Hunter x Hunter - Unlimited Abilities

Ertis didn't hesitate for a moment.

The moment he appeared, replacing Mavel through their link.

He immediately sensed the aura inside the room.

Without delay, he launched himself forward, entering the room.

Inside, he saw a young woman holding what looked like a shotgun-shaped conjured weapon.

Her eyes locked onto his.

She grinned.

"Too bad I couldn't kill that guy, and now his friend has arrived..." she said.

Ertis kept his focus.

"This isn't Arkanis," he said to himself.

He knew immediately he shouldn't use his ability.

Pain and power required the right setup and the right target.

She wasn't worth it.

Instead, he opened his senses fully, pushing his perception to the limit.

"In any case," he thought,

"The sound of that aura explosion from her conjured weapon must've alerted everyone in the building."

"Of course she may not be a conjurer, but it is safe to assume she is..." he thought.

He exploded into action.

The woman saw him move and reacted.

She pulled the trigger on her shotgun-like weapon again.

Another burst of aura surged forward.

But Ertis was faster.

With ease, he dodged the blast, shifting his weight and weaving past the shot.

"Huh, she is not that great using that shotgun." he thought.

He then moved in low, then rose up with a powerful axe kick, his leg cutting through the air at a sharp angle, and struck her directly on the top of her head.

"Crack."

The kick was powered with "Gyo," and adding to the fact that Ertis was a talented fighter and an enhancer, there was no chance that woman would survive.

The woman's body collapsed onto the floor.

The blood leaking from her head to the floor.

Ertis stood over her and looked at the weapon, now vanishing into particles of aura.

"So she was conjurer with a simple weapon ability," he thought.

"Her weapon is one that only works in short range… There was no way she could fight against me."

"Of course if she was a great and experienced nen user things would be different.."

He looked at her for a second longer, then turned to walk back to the door.

Ertis stood over the woman's body for only a moment before activating his earpiece.

"Nakis," he said, his tone flat but efficient.

"She's down. Conjurer with a short-range blast-type ability. There's no sign of Arkanis."

The reply came immediately.

"Understood," Nakis said.

"You keep checking the rooms."

"This time, don't bother with stealth. Use force."

"But do not enter Room 101 for now. It's unnecessary to take risks with that one."

"And good work taking down that crazy woman."

Ertis nodded to himself, acknowledging the command.

"How's Mavel?" he asked.

There was a brief silence before Nakis answered.

"He'll need rest and medical attention."

"The aura blast knocked him hard, but nothing life-threatening."

"He should be able to use his abilities again after some rest."

"Good,"

Ertis said quietly, then turned away from the corpse of the woman.

Without wasting time, he continued the sweep.

He moved between the remaining rooms, Room 109 through 120, kicking doors open, breaking handles, and slamming through them without concern.

He had completely dropped any form of concealment.

If anyone was inside and dangerous, they would see him coming.

If not, he wouldn't care.

Room by room, he checked them all.

Empty.

Normal civilians. Travelers.

Only Room 101 remained.

Ertis turned back, staring down the hallway.

The quiet door at the end was the same as before.

He reached up and tapped his earpiece.

Before he could speak, Nakis's voice came through.

"I'm sending Alia to your side."

A pause.

"Wait for her. Don't go in yet. I'll plan the next step myself."

Ertis clenched his fists lightly.

"Understood," he said, eyes still fixed on the door.

He took a step back and leaned against the wall.

Alia arrived minutes later and met Ertis outside Room 101.

The hallway was quiet now.

Alia stood beside Ertis, arms crossed, eyes narrowing slightly as she gazed at the door.

She leaned a little to see the inside of the room.

Inside, the woman remained in her original position, sitting cross-legged on the floor, still meditating.

Her posture hadn't shifted an inch.

She didn't flinch, didn't look startled, and didn't seem to acknowledge anything that had happened in the hallway.

It was as if she didn't care at all.

"So," Alia said quietly, "who's going to enter?"

Ertis stared at the woman's unmoving figure and let out a slow, deep breath.

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

"She behaves like a counteractive Nen user. The fact that she's sitting still, saying nothing, and hasn't reacted to any of the noise..."

"It is not something natural, especially considering the fact that she is clearly a Nen user."

Alia turned to listen, not interrupting.

"The slight leaks of aura… She's not hiding it, but not suppressing it either. It's deliberate. She either wants us to attack her or enter the room."

Ertis continued.

"That's the trap."

Alia gave a small nod.

"Good analysis."

She said.

Then, without hesitation, she looked upward, crouched a little, and jumped, reaching the lightbulb socket just above the door.

She grabbed the lightbulb in one swift motion and covered it in Shu, wrapping it with a fine layer of her own aura.

The glass glowed faintly under the reinforcement.

Landing softly beside Ertis, she held up the lightbulb.

"Let's try attacking from here," she said.

Ertis looked at her, understanding her intention immediately.

Using a Shu-enhanced object to test reactions was a smart move.

If the woman was waiting for an intruder to step in or attack directly, this would bypass that condition.

He nodded.

Alia stepped aside and held the lightbulb at a slant, then with precision, hurled it through the air toward the doorway.

She was aiming it at a sharp downward angle so it would roll or shatter inside.

The bulb flew cleanly through the gap; the door wasn't fully closed, just enough for a small object to pass.

The bulb entered the room.

Nothing happened.

A second passed.

Then two.

Still nothing.

The woman did not move.

Ertis frowned.

"Even this didn't trigger anything."

"Then the condition is likely personal," Alia said.

"It's either a threshold like presence, intent, or proximity of a living target."

Ertis nodded again, arms crossed now.

"This is dangerous. If the ability activates only when we step inside or attempt a physical attack, then she's sitting there with full preparation."

"It might even be automatic," Alia added.

Ertis said nothing for a moment, and then Alia shook her head and spoke.

"We need Nakis's call for this one. If he says go, we commit. If not... we leave it for now."

Ertis didn't argue.

He tapped the earpiece in his ear.

"Room 101. We attempted indirect contact. No response. What should we do?"

Now, all they could do was wait.