallways and gave Acardi more than enough shade for his shade to strike with sharp sickle-like claws.

Left. Right. Left. They turned through the slaughtered filled halls, carving their way through the white-tiled halls pooled with blood and organs of those unfortunates caught out of their rooms or unable to find safety in time. They approached the large, wooden double doors with a 'Dining Hall' nameplate on each door.

The slamming of ornate wooden double doors by Briannaisa's foot revealed quite the sight.

A massive hall that held dozens of round tables that could seat four. Red cloth on a dark wooden table with thick yellow carpet greeted them. A large stage to the left for entertainers and shows for the guests. Large, lush, potted plants surrounded the walls of the room. A small room in the back where the food was temporarily stored when brought up from the kitchen…

All marred by pictures demonic come to life. Avian monsters with multi-armed winged tentacles. Skeletons with arms, heads, and legs multitude. 'Living' furniture made of different parts. Centaurs with too many human torsos on their horse-like body. Many without a head, some without skin.

In the center of the vast swarm of creatures in a grand hall that could seat hundreds was a blonde woman.

Claudette.

The blonde-haired maid was a blur. Enemies flying to the air with her every move.

A broken mop was her weapon. A simple staff – used to terrifying effect. Shu imbued, her makeshift weapon never faltered as she reduced the shambling masses and jittering gaunts into clouds of aura.

Every hit landing hard enough to decapitate or dismember. Every stab puncturing through more than one foe. The sheer ferocity, speed, and intensity of her defense forced back the mob. Behind her she protected several chefs and employees, all huddled together in terror.

Briannaisa smiled in relief to see her sister was ok. That relief was shattered when a high-pitched screech cut through the hall. Everyone turned up…

A large, pale, leech looking humanoid with serrated teeth in its circular mouth and an over-sized body… that was attached to the concave ceiling.

Long, lanky limbs with powerful, sinewy muscles stretched its flesh like pulled canvas over twisted wires. Its hind legs were 'human' in the respect that they looked human; as pale as the rest of its body. Its feet and toes were normal, albeit with twisted, gnarled nails made yellow with age. This was opposed to its 'hands' which were long fleshy nubs with three titanic talons.

The creature was directly over the small crowd of employees Claudette was protecting.

Her face grew pale. Her beautiful features as fragile as porcelain.

They all sensed the aura and strength of the creature the moment it revealed itself… how could something like that hide its presence so well?

Claudette turned to warn her charges and friends. But they lacked Nen and the ability to move fast enough to escape the incoming fall. She grimaced, turned around, and reacted by throwing her staff at the creature like a spear. Even though she knew it was hopeless, she screamed to the people she was protecting to move out of the way…

The Shu charged broom landed, embedding itself into the beast's broad, muscular shoulders. That makeshift projectile seemed to do little as the creature fell onto the crowd. Instead of crushing the terrified and panicked people outright, it paused for two seconds in pain… followed by grabbing, stabbing, and devouring the helpless employees.

Claudette stared on in horror.

Briannaisa snarled, pointed her left finger at the crowd of monsters, and screamed her orders.

"CALICO KNIGHTS: TRIPLE ENTENTE!"

Nen being what it is, calling the name of her attack increasing the damage of what was to come.

And what was to come her was her trump card.

Her three knights, brave and bold, jumped over their user and raised their swords as one. They pressed sword tips together and meowed simultaneously. Harmoniously. Their weapons glowed. Shining brightly in the flickering lights of the red and yellow banquet hall.

Everything turned toward the light. Claudette turned around, surprise in her eyes. An echo of the past.

Memories came back… long-lost memories of her friends from the NGL. When they were children. All five holding the same pose, but with sticks severing as imaginary swords.

When the five of them promised to live happily ever after.

Together, away from war.

In peace.

Only two remained from the past and Briannaisa would make sure her sister would live that dream. And, in utilizing this technique, they both realized how far she forgot about that dream.

For now, Briannaisa and Claudette were in another war. Just on a different battlefield.

