Beyond, the young version of Netero.
Although he was also a martial arts expert, he lacked the dedication to train himself tirelessly for decades… so, he still couldn't compare to Netero.
As long as Nen and the spirit are connected, there will always be a gap in their mastery of Nen.
Oboro is the same.
However, he weakened the influence that spirit has on Nen because he deeply knew he couldn't master cultivation like Netero.
That's why he wanted to transform his original Nen ability into the current three types… because now, by collecting souls, he could passively increase the strength of his Nen.
No need to refine personal will to an extraordinary level.
He… took a shortcut.
Among the people currently fighting, Beyond's body is the most bizarre… Netero is already old.
Take the previous strike—Oboro could use Nen to counter and defend, but Beyond's physical strength would amplify his Nen to the greatest extent. Without the continuous layering of armor and body-tempering techniques, Oboro would have lost at least one arm.
Beyond can see his physical strength, and Oboro can see Beyond's.
But Beyond tends to overestimate… because the physical quality Oboro is showing now does not include attributes like attack range, critical hits, or armor—that's abilities added on.
The massive ghost fog receded again, enveloping the battlefield.
Beyond tried to swing his sword to sweep away the fog… but this time, it failed. One reason was that his control of Nen became less smooth, as the effect of Oboro's pressure-point and pulse-point acupuncture was already taking effect. The other was that one of his hands lost sensation, unable to grip the sword with both hands, reducing his force.
Most importantly, Oboro intensified his Nen output, causing a slight change in the fog sea.
The fog itself is intangible, but now it seems liquid, with weight… and even the ghosts swirling around Beyond, which initially had blurry features, suddenly became clear, like living beings.
Boom!
Even so, Beyond's sword swing remained swift as lightning.
Massive rainbow-like slashes cut through the dense fog, briefly splitting the mist in two, exposing a clear area… He could only use this to locate Oboro's position.
Because Oboro's aura had completely disappeared from his perception.
Circle!
The change in the ghost fog made it much harder to emit Nen, but Beyond still used a Nen technique—centered on himself, a rolling wave of Nen spread out, covering a hundred-meter radius. He realized that while Oboro could attack from afar, the distance was limited—about ten meters… Although the ghost fog could weaken his perception, it couldn't completely block his Nen. In other words, the circle was still effective.
And a hundred meters far exceeded Oboro's attack range… as long as he appeared, Beyond would sense him.
Another point was… this kind of remote attack had some restrictions.
When Oboro severely injured his arm just now, the move he used required contact with him directly…
"So, as long as it involves some complex changes and techniques, including Nen abilities… you can't attack from afar. Such methods… have a requirement: the attack must be simple! It must be straightforward enough to strike within a certain range."
Beyond realized this.
He swung his sword wildly.
From a high vantage point, the scene was extremely shocking.
A giant shadow formed from Nen, standing in the fog sea, repeatedly raising and dropping his sword.
Each slash, with rolling energy waves, formed a terrifying shockwave, stirring the green fog… Ghost shadows nearby couldn't approach at all; they would be dispersed by this immense pressure in an instant, dissolving into strands of Nen energy.
"Use the unchanging to respond to all changes… He saw that within the fog, everything in my perception was visible and could not hide."
From a hundred meters away, Oboro assumed a horse stance, took a deep breath.
His gaze pierced through the fog, fixed on a direction.
Then, the sound of pounding hearts echoed in the air, like an engine running.
The rhythm gradually increased, from faint to deafening.
He almost pushed his breathing technique—his respiration—to the limit, putting his body in an overloading state. In just a few seconds, his heart's blood flow surged dozens of times stronger than before… this was a form of self-harm.
There would be serious side effects.
Since learning breathing techniques, Oboro rarely used this method—doing it gradually to let his body adapt… just like when he sparred with Netero during the Hunter exam, he used it very sparingly…
His eyes changed. The terrifying surge of blood caused his pupils to fill with red veins, and the veins on his forehead bulged… every muscle in his body expanded and grew larger.
The temperature emitted by his body seemed to distort the light and air around him.
"Step forward…"
Oboro's lips moved, and one foot stepped forward and landed.
His foot pressed down, instantly creating a dirt pit about two or three meters wide, kicking up dust and stones.
"Open the Dragon's Spine…"
He continued to recite.
With his words, his bones seemed to expand all at once, producing a crisp sound.
Especially the back, near the spine, sounded like continuous thunder.
"Divine Fist!"
He clenched his right hand into a fist, hanging down at his waist.
When facing an opponent like Beyond, even if within attack range, ordinary techniques would be hard to cause damage… let alone the fact that the opponent had also released 'Circle'. It's not that attack range is useless—this ability is not related to that. Simply put… Oboro's level isn't yet enough to kill a strong opponent like Beyond out of thin air.
Like the previous Phantom Troupe members, Oboro could do it.
This is a matter of strength itself. When his Nen reaches a certain level, he will be able to deliver effective strikes against Beyond.
Therefore, he must cross a hundred meters at an unimaginable speed, within the moment he is detected and reacts, to get close.
Just like ordinary people facing bullets—they see the muzzle, but cannot dodge.
"Seven-Star Dōu Movement."
This is a footwork technique Oboro later learned in the system, derived from his experience of merging and evolving.
Using quick stepping to accelerate, then using the Seven-Star Dōu to close the distance.
Boom!
Oboro vanished from his original position… This time, it wasn't a flash; Flash can't be used consecutively.
But the power he exerted seemed truly like a flash.
Where Oboro disappeared, a mound of earth rose several meters high, unable to withstand his force… His speed was so fast that his trajectory seemed to be erased from nothingness, leaving a vacuum zone in the fog along his path.
"Is he there?!"
Beyond, standing in the fog, sensed the movement before Oboro struck. His hearing was extremely sharp.
After all, in the environment of the Dark Continent, even the slightest oversight could be fatal.
"Hah!"
Beyond felt a terrifying crisis… a monstrous creature was coming!
He smiled grimly.
His tension was also stretched to the limit. With a single hand, he spun his great sword, exerting all his strength, and slashed forward.
This is a frontal attack!
His intuition was correct!
Time seemed to slow down. Beyond saw a lightning-like shape tearing through the fog, rushing toward him—Oboro.
He also saw Oboro's unusual face and physical state.
He understood… this kind of attack was made at the cost of destroying his own flesh and blood.
"You're really crazy!"
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