Heart-wrenching pain!
Jed felt his spirit and body being peeled away bit by bit…
A tremor from the depths of his soul.
Behind him, Oboro's arm ignited with ghost fire, a sign of soul transformation.
Under his pull, a fragmented soul was torn from Jed's body.
This was not the conventional state of soul that Oboro understood.
Like Prince Benjamin, as a complete human… his soul, under the influence of Nen, had become a near-ethereal human phantom, allowing one to see his outline and appearance, clearer than the souls floating in the ghost fog.
But Jed's soul was extremely small, only about half a meter long, and its spiritual body was not nearly transparent… but rather a mixed, shallow black substance.
In the center of the soul, there was a 'core' the size of a fingernail.
This was the 'source' of Jed's life form.
"The fact that you can be affected by my Nen ability and touched by me means… you truly belong to the soul category." Oboro smiled, looking at the energy in his palm.
Below, Jed's shell collapsed limply, gradually vaporizing and disappearing.
Along with the giant Rakshasa, it was annihilated in the wind and snow.
"Heh heh heh…"
"Heh heh heh…"
Oboro was very pleased, his calm laughter tinged with a hint of exhilaration.
There was no dramatic scene of life-or-death struggle as imagined.
Nor was there a head-on clash of power… Jed, who had been troublesome for Netero to deal with, had thus… died before Oboro's eyes.
Clatter, clatter…
A strange metallic clashing sound echoed in the air.
Several ghosts, carrying a lantern suspended by a chain, emerged from the ghost fog and flew to the front.
They presented the Lantern of Rigg.
Oboro reached out and opened the small valve of the lantern, sending Jed's soul into it.
When not imprisoning souls, the Lantern of Rigg had no flame, meaning it wouldn't light up and was in an extinguished state.
Every soul in this fog had to be transformed by the Lantern of Rigg before it could be integrated into the ghost fog and controlled by Oboro…
As for the time it took, it depended on the strength of the post-mortem Nen.
Previously, the lantern held a part of Prince Benjamin's soul.
Now, Benjamin was dead, so the lantern was empty.
After placing Jed's soul inside, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The Lantern of Rigg instantly overflowed with black resentment energy, trembling back and forth in mid-air, emitting a strange creaking sound.
Oboro stared intently at the faint glow emanating from within the lantern, his eyes serious.
This… was the most crucial step.
He couldn't fuse curse energy and Nen. Let alone him, perhaps no one in this world could do it… because they were two fundamentally different energies.
But if it could be transformed by his Nen ability while retaining the characteristics of curse energy, it would be a complete success.
Abilities could break rules.
After a while, the Lantern of Rigg gradually stabilized, and the curse energy emanating from the lantern began to recede…
Seeing this, Oboro finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew… it had succeeded.
Next, he just needed to wait for a period of time to completely transform this soul.
Although the progress seemed slow.
...
After a moment, Oboro retracted his Nen ability.
He stepped into the prison area, which had been reduced to ruins by the Rakshasa's rampage.
Netero and Killua's auras were still present and stable; they were likely unharmed.
"What… was that?"
As he approached, he saw Killua staring blankly at the sky, murmuring to himself.
Netero sat cross-legged nearby.
The cell that had imprisoned him had collapsed…
Killua was murmuring blankly because he had just witnessed an incredible sight: countless ghosts swarming towards the curse energy Rakshasa…
Oboro's summoned ghosts were innumerable, and the Rakshasa was tall and imposing, making it difficult to ignore.
Such a battle scene was a bit beyond Killua's comprehension, having only recently become a Nen user.
Only Netero, gazing at the approaching Oboro, knew from Oboro's expression that the old man knew… Oboro had obtained what he wanted!
"Are those ghosts… your ability?"
Killua's gaze was filled with shock and vigilance as he asked.
"Mhm."
Oboro did not deny it.
Anyway, the Zoldyck family members had already seen it.
"So fast…"
After receiving Oboro's affirmative reply, Killua became even more unsettled.
