Hunter x hunter: I’m interested in Nen abilities

Chapter 49: Xingyi Martial Arts

The sudden explosion turned the lively street, crowded with marathon spectators, into a scene of chaos and bloodshed.

Smoke, screams, panic... The place where the baseball cap-wearing young man had been was now a scorched crater. Around it, charred limbs and white bones were scattered in a radial pattern. Many people sat frozen in shock, while others screamed and ran frantically, colliding and trampling over one another in their desperate escape.

The air was thick with tension and terror.

Buzz…

The piercing ringing in Shizuku's ears gradually subsided. She lowered her arms, which had been shielding her face.

"Are you okay?" Haru asked beside her.

"Mm." Shizuku checked herself.

Thanks to the time she had spent practicing Ken with Haru, her defense had been timely.

Even so, the explosion's close proximity was overwhelming. The scorching heatwave, the powerful shock, and the debris mixed with shards of stone had left her black sweater's sleeves and her jeans in tatters. Her wounds were bloody, and some appeared burnt from the heat.

"It's just superficial injuries," she concluded before looking at Haru. "What about you? You don't look so good. Are you okay?"

"Help me!"

"It hurts! Ahhh…"

"My leg! My leg is over there!"

"Somebody, please help…"

The chaotic cries and screams surrounded them. Haru's face was pale as he clutched his chest, surveying the street that had turned into a terror-stricken scene.

Judging by the cold yet searing Aura entering his heart, the explosion had claimed 15 lives in an instant. On top of that, many others were severely injured and on the brink of death, their lifeless forms littering the ground.

As these thoughts raced through Haru's mind, two more streams of aura surged into his chest.

His heart pounded violently, and phantom pain coursed through him. Haru had an ominous feeling that if this continued, even one more stream of aura would cause him to lose control and "transform."

What age would his body accelerate to this time?

Fifteen? Twenty? Thirty?

A sobbing, screaming man stumbled into him. Haru caught him and casually took his black trench coat.

Elsewhere, Dago and his group were caught off guard and blown back by the heatwave. Though they were nen users and their aura provided far more protection than an ordinary person's, they were gravely injured but still breathing. Dago, suffering the least damage, remained conscious amidst the chaos. He looked around, bewildered and frustrated.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sloane felt a sharp slap on his face, snapping him awake. It was Kanzai.

"I'm fine," Sloane stammered, still shaken. His face was pale as he recalled the moments before the explosion. That baseball cap-wearing youth had clearly been targeting him. If Kanzai hadn't shielded him, he would undoubtedly have died.

Suddenly, Sloane's eyes narrowed as a primed grenade appeared in his vision. His pupils contracted, his heart racing, and time seemed to freeze.

Kanzai, eyes bloodshot and baring his fangs, growled, "Don't underestimate me!"

In an instant, his body expanded several times over, transforming into a humanoid tiger. He grabbed the grenade and hugged it to his chest.

Boom!

The grenade exploded in his grasp like a muffled cannon. Kanzai's crouched, shielding stance didn't waver, as if the explosion had been nothing more than a gust of wind.

The humanoid tiger straightened, smoke trailing off his frame. His furious expression was evident as he opened his hands, dropping a pile of molten shrapnel.

---

Xingyi Martial Arts: Tiger Fist of Reinforcement

Kanzai's martial arts are instinctive, formed by mimicking the movements of various animals. This unique style allows him to fully harness the power of other nen systems.

Restriction: After choosing one martial form, he must remain in it for at least 5 minutes before switching to another.

Tiger Fist unleashes 100% of the power of Enhancement.

---

"There's more than one!" Sloane gritted his teeth.

In the distance, faint police sirens could be heard. The scene was a chaotic mess, making it impossible to distinguish between ordinary civilians and remaining terrorists. Kanzai, focused on protecting Sloane, couldn't leave his side. Additionally, in his Tiger Fist form, his En ability was greatly diminished, making it harder to locate hidden enemies in the panicked crowd.

Kanzai decided, I'll have to control my strength carefully.

The humanoid tiger let out a roar that shook the air.

"Roar!!!"

The deafening shockwave caused the surrounding crowd to collapse like flattened wheat fields. Ordinary people were immediately disoriented and incapacitated, temporarily losing the ability to act.

With the chaos momentarily quelled, a few individuals stood out—the terrorists who were retrieving grenades, detonators, and firearms from their bags. They were clearly visible, not just to Kanzai but also to Haru and Shizuku, who were maintaining Ken.

The three reacted differently.

Kanzai, unable to leave his post, dug his claws into the concrete ground, hurling a chunk of stone at one of the terrorists.

Shizuku only glanced at the would-be bombers before turning back to Haru, who was pale and unsteady. She silently worried. Is he really okay?

Haru didn't know what he was thinking. One more surge of aura, and he might lose control completely. Yet his finger was already on the position, aimed at the terrorists preparing their final attack. Without hesitation, he released a volley of nen bullets.

The air rippled invisibly as the bullets tore through the heads of four terrorists. Bang! Kanzai's chunk of concrete crushed the skull of the fifth.

The deaths sent five streams of cold, searing aura rushing into Haru's chest, pushing his overburdened heart past its limit.

Shizuku caught Haru as he swayed.

Haru unzipped his backpack, addressing the chirping rock sparrow and two crows inside. "Listen to Shizuku's commands."

Then he draped the trench coat over himself and clung to Shizuku. With the last vestiges of his consciousness, he said, "Shizuku, take me away."

"Okay."

Shizuku didn't show much emotion. Following Haru's orders, she wrapped him in the coat and turned to leave.

"Wait! Is Haru okay?" Sloane shouted anxiously.

"Is he injured?" Dago asked, carrying the other four hunters. As police sirens drew closer, Kanzai reverted to his normal form and frowned. "What's wrong? If he's hurt, the ambulances will be here soon."

Sloane, now calmer, said, "That's right, Shizuku. Don't act rashly. If Haru is injured, he needs medical treatment—"

"Move," Shizuku interrupted, her tone calm. Holding Haru with one hand, she conjured her vacuum, Blinky, with the other.

Kanzai, already in a foul mood, grew irate at her defiance. "Hey, you—"

"I can vacuum up all the bodies here," Shizuku said flatly, her usual vacant expression unchanging. "If you don't want things to escalate, don't stop me."

She was like a mother beast protecting her cub. Sloane and Dago couldn't help but think this as they stepped aside.

Without another word, Shizuku vanished with Haru in her arms. In the chaos of the streets, no ordinary person could follow her movements. Within moments, she disappeared from Kanzai's and the others' sight, taking Haru with her.

(Chapter End)