Chapter 86: Losing... Power (Two-in-One)
Biscuit and Morel carried Haze and Hisoka on their backs as they rushed toward the eastern border of Godo, immediately notifying the Association to send rescue personnel.
Bez took the mission target the ritual artifact: the skull.
While running, Biscuit was on the phone with Netero, reporting Haze's condition.
"There are no survivors in the Bozwa settlement… It's almost certain the entire tribe has been wiped out."
"I see."
"Haze's condition is critical. His muscles and skin are deteriorating and aging rapidly… He can no longer feel his chi. Only a trace of life energy is keeping him alive he's clinging to life by sheer willpower."
Biscuit, carrying Haze on her back, spoke grimly as she ran:
"From what we've observed, he hasn't just exhausted his mind he's burned through a massive portion of his life force!"
"…"
The President fell silent.
He had seen the photos the team sent moments ago.
Haze was still young, barely twenty… Though his body had matured, there was still room for growth his flesh and blood could have become stronger through experience.
But noetic energy the manifestation of one's life force was directly tied to one's body.
Haze must have forcibly accelerated his physical growth, triggering a transformation of both his body and his noetic power… and that had led him to this state.
To access the "power" of the future, one needed an extraordinarily strong will and a deep bond with their own noetic energy.
That meant Netero's objective had been fulfilled: Haze had been baptized by death.
But the consequences… were beyond anyone's expectations.
This mission had always been shrouded in uncertainty.
"Don't worry," Netero finally said, his tone somewhat relieved. "He's simply overdrawn his potential a bit. It looks bad, but it's not irreversible. I've assembled a medical team with healing abilities and sent Pariston to escort them with a batch of specially formulated medicine."
Hearing that, Biscuit finally exhaled.
If the President said Haze could recover, then he would she believed that without question.
"What about the aftereffects…?"
Normally, Biscuit would have been irritated hearing Pariston's name, but she had no energy to care. She glanced at Haze's pale face resting on her shoulder and asked again.
At that moment, Biscuit was in her muscular form. She had already tried using her telekinetic ability, Mage of Beauty, on Haze but with little effect. Her ability wasn't meant for healing.
It could only relieve fatigue and restore stamina…
She had revealed her true form to race against time trying desperately to save him.
They bickered often, but that was outside of work.
When it came to missions, she took responsibility.
After all, she was the one who had introduced Haze to the Association. Despite her constant complaints about his personality, she couldn't deny feeling responsible for his current state.
Haze's life could be saved but there were risks.
Overdrawing one's potential always came with a heavy price.
"From what you've described," Netero said slowly, "he must have overdrawn his potential in a life-or-death situation, triggering some kind of transformation in his nous. I infer it's connected to his noetic ability. The overdraft period will last about three years. When he wakes up, his physical strength will drastically decline, and for some time, his chi will be so weak he won't even be able to sense his nous."
Biscuit bit her lip.
Knowing Haze's personality… could he accept such a fate?
His hunger for strength
to lose it would be his greatest weakness.
This wasn't just a setback… for someone like him, it could breed resentment.
Resentment toward the Association, toward the President, toward her… toward everyone involved.
"His mind is no longer the same," the old man said. "In the long run, this will be good for him. He'll understand it eventually. If he doesn't have the courage to face even a moment of pain, then his journey ends here."
Then he hung up.
Bates, running beside Biscuit and Morel, pocketed the phone.
"Don't worry, old man. We'll find a way to get him back," Morel said with a grin.
Biscuit stayed silent.
Within a day, the trio reached the nearest border checkpoint.
Throughout the journey, Biscuit kept constant watch on Haze's vital signs, terrified of losing him.
Fortunately, despite his severe injuries, the faint spark of life like a candle flickering in the wind never went out.
Resilient.
In a barren field beneath the mountains, Biscuit and the others watched a small spacecraft descend.
Pariston stood at the hatch, smiling and waving.
"What's he doing here?" Morel frowned.
"Don't worry about it," Biscuit said curtly.
