As night fell, the bright lights of the city began to flicker on one after another.
In the city of Guardiola, one of the Ten Elders, Monroe Hegel, lounged comfortably in his manor. He swirled a glass of red wine in hand, waiting patiently for good news.
According to the intelligence he'd received, the Zoldyck family had already dispatched an assassin.
In Monroe's eyes, the Zoldycks were a legendary name across the underworld—renowned not only for their strength but for their flawless track record. When they accepted a contract, it was completed without fail.
He had done business with the Zoldycks before. He knew their efficiency, their reputation, and their brutal capability.
So in his mind, it was already a foregone conclusion: Vega Pengellet had likely died a tragic death at the hands of the Zoldyck family by now.
Once that was confirmed, the next phase of his plan could be activated.
A grim smile spread across Monroe's face. From what he knew, Vega was the only real threat in the entire Pengellet family. The rest of them weren't even Nen users—just a bunch of powerless civilians.
And Monroe hadn't just paid a fortune to hire the Zoldycks. He'd also stationed his own elite cleanup squad in Nacro City, hiding them among the shadows, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
As soon as he got confirmation that the Zoldycks had completed the hit, he would immediately give the order for his purge team to wipe out the entire Pengellet family—men, women, and children.
They had dared to kill his fourth son. There would be no forgiveness.
Monroe wasn't content with just killing Vega. He wanted the entire Pengellet bloodline to be buried alongside his son Murphy.
Crack.
The wine glass in Monroe's hand shattered suddenly. Crimson liquid trickled down his fingers and dripped onto the marble floor.
His eyes flicked toward his phone, anticipating its ring. A cruel smile tugged at his lips.
He just needed to wait a bit longer. Once the call came in confirming the mission's success, his purge squad would move in and erase the Pengellets from existence.
His thoughts briefly wandered to Meteor City.
The last time the Ten Elders had voted together, they'd pooled a vast sum of money to commission a hit from Meteor City—to kill Vega and destroy the Pengellets outright.
He hadn't expected that the so-called "Elders" of Meteor City would simply dispatch the Phantom Troupe for the job, claiming that their strength and notoriety would be enough.
The result? A disaster.
Three members of the Troupe went after Vega. Two came back injured. One didn't come back at all.
There hadn't been a single update since. Meteor City had gone completely silent.
Monroe was furious.
They had provided detailed intel—including the fact that two of their elite Yin Beasts had failed to kill Vega. And yet, Meteor City only sent a band of thieves.
In Monroe's eyes, the Phantom Troupe were just common criminals—dangerous, yes, but nowhere near the level of the Yin Beasts, who were feared across the criminal underworld.
Just as Monroe was mentally preparing Vega's obituary, his phone rang.
His expression brightened instantly. It was the contact number for the Zoldyck family.
"Amazing," Monroe said to himself. "A true assassin clan. Efficient as always. They must've finished the job already."
He answered cheerfully, "This is Monroe Hegel. Has the job been completed?"
"I'll wire the payment right away."
But then came the unexpected reply:
"After careful consideration, the Zoldyck family has decided to withdraw from the contract. We will be refunding your deposit in full."
Monroe's face froze. His cheerful demeanor vanished in an instant.
"You call yourselves an assassin family? You can't even kill one teenager?" he roared.
But the line was already dead.
Monroe's face twisted in rage. He hurled the phone at the ground, smashing it to pieces.
"Useless! All of you are useless! A so-called elite assassin clan can't even kill a sixteen-year-old brat?!"
He seethed. "You Zoldycks… you Phantom Troupe bastards… all garbage!"
"If the Ten Elders hadn't restricted me from deploying the rest of the Yin Beasts, I would've personally served up Vega's head on a silver platter by now! I wouldn't need to rely on you freaks!"
His fury boiled over.
"If I can't rely on assassins or thieves… then I'll use my own men!"
Monroe pulled out a silver burner phone and coldly dialed a number.
He spoke only one word:"Execute."
—
Meanwhile, in Nacro City, inside one of Hegel's secret purge outposts.
A man with a large scorpion tattoo across his face received the call. He looked at the thin man beside him.
"You're sure Vega Pengellet is injured? Badly?"
The thin man nodded quickly. "Chief, the intel came straight from inside the hospital. The Pengellet family has gathered every skilled doctor in the city. They're all treating Vega. It's got to be serious."
The tattooed man's eyes gleamed with malice. "So the Zoldycks didn't completely fail after all. He's still alive… but wounded."
"Well, I'll take the credit from here."
He turned to his men.
"Get ready to raid the Pengellet stronghold."
Then, looking at a second squad, he grinned. "You're coming with me. We're going to kill Vega Pengellet ourselves."
"Yes, sir!"
The purge team mobilized instantly. Calls were made. Armed squads emerged from the shadows and began converging on the Pengellet family's base.
—
At that same moment, inside the VIP ward of Nacro City's top hospital…
Vega lay on a pristine bed, his face a little pale, surrounded by an entire team of top medical professionals. He looked a bit helpless.
Kevin had gone overboard again.
After the intense battle—and the strain of activating his upgraded Nen technique, Phantom Severance: Dragon Form—Vega's aura had been almost completely depleted. His body was physically fine, but thoroughly drained.
Panicking, Kevin had rushed him to the hospital and summoned every high-level doctor in the city.
Vega didn't have the heart to turn down his butler's concern.
He could see the guilt in Kevin's eyes. The man was blaming himself for being too weak to help, for having to stand by helplessly while Vega fought alone.
So Vega let him arrange everything.
Now the ward was overcrowded with top-tier specialists, all delivering the same diagnosis: no serious injuries, just exhaustion from massive Nen output. Rest and meditation would be enough.
Vega smiled as he watched Kevin flipping through medical files for the fifth time.
"Kevin, enough. I'm fine," he said gently. "I just burned through too much Nen. Give me a few days, and I'll be back at full strength."
Kevin finally let out a breath of relief, though his face remained stern.
"Master… the Zoldycks dared to attack you. We can't let this slide. Should we retaliate?"
"I can take the Ten Rings and storm Kukuroo Mountain if needed. They'll learn not to cross the Pengellets."
Vega blinked in surprise.
Did Kevin seriously think they could take on the Zoldyck family?
With the current strength of the Ten Rings… they probably couldn't even get past the Zoldyck butlers.
Then Vega realized—Kevin had spent most of his life in Nacro City. He didn't fully grasp the scope of the world beyond. He didn't know what real monsters lurked out there.
Vega opened his mouth, ready to explain just how terrifying the Zoldycks truly were—
—but at that moment, a thunderous explosion echoed from outside.
A ball of flame erupted in the sky.
Kevin's phone began to ring.