060 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

Just like when Kurapika captured Chrollo back in Yorknew City, she had left a note behind.

Pakunoda had only been able to read the most recent second or two from the note. Anything beyond that was too hazy to decipher.

Naturally, Ronnel couldn't extract any memories from the Netero puppet either. After all, this puppet was crafted by Ronnel himself, carved from wood, and had no link to Netero's actual body.

After the puppet took form, it began to walk slowly toward the grasslands, chuckling as it went.

Ronnel released a small clone to shadow the puppet from a distance.

The plains stretched endlessly, completely barren. Aside from the puppet's movements, there wasn't a single sign of life anywhere across the entire grassland.

Still, the Netero puppet moved as if it was familiar with the terrain. From the perspective of Ronnel's clone, its steps were light—deliberate—as if it were following a specific pattern.

Ronnel noticed that a certain patch of grass had fluttered for eleven seconds, despite there being no wind. At that exact moment, the puppet chose to retreat and take an alternate path, without hesitation—even though that path had seemed like the only route forward.

Clearly, the puppet was aware of the hidden dangers and behavioral cues of the grassland.

That only strengthened Ronnel's conviction: with Netero's guidance, he could navigate this terrain safely and efficiently.

...

Eventually, Ronnel's clone and the puppet reached the far edge of the grassland.

The swamp beyond came into full view.

"Gurgle~"

Bubbles, both large and small, rose from the swamp's surface—floating upward before popping one after another.

The murky black-and-yellow liquid suggested something foul, but strangely, the swamp gave off no noticeable odor.

It wasn't a large swamp—much smaller than the plains they had just crossed—and its edges could be seen at a glance.

Right at the center, golden stalks of grain-like plants swayed without a breeze.

They looked like rice plants, each stem reaching four to five feet high, their grains plump with life. Even from afar, the vitality they radiated was almost tangible.

"We finally meet... Nitro Rice."

A rare flash of joy lit up in Ronnel's eyes as he gazed at the golden rice.

No one would turn down the chance to extend human life.

...

Netero's puppet also locked eyes on the Nitro Rice in the swamp's center—but made no move forward.

It stood motionless at the grassland's edge, gently stroking its beard. Its gaze was fixed on the trees lining the swamp's perimeter, wearing an expression that was calm, yet serious.

More specifically, he was staring at a hole in one of the tree trunks—something that looked like it had been chewed out by a wild slug.

"Can you force it out? Or do you have a way to probe it with telekinesis?"

Ronnel's clone activated En and swept it across the tree line—but nothing stood out.

Yet there had to be something. The tree holes, and the puppet's focused stare, gave it away.

The Two-Tailed Snake, Hellbell, was likely lurking in those trees. But its presence remained undetectable.

Just as Ronnel dismissed his circle, a wave of cold killing intent radiated from one of the trees.

Ronnel and Netero turned toward it at the exact same moment.

Only Ronnel closed his eyes.

To foresee the future, this ability required absolute stillness—eyes closed, senses sealed.

Ronnel had adjusted the cost using encyclopedia points: instead of falling into absolute despair, the activation now consumed half of his total aura.

Given the dangers of the Dark Continent, despair was far riskier than energy depletion.

Luckily, Ronnel had a vast aura reserve and high regeneration—he could afford the cost.

...

In the ten seconds of foresight that followed, he witnessed this:

From inside the tree hole, a pair of blood-red eyes—each the size of a thumb—suddenly opened.

Then came the snake.

Slithering out slowly, its body was barely a meter long, covered in strange, almost artistic markings—like graffiti on a Western alley wall.

The patterns shimmered faintly, cloaking it in a light that nullified all Nen detection.

It was precisely this pattern that made it invisible to any sensory techniques, including circle.

The snake's head was flat, and its tongue forked with etched lines. Two fangs gleamed in its open mouth.

Seven inches down its slender body, it branched into two tails.

Each tail ended in a sarcoma-sized bulb, about the size of a baby's fist—each acting as a bell.

When they shook, the bells rang—two different tones.

One was hot, sharp, like fire. The other cold, low, like water.

They sounded like they were summoning souls... or hypnotizing prey... or stirring up something dark deep inside the heart.

The sounds didn't just disorient—they agitated. They reached into a person's darkest impulses and amplified them until they boiled over.

And as the bells rang, Hellbell slithered up the tree trunk, blood-red eyes staring directly at Ronnel and Netero.

...

By then, the puppet's body had already started to emit killing intent—intense, erratic, and growing by the second.

But Netero's expression never changed. His eyes remained bright, even tranquil.

He looked up at Hellbell calmly... and smiled.

Then, with hands pressed together, he whispered:

"100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Bo—!

...

Ten seconds passed.

Ronnel opened his eyes.

In real time, the red glow had just appeared in the tree hollow. Hellbell hadn't emerged yet.

"... parasitic monsters really are the worst~."

Ronnel muttered under his breath, then promptly withdrew his clone.

From the glimpse of the future, it was clear that although the puppet had been affected by Hellbell's killing intent, its wooden body meant its will remained largely unshaken.

Rather than weakening him, the heightened aggression only seemed to push Netero's offensive power to even greater extremes.

His next move would be devastating.