The vacuum lasted only a fleeting moment, but it engulfed both the Soundmaker and the Bladebearer entirely.
That brief moment of atmospheric absence left their minds blank and their blood surging with the instinctive urge to burst from their veins.
But the sensation vanished just as quickly—and with it, so did the Soundmaker's sonic attack.
Unlike their vanished sound, Joey's attacks landed right on cue, perfectly timed to strike the instant the vacuum dissolved.
Flames, lightning, wind blades—though slightly affected by the momentary void, these were continuous attacks, so the disruption was minimal.
The Soundmaker's voice should have been continuous as well, but the vacuum had cut the flow, and now he couldn't gather his dispersed Nen fast enough to form another sonic defense.
In that instant, all they had left were the cleaver in the Bladebearer's hands and the man's massive body.
But under Joey's onslaught, those were useless.
His wind blades, flames, and lightning bypassed the blade entirely; the Heartpiercer would detonate upon contact.
In just seconds, the battle became a one-sided massacre.
Joey's En gave him real-time feedback on their condition.
He hesitated—just briefly—considering whether or not to eliminate the Bladebearer.
What held him back was curiosity. He had wanted to understand the cleaver and its nature.
If he killed the wielder now, the cleaver might vanish too—and many of Joey's theories would remain unanswered mysteries.
He was genuinely intrigued. If those answers were what he suspected, it could take his power to the next level.
But before he could decide, the unexpected struck again.
Even under attack, the Bladebearer resisted, body soaked in blood—but then, as his condition deteriorated—
The cleaver itself reacted.
Crimson veins burst from its surface, writhing like worms, and drilled violently into the man's body.
Massive quantities of blood were sucked out—far more frenzied than before.
At first, it drew only blood. But the man's supply couldn't last long.
Soon, he was completely drained—a shriveled husk.
The Soundmaker had separated from him just as the veins erupted, but even if he could recalibrate and attack again—
Joey's barrage tore through his frail body in an instant, shredding him like paper.
But the Bladebearer's corpse—
The cleaver absorbed it. And it kept going.
The veins on the cleaver pulsed even more violently, radiating aura stronger than when the man was alive.
Fire, wind, lightning—none of them hurt it.
The veins that were severed were immediately replaced.
Even the Heartpiercer couldn't reach the blade—it was swatted away midair by the veins.
Watching from afar, Joey had two thoughts:
Either the cleaver had its own attack logic and behavior,
or—the Bladebearer was never its true master.
Joey quickly discarded the second theory.
It wasn't just about the man's appearance.
The cleaver's aura had started to shift—into something darker—
Post-mortem Nen.
That eerie transformation forced Joey to re-evaluate.
As the shriveled body hit the ground, he realized something:
Maybe this had been the Bladebearer's plan all along.
And sure enough—
The cleaver's veins began shaping a humanoid figure,
a vessel entirely made of veins,
matching the form of the dead Bladebearer.
But now, it radiated not life,
but pure, inky-black posthumous Nen.
He'd planned this.
No—he was dead.
But his obsession had resurrected him in another form.
The vein-shaped man gripped the cleaver once more.
In that instant—his aura surged to its peak.
Maybe that was the real purpose—
Not to wield the cleaver, but to become part of it,
To create a weapon far beyond reality.
Joey didn't know why he had this goal,
but he did know this:
Through Vows and Restrictions, the man had forged something monstrous.
Whether it matched the man's ideal was anyone's guess.
Veins spread from the humanoid,
like floating tendrils,
blocking all attacks with uncanny precision—
even if each block cost it something.
And yet—it didn't attack Joey.
It simply stood there.
Wisps of Nen began to spread, like En.
Joey sensed it spreading fast—already past the bounds of his own En.
He frowned.
He couldn't tell what this thing was doing.
Weather Report's assault had halted.
The Heartpiercers kept charging—but even they couldn't scratch it.
Meanwhile, the Purple Smoke Soldiers had wiped out the last of the floating eyes.
And now, beside the fallen Observer—stood Morel, holding a massive smoking pipe.
His white shirt was stained with dried blood,
bandages wrapped around him—his face pale, but his aura still strong.
Strong enough, at least, to subdue the Observer.
Especially now that the Observer had closed his eyes and raised both hands in surrender.
