The Seven Deadly Sins.
In ancient Catholic doctrine, they represent the fundamental flaws embedded deep within human nature:
Pride. Envy. Wrath. Sloth. Greed. Gluttony. Lust.
They are not learned.
They are not taught.
They are born with us.
Some people suppress them their entire lives.
Others… simply lack the power to let them surface.
After surviving his time in Meteor City and awakening Nen what he casually called "[Reading]" Rimo's mentality had already begun to change.
Not slightly.
Not gradually.
But fundamentally.
The constant surge of aura within his body…
The feeling of vitality that never diminished…
The overwhelming sense that he could shape reality itself with his will…
All of it fed something dangerous.
Pride.
In his previous life, Rimo had been successful.
Wealthy.
Respected.
But still
Human.
Even if he had been the richest man alive, he would still have been bound by the limits of flesh and mortality.
A single bullet could end him.
A single mistake could ruin him.
But now?
That reality no longer applied.
When a person who once feared a pistol suddenly finds himself able to stand calmly under machine gun fire… something changes.
When explosions, bullets, and even heavy weaponry lose their meaning
Fear disappears.
And when fear disappears
So does restraint.
Rimo had begun to look down on the world.
Not consciously.
Not deliberately.
But inevitably.
Everyone he met after awakening Nen…
Was weak.
Pathetically weak.
Not a single person could even touch him.
Not one could force him to react seriously.
And on top of that
The abilities he developed, especially his version of the "Unlimited Technique", gave him the illusion of absolute invincibility.
So naturally
He swelled.
Pride turned into arrogance.
And arrogance led to something else.
Sloth.
Once upon a time, Rimo had been capable of locking himself away for an entire month developing his abilities without rest.
Endless refinement.
Endless focus.
But now?
Ask him to train like that again
He would probably roll his eyes and ask:
"Why?"
"Isn't lying down more comfortable?"
"Isn't teasing Neon Nostrade more fun?"
After all
Who could threaten him?
Even the future apex of the Hunter world the Chimera Ant King, Meruem
Was years away from appearing.
A decade, at least.
And by then?
Rimo's aura reserves would have grown to an absurd level.
Ten million.
Twenty million.
Perhaps even more.
For comparison
After absorbing Shaiapouf and Menthuthuyoupi, Meruem's aura was estimated at only a few million.
Even if Rimo stood still…
Did nothing…
And simply maintained Ken
Meruem might not even be able to break his defense.
Unless
He gained something like Isaac Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
That ability, powered by Netero's decades of discipline, had been able to injure even the Ant King.
But even then
That was assuming Rimo didn't fight back.
So tell him to train?
To refine basics like Ten, Zetsu, Ren?
Why bother?
But reality
Had a way of correcting arrogance.
At this very moment
Silva Zoldyck appeared.
And with a single strike
He shattered everything.
Rimo's pupils shrank to needle points as Silva's hand pierced toward his throat.
His brain reacted.
His instincts screamed.
His Nen… did not.
He tried to activate his "Unlimited Technique."
But
Too late.
The signal was sent.
The body hadn't responded yet.
"Psh !"
Silva's hand pierced cleanly through Rimo's neck.
Artery ruptured.
Throat torn.
Blood surged violently from his mouth.
"Ghk !"
A choking sound escaped.
His vision blurred.
His body collapsed.
Silva withdrew his hand calmly.
A slight flick
Blood scattered from his fingers.
His expression didn't change.
Years of experience told him everything he needed to know.
The target
Dead.
He turned slightly toward Illumi Zoldyck, who remained outside the door.
"Remember this," Silva said calmly.
"Nen is powerful. But it comes from the mind and the body."
"If a Nen user cannot activate their aura in time… they are no different from an ordinary person."
"Nen is not passive."
"It requires intent."
"The simplest way to kill a Nen user… is to strike before that intent forms."
Illumi nodded.
"I understand."
Mission complete.
Silva turned to leave.
"…Hey."
A voice.
Behind them.
Silva stopped.
Slowly
He turned.
Rimo
Was sitting up on the bed.
Blood still covered his neck.
Clothes soaked.
But
No wound remained.
Not even a scar.
His eyes
Burned.
Not with fear.
Not with shock.
But with something far darker.
"Breaking into someone's room in the middle of the night…"
"Stabbing their throat…"
"And leaving without a word…"
Rimo tilted his head slightly.
"Don't you think that's a bit rude?"
The room changed.
Aura
Black.
Thick.
Viscous
Like ink spilling into water.
It spread instantly.
Filling every corner.
Pressing down like something alive.
Silva's pupils shrank.
For the first time
His instincts reacted.
Like a wild beast sensing danger.
This aura
Was wrong.
Not just powerful.
Not just dense.
But
Malicious.
Distorted.
In all his years as an assassin
Silva had never encountered anything like it.
But more important than that
One question echoed in his mind:
"How is he alive?"
Silva was certain.
The artery had been destroyed.
The throat torn apart.
There was no possibility of survival.
Unless
Nen ability.
Enhancement?
Impossible. Not that fast.
Conjuration?
Substitution?
Specialization?
Too many unknowns.
Too little information.
And yet
Rimo did not attack.
Did not hide.
Did not pretend.
He simply sat there.
Watching.
That
Was what made it dangerous.
"Ilumi," Silva said sharply.
"Step back."
Illumi disappeared instantly.
Silva raised both hands.
Aura surged.
Crackling
Violent
Purple spheres of energy formed in his palms, electricity dancing across their surface.
This was no longer an assassination.
This was combat.
"Go."
He thrust his hands forward.
The spheres roared toward Rimo
Exploding with destructive force.
Rimo didn't move.
He raised his hand calmly.
"Unlimited Technique."
Space
Distorted.
The attack stopped.
Frozen in midair.
Then
Reversed.
"Return."
The spheres shot back
Faster than before
Straight toward Silva.
Silva's eyes sharpened.
No hesitation.
His body twisted mid-air with impossible flexibility
Dodging both attacks by a hair's breadth.
But
In that instant
Space warped again.
Rimo
Appeared.
Directly in front of him.
Aura surged around his hands
Violent.
Compressed.
For the first time
Rimo attacked with killing intent.
Not because he wanted to.
But because
He had been reminded.
He was not invincible.
And if he didn't change
Next time
He would truly die.
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