He had expected Oboro to fight Jed for at least some time… after all, Jed had put immense pressure on him.
Especially the curse energy, which was different from Nen, making it difficult to defend against.
"He wasn't a truly powerful expert to begin with… he was just lucky to survive this long," Oboro quipped.
"Lucky?"
Seeing Oboro's relaxed demeanor, Killua clicked his tongue. "This guy actually captured the dignified Hunter Chairman… You saying 'lucky' so casually now is just to hide your own smugness."
"A bit hypocritical…"
Netero chuckled, not angry at all. Instead, he nodded, regaining his youthful vigor, and added, "Yes, Killua is right, the enemy was not ordinarily terrifying."
"You have to keep what happened here a secret… I'm an old man now, I don't want to be laughed at if this gets out."
Oboro glanced at the old man.
Still being glib…
Netero could have easily defeated Jed.
It could only be said that after a lifetime of cultivation, the old man had still not transcended the mundane. He couldn't overcome the hurdle of human emotions.
Who could remain completely detached when it came to loved ones who held significant weight in their lives…
Facing Jed, Netero couldn't bring himself to be ruthless and carry out the killing intent.
His heart had softened.
"In your eyes, I've always been a hypocrite… You haven't known me for just a day."
Oboro looked at Killua playfully. "Speaking of which… you haven't improved much, looking so disheveled? Shouldn't you be thanking me for saving your life?"
"…"
Killua.
"Rude brats tend to be disliked," Oboro said.
Killua's small face blushed, and he turned his head away, muttering a "Tch."
Oboro stepped forward, reaching Netero's side, preparing to remove the curse energy restriction on him.
"It's useless, I've tried everything… I don't know if this person is dead or alive. He has no breath, yet there's still a tiny trace of life sign, protected by resentment energy. This restriction is very strong… I can't even move his body."
Sensing Oboro's intention, Killua quickly spoke.
"Any restriction and vow is intrinsically linked to the individual. Even the strongest effect cannot break the limits of one's own life… Moreover, ordinary restrictions and vows are basically a form of overdrafting oneself or the future, at the cost of one's life force. This is the capital, and the only bargaining chip."
"Although resentment is different from Nen, the underlying logic is the same…"
As Oboro spoke, he took his hands out of his pockets.
Mist rose from his hands, and ghost fire ignited again, transforming into a soul-like state.
"Wing and Bisky probably didn't teach you and Gon in detail about restrictions and vows, did they? Learn well, you might need it in the future."
Oboro's arm became like a sharp blade, ignoring the protective layer of resentment energy outside the body and directly piercing into the body.
Under Killua's shocked gaze, a ball of soul fluorescence, already almost dissipated, was pulled out by Oboro's hand.
At the same time, Oboro, in the tone of an elder, instructed Killua.
"His soul is only this much left, it's incomplete and has been dissipating for a long time…"
"The soul is closely related to the spirit and will… it's this remaining fragment of soul that preserves the most basic lingering will, allowing the restriction to function smoothly…"
Saying this, the soul was absorbed by the mist from Oboro's hand.
The curse energy binding Netero was broken, and the black resentment energy scattered like burnt ashes, drifting away with the falling snowflakes.
"The body is dead, the soul is gone. This way… it's truly death. The vow and restriction no longer exist… Generally, people cannot retain residual will after death… This is the prototype of post-mortem Nen, requiring an elevated state of resolve."
With that, Oboro curled his lips and looked at Killua. "Did you understand?"
Killua swallowed, and with his comprehension, he naturally understood.
However… he also knew one thing: post-mortem Nen… not everyone could do what Oboro did, interacting with others' souls.
Furthermore, whether it was Nen or curse energy… the soul seemed more crucial than the body.
It was the core!
The body could die and give rise to post-mortem Nen…
But if the soul died first… leaving behind only an empty body, then it was truly over.
"Showing off, huh? If I wanted to know, I could find out anytime…"
Killua snapped back to his senses, coughed unnaturally, and muttered, trying to save face.
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