HxH: Apex Predator

"Hahaha! I knew you'd surpass me. Now, I'm certain our Gambino family will hold a seat among the Ten Dons for another generation."

John Gambino was in an exceptionally good mood. Tonight's conversation had made him realize his son was even more capable than he had imagined. He couldn't help but pour himself a drink in celebration.

While the Gambino father and son were enjoying their evening, convinced that tomorrow would unfold just as they had planned—well, something unexpected happened.

Yes, at precisely 8:00 PM the following night, Ryker was already preparing for action.

Originally, Tony had given him a deadline until tomorrow, the third day since he was hired.

But Ryker had no intention of waiting that long. The main reason? The closer he got to unlocking his second Kamui, the more impatient he became.

After all, ever since leaving Heaven's Arena, he had been racking up kills—first, the eight stalkers who attacked him, then months of work in Meteor City, and finally, the massacre of the Seven Gangs, whose numbers ranged from hundreds to over a thousand.

Now, he has gathered intelligence on his next target—the Solomon Family, the strongest of the four vassal families under the Kolobo Family.

Due to recent conflicts, they were in a heightened state of alert, with their headquarters housing a force of nearly three thousand people.

For Ryker, this was a golden opportunity.

If he could cut down this mass of cannon fodder and, with luck, take down a few Nen users, he'd be able to unlock his second Kamui.

Thus, Ryker took this mission more seriously than ever. He planned meticulously, ensuring he'd be at peak condition when the battle began.

At 8:00 PM, he arrived at the target's perimeter and carefully studied the layout. Satisfied with his reconnaissance, he retreated into his Kamui space to rest.

His plan was to sleep early and restore his energy, then wake at 3:00 AM for another round of scouting. At precisely 4:00 AM—when most people would be at their most fatigued—he would strike.

However, there was an unexpected development in his reconnaissance: five Nen users were stationed at the Solomon headquarters. Among them, two were significantly skilled, at least on par with veteran fighters of the 200th floor in Heaven's Arena.

This discovery forced Ryker to abandon his original plan of using the same tactics he employed against the Gandhi Family.

Instead, he needed to quickly eliminate three weaker targets before dealing with the two high-level threats.

More importantly, there was the possibility of additional Nen users hidden within the compound, meaning he had to strike first and reduce their numerical advantage as swiftly as possible.

Time ticked by as Ryker slept in Kamui space, and by the time his alarm jolted him awake, it was already 3:30 AM.

Now fully rested and prepared, he was ready to test a new ability he had recently developed.

Back when he was annihilating the Seven Gangs, Ryker had found it tedious to chase down stragglers. While his overwhelming strength made killing easy, tracking down every last target was unnecessarily time-consuming.

So, he began brainstorming ways to make his job easier—ways to prevent enemies from scattering and make sure no one escaped his wrath.

After a long night of contemplation and a bit of inspiration from a certain background character in a manga, he finally came up with a new ability.

Over the past day, he had been experimenting and refining it, and just in time for tonight's mission, he had perfected it.

Ryker extended his hand, and four identical copies of himself materialized.

Yes—he had successfully created doppelgängers.

This technique was inspired by the Nen ability of Kortopi, as well as the "The Steaming Danger Tyranny" from a certain ninja world.

[AN: The Steaming Danger Tyranny is Gengetsu Hozuki's Infinite Explosion Ninjutsu]

However, unlike Kortopi's Enhancement-based clones, Ryker's versions were superior in both power and durability.

Not only that, but his doppelgängers possessed an additional feature—they could explode. Each clone was essentially a walking bomb, infused with Ryker's Emission, Manipulation, and Conjuration abilities.

Since they were disposable, he didn't waste energy reinforcing them with Enhancement or Transmutation. Once the clones exhausted the Nen Ryker allocated to them at creation, they would disappear—no continuous energy supply needed.

In essence, each doppelgänger was a one-time-use, high-powered Nen grenade.

With his preparations complete, Ryker transported his clones via Kamui, hiding them at key locations near the Solomon headquarters.

Then, his true body infiltrated the main building, phasing through walls and floors as he swiftly scouted for his primary targets.

He soon found one of the rooms where the Nen users were staying.

It was a lavish suite, complete with a sofa, lounge chairs, and even a king-sized bed. Luck was on Ryker's side. Three of the five Nen users were sharing this room—the weakest three.

These three belonged to the Solomon Family itself, unlike the two bounty hunters who had separate accommodations.

This was the perfect opportunity. Without hesitation, Ryker made his move.

From the ceiling, he phased into the room, carefully analyzing the positions of his sleeping targets. Then, from the floor, he emerged beside the first victim.

Without giving the man a chance to react, Ryker solidified his form and instantly sucked him into Kamui.

The second target stirred slightly but remained asleep. Ryker reached for him next. However, just as he was about to make his move, the third man suddenly woke up.

Perhaps it was intuition, or perhaps he had merely needed to use the restroom—either way, he barely managed to let out the beginning of a sound before Ryker pulled him into Kamui as well.

Unfortunately, that slight noise had already alerted the third man.

He bolted upright, about to shout an alarm—only to vanish in an instant as Ryker absorbed him, too.

But the damage was done.

Within seconds, the entire headquarters erupted into chaos.

Alarms blared, and the pounding of countless footsteps echoed through the halls as guards and fighters rushed toward Ryker's position.

Clicking his tongue in mild annoyance, Ryker dashed out of the room.

As he moved, he cut down every ordinary guard in his path, his movements efficient and ruthless.

His goal was simple—he needed to escape the building as soon as possible.

Fighting inside enemy headquarters was risky. It was better to lure the remaining two Nen users outside, where he could engage them on his own terms.

Thus, Ryker quickened his pace, slicing through waves of opposition as he made his way toward the exit.

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