A crash echoed! Ivlenkov, thrown off balance by the sudden impact, stumbled and fell to the ground.
Baise and Shachmono, their eyes widening in shock, stared at the source of the attack behind Ivlenkov.
"What?! The statues are moving?!" Baise exclaimed, her voice laced with disbelief and astonishment.
A strange female voice echoed through the hall.
Behind Ivlenkov, the blue statue sprang to life, its massive arm extending swiftly to shield Ivlenkov from harm. The attacker, a young woman named Shizuku wielding a vacuum cleaner, aimed a blow at Ivlenkov, but her attack was intercepted by the statue's arm. Ivlenkov's life was spared.
Thump thump! The blue statue's eyes snapped open, its body seemingly animated and imbued with a newfound vitality. It positioned itself squarely in front of Shizuku, its six-pointed star-shaped eyes fixed intently upon the attacker.
"What in the world is this thing? How is the statue moving?" Shachmono stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief and a touch of fear as he witnessed the incredible scene unfolding before him. He was utterly overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events.
The young woman, Shizuku, despite her seemingly delicate appearance, had unleashed a wave of intense killing intent in the brief moment before her attack, an aura so potent that it would have almost certainly resulted in Ivlenkov's death had it not been for the timely intervention of the animated statue.
Baise, her gaze fixed upon the animated blue statue, abruptly turned her head, her eyes widening in surprise as she noticed that the red statue behind her had also come to life, its eyes now open and its gaze fixed intently upon her. The imposing figure of the red statue, its eerie eyes staring directly at Baise, caused her to stumble backward, falling to the ground in a state of shock and disbelief.
Shachmono, his attention drawn to the sudden movement of the red statue, turned his head, his eyes widening in disbelief as he witnessed the same phenomenon occurring with the red statue. "What's going on? What kind of monsters are these things?" he muttered, his voice laced with a mixture of fear and confusion. The sheer improbability of the situation had overwhelmed his ability to think rationally. The fact that the statues had suddenly come to life could only be attributed to the intervention of a Nen user, he reasoned, concluding that the ability must belong to either an Emission-type or Manipulation-type Nen user.
Shizuku leaped back, her voice filled with a mixture of surprise and caution. "Such powerful Nen! Are those… Nen beasts?" she exclaimed, her words laced with a hint of apprehension.
Upon hearing Shizuku's words, Shachmono's mind finally made the connection. "Of course! Nen beasts!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with a newfound understanding. The two strange entities could only be Nen beasts.
As Shachmono's mind grasped the situation, the red statue extended its arm towards Baise, its hand reaching out as if to seize her.
Baise's face turned pale with terror. "Don't… don't come near me," she pleaded, her voice trembling with fear.
Her words caused the red statue to halt its advance, its movement ceasing abruptly. Then, to the utter astonishment and dread of Shachmono, Baise, and the fallen Ivlenkov, the red statue bowed its head before Baise.
"Miss Baise, we are here to protect you," the statue declared, its voice deep and resonant, sending a fresh wave of shock and disbelief through the three witnesses.
"It… it spoke!" Shachmono stammered, his voice barely audible above the pounding of his own heart.
Hearing the red statue address her by name, Baise's initial fear began to subside, replaced by a growing sense of relief. The monstrous entity before her seemed not to be an enemy, but rather a protector. "Who… who are you?" she inquired hesitantly, her voice still trembling slightly.
The red statue, its movements surprisingly fluid and graceful for such a large entity, gently lifted Baise to her feet. "Miss Baise, please leave. We are Lord Loki's shikigami, Zenki and Goki," the red statue announced, its voice echoing with authority and power.
Baise's mind reeled at the revelation. 'Loki's shikigami… Nen beasts! He's at the hotel, and his Nen beasts are here. Just how powerful is that little boss?' she thought, her mind struggling to comprehend the implications of this incredible display of Nen mastery.
As Zenki finished speaking, Goki the blue statue, launched a sudden attack upon Shizuku, its massive body and powerful arms moving with surprising speed and precision. The two powerful arms, acting as formidable battering rams, rained down blows upon Shizuku, who attempted to defend herself with her vacuum cleaner. However, her efforts proved futile, as Goki's strength far surpassed hers. With a single, devastating blow, Goki sent Shizuku flying through the air, her body crashing into a wall, creating a sizable crater in the solid surface.
Only then did Baise, Shachmono, and Ivlenkov regain their composure, their minds struggling to process the incredible events that had unfolded before them. Shachmono, his gaze fixed upon Goki, who was now engaged in a fierce battle with Shizuku, let out a gasp of astonishment.
'Loki actually possesses Nen beasts! And their power is absolutely terrifying. To be able to effortlessly subdue a Nen user single-handedly…' Shachmono marveled, his mind reeling at the implications of this discovery. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a surge of panic as he recalled the presence of two formidable Nen users still within the auction hall. 'This place is far too dangerous. We need to escape immediately,' he thought, his voice laced with urgency.