Moments later, the ship landed. Several doctors and Hunters disembarked, placing Haze and Hisoka on stretchers to transport them.
Suddenly, Hisoka jolted awake.
In an instant, his body tensed entering combat mode. His gaze was cold, his aura violent and feral.
After scanning his surroundings, he relaxed slightly, realizing he had been rescued by Association members.
"What are you doing?" Morel snapped.
They watched as Hisoka ripped out the IV lines, staggered to his feet, and walked to Haze's stretcher. He stared at him for a long moment, then turned away.
"Goodbye," he said softly. "Don't worry about me. Please… take care of my captain."
After walking several meters, he turned back with a faint smile.
"When he wakes up, tell him his performance was excellent. I'm very satisfied."
Everyone was stunned.
"His injuries are too severe!" one of the doctors cried. "Without immediate treatment, he'll die!"
But Hisoka ignored her, walking away alone.
"Take Haze first," Biscuit ordered firmly.
She and Morel exchanged a glance. Both could tell this Hisoka was no ordinary man.
To have survived such a battlefield he was formidable.
They had thought Haze's subordinates were all rookies, but clearly, this one was different.
Meanwhile, Pariston stood nearby, hands in his pockets, watching the scene unfold with a mischievous smile.
He seemed… amused.
"My, my… Haze is quite something," Pariston said cheerfully. "He just joined the Association, and the President already trusted him with such an important mission. Even I wouldn't have the confidence to handle it so quickly. I truly admire him."
His tone was sincere.
"I even requested to join his team," he added with a grin, "but he turned me down."
Biscuit shot him a cold glare, too tired to argue.
Veteran members knew about the Association's current divisions
Netero's main faction, and the dissenters who opposed him.
Biscuit and Morel belonged to the President's side.
Pariston, however, was… complicated.
To Biscuit, he definitely wasn't "one of them."
If it were up to her, she'd have expelled him long ago.
Her look of disdain only made Pariston smile wider.
Soon, the team boarded the spacecraft. Doctors connected several instruments to Haze's frail body, and the ship lifted off returning to Association HQ at full speed.
A Hunter retrieved the special medicine Netero had mentioned a nutritional tonic crafted by gourmet Hunters from rare, life-restoring ingredients.
This particular batch had been made personally by the Association's most mysterious elder, Linne Odpur.
For her to act meant Netero himself had intervened.
A Nen user stepped forward and summoned a small, winged angel in a nurse's outfit. Following the Hunter's command, the angel drank the medicine then delivered it to Haze, mouth to mouth.
Haze's life force improved slightly but not by much.
Several other Nen users combined their powers to stabilize his body.
"He was critically injured… It's a miracle he's even alive," one of them muttered in awe.
"Ah? You don't know him?" Pariston smiled. "His name's Haze a new recruit highly valued by the President. With this performance, he might one day replace him…"
"Pariston, enough!" Biscuit snapped, fists clenched. Still in her muscular form, she looked intimidating.
"Oh, don't misunderstand me," Pariston said innocently. "I meant that as praise honestly. This mission wasn't something just anyone could accomplish. Truly impressive!"
"Don't take his bait," Morel warned quietly.
Biscuit glared at Pariston.
"Listen, brat," she said coldly. "Even with the President's backing, you don't impress me. From the moment I met you, I didn't like you. So don't expect kindness. And if you're plotting anything involving Haze… you'd better tread carefully because you'll be the one who ends up hurt."
Then she turned away, reverting to her petite form and ending the conversation.
Why was he even here?
The Association could've deployed anyone closer to Dongguodo
Pariston's presence meant they anticipated Haze might fail or pay a heavy price. They'd planned ahead for his rescue.
The man's intelligence and cunning were terrifying.
"Ah… this is what I love about veterans caring for rookies," Pariston said with mock sincerity. "I'm honored. It's the first time Lady Biscuit's spoken to me so seriously! I've been wondering how to get closer to you, and now I know!"
He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll take your words to heart. After all, Haze and I are almost the same age. I just want to be friends with him."
