The man did not want to lose like this. He never expected a battle like this at all.
He attacked again, trying to use his ability more often; the room was too small to keep on fighting it. It was not important.
Conrad looked at the man for a moment, and then he smiled.
The man shot up again; he ducked down and, this time, swung his cane and hit the man on the side and did not stop.
One and two and three: he hit the man three times in succession in different places.
The man got hit by the cane, coughed up blood, and for the first time, he jumped back and did not use his ability.
"It is funny that a new user like you thinks that you can take me on easily." Conrad said.
"You're talking too much," said the man, and then he got ready to attack Conrad again, but Conrad vanished from his existing place and then manifested behind the man and swung with most of his power at the man's back.
The attack did not intend to kill but to put him to sleep.
The force behind the cane and the nen on the cane was pretty heavy and powerful.
As it was made contact with the man back, it was easy to hear many bones got broken.
Even with the protection of nen, it was not enough to block the attack to keep him awake.
The guy dropped down to the ground and started sleeping soundly.
Conrad nodded.
"He should be okay."
Conrad commented and texted Anisa and Adarte.
He then took the man and tied him up to the chair.
He did not need Adarte and Anisa to keep looking at the man; he just wanted to show that there will be attacks on them and they need to be prepared.
Some sort of an act that would signal that they will need to be prepared against people who want to kill them.
Now that they are taking important missions and targeting dangerous nen users. This new reality is their new way of life.
"They need to get used to it."
Adarte and Anisa arrived in just five minutes.
Both entered the room, looked around the room, and nodded. They looked at Conrad for a moment, and then the man tied on the ground.
"Bring me some water, would you?" said Conrad to Adarte, and he nodded.
Anisa came to his side and asked.
"Who is this guy?"
Conrad shook his head.
"I don't know his name."
"I only know that he most likely has some contact with Light Upon Us."
Anisa thought and said.
"Is that the organization that we are going to hunt down in a week's time?"
Conrad nodded.
"Yeah."
"It seems like they got some intelligence that I was hired and then sent a new user to hunt me down."
Anisa laughed.
"For hunting you, they are just sending one nen user"
"It seems like you are underestimated."
Conrad kept his silence and said nothing this time.
He took the water from Adarte and splashed the face of the guy.
The guy woke up and looked at the trio.
Conrad asked.
"I am going to ask you several questions."
"If you do not answer, there will be ways to make you talk that you would not want to imagine in your life."
The man kept his neutral face and took deep breaths.
"This is not great," Conrad commented.
Cult member or not, he can see the determination in the eyes of the man.
Not that it is important, but it is never great to see that the enemy has such determination to protect themselves and their organization.
"Are you a member of Light Upon Us?"
Conrad asked.
The man nodded.
"I am..." he said.
Conrad smiled.
"Good start," he thought and asked another question.
"Your name?"
The man thought and then answered.
"Axiol, Axiol Fredo."
Conrad then said.
"Okay, Axiol."
"Are you a real member or a pseudo member of the group?"
From the face of Axiol it was not hard to see that he did not like this question at all.
"I am a pseudo member; I was about to be an eighth member..."
Conrad nodded and understood something. He was not sure, but it was more than likely.
"Is this hunting mission you took to take care of me the requirement for you to become the eighth member?"
Axiol gulped and then looked Conrad deeply in the eye.
"Is that easy to see?"
Conrad smiled.
"I mean, it does make sense for an organization like Light Upon Us to want people that would like to be primary members to do something for them."
"It is pretty easy to think."
"Not to mention, despite your attacking me, your killing intent was bland..."
Axiol was taken aback.
"What do you mean 'bland'? What does that mean?"
Conrad walked back and forth and added more.
"It did not feel like you wanted to kill me, but you needed to kill me."
"In the end, other than you knowing for a fact that I want to attack your organization, I did nothing that would be enough for you to harness hatred and will to kill me."
"You were not ready to put your life on the line."
Axiol nodded.
Conrad then asked.
"Are you going to talk?"
"If I were to ask you about the headquarters and location of your people."
Axiol smiled.
"What do you think?"
Conrad smiled.
"Yeah."
"It seems like I do not want to work on the matter of trying to make you talk," he added.
In one second, the cane vanished, and the blade manifested.
When the cane vanishes and the blade manifests, it means that Conrad put a mental note, a mental use of the ability of "Marked For Death," on an enemy.
If not, the ability is not usable.
He then looked at Axiol for a moment and then swung his blade, beheading the man.
From what he understood and felt, the guy did not have any kind of nen defense or anything that may create a problem.
If he were a real member and Conrad believed it, things would be a lot different.
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