Bonolenov and Kortopi also stopped immediately.
Bonolenov: "Why did you stop?"
Gulp! Kortopi remained silent, his gaze fixed on what lay ahead.
Light, almost silent footsteps approached. From the shadows, a figure emerged. A white cloak, strikingly bright against the night.
"Where are you headed?"
Loki looked up, a smile playing on his lips as he surveyed the three.
Gulp! Kortopi swallowed hard, his eyes widening beneath his hair.
'How could he have found us so quickly?' Bonolenov also became alert upon hearing Loki's voice. His expression, however, remained relatively calm.
"Did Pakunoda betray us?"
Franklin shook his head. "No! Pakunoda wouldn't do something like that."
"Pakunoda isn't here? That's why there are only three of you," Loki said, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"She wouldn't have actually gone to the place I told her to, would she?"
The silence that followed was unexpected. Pakunoda had actually gone. It was a suicide mission, and she'd actually done it. It didn't matter; at least Pakunoda wouldn't escape.
Franklin's face darkened. "You tricked her from the start!"
"Damn it!" Franklin cursed, his anger evident. "That damned Flame Kid! Pakunoda, that fool, actually believed him!"
Tatatatata! Nen bullets erupted from Franklin's fingertips, a double-handed barrage from his Emission-type abilities. These Nen bullets possessed far greater destructive power than ordinary bullets.
Countless Nen bullets appeared before Loki. With a casual flick of his wrist, a large sheet of flame materialized, instantly engulfing and neutralizing the incoming barrage.
Swish swish! Two fireballs shot towards Franklin, who narrowly avoided them.
Boom boom! The fireballs exploded on the ground like bombs.
Bonolenov and Kortopi didn't immediately flee; sticking together offered a better chance of survival than scattering. They charged towards Loki from either side.
Loki responded with an icy smile. He uttered two words, and then—
Boom! A terrifying surge of Nen erupted, a sudden, volcanic release of power. A crimson aura, vibrant and intense like fire, surged from Loki's body.
A pair of obsidian eyes, radiating boundless killing intent, fixed upon Kortopi. The moment Loki's gaze locked onto Kortopi, his body seemed to freeze. The palpable aura of death, manifesting as a black miasma, rapidly enveloped him.
The chilling, damp, numbing sensation of impending doom washed over Kortopi's body, a terrifying cocktail of negative emotions that rendered him momentarily paralyzed. His attack faltered.
In the heat of battle, even a fleeting moment of hesitation can be fatal. To be caught off guard, right in front of the enemy, was a death sentence.
Loki's eyes remained locked onto Kortopi. Simultaneously, Bonolenov, seemingly oblivious to Kortopi's sudden incapacitation, continued his relentless assault, unleashing a powerful uppercut aimed at Loki's jaw.
Despite not directly focusing on Bonolenov, Loki's Byakugan, with its unparalleled 360-degree vision, effortlessly tracked Bonolenov's attack.
The moment Bonolenov's strike was launched, Loki's body moved with the grace of a leaf caught in the wind, effortlessly evading the blow.
Bonolenov's attack missed its mark, leaving him momentarily stunned. 'He dodged my attack without even looking at me! What's going on with this kid?!' His confusion was abruptly interrupted.
Psh! The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed through the air, followed by the sharp metallic tang of blood.
"Dodge!" Franklin roared, his voice laced with alarm.
Bonolenov, without pausing to assess the situation, reacted instantly, sprinting away from Loki's vicinity with all his might.
"Damn it, what the hell is Kortopi doing?!" Franklin hissed, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
He had witnessed the entire sequence of events unfold before his eyes—Kortopi and Bonolenov charging simultaneously towards Loki, only for Kortopi to abruptly freeze, as if struck dumb with terror.
Instantly following this inexplicable pause, Loki had delivered a swift, decisive blow, piercing Kortopi's chest.
Blood gushed forth, and Kortopi's life force rapidly ebbed away.
Tatatatatata! A furious barrage of Nen bullets erupted from Franklin's fingertips, tearing through the air with a high-pitched whistling sound.
Loki, turning his gaze towards Franklin with a cold, mocking smile, hurled Kortopi's still-twitching body into the path of the oncoming bullets, using the corpse as a makeshift shield.
Franklin's eyes widened in shock and horror.
'Kortopi, I'm so sorry...'
Fueled by a surge of grief and rage, an even more ferocious torrent of Nen erupted from within Franklin, channeling all his remaining strength into his hands.
"Double Machine Gun, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
In an instant, the scene was transformed into a breathtaking spectacle of destruction, as if dozens of machine guns had unleashed a simultaneous volley of fire.
A relentless hail of Nen bullets descended upon Kortopi's remains, effortlessly pulverizing the already lifeless body into fragments.
In the blink of an eye, Kortopi was completely obliterated. With Kortopi's remains now serving as a shield against Franklin's relentless onslaught, Loki had successfully closed the distance between himself and Franklin.
Raising his hands, Loki's cloak billowed, his Nen instantly enveloping his form. A fiery crimson aura, transforming into dancing flames, enveloped Loki's entire body, weaving around him like vibrant, agile serpents.
Boom boom boom! The immensely powerful Nen bullets, capable of tearing human flesh apart with ease, slammed against Loki's flame-enveloped cloak.
Astonishingly, they had absolutely no effect, merely causing a slight reduction in Loki's speed.
Franklin, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, felt the chilling breath of death upon him. The terrifying sense of impending doom washed over him.
'Feitan, Shalnark, Machi... they died because of this terrifying Nen! Both in terms of sheer quantity and intensity, Loki's Nen utterly surpasses my own!'
Franklin realized with dawning horror that his Nen bullets were completely ineffective against Loki's overwhelming power. Even his flame-infused cloak remained impervious to his attack.
Even if his bullets had managed to pierce Loki's defenses, it would have made little difference. Unless, of course, Loki had chosen not to utilize his Nen to protect himself—a possibility that seemed utterly improbable.
Bang bang! With astonishing speed, Loki closed the remaining distance, seizing Franklin's hands in a vice-like grip.
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