"Oh~ it seems I've arrived for something interesting."
The dusty voice turned around, his gaze lingering on Ahmed and the Alpha Squad.
Dressed in a greenish-gray long robe, black boots, and a baseball cap wrapped with numerous bandages, it was Ging Freecss in his youth, at twenty-one years old.
At this time, he had already brought his son, Gon, back to his old home on Whale Island. Mito had not yet gained custody from him through the courts.
"Ging Freecss."
Ahmed's eyes were fixed on Ging Freecss, with cold red light emanating from his eye-level areas.
"Oh~ it's rare for someone to recognize me."
Ging scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"However, that doesn't mean you can illegally invade Greed Island."
The next moment, Ging's expression suddenly turned solemn, his eyes cold as he looked at the Alpha Squad and Ahmed, his voice icy and steady.
"If you don't want to lose your lives here, I advise you to leave immediately."
"Lose our lives?"
Ahmed was silent for a moment, then took a "boom" step forward, his voice deep.
"Getting too carried away can lead to trouble."
"Swish!"
The Alpha Squad members cooperatively raised their Gauss rifles, aiming at Razor, Ging Freecss, and List on the second floor of the castle, respectively.
"Are we going to fight?"
Razor watched their movements, a large amount of reddish-purple aura suddenly erupting from his body. He raised both hands to his waist, and two reddish-purple energy orbs converged above his palms, emitting dazzling light.
"Wait a moment, Razor."
Just as both sides were about to make a move, at the critical moment, Ging Freecss called a halt.
"What is your objective?"
Ging Freecss looked seriously at Ahmed, his gaze sweeping over their power armor and Night Crow aircraft, and said:
"It's clear that an unimaginably powerful force stands behind you."
"Invading Greed Island with such a grand display, it probably isn't just for the game's final prize, is it?"
Seeing that Ging Freecss intended to negotiate, Ahmed raised his right hand. The Alpha Squad members collectively lowered their Gauss rifles, no longer aiming at them.
"We are from [Redacted]. Our purpose in coming to Greed Island this time is merely to invite the card creators to our foundation as guests."
"Of course, what we want is the principle behind the creation of spell cards in this game, and the prerequisites for unleashing the various abilities on those spell cards."
Ahmed explained the reason for their visit to Greed Island to the three present.
A long silence...
"Impossible, it cannot be done." After listening to Ahmed, Ging Freecss immediately said, "The reason those spell cards can be used on the island is because they rely on an extremely complex operating system."
"And this system is absolutely impossible to replicate. Furthermore, it's a system that a person can only use once in their lifetime."
"Therefore, even if you want to invite someone back and replicate such a system, it's impossible."
Ahmed looked at Ging Freecss, who stood with his arms crossed. The power armor's system AI was monitoring his heartbeat and micro-expressions to determine if he was lying.
"Heartbeat rate normal, facial expression unchanged, normal."
A line of text popped up on Ahmed's helmet display, making him frown.
Whether Ging Freecss was telling the truth or if his psychological fortitude was strong enough to deceive even a system AI, this was not the answer he wanted.
"My duty is to execute the tasks assigned by my superiors and complete them."
"As for the outcome, that is not within my scope of responsibility."
"I only need to bring the Nen user who creates the cards back to base to complete the mission."
As Ahmed spoke, he took another step forward, indicating his resolve. At the same time, the Alpha Squad members once again raised their Gauss rifles and aimed at the three: Ging Freecss, Razor, and List.
"But you don't know who the spell card creators are, do you?"
Ging Freecss heard this, chuckled softly, and grinned.
"If I am the Nen user who creates the spell cards, what do you intend to do?"
"Will you complete the mission even if it costs your lives, or will you retreat?"
Ahmed said nothing. He merely clenched his armored fist lightly, and a red light flashed from his eyes.
"You see, Ging."
Razor's mouth curled into a slight arc. Two reddish-purple energy orbs converged in his palms. He looked at the Alpha Squad members and said:
"These people are merely pawns of some organization. They are not the ones truly in charge."
"They are just executors. If we don't beat them back here, they won't give up."
"Ah~ I can see that."
Ging Freecss responded.
As he spoke, he used his left hand to grab the scarf on his body and the bandages wrapped around his baseball cap, removing them one by one. At the same time, he used his right hand to take off his cap and vigorously waved it.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
The gray baseball cap spun as it flew towards List on the second floor of the castle, who gently caught it.
"Leave this place to me and Razor."
List nodded, then turned and walked into the castle, seemingly going to inform Elena.
"Don't go!"
But Ahmed would not let him leave. In his opinion, the most likely spell card creators among this group were the blond young man and the person named Elena hidden inside the castle.
Some of their information was in the database.
Thinking this, Ahmed, clad in power armor, suddenly leaped several meters high, carving a graceful arc in mid-air as he descended towards the second-floor balcony of the castle.
"Swish!"
Ahmed, about to descend onto the second-floor balcony, saw a blur. Ging Freecss, with disheveled golden hair, appeared before him in a flash, a smile playing on his lips.
"Is it appropriate to ignore me, who is the highest combat power, at a time like this?"
As Ging Freecss spoke, his body shifted sideways in mid-air, and he kicked his right foot towards Ahmed.
Ging Freecss kicked Ahmed in the chest. Ahmed crossed his arms to protect his chest, and the kick landed squarely on his crossed arms, sending Ahmed flying back to the ground.
Ging Freecss, using the momentum, flipped in mid-air and landed steadily on the edge of the second-floor balcony.
"Thump!"
Ahmed landed on the ground, his heavy feet touching down again. As he landed, his right leg stepped back slightly to steady himself.
"Activate rocket boosters."
Ahmed muttered, and the rocket boosters on the back of his power armor "swished" open, spewing white flames.
"Boom!"
With a resounding crash, Ahmed vanished from his spot, leaving an irregular, cracked crater on the ground.
In the instant he rushed towards the second floor of the castle, Ahmed clenched his right hand. A large amount of Nen surged forth, enveloping his arm and transforming into a two-meter long, white glowing Damascus blade.
Curiously, this blade had no hilt; it "grew" directly from Ahmed's arm.
"Converting aura into a weapon after gathering it, that ability is quite convenient."
On the balcony, Ging Freecss, with his hands in his pockets, watched the blade in Ahmed's hand. He had witnessed the entire process of the weapon's formation.
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