The dust and smoke slowly dissipated.
Behind the gate was a spacious courtyard paved with bluish-gray flagstones.
A fountain stood in the center of the courtyard, and at the far end was the main building with gray stone walls and arched windows; a dense crowd of people stood at the entrance and all around.
They were armed with guns—rifles, submachine guns, shotguns—and a few even carried rocket launchers on their shoulders.
The dark muzzles were all aimed toward the gate, fingers resting on triggers with veins bulging.
They stared at the white figure standing before the shattered gate, the mountain path behind him littered with corpses, and the pile of metal fragments at his feet.
Someone swallowed hard, a dry sound coming from their throat, their hands trembling as they gripped their weapon.
The leader stood at the very front; his face looked no better than those behind him, sweat pouring down his forehead and cheeks.
He opened his mouth, his voice sounding as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.
"Fire—kill him!"
In the next second—Da-da-da-da-da—!!!
Dozens of guns fired simultaneously, bullets pouring out like a torrential rainstorm!
Muzzle flashes danced, shell casings clattered onto the ground, and gunpowder smoke instantly filled the entire courtyard.
The deafening sound of metal clashing filled the air.
Bullets struck Leo's body with dull "thud-thud-thud" sounds, sparking small embers, yet they couldn't even tear through his clothes.
Those bullets, powerful enough to pierce steel plates, felt as if they had hit an invisible wall upon touching the Nen on his skin, compressing, deforming, and bouncing off.
He stood where he was, hands in his pockets, without even lifting an eyelid.
"Bang—!"
A dull roar, distinctly different from a handgun, came from the side.
A high-speed spinning sniper bullet shrieked through the air, striking Leo's temple with precision.
The bullet spun frantically against the layer of Nen, compressing and deforming before finally bouncing off limply and rolling twice on the ground.
"How is this possible..."
The sniper, lying on a third-floor windowsill, watched this through his scope; his finger froze on the trigger, and he even forgot to breathe.
Dozens of grenades were thrown simultaneously from different directions, tracing chaotic arcs before landing at Leo's feet.
The dark iron lumps rolled on the ground.
"Boom—!!!"
The violent explosion shattered the flagstones at the gate, and flames instantly engulfed the white figure.
Rubble and shrapnel flew in all directions, peppering the walls and pillars with countless pits.
Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, obscuring the entire gate.
Deep within the manor, a burly man carrying a rocket launcher peeked out from behind cover, a cruel smirk on his face.
"Hmph, watch me! This Super Rocket Launcher can even blow apart a tank!"
He patted the thick launch tube on his shoulder and shouted to the people beside him.
"We'll fire several rounds together. He's just one human; I don't believe we can't kill him!"
Three others hoisted rocket launchers, aiming at the thickest part of the smoke.
"Fire!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several rockets shrieked out, trailing long plumes of fire, and exploded into spheres of orange-red flame within the smoke.
The shockwaves of the explosions sent surrounding rubble flying, and the ground trembled. Every glass window in the courtyard shattered, shards clattering to the floor.
Outside the manor, Goreinu and Kastro listened to the exaggerated commotion.
The two frowned deeply; had they gone in as well, they feared not even their bones would remain.
Inside the manor, gunpowder smoke filled the air, obscuring everything.
The Mafia members hid behind cover; some peeked out, some gripped their guns tighter, and some had already begun to laugh.
"Did it work?"
Someone asked in a low voice.
The dust and smoke gradually cleared.
The white figure reappeared.
He stood in the same spot, his feet hadn't even moved. Beneath him was a charred crater, yet the small patch where he stood remained intact.
Unfortunately, his white shirt had been shredded in the repeated bombardment.
The cuffs and hem were reduced to tatters, and several tears at the shoulders revealed his well-defined muscles.
Leo's hands were still in his pockets, and his expression hadn't changed from beginning to end.
The hundreds of Mafia members in the manor, armed with all sorts of heavy weaponry, were now completely frozen.
Their guns were still in hand, fingers still on the triggers, but not a single person could pull them.
Some stood with mouths agape, some with wide eyes, and some didn't even notice the cigarettes falling from their hands.
The air solidified; breaths stopped, and heartbeats ceased.
They looked at that man as if looking at something that shouldn't exist in this world.
Leo looked down at his tattered white clothes and shook his head.
He reached out, grabbed the collar, and ripped it off.
The sound of fabric tearing was exceptionally clear in the silence.
He threw the rags onto the ground, revealing his lean, powerful upper body.
His muscle lines were smooth, his skin clean—no scars, no bruises, not even a drop of sweat.
"This is quite disappointing."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"To actually compare me to a mere tank."
The Shadow Beasts hiding within the manor also had their expressions change.
Watching the white figure from several hundred meters away, they felt for the first time that things had exceeded their expectations.
The person they had to deal with this time was far more troublesome than their superiors had described.
Leo looked up, his gaze sweeping across the pale-faced people before him.
"Finished?"
No one answered; no one could.
Someone tried to speak, but no sound would come from their throat.
"My turn."
The moment the words fell—
A massive, suffocating Surge of Killing Intent erupted from Leo!
It wasn't just Nen Pressure; it was killing intent.
Over the past three years, he had killed countless wanted criminals, harvested nearly a hundred thousand creatures across farms and forests, and slaughtered all the guards and Test Subjects on the island base.
It had all settled within him, transforming into an indescribable, almost tangible Malice.
At this moment, this Malice poured out of him like a tsunami, instantly enveloping the entire Douglas Manor.
The sky seemed to darken.
It wasn't dark clouds blocking the sun; it was that the killing intent was so thick and heavy that it prevented light from penetrating.
The air became viscous, and breathing became difficult.
He raised his right hand and made a light clenching motion toward the Mafia thugs.
An even more terrifying Malice assailed them!
These Mafia thugs simply couldn't withstand it.
They felt the surrounding air compressing, an invisible force choking their throats and squeezing their hearts.
Some began to tremble, from their fingers to their arms to their entire bodies, unable to stop.
Some threw down their guns and crouched on the ground, clutching their heads and letting out incoherent whimpers.
Some rolled their eyes back and collapsed directly to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Five seconds.
Less than five seconds.
Hundreds of Mafia members armed with heavy firepower all collapsed to the ground.
Guns slipped from their hands, clattering onto the stone floor in a scattered cacophony.
Some had eyes turned white and pupils dilated; some rolled on the ground clutching their heads, letting out beast-like howls.
Some were motionless, chests still heaving, but their eyes were vacant.
Those with weak constitutions didn't even struggle; they died directly under this Malice.
The courtyard fell silent.
Leo withdrew his hand and put it back in his pocket.
That massive killing intent, like a receding tide, slowly weakened from his body until it was completely withdrawn.
The courtyard brightened again as sunlight filtered through the clouds, shining upon those collapsed on the ground.
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100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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