A Little Secret

Their physical fitness, mental strength, and capacity are not on the same level as mine.

Not to mention the terrifying extent to which his current armor attributes, that is, physical defense, have been amplified by the combat skill Iron Shirt.

Long was very familiar with the Zodiacs, especially after he reached a level comparable to theirs. Combined with the memories in his mind and the information he had collected in his life, he knew roughly where each member of the Zodiacs was at.

Most of the members of the Zodiacs are national-level Hunter x Hunter, and the Journey to the Saiyu before us is no exception.

The few who are relatively outstanding are at most top-tier national-level Hunter x Hunter, not even reaching the sub-world level, but even if they did, it wouldn't matter.

Because even though he is currently at the sub-world level, his actual combat strength should not be much different from that of a world-class player.

Characters like Saiyu, Kanzai, and Ginta are all martial artists who take a practical approach to combat.

It's one of the stronger ones among the Zodiacs.

Only three people could truly capture Oboro's attention.

Dragon Botobai; Rat Pariston; Boar: Ging Freecss.

He just wanted to see if the Journey to the Saiyu, with all his might, could make him feel danger and pressure.

As his strength increased, Oboro's mindset also changed, and he had a premonition... that one of his emotions was gradually disappearing.

Netero's childlike personality and his penchant for finding amusement in young people stem from his overconfidence and immense strength.

Under normal circumstances, there are very few factors that could threaten him...

Therefore, he didn't care about anything happening right under his nose and let the younger generation run wild.

Of course, age also plays a role... but the main reason is personal ability.

Netero keeps people like Oboro and Pariston around, letting these kids "grow wildly," which is also a challenge for himself... hoping they can cause him some trouble or danger. As the saying goes, the higher you climb, the lonelier it gets; sometimes, being too powerful and standing alone on the mountaintop can be quite boring.

Over time, you will lose some potentially valuable things.

The same goes for Long... His loneliness is just beginning to emerge, not nearly as severe as the old man's, but it's not a good sign. He needs danger to stimulate himself and push himself forward.

Otherwise, we'll have to head to the Dark Continent ahead of schedule.

Presumably, this was the reason why Netero went to the Dark Continent when he was young.

Staying in the human world would lead to stagnation.

Long gripped Saiyu's weapon with one hand, without exerting any force. As he raised his arm, the flexible staff bent at an increasingly larger angle. Even though Saiyu gritted his teeth, his forehead veins bulged, and he used all his strength, he still couldn't win the struggle.

It was only when Oboro took the initiative to let go that the stick shrank and slipped out of his palm.

"Ah!"

Saiyu roared, his figure shifting between several trees, and then swept up to Long's head, his weapon whistling in the wind.

A dense barrage of sticks swung up from above and crashed down.

Boom! In an instant, a large number of tree canopies and branches in the forest were pulverized, and tree trunks were destroyed.

The overwhelming attack and staff techniques from Saiyu were incredibly destructive. In just a few dozen seconds, an area in the forest was cleared out, filled with fallen giant trees.

Long retreated, shaking his head to dodge the relentless blows of the stick... The seemingly fierce attacks had no effect on him at all, and were even... a little too slow.

The Saiyu in front of him was like a mad monkey, pushing his Nen power to the limit. His technique was so natural that he used it frequently without a single flaw! But... no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hit it.

In his breathing state, Oboro, relying solely on his physical attributes and reflexes, could already completely overwhelm all of his techniques.

The relentless attacks in Saiyu were driven by a specific purpose.

As Oboro took another step back, a little monkey descended from the sky, crouching in place at the landing spot, ready to pounce.

Speak-Monkey.

Saiyu is not about recklessness. Every strong person who can surpass the higher ranks of Nen user has their own mature fighting style and thinking... It is a combination of methods and intellect.

His anger was merely a facade.

He had been observing and forcing Long's movements, and finally found an opportunity!

The only way to defeat Oboro or buy time right now is to use the remaining two Nen monkeys and their Nen to cause trouble for the target! Oboro is only dodging and not retaliating.

This made Saiyu realize that the other party was underestimating him... and underestimating the enemy is also a weakness!

Swish.

The little monkey leaped up from behind Oboro just before her feet had fully touched the ground, grabbing at Oboro's exposed skin.

Without turning around, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Long flipped his palm and aimed it at the monkey that appeared in his blind spot. He squeezed the monkey tightly with his five fingers in the air, and the monkey was immediately imprisoned in mid-air by a force, kicking and struggling frantically.

Just as he let out a scream, the monkey exploded as Long twisted his fingers! Saiyu, instead of being alarmed, was delighted—he'd been tricked!

The first monkey was a feint... to divert Oboro's attention; the second See-Monkey was the real killing move.

With a whoosh, a dark shadow appeared out of nowhere and flashed in front of Oboro.

A joyful expression, as emotional as a human's, appeared on the monkey's innocent face... It raised its arm and touched Oboro's eyes.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, incredibly fast! The little monkey's finger was almost touching Long's eye socket...

"You weren't planning to defeat me head-on, but instead you were waiting for reinforcements. While that's wise, it has disappointed me. I've given you enough time." Suddenly, a cold voice rang out. Saiyu's pupils dilated; his carefully planned, risky move had failed...

The little monkey that rushed between him and Oboro, suddenly, like a stuffed rag doll, was torn into several pieces by several sharp and ferocious gusts of air as the man spoke. The stuffing inside... that is, the organs, were all scattered and exposed to the air.

Even the monkey's brain was cut off, and it tumbled and flew out.

Then, it dissipated into a wisp of Nen power ...