The blonde clenched her fists and realized now was not the time to falter…

The cats flew, sailing toward the crowd of monsters. Swords outstretched, steel touching steel, heart with heart.

A line of line. A bright light. Flight and might.

Corkscrewing through the air, the three knights annihilated half a hundred deep mob of creatures. Limbs and parts flying, then disintegrating into white clouds of aura.

Claudette swayed to her left as the three knights sailed, curved, and arced right into the two and a half meter-tall monstrosity. The three warriors' swords twisting in unison as it entered the fleshy right shoulder of the monster. The moment they hit, its entire right side disappeared in a burst of blood and viscera.

The monster roared. It's sound a supernatural shriek that cut to the bone of all in the room. It swayed left and right before falling face-first to the ground with a massive thud.

Brianniasa yelled, "Come on! We can't keep fighting these things forever!"

Claudette nodded and sprinted down the hall, past the opening her sister made. The moment Claudette made it past, the opening immediately closed as more creatures ran toward her. With fangs, talons, teeth. Gnashing, gnawing. Hands and claws; grasping and clawing.

Briannaisa panted. Triple Entente took a tremendous amount of Aura to use and was useless against most opponents unless she could pin them down. Thankfully, an enormous crowd of demonic paintings come to life was just the thing. She couldn't have missed unless she tried.

The moment Claudette got close to the group, Briannaisa gave her a quick hug. Claudette's hug a range of emotions. She was the soft-hearted one. It made Briannaisa angry her sister had to be brought into a warzone once more.

She shook her head and back down the hall, "Come on! There's another exit! Let's go."

They all nodded. They quickly turned and sprinted back once they came, taking turn after turn. After a minute or sprinting, they saw a set of stairs not blocked by a million or so creatures…

Relief hit them. Followed by a massive shriek that froze three of the four's blood in their vein from pure fear.

The fourth held a look of surprise. Pariston smiled as he climbed down the steps, explaining himself for no other reason than to feel superior.

"It seems the creature was actually a human! Quite a drastic change in form, though no surprise! Desire is an important component of Nen. If a Nen-user desires something enough and is persistent and talented enough, they just might receive it!"

Acardi humored the man, more for his sanity than anything.

"To think someone would desire so much to be a monster that they would sacrifice their form."

"Why, several of the Zodiacs are like this! Cheadle the most obvious, her very appearance conforming to her loyalty to her position as Dog Zodiac and her loyalty to the Chairman. Such loyalty fills my heart with joy!" Pariston said with joy that sounded sincere, but in the situation's context made it sound as disingenuous as possible.

Acardi snapped, "If only the rat was more his form."

Pariston frowned, "And deprive people with my comforting, compassionate, and trusting my appearance befit my nature? You wound me Acardi!"

Briannaisa barked, "Shut up! Focus on getting out of here!"

Above, they heard the thing coming. Unbeknownst to them, it was one of the Magi.

Come to give its gifts.


Mercutio walked calmly through the lobby of the Dragon Head. The gas from outside not entering the gigantic hole Mayer made for the building. Mercutio noted it and continued at a leisurely and unrushed pace.

He passed the receptionist's desk and looked over the wood. He saw a dead Harold. Sprawled on the floor face down. His head crushed.

Mercutio frowned behind his gas mask.

He removed his hat, then his gas mask. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked down to the doorman.

"Sorry Harold. I liked you too. Always greeting people with a smile. Or an Uzi," he said with a cold, yet sad smile, "I'll make sure your kids are taken care of."

He took off his suit jacket and placed it over the top portion of the man. To give the man some dignity.

Mercutio sighed again, then fastened his hat on to his head. Now clad in only a white button-up, and black pin-striped suit pants, he grimaced.

"Now I'm kinda' pissed…"

One last sigh and he conjured his Hatsu: the snub-nosed pistol The Smoking Gun. He frowned, stared at his gun, and popped out the chamber. Five Nen bullets that automatically came with the first level of his Hatsu. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Five in the chamber. Five in each pocket. What a pain…"

He heard something. He turned his head up from his weapon. He stared down the hall in front of the elevator was a massive ogre-like creature. A skinless, muscular creature with sloughing skin. It turned its malformed, pasty head and stared its uneven, misshapen eyes at Mercutio.

