Chapter 34: The Prince’s Possessiveness × A Tardy San

Dia stood up silently, waiting a beat before signaling that Momoze and Borksen could speak.

They had reached the stairwell just as the enemy's path intersected with their own. Acting quickly, Dia had guided the two women to duck into a nearby tea pantry. He had intended to wait quietly for the hostiles to pass before heading to the designated rendezvous point to meet Drobada, but he had overheard everything.

'So they're actually targeting me? I assume these must be the mercenaries Cheadle mentioned that day...'

Dia's expression darkened. Of all times, on the final day, these inexplicable enemies had crawled out like cockroaches from a rotting trash heap.

Behind him, Momoze clung to Misty, looking bewildered. Were those people really after Dia? And were there multiple groups of enemies?

Compared to Momoze's confusion, Borksen was clearly far more experienced. Although the skin-crawling sounds from the third floor and that mysterious white creature the bastard pulled out of his hair were beyond her comprehension, one thing was certain: she was the person with the least amount of information currently on the field.

Even the 12th Prince seemed to know something. She, Borksen, had only just learned the bastard's real name a moment ago.

Yes, she realized belatedly that "Beliner" was likely a lie.

That meant she hadn't just lost her savings and her past that day; she hadn't even known the guy's real name.

Is he just a complete bastard? I'll call him Bastard Dia from now on...

Borksen felt like crying, especially given their current predicament. It was obviously impossible to count on the 12th Prince to patiently answer questions for a mere private guard. Should she ask the bastard himself? She didn't think he'd have any interest in answering.

That led to a single, terrifying question: How could she survive this?

A sense of crisis, one unlike anything she had ever felt, gripped her. What do I do? What do I do...

Borksen's sharp mind raced at an unprecedented speed.

Dia's concerns were far less complex. 'With these two in tow, I can't really fight... I have to get to Drobada, fast!'

Dia acted with sudden, decisive force. Ignoring any formalities, he reached out with both hands, scooped them up, and, to their utter shock, slung them both over his shoulders in a single, fluid motion!

"Hey, hey, hey…??!"

Borksen instinctively struggled, only to find that Dia's arm, while not particularly bulky, was as solid as reinforced steel, pinning her firmly in place. She craned her neck, seeing only Dia's back and the floor and walls blurring past as he moved.

He lunged forward, moving with unnatural speed, leaping continuously off walls and floors, clearing obstacles and dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Just as she was marveling at the incredible power hidden in Dia's unassuming physique, she caught a glimpse of an unfriendly glare out of the corner of her eye…

It's the 12th Prince!

Momoze, now resting comfortably on his other shoulder in the exact same position, was tilting her head, puffing out her cheeks, and glaring daggers at Borksen!

Momoze Hui Guo Rou, the 12th Prince of the Kakin Royal Family, was known for her gentleness and generosity, but she possessed that distinct, terrifying possessiveness common to the royal bloodline. Of course, compared to the personalities of her anthropomorphic siblings, this level of possessiveness was actually quite mild.

In a remote corner outside the building.

Drobada waited anxiously for Dia's call. It's been nearly 20 minutes. At Dia's speed, he should have arrived long ago...

Drobada was almost certain something had gone wrong on the inside, but he didn't dare call. If they were in the middle of a heated standoff, his ringtone might cause a fatal distraction. Just then, his phone rang. He grabbed it like a lifeline.

As expected, it was Dia.

Dia was standing in an interior corner of the building, staring at a window. The glass was obscured by a thin layer of white mist, making it impossible to see through from either side. Through his Ripple Radar, he sensed a man standing on the other side. A quick confirmation over the phone verified that it was, indeed, Drobada.

"Time is tight, no time for explanations. Drobada, you stand at the far right of the window. Exactly 15 seconds after I hang up, we both strike the window at the same time!"

Without another word, Dia hung up and closed his eyes, focusing his breathing.

Momoze watched with curiosity as Dia, having just hung up the phone, suddenly went deathly still. Borksen sensed something unusual and quietly retreated a few steps, instinctively shielding Momoze behind her.

'First... Ren!'

Boom!

A massive, overwhelming pressure erupted from Dia as he unleashed his full Ren! The two women beside him felt the sheer force of his aura, the physical shockwave ruffling their hair.

'W-what is this!?' Borksen's eyes struggled to remain open. Is this level of pressure even possible for a human!?

Having spent the last month training with the aid of the Ripple, Dia's potential aura capacity had reached the level of a veteran Hunter.

'Next... Gyo! Ten! Zetsu!'

Dia simultaneously cycled his Ripple breathing, wrapping layers of golden ripple-energy around his dominant right arm. Yes, for this punch, he would use one of the advanced applications of Nen, the one with the highest destructive power: Ko!

He dropped into a solid horse stance, set his posture, and counted in his heart.

"...7... 8..."

Now!

Dia snapped his eyes open. With a roar, he pivoted his waist and hips, his right arm hurtling forward with violent momentum, slamming into the window!

BANG!!

A deafening sound tore through the room, the sonic boom rolling down the corridor until it echoed into nothingness. Borksen and Momoze felt their vision darken, their chests tightening. In the cramped space, they felt the suffocating threat of the punch's residual energy.

However.

Dia stared at the window, which remained completely unscathed, and his heart sank.

He could feel through the vibration that Drobada had timed his attack perfectly, but their combined efforts were clearly too weak to breach the building's exterior. Outside, Drobada's heart plummeted. If they couldn't break through with this, what could they possibly do? Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Yo, isn't that the uncle from the other day! How come you're here too? Did you also oversleep for the auction?"

Just then, a pleasant, surprised voice came from above and to the left. Drobada started and hurriedly turned to look.

A disheveled young man was clinging to the wall, looking down at him with a face full of delighted surprise! Drobada recognized him, they had met at the Cavern Restaurant.

He remembered the man's name was… San?