Dominica hung up the phone, her expression stern.
"Dominica, how's the situation?" Kaizen asked, his tone steady but curious.
Dominica turned toward him, her face grim. "Besides us, two other Nen users from the Taris Kingdom caused significant damage. Two cities were completely wiped out."
Kaizen's eyes widened slightly. "No survivors?"
"None."
Kaizen fell silent. A city, no matter how small, holds hundreds of thousands of lives. To think that all of them were lost due to the revenge of rogue Nen users from Taris… It was horrifying.
The memory of the chaos in Meteor City resurfaced in his mind. Back then, he had only heard tales of the destruction. But this time, he'd witnessed part of the carnage firsthand.
"If we hadn't arrived in time at that other city, it would've met the same fate," Dominica said.
Kaizen nodded, though his chest felt heavy. Death was a constant in this world, but the scale of this tragedy was different.
Dominica continued, "Most of the Taris Kingdom Nen users in those areas were either subdued or killed. A few were captured and handed over to the Hunter Association, but some managed to escape. Bounties have already been issued for them."
She paused, her gaze sharp. "And there's more—new intel about the internal chaos within Taris itself. The Hunter Association and the Fiora Kingdom have formed a joint task force to lead a crusade against the perpetrators."
Dominica glanced at Wendy. "What about you? Do you want to continue with me, or return to Fiora?"
Wendy hesitated for a moment before responding, "I want to stay with you. I've decided to focus on penance training, but before that, I want to experience real combat—life-and-death battles."
Dominica nodded approvingly, then turned to Kaizen.
"And you?"
"I'm going to Taris as well," Kaizen said firmly.
"Good. In that case, we'll take the airship and meet the others there."
The next day, the three boarded an airship. Two days later, they arrived in Oaks, a neighboring country to Taris. From there, a small town near the border served as their stopover point. Beyond the town's back mountain lay Taris itself.
As soon as they arrived, Dominica received a call. Her expression darkened as she hung up.
"Wendy, Kaizen," she said, her tone brisk, "the team that went ahead encountered trouble. I'm heading out to assist them. Stay here and wait for the Hunter Association team to arrive. You'll join forces with them."
Before either could reply, Dominica disappeared into the distance, crossing the back mountain in a blur.
The town was small, with most buildings made of wood. Dominica had rented a modest wooden house for them to stay in. It had two floors, with common areas downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs.
Wendy glanced at Kaizen. "So, among the Zoldycks, are you the strongest of your age?"
Kaizen shrugged. "Hard to say. At the manor, there's no one exactly my age—just those older or younger."
"Really?" Wendy blinked in surprise. "I thought the Zoldycks had a reputation for keeping things… structured."
Kaizen smirked faintly. "Structured, yes. But the Testing Gate is the first barrier. If you can't open it, you're not getting in—period."
"The Testing Gate?"
"It's a series of gates that increase in weight, starting at four tons and doubling with each gate. To get in, you need the strength to push one open. Tricks don't work—otherwise, Mike, the family guard dog, will handle the intruder."
Wendy's eyes lit up. "That sounds… intense. Do you think I could do it?"
Kaizen tilted his head thoughtfully. "With your strength as a C-rank Nen user? You should be able to push at least the first door open."
Wendy grinned. "That's something I'd like to try someday."
Kaizen hesitated before nodding. "After we finish up in Taris, I could invite you to visit the Zoldyck manor. Some areas might be off-limits, but it should be fine overall."
"Really?" Wendy's excitement was evident.
"Sure. Visitors aren't unheard of."
Kaizen's mind wandered. His offer wasn't just about courtesy—he had a plan. The battles in Taris had given him new inspiration for creating his next aura beast. The Taris Kingdom's characteristics would influence his fifth aura beast, while the Fiora royal family's traits were already marked for his sixth.
He thought of Dominica and Wendy, both formidable in their own right. Their abilities weren't just impressive—they were fuel for his ambition.
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