"Baise, forget about this. Let's escape!" Shachmono urged, his voice filled with a sense of urgency.
Baise, her mind still reeling from the events, was pulled to her feet by Shachmono, who, along with Ivlenkov, guided her towards the exit. As they fled, Baise cast a final glance at Zenki and Goki, her mind struggling to comprehend the situation.
'Loki's Nen beasts… that little boss actually deployed Nen beasts to protect me,' Baise mused to herself, a subtle smile gradually forming on her lips.
Baise, Shachmono, and Ivlenkov burst out of the auction hall, emerging into the night. The individuals guarding the perimeter of the auction hall remained vigilant, completely unaware of the massacre that had taken place within.
"Quickly! Enemies have infiltrated the auction hall! Get inside!" Ivlenkov roared, his voice filled with urgency, his words shattering the calm facade of the guards.
The guards, momentarily stunned by Ivlenkov's outburst, quickly sprang into action, rushing towards the entrance of the auction hall.
"Have you contacted the captain?" Shachmono inquired, his voice laced with a hint of concern.
Ivlenkov's face was grim. "My phone's inside. I contacted Kurapika; he should contact the captain."
"Let's find a phone and contact the captain," suggested Baise, her voice laced with a hint of urgency. She was wearing a black dress with no pockets for her phone, and neither Shachmono nor Ivlenkov had brought their phones. Ivlenkov's phone was lost inside the auction hall.
Borrowing a phone from a nearby guard, Baise immediately dialed Loki's number.
As Baise, Shachmono, and Ivlenkov escaped the auction hall, Zenki and Goki engaged in a fierce battle with Shizuku. This moment, Loki already knew the auction hall was in trouble. But Loki was just about to tell Dalzollene when he hadn't gotten up yet. A familiar voice echoed in his ears.
Ding! Mother's Heart mission activated.
Save those in Yorknew City who are destined to be killed by the Phantom Troupe. Saving those destined to die will grant rewards; saving more people will grant greater rewards.
The system had suddenly triggered a new mission. Loki, however, was far from pleased.
"Mother's Heart! What kind of ridiculous mission is this?" he muttered under his breath, his expression a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. He couldn't understand how this mission had been triggered and why the system had chosen this particular mission.
Loki glanced at the reward details, noting that the reward increased with the number of people saved. However, the prospect of saving those underworld figures was utterly unappealing, not only because they were hardly deserving of his intervention but also because this mission seemed designed to force him into direct confrontation with the Phantom Troupe. Even with his considerable power, he couldn't afford to be so reckless. He decided to simply ignore this mission.
Compared to the other two missions, these two were more important, and far less troublesome. Saving those individuals was not the priority; he needed to prevent the Phantom Troupe from killing too many people. He wasn't Son Goku, capable of handling multiple opponents simultaneously. How could he possibly keep track of twelve individuals at once?
As Loki pondered the absurdity of the system's newly assigned mission, within the auction hall, Feitan surveyed the scene, his expression a mixture of boredom and disdain.
"These pathetic trash didn't even give me a chance to fight. I should have stayed at the base; this is incredibly boring," Feitan grumbled, his voice laced with a hint of frustration.
Franklin, observing Feitan's displeasure, offered a placating response. "Calm down, Feitan. These individuals, while they may be the leaders of the underworld, are still merely ordinary people. If you're looking for a challenging opponent, you won't find one here," Franklin stated calmly, his tone reassuring.
"I know, but these guys are pathetically weak," Feitan retorted, his voice laced with a hint of contempt.
Boom! Suddenly, Shizuku was sent flying through the air, crashing through the entrance of the auction hall and hurtling towards the platform where Feitan and Franklin were standing. Her body, spinning wildly through the air, finally landed with a thud beside Feitan and Franklin, her clothes torn and her face bearing several scratches. Her appearance was one of utter disarray and dishevelment.
"Shizuku! What happened?" Feitan demanded, his brow furrowed in concern.
Franklin, his gaze fixed upon Shizuku, turned his attention towards the entrance of the auction hall, his eyes widening slightly as two massive figures crashed through the walls, their presence immediately commanding attention.
Zenki, wielding a massive axe, and Goki, his arms as thick and powerful as battering rams, stood side-by-side at the entrance to the auction hall.
"Powerful Nen! Shizuku, are there enemies outside?" Franklin inquired, his voice laced with a hint of caution.
Shizuku, rubbing her wrist, shook her head. "No, these two things were already at the entrance. They were like statues; I didn't see any enemies, only these two…" she explained, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and apprehension.
"Nen beasts! They must have been deployed beforehand. Interesting. They placed Nen beasts outside the auction hall beforehand. Did they know we were attacking?" Feitan remarked, his eyes narrowing as he focused his attention upon Zenki and Goki, the two Nen beasts proving far more intriguing than the pathetic individuals they had just eliminated within the auction hall.
"I don't think so," Franklin countered, his voice calm and measured. "If they knew about the attack, why wouldn't they place the Nen beasts inside the auction
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