With newfouement, Larry sidered the potential applications of Gardevoir’s abilities. If Misty Terrain could prevent the influence of death aura, then... what about Heal Bell? He quickly opehe Pokédex interfa his mind and sed Gardevoir’s skill list.

  ***Heal Bell "Removes ive effects from the eeam, including but not limited to status ditions such as curses ah auras." ***Larry’s grin widened. "Bingo." While Misty Terrain acted as a preventive measure by repellih aura, Heal Bell could actively se it—making them the perfebination. "In a way, I’ve just turned into a half-exorcist," Larry murmured to himself. "No, scratch that—I'm an exorcist with double prote."

  In the world of Hunter x Huhe number of exorcists—specialists capable of removing lingering Nen effects—was absurdly low. Throughout the entire series, only three had ever been introduced.

  There was Abehe dark-skinned man from Greed Isnd, who famously removed Chrollo’s curse with his unique exorcism ability. Then there was Hina, a peculiar Chimera Ant with an ialent for dispelling Nen. Lastly, an unnamed old dy w within the Hunter Association, known only to a select few, whose skills remained shrouded in mystery.

  With such a limited number of exorcists in the world, their value was immeasurable, often sought after by Hunters and bck market ts alike. Now, with Gardevoir’s unique abilities, Larry had unknowingly positioned himself as a potential game-ger. Whether amoable Hunters or the underworld’s most dangerous figures, his newfound role could make him an invaluable asset—ohat people would pay fortuo seek out. "Alright, let’s see how effective Heal Bell really is."

  With a graceful movement, Gardevoir cast Heal Bell, her soothing voice resonating through the a ruins. The soft melody materialized into shimmering musiotes, which floated gently through the air. As the notes drifted forward and touched the dense death aura, the effect was immediate.

  Like snow melting uhe sun, the swirling bck fog dissipated in patches, leaving behind clear, breathable air. The darkness was repced by an eerie silence, as if the aura had never existed in the first pce. But Larry wasn’t fooled. Within moments, new waves of death aura rolled forward, filling the void left by the purified area. Gardevoir turo Larry and spoke softly, "Shauna."

  Larry g her, noting the faint glow of strain in her emerald eyes. "The aura cost is higher for Heal Bell pared to Misty Terrain, huh?" he deduced. "That makes sense. Prevention is easier than cure."

  Satisfied with the results, Larry nodded. "Alright, Gardevoir. Cast Misty Terrain on me as well."

  A soft, pinkish mist surrounded Larry, ging to his figure like an invisible shield. With the protective barrier in pce, he took his first step into the deeper parts of the Karym Ruins.

  Just as expected, the death aura recoiled from Larry's presence, sLarrying away like a predator deterred by a stronger foe. Step by step, he advanced deeper into the ruins, with Gardevoir by his side. The dark fog tio retreat before them, creating a path where none had existed before.

  At the end of the inner city of the Karym Ruins stood a dark, ominous door. It looked as if it was made of solid ink, surrounded by an overwhelming aura of death. If the thoughts of death swirling outside resembled a creeping bck mist, then this door was a solid block of pure darkness. "We’re just going to leave? Just like that?" The voice beloo Neguro, a man with a middle-parted hairstyle and oversized suhere was a hint of unease in his tone, barely cealed beh his usual aloof demeanor.

  "And what else we do? You think you get rid of this death aura yourself?" The woman in the bck leather coat snapped, her frustration evident as she gred at the door. Her ched teeth betrayed her reluce to give up.

  “…Actually, I might know a way.” The sudden voice made all six people turn their heads in surprise. The suffog aura of death that filled the air around them trembled, as if disturbed by an invisible force. A few moments ter, a figure emerged, stepping forward with an easy smile.

  It was Larry. A faint, translut barrier shimmered around him like a pstic bubble, effortlessly repelling the oppressive death aura. Beside him floated a graceful, humanoid figure with an air of elegance—Gardevoir. As Larry advanced, his eyes darted to his progress tracker. He noticed that it had stopped at 80%. This wasn't the true end of the ruins—whatever they were looking for was beyond that door.

  The others watched in astonishment, their gazes fixed on Larry. As Nehemselves, they immediately reized Gardevoir as a juration-type Ne. However, what truly held their attention was Larry’s plete immunity to the oppressive death aura surrounding them. “An Exorcist?!” The leather-an crossed her arms, her sharp eyes narrowing iicism. "Hey, are you some kind of Specialist?" Her voice carried a mix of doubt and hope.

  Standing in front of the massive door, Larry smirked and half-jokingly said, “To be ho, I’m a materialization-type Nen user. My ability lets me create a humanoid Ne.” He gestured tardevoir beside him. “It doesn’t have any attack power, but it gee a barrier that blocks the death aura.”

  “Well, you are a materialization type,” someotered uheir breath. No one could argue with that, especially with the Ne standing right there. Though most Nes are usually associated with emission types, materialization users also specialize in them.

  No one questiohe defeure of his ability either. Nen powers often focus on a single purpose, and it made sehat his would prioritize prote. Despite the growing urge to ent, the group held back, choosing io exge uneasy gnces.

  After a brief exge, Larry pieced together their story. The leather-an, the man with gsses, and the hip-hop guy were siblings. They had met Neguro and his two bodyguards ier city ruins. Both groups shared the same goal—to explore the depths of the ruins—and decided to team up temporarily to improve their ces of survival.

  However, their biggest problem was the ck of exorcist. They had been relying on their owal strength to fend off the death aura, a method that had taken a serious toll on their stamina. If the journey had been any lohey wouldn't have made it this far. Even so, their aura was nearly drained, and the door before them was a far greater challehan anything they'd entered. The thoughts of death it radiated were ten times dehan what they’d faced so far. Uhe outside, where they could resist in short bursts, ing into direct tact with the door would be fatal.

  As Larry listened, he wasn't just standing idly. He discreetly sed everyone using his ability. The results reassured him—most of them were around k, with Neguro and the hip-hop guy standing out at B-rank. In other words, none of them posed a serious threat to him ardevoir.