The Strongest Assassin of the Zoldyck Family!

A wounded person was the first to be affected, as the moisture within their body was drawn out, pulled into the surrounding air, and then absorbed by the sand under the influence of Kroll's ability, ultimately being transferred into the earth itself. This person's body rapidly shriveled.

This was slightly different from what Ron had previously observed—the gradual depletion of life energy. In this case, their bodies withered because every drop of water within them had been extracted.

Thud.

The body collapsed onto the sand with a dull sound.

Then another.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Two, three, four...

Like a row of dominoes being tipped over, bodies began falling in waves, one after another.

Very quickly, thousands of people were drained and killed under the influence of Kroll's ability.

The curly-haired youth looked at the direction where the bodies were collapsing, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

"This is Lord Kroll's ability. No matter how many times I see it, it's still awe-inspiring."

"So powerful."

But at that moment, his expression changed dramatically.

"What...?"

Looking down at his own body, he realized it too was visibly shriveling. Moisture was draining out of him. His life was slipping away.

"Why?"

He turned his gaze toward Kroll, disbelief written all over his face.

This wasn't the first time Kroll had used this ability, and the curly-haired youth was familiar with it. Kroll could control the range and targets of the effect, and he was fully capable of exempting specific people from being harmed.

So he couldn't understand—why was Kroll killing even his own people?

"Lord Kroll?"

The large man nearby also noticed his own condition.

Kroll looked over without any change in expression.

"For Lord Rosgell."

"For Mingbo."

Kroll raised his hand.

The curly-haired youth and the large man showed expressions of despair.

Kroll was willing to sacrifice anything for Mingbo and Rosgell's resurrection—even his own life—but they couldn't do the same.

Previously, Kroll had stood by while their teammates were killed by Ron's group. At the time, they thought that was the extent of what Kroll was willing to tolerate.

They hadn't imagined that Kroll would actually strike them down himself, taking their lives for the sake of completing the sacrifice.

"There's still not enough life energy to revive Lord Rosgell."

"Forgive me."

Kroll had no intention of stopping.

The curly-haired youth and the large man turned their eyes toward the muscular man. Among those still alive, only he was an A-rank Nen user.

If there was anyone who could stop Kroll, it was him.

But faced with their pleading gazes, the muscular man looked away.

He lowered his head and avoided their eyes.

Their bodies were drained, their life forces extinguished, and they collapsed to the ground. All the life energy from those fallen upon the sand began to gather, flowing toward the location of Rosgell's remains.

Kroll frowned.

"Still not enough?"

"That can't be."

He looked in the direction where Natsu was.

What he wanted was to confirm the state of Ron's team.

He knew just how powerful this ability was. He had prepared for so long, and under this kind of power, average Nen users couldn't survive—only those of the same rank could withstand it. That meant only Ron and the muscular man might still be alive.

According to Kroll's calculation, the accumulated life energy from Ron's team, plus the curly-haired youth, the large man, and all previous sacrifices, should have been enough.

But the reality was that it still wasn't.

It was still missing something.

Kroll couldn't understand.

Yet, by now, there was no more time to dwell on it.

The revival of Rosgell was imminent. He had to succeed this time.

Otherwise, everything would have to start over, and all the preparations would be wasted.

And next time might not go so smoothly.

So Kroll had to ensure that Rosgell revived here and now. His gaze shifted toward the B-rank Nen user among his subordinates—the wax-user.

The moment Kroll looked at him, the wax-user felt something was wrong and instinctively stepped back.

But he quickly gave a bitter smile.

This entire area had become Kroll's domain. Even if he stepped back, where could he retreat to?

"Lord Kroll...?"

He looked at Kroll with pleading eyes.

"For Lord Rosgell."

"For Mingbo."

"Forgive me."

With a thought from Kroll, a powerful suction force descended on the wax-user's body. In the next moment, the water in his body began to drain at a rate visible to the naked eye.

But what Kroll didn't know was that everything was being observed by Ron.

Attached to Natsu's body was a concealed infrared camera. Its cable was connected to a very small door.

It was the gateway to Sumas's space.

The door was tiny and positioned near Natsu, protected by his aura.

Yet even so, Ron could feel the force of the suction reaching through the doorway and leaking into Sumas's space.

"Very powerful. No one other than me could resist it."

"Not even Misty or Shizuku. Everyone outside is probably dead by now." After all, Kroll has even started killing his own subordinates."

The wax-user's body shriveled and fell.

Still, it wasn't enough.

"Lord Kroll... it's still not enough?"

The muscular man looked toward Kroll.

Kroll shook his head. "Just a little more."

"We've killed nearly everyone we could. Only one remains now."

He looked in Natsu's direction.

"That one's hiding somewhere, but this should be his Nen beast. If the Nen beast is still here, then he must still be alive. Let's work together to eliminate it."

"In this environment, he's no match for us. I'll create the opportunity for you."

Kroll spoke.

The muscular man nodded.

"Understood."

In the next moment, he charged directly toward Natsu.

Ron, watching through the camera, observed their movements. His eyes flickered slightly.

"It's about time to act. This is the best opportunity!"

With a thought, Ron reopened the previously vanished door and stepped out.

At the same time, beside him, another figure appeared.

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