Joey also sensed two hidden presences—one of them was familiar:
Shuto—the man Joey was meant to find.
The other likely belonged to one of Morel's team—
either someone who'd contacted the Royal Army,
or one of those handling equipment with Shuto.
Both of them were moving toward the vein-Bladebearer,
as if they too had made him their next target.
In this room, he was now the only threat left.
Of course, that didn't include the soldiers outside, closing in fast.
But to Joey and Morel, those regular humans weren't worth a sneeze.
Especially since Morel's Purple Smoke Soldiers had already begun blocking both entrances.
Then—
the vein-Bladebearer moved.
But not toward Joey, Morel, or the others encircling him—
He headed toward the approaching soldiers.
His speed was unreal—veins lashing out, swatting the Purple Smoke Soldiers into puffs of smoke.
Joey raised an eyebrow.
He knew the Smoke Soldiers were finely tuned to Morel's Nen,
especially in close quarters.
If even they couldn't block those attacks—
That said something serious about the thing's strength.
Its direction and behavior told Joey exactly what it wanted—
The cleaver's power created flesh monsters.
And it grew stronger by absorbing blood.
Now, its goal was obvious.
But should Joey continue the fight?
He glanced at Morel.
Truth be told, Joey had no interest in cleaning up the Royal Army's mess.
If this thing rampaged through the upper decks,
it might actually help them escape.
And besides—
taking it down wasn't easy.
Unless Morel assisted him directly,
the creature might very well get away mid-battle.
So the decision was Morel's.
As he turned, Joey saw Morel give a clear shake of the head.
That was his answer.
Joey nodded, understanding immediately.
He watched Morel bind the Observer, sling him over his shoulder, and motion Joey to follow.
Then he vanished into the wall he'd entered from.
Shuto and the other figure moved too—
the only difference was the swarm of Purple Smoke Soldiers,
which surged after the veined monster.
They didn't leave the room—
they blocked every exit behind it.
Joey made no move to stop them.
Instead, he flicked a coin toward Killer Queen,
summoning a flock of hummingbirds, which hovered over the Smoke Soldiers.
Then he quickly caught up with Morel.
Behind the wall was a sewage pipe—
broader than usual, maybe even intentionally widened.
Its defining trait?
It connected to the lower decks.
Specifically—the Prince's Quarters.
Joey followed Morel down—not by grabbing the pipe like Morel,
but simply floating behind him.
About three meters down, they came to a large breach in the wall.
And then—two figures appeared from above.
One was Shuto.
The other—wrapped head to toe in protective gear, with a helmet like an astronaut's.
The figure's full appearance was hidden,
but the moment they entered, the pipe began to change.
The once-wide tunnel shrunk behind him, reverting to a normal sewage pipe.
Through the hole, they entered a small storage room.
Morel tossed the Observer to the ground.
Shuto and the armored one stepped inside.
As the last one entered, the pipe behind them returned to normal—
even the breach sealed up, as if patched in real-time.
That work?
Done by the suited figure—now painting the wall with material from a bucket.
A Conjurer, clearly.
And Joey could only think of one word to describe him:
An interior decorator?
Joey narrowed his eyes.
"This is the Prince's Quarters, right?"
Morel nodded.
"Then why haven't you contacted the Hunter Association?" Joey asked.
"Someone with this guy's Conjuration ability should have no problem getting a message out."
"I know what you're thinking," Morel cut him off, pointing to the wall.
"Feel it. Use your En."
Joey looked, extending his aura.
Inside the wall—black mists swirled.
Was that… normal?
He turned to Morel in confusion.
"The ship is separated from the other decks," Morel said flatly.
"No messages can get through. No one can leave."
"All because of that black aura in the walls."
Joey's face darkened.
That answer didn't sit right. It filled him with a bad premonition.
"No one can leave?" he pressed. "Seriously?"
Morel nodded. "Yes. Anyone who goes more than twenty meters away from the ship is teleported back."
Joey's thoughts raced.
He remembered Nakuru.
If this was true, then the giant bird Nakuru used should have reappeared on the ship.
But Joey had sensed nothing.
With something that big—
there should've been some disturbance.
"Where would the teleported person reappear?" Joey asked.
Morel shook his head.
"No idea."
(End of Chapter)