"…"
The air in the cabin grew heavy.
Biscuit and Morel ignored him, focusing instead on discussing Haze's condition.
The other Hunters exchanged glances but stayed silent.
Pariston just sat quietly, staring out the window as the golden light of the sun shimmered across the clouds.
He gazed down at the mountains and rivers of Eastern Gotuo his smile faint, his eyes unreadable.
A few days later, the ship reached the Association headquarters.
Haze was immediately transferred to the medical facility.
Upon hearing the news, the Fields family sent guards to reinforce his protection.
David, the butler, and Fieldslily also arrived, taking turns keeping watch.
Days passed. Haze remained unconscious.
The only good news was that his vital signs slowly improved.
Representatives from the Association came to offer condolences. Netero visited briefly but didn't stay long he had a short private talk with Fieldslily before leaving.
No one knew what they discussed.
A month later, the tubes were removed.
Haze's body remained frail his limbs shrunken, his skin pale. He lay silently in bed, eyes closed.
It was a beautiful day. A warm breeze drifted through the half-open window.
Only David and Lily were in the room.
Outside, dozens of men in suits their mafia subordinates stood guard.
"So… his dream was to become a Hunter," Lily murmured, holding Haze's hand from her wheelchair.
She couldn't see, but she could feel.
His skin was like that of an old man nearing the end of life.
"Don't worry, Miss," David said softly. "The Association confirmed his condition is stable. With training, he'll recover once he wakes."
"We tried so hard to find help for him… but it was all useless," Lily sighed.
It was the first time she had ever touched him directly.
"We've already hired powerful Nen users and Hunters from every field, no matter the cost. I don't think something like this will happen again."
"You saw those people, didn't you?" Lily asked quietly.
"Yes."
David nodded, realizing she meant the Association Hunters.
"They come from a world completely different from ours," Lily said softly. "Their voices, their presence… even their scent it's unique. People like them aren't tempted by money or status. Even with the power of the Ten Dons, our Fields family could never have gathered such a group."
She raised her hand, feeling the warm air.
"There's so little we can do for him…"
David fell silent.
He knew exactly what she meant.
Haze was too powerful he needed allies who could stand beside him, not ordinary Nen users or third-rate Hunters.
"It's not enough… nowhere near enough," Lily said suddenly.
"Huh?" David blinked.
"Our family must grow stronger," she said firmly. "The Fields are what they are because of him. Otherwise, we'd still be a minor force or already wiped out."
She knew her brother too well.
Without Haze, the family wouldn't have survived the underworld.
Even without provoking him, they'd have eventually been devoured by others.
"Yes," David said quietly.
He understood her resolve.
Not enough she didn't mean their current resources.
She meant the Ten Dons themselves.
The Fields family wanted more.
For the first time, David saw something new in Lily's eyes
ambition.
Born from the man lying motionless before them.
Haze was adrift…
It felt like he had been lost in a long, dark dream empty and endless.
He couldn't remember anything.
But within the dream, his consciousness still existed.
It was exhausting, as if he could never truly rest.
After what felt like ages, he began to awaken.
The haze faded. His awareness returned.
His eyelids trembled and slowly opened.
He was awake.
The first thing he noticed wasn't what he saw
but what he felt.
Pain. Weakness.
He could move his head, but his mental signals were slow and faint.
His brain told his body to rise
but nothing happened.
"Power… I have no power…"
Dazed, Haze finally understood.
Flashes of memory returned the battle against the Bozwa elder, the punch that pierced his chest, being thrown back… and then nothing.
He must have been rescued.
"The Association?" Haze muttered faintly.
Suddenly, he heard soft sobbing.
Turning his head, he saw a woman crying, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You're… awake."
She was smiling and crying at the same time.
Who… was she?
His eyes widened slightly.
Fields Lily.
Yes it was her.
"Don't talk," she said gently, wiping her tears. "Just rest."
Haze blinked, staring at the white ceiling above him.
Power…
Had he… lost it?
…
(End of Chapter)
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