It snarled, revealing large disgusting, broken teeth.

It charged with inhuman speed.

Mercutio stared. Razor-sharp eyes…

Bored.

It covered ten or so meters in a heartbeat. With ten more left. Its colossal form and jittering movements were inhuman and biomechanically impossible.

It barreled down the hall.

Mercutio sighed. He re-chambered his revolver.

He spun the chamber.

Aimed.

A press of the trigger and a round flew. It hit the creature's right knee.

Another press. Another round. Another knee.

The drop of the hammer. The raging sound of faltering footsteps.

The third round hit its left elbow.

The fourth created a hole in its remaining elbow.

The creature fumbled forward, unable to move anymore with no usable joints to speak of. It tumbled and stumbled until it landed on its shins and slid toward Mercutio. Floundering on the floor as it slipped on dying blood in the lobby.

Its its arms rose toward Mercutio in a fury as it slide closer. Flopping arms hung from its elbows. Ineffectual forearms hanging off biceps like rubbery meat.

Completely harmless.

It slid to a stop at the foot of Mercutio. The enforcer's right hand on his hip, his left holding the gun steady.

Its momentum and inertia came to an end…

Mercutio pressed his gun against the disgusting creature's forehead pressed directly.

The creature roared.

The enforcer's last shot blew the entire back of the creature's head open.

Mercutio stared down at the corpse. He frowned. The thing disintegrating into a gust of smokey white Nen.

He turned up to see more horrors coming. Of the worst nightmare.

Nary a blink. He'd probably done worse himself.

He frowned, rolled his eyes, and brought his right hand to his neck as he stretched and cracked his neck. A sigh exited his mouth as he turned and reached over the receptionist's desk. He lazily pulled out an Uzi and box of magazines.

The sound of moans, death, and superhuman Nen monsters approaching…

As he began putting the magazines of ammunition into his belt he echoed the sentiment of all hard-working employees everywhere.

"I hate my job…"


I ran down the halls as fast as I could without slipping on blood and viscera. The walls were covered with these horrifying paintings as big and as tall as a person. The stuff of nightmares.

Super Mario 64: Grimdark Edition…

Humor intact, I continued my way down these dark, drenched halls. Cursing the situation at hand.

I had only climbed down two floors… and I could tell it was getting worse. The walls were filled with paintings that served as gateways to hell or something. Occasionally a zombie or nightmare would fall out of it like dookie out an asshole.

Like a gallery of terror or some shit…

What also was a nightmare was carrying Evira while fighting one-armed. These things were tougher than humans, on par with amateur Nen-users. Add hundreds of them and you got a problem. Even a world champion MMA fighter would have trouble with a horde of fearless novices all at once. Half the battle was trying not to get dog piled…

Never have I had intestines wrap around my neck and try to strangle me until today.

There were three fuckers attacking us, right? There were three groups here: Me, Briannaisa, and the reinforcements that shook this building like a bomb earlier. I was going to meet one assassin eventually, especially since their target was slung over my shoulder.

I had to keep my guard up. As strong as I was, fighting horde after horde of dumb monstrous nightmare things was getting tiring. I could jog for days (literally), yet the tension and stress of seeing shit best kept in a bad dream was getting to me.

But I was getting there.

Down the hall. Stairs to my left. My hand wrapped around the doorknob.

Open the door…

I looked down to see a long painting on the stair floor in front of me. As long as a person. A black portal in the center against white. I almost stepped in one before. Instead, shoved a creature to test what happened, and it never came out. One of the numerous traps that were plaguing my way down...

Meat moss or some shit that was nigh impossible to break also covered many of the stair doors. When I found a flight of stairs (regular, maintence, or otherwise) the stairs were filled with meat moss, monsters, or painting traps. So far, I haven't found any stairs that lead all the way down.

Elevators were super no-no.

I paused outside the door to think.

