Chapter 36: The Shadow Has Nowhere to Return

There is a man hidden within the shadow of a passenger.

It may sound preposterous, but Nen grants such possibilities. Kanzai, with his sharp and experienced eyes, could discern Moro's disguise, yet he remained unable to detect the person hiding in the shadow.

This was not an oversight. Rather, this ability allows one to evade detection by "Gyo."

The Nen user hiding in the passenger's shadow is none other than Rukahara from the Ryu-O Kingdom. According to his original plan, he should have returned to his country with his companions after acquiring the legendary blade, Shinra. However, his leader gave him a mission: discover the reason and method behind the disappearance of Shinra's Nen aura. Thus, he set his sights on Moro and finally waited for an enclosed environment suitable for taking action.

"Shadow's No-Return."

This is Rukahara's secret technique. In reality, it is a Nen ability, but in the Ryu-O Kingdom, special abilities are referred to as secret techniques or ninjutsu. The effect of Shadow's No-Return allows Rukahara to move freely within the shadows of any non-Nen user within a "certain range." This range limit refers more to volume than distance. The volume of the entire airship happens to fall within the range where Rukahara can utilize his shadow-traveling ability.

Beyond shadow-traveling, Rukahara possesses another ability tending toward the Manipulation type. After slipping into a target's shadow, once he meets the condition of "sufficient invasion time," he gains control over the target, allowing for two methods of manipulation. One is to remain hidden in the target's shadow, using soul invasion to control the target—or more accurately, to possess the target's body. The other is to harvest the target's shadow, turning them into a humanoid puppet that follows his commands.

Currently, Rukahara is hiding in a passenger's shadow, in no rush to act. The airship will take three days to reach the Kukan-Yu Kingdom. Although it will land to refuel midway, passengers are not permitted to disembark during the refueling process. In other words, Rukahara has three full days to complete his mission. With time on his side, he can afford to invade the shadows of other passengers first, quietly developing a group of puppets. This is the fundamental reason he waited for this enclosed space—it allows him to gather puppets in peace without worrying that Moro might leave midway.

Within the viscous, ink-black space of the shadow, Rukahara’s body remains frozen, expressionless, patiently waiting for the opportune moment.

...

Inside a VIP cabin, Kanzai stood guard by the door and answered the burly female bodyguard’s question: "That boy is a Nen user; he used a disguise."

"Huh!?"

The bodyguard, named Talia, narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. She had suspected something might be wrong with Moro under Kanzai’s influence, but she had failed to see through his disguise.

Kanzai crossed his arms, his expression flat. "I didn't sense any malice, but we can't let our guard down. Among all the passengers, he is the only Nen user. It's always best to be cautious."

Talia looked at Kanzai, wanting to say something but holding back. On the sofa inside the cabin, the woman who had already removed her mask and sunglasses cast a light glance their way.

"What is it?" Kanzai raised an eyebrow, finding the bodyguard’s reaction strange.

Talia hesitated, ultimately deciding not to correct Kanzai’s misuse of the idiom, and simply shook her head. "It’s nothing."

Kanzai felt utterly bewildered. This professional Hunter, who was exceptionally sensitive to "potential threats," seemed uniquely dense only when it came to math and language. Not dwelling on Talia’s odd reaction, Kanzai shifted his gaze to his employer, who had a head of silky silver hair.

This employer was a princess of the royal family of the great Kukan-Yu Kingdom. Initially, when Kanzai accepted this escort mission, he didn't think much of it. He had taken similar jobs protecting royalty and nobles before, usually just escorting them from one country to another. The greatest risk one might encounter was an attack by another Nen user.

But this time was entirely different. Had he known this escort mission would involve the messy business of royal power struggles, he would never have accepted it, even if Chairman Netero had assigned it personally. He found these convoluted power plays to be a massive headache. However, since he had already accepted the commission, his professional ethics demanded that he approach it with one hundred percent dedication, regardless of his frustration.

Fortunately, his female employer was quite normal; she lacked common traits like arrogance or haughtiness and was even able to clearly assess the situation, cooperating throughout the journey. Only... when facing attacks, this employer was as calm as a robot. The various dangers lunging at her seemed like mere trifles in her eyes. Kanzai could sense a contradiction within her. She seemed to view dying on the "path forward" as a natural outcome. Consequently, when faced with mortal danger, she possessed a detached composure that made it difficult for Kanzai to detect even a shred of a will to fight. Yet, at the same time, she firmly believed that as long as she lived to the end, she would inevitably realize her immense value.

Under this contradiction, some of her will and thoughts functioned like those of a pure bystander, watching herself walk a path full of thorns as if it were none of her business. After spending some time with her, Kanzai felt that this employer possessed some indescribable quality. Whether from the perspective of the mission or a personal one, he hoped she would survive.

Knock, knock.

The door was tapped. Talia immediately positioned herself in front of the silver-haired woman. Kanzai walked to the door and opened it just a three-finger-wide crack.

Outside the door, a waiter in work clothes was pushing a food cart, smiling. "Hello, your meal has been prepared..."

"Leave it there," Kanzai said flatly.

Seeing this, the waiter continued to smile. "Very well. If you have other needs, you may contact the service desk using the phone in your room."

"I know." Kanzai stared at the waiter expressionlessly.

The waiter, seemingly accustomed to the reactions of various guests, smiled and walked away. Once he was gone, Kanzai pushed the cart containing the dinner into the room.

The silver-haired woman moved to the dining table. Talia placed the exquisite dishes on the table one by one, then looked at the silver-haired woman, who nodded slightly. Talia immediately took a portion of the food into her mouth. As she chewed, her entire mouth was wreathed in steam-like Nen.

"Normal."

After swallowing, Talia tested the next dish. "Normal, normal..."

She tested until the very last dish, and everything was fine. But when Talia picked up a flute glass, she detected a colorless, odorless, and deadly poison on the rim.

"There is a problem." Talia set the glass down, her expression unchanged.

The silver-haired woman reacted with indifference. Kanzai glanced at her and couldn't help but sigh. Before they decided to board this airship, they had set off a mountain of smoke screens, all to deceive others, yet it had been completely useless.

This really is endless...

Kanzai reached up and ruffled his spiky hair.