His hand! Saiyu stared at Oboro's fingers... Nen?

Why was there no warning whatsoever? The opponent's fingers possessed astonishing strength, comparable to the power of a blade.

But just like when he severely injured himself before, there was no trace of him making a move. He merely moved his knuckles, and a finger technique was performed remotely.

The distance is... five meters! Within five meters, nothing... can get close to him if Lance wants to destroy anything.

Saiyu didn't see Long's first move clearly... He was still unsure of how and how to use this ability, but this attack gave him a conclusion! With his emotions churning, he still relied on his fighting instincts and struck the moment the See-Monkey was killed, seizing the opportunity.

His Nen power flowed and condensed at the other end of the staff, which slammed down towards Long's forehead.

However, the same scene played out again!

Long stretched out a finger and gently slashed at him... The torn airflow then fell onto Saiyu's neck.

The timing of the attack was precise and ingenious, so that the Journey to the Saiyu's moves were broken before they could even be used.

Saiyu tried to dodge, but his hand movements slowed down his reaction time... With a whoosh, he heard the sound of flowing water.

Then, hot, scalding blood splattered onto his face, turning his field of vision crimson once more.

It was as if the entire world had been stained with a blood-red hue.

His carotid artery had been severed! Large gushes of blood gushed out and quickly splattered all over the ground.

Saiyu's expression was blank. He staggered backward and immediately covered his wound with his hand, contracting his muscles.

But the hemostasis was ineffective... fresh blood continued to slowly flow out between his fingers.

"Why?"

"It's not just about tearing the air... it also has the effect of Nen power detached from the body... transmitted through the airflow?"

The Saiyu came to mind.

He assumed that Oboro's ability to ignore distance from a distance was merely the residual force of a shockwave or technique, since he hadn't seen the opponent apply Nen to any physical substance, except for the air...

It is also different from the thought of the Emission.

The projectiles or shots of the Emission have a flight and movement process... but Oboro's doesn't; it just appears out of thin air within five meters after it is released.

"While this is also a type of Nen, it's not actively released... rather, it's a passive effect, possessing certain unique characteristics. Strictly speaking... I was merely unleashing a normal attack, without any manifestation or indication of Nen," Oboro said coldly.

He understood the expression on Saiyu's face.

To put it simply... it's just a basic attack.

After speaking, the Nen power outside the body of the ethereal being suddenly burned like flames, and wisps of eerie green mist rippled through the forest along with the ghostly figures, becoming turbulent and thick, spreading and expanding in an instant.

"This is the Nen you're familiar with..."

Standing amidst the Ghost Mist, Oboro gazes directly at the unsettled Saiyu.

This one of the Zodiacs had a pale face... From the perspective of Saiyu, one after another hideous and sinister ghost faces kept appearing in the churning green mist around him, as if they were trying to break free from the mist's restraints and bite him.

These vengeful spirits darted through the fog, emitting terrifying screams and roars, which also affected his mental state, weakening it considerably.

The weakening of his Nen power was due to two reasons: firstly, a crack had appeared in his inner will, and secondly, his life force was rapidly diminishing.

That hero named Thresh!

Upon seeing this scene, the Saiyu suddenly understood.

He had played the game Hero Island. In fact, after entering the Game World, Jin instructed them to familiarize themselves with the skills of all the heroes... because this was likely related to Oboro's purpose!

Oboro actually brought the skills from the game into reality... How did she do that?!

Also... in the game, Thresh's skills are displayed very simply, far less effective and impressive than they appear now.

"These created heroes are clearly part of a complete system... The design and positioning are very accurate, indicating that... all the hero characters should have an origin. When Oboro created them, he must have done background research... It's just a pity that the key details of all the heroes' backgrounds were deliberately hidden. No one else knows them except him. We can only deduce and guess through some skills." Saiyu recalled Jin's words at this moment.

Thresh, this champion... is associated with hell and souls.

Several types?

He brought several abilities into reality? Journey to the Saiyu was deeply shaken.

Not only that... this man wants to further develop these hero skills? Because right now, this Thresh skill demonstration is too different from the game; it's not the same thing at all.

The only thing Saiyu could think of was that Oboro planned to create the hero Thresh in reality using himself as a medium! Jin's idea was not wrong, the key was... the hero's background! In the center of the Ghost Mist, one after another, the heads or bodies of the indistinct ghosts poked out from the mist and crawled at Oboro's feet, like a group of pets being raised, making Saiyu's breath catch in his throat.

He realized... he was not on the same level as the man in front of him.

"Don't think about it anymore... I've lost patience with you..."

Long looked at him and said something.

Upon hearing this, Saiyu felt as if struck by lightning, his liver and gallbladder shattered.

With a whoosh, he dragged his heavily injured body and retreated far away.

It darted out of the Ghost Mist and escaped.

"Grab him."

Long said it lightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the wandering ghosts seemed to receive the command, and instantly they took flight, trailing misty tails, like a swarm of bees pouring out of their nest, heading straight for Journey to the Saiyu.

Now that you've discovered my secret, I can't let you get away...

Long smiled slightly.

That's how the Zodiacs are...

He sensed the Journey to the Saiyu's intention to attack and deliberately fell into the trap to lure the Monkey King into making a move, just to see what tricks or killing moves the Saiyu had up its sleeve.

Unfortunately, this person's performance was mediocre.

He has the strength, and his combat thinking is also quite good... but judging from his perspective, he's not very good.

At first, Oboro was really looking forward to Journey to the Saiyu...

Not only did he understand Netero, he now also somewhat understood Hisoka's mindset when facing Kastro.

It was not as expected, which was really disappointing.