Damn it… think we're being funneled somewhere… a lot of these monsters trying to hit me with paintings with the same pattern on it…

This one was big and blocked most of the floor, but that was fine. I just need-

I felt something push me. Hard.

I twisted around and from habit, willed my wire to come from my sleeves.

Cold terror hit me.

My Hatsus were gone.

I fell, turning.

I saw a pale, bald, thin man wave at me as I fell into the painting.

No eyeballs. Just a vacant, pleased smile. Cracked yellow and grey teeth. Grey, yellowing skin…

I fell. I fell up. I fell sideways. I spun. The world twisted and turned in a vortex of black and white… strobing light… vibrating air…. migraine...

Gravity took hold, and I landed on the ground. The air knocked out of me.

The world, darkness.

Evira wasn't on me anymore. She must've fell off.

I stood up and stared. Hope quickly draining out of me.

I was in a dark dimension of endless black. Filled with countless paintings just floating around. As if I was standing in space with all the stars in the universe removed. Paintings floating through the void…

I could see out of them, but it was blurry. Many of them showing different parts of the Dragon's Head. The thing was, the images of the outside world were transposed with paintings. Fading in and out. Like tarnished, stained glass with shadowy figures and shapes outside bleeding through...

I turned to my right. In the distance was Evira crumpled on the floor.

Behind me. High above me… I felt it.

I turned.

Coming out of a painting way above me… was a man.

The same man who pushed me...

The eyeless, emaciated creature of a human. Always smiling. His arms were wrapped around a boney, skinny torso of grey-yellow skin with an ashy complexion and countless liver spots. Wispy hairs on his chin and frayed eyebrows like torn rope.

He turned his head down and 'looked at me'. Eyeless…

He somehow could 'see' me. I just knew.

He unwrapped his long, spindly arms. Old, gnarled nails at the end of gnarled, thin fingers. His movements so soft and elegant… it disturbed me with his grace.

My bottom lip trembled as he stretched his body. Aura leaking out.

This man… he must be as strong as that Old Man was… no it was different.

I never felt Netero's aura, but I felt Evira's and Mayer's. Both of whom were absurd. If I was a pond with a small stream, they were waterfalls into a lake.

It felt like that, but worse… different…

From what Gon and Killua told me… Netero was a monster combatant. From Mayer's explanations, he was probably the strongest martial artist on the planet. Having focused entirely on the art of combat and facing an opponent in open combat.

That is, Netero had sacrificed everything to put all his strength into himself.

The man above me… he had far less power… but it was spread out. It was in all the creatures around him, in every figure and horrifying painting that moved.

At a whim, he could kill an entire city by releasing his creatures into York New City. He could hide in his paintings and never be caught. He, himself, wasn't strong. His power was contained across the entire building, this realm, the paintings, creatures... Thousands of objects and constructs that contained his aura…

This man was the strongest 'killer' in one sense and one sense alone.

He could slaughter everything around him. Like a King ordering its warriors to kill…

In the edges of the darkness, I saw a horde of creatures emerging from paintings…

They stood there. Waiting. Roaring in an unholy, harmonious chorus...

A voice came from that decrepit old man. It sounded like dust and ages. Whispers of more than a century.

"You… I have found you… you who contain great darkness."

MCP appeared from the air, staring up at the man. I stared at MCP, then back to the Magi.

"You who bring great disaster wherever he walks. Let me give you our adoration… young one… and grant you your gift…"

I sneered, though I couldn't help but feel nervous. My chest tight and my lungs finding it hard to function.

I held stick tightly in my right hand.

Sweat ran through my red hair, down my face.

It stung my eyes, forcing me to squint.

"Yeah? What's that…"

The man, as far as he was above me… I could see his disgusting smile stretch.

"Your destiny…"


Author's Notes

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and continue to do well!

Next chapter will be the end of the arc and we will finally see the full power of Master Control Program! I have been waiting a long time for this.

Thank you again for all the reviews! They fill my heart with happiness, haha!

As always, stay safe and healthy out there! I wish you all happiness and luck!

See you in the next chapter.

Rondo out!