A Battle with No Retreat Allowed

By Beyond, a younger version of Netero.

Although he was also exceptionally skilled in martial arts, he lacked the dedication to practice diligently for decades... Therefore, he could not be compared to Netero.

As long as one's thoughts are connected with one's own spirit and mind, then... there will always be a gap between the two in terms of their mastery of thoughts.

The same goes for Oboro.

However, he weakened the influence of his mind on his thoughts, because he knew that he could not be as proficient in spiritual practice as Netero.

Therefore, he wanted to transform his original Nen into the three types he has now... because with his current Nen, as long as he collects souls, he can passively increase the strength of his Nen power.

There is no need to refine one's personal will to an extraordinary level.

He... took a shortcut.

Of all the people I've faced so far, Beyond's physique is the most abnormal... Netero is getting old.

Take that last strike, for example. Oboro could have used Nen to counteract or defend against it, but the impact of Beyond's physical strength would have amplified his Nen to the greatest extent. If it weren't for the armor and body-tempering techniques he had been building up over time, Oboro would have lost at least one arm.

You can tell Beyond his comparison, and you can also tell Long's strength from his comparison.

However, Beyond might make a misjudgment... because the physical attributes that Oboro is currently exhibiting do not include attributes such as attack range, critical hit rate, and armor, which are... additional abilities.

The massive Ghost Mist fell back down, enveloping the area once more.

By Beyond Defa tried to swing his sword to sweep away the mist... but this time it failed. Firstly, his control over his Nen was becoming less smooth, and the effects of Oboro's Acupoint and Meridian Manipulation were beginning to appear. Secondly, he had lost feeling in one hand, making it impossible to grip the sword with both hands, which reduced his strength.

Crucially, Oboro increased the output of his Nen, causing a slight change in the misty sea.

The clouds and mist, which were originally formless, suddenly became as heavy as liquid... Moreover, even the ghosts that were swimming around Beyond, whose facial features were initially blurry, suddenly became clear, just like living people.

Boom! Even so, it was still as swift as lightning Beyond's sword-wielding movements.

Huge inverted rainbows pierced through the thick fog, briefly parting it to reveal an open space... He could only use this to find Oboro's location.

Because Oboro's aura had completely disappeared from his perception.

The change in the Ghost Mist made it even more difficult to unleash Nen, but Beyond still managed to use his Nen technique. Centered on himself, rolling Nen spread out, covering a radius of a hundred meters around him. He realized that although Oboro could attack from a distance, the range was limited to about ten meters... Although the Ghost Mist could weaken his senses, it couldn't completely block out his Nen, meaning that the circle technique was still effective.

A range of one hundred meters is far beyond Oboro's attack range... As soon as he appears, Beyond will sense it.

Another point is that... there are some limitations to that kind of attack method that involves attacking from a distance.

When Oboro severely injured his arm, the move she used required physical contact with him...

"In other words, as long as it involves some kind of complex variation and technique, including Nen abilities... you can't attack from a distance. That kind of method... has one requirement: simplicity! The attack method must be very simple in order to be effective within a certain range."

Beyond had some insights.

He swung his knife wildly.

Looking down from the air, the scene was extremely horrifying.

A colossal black shadow, conjured from thought, stood amidst the sea of mist, repeatedly raising and lowering its blade.

With each strike, the surging air currents would form a terrifying shockwave along with the blade light, stirring up the thick green fog... The nearby ghosts could not get close at all, and would be dispersed by this enormous pressure in an instant, turning into wisps of spiritual energy and dissolving.

"To remain unchanged amidst change... He saw that within the range of the fog, nothing could escape my perception."

A hundred meters away, Long assumed a horse stance and took a long breath.

His gaze pierced through the mist, fixing on a single direction.

Immediately, the sound of a heart pounding filled the air, like an engine starting up.

The frequency gradually increased, and the noise became deafening.

He pushed his Breathing Technique to its limit, putting his body under immense strain. Within seconds, his heart was pumping blood at a rate dozens of times higher than before... This was a form of self-harm.

It can have serious side effects.

Since learning the Breathing Technique, Oboro had never used it like this before, always taking it little by little to allow her body to gradually adapt... She only used it briefly during her sparring session with Netero when she participated in the Hunter Exam...

Long's eyes changed; a terrifying surge of blood energy caused his pupils to become bloodshot instantly, and the veins on his forehead bulged out... Every muscle in his body was swelling and growing larger.

The heat emanating from his body seemed to distort the light and the air.

"Ta Bu..."

Her lips moved, and she took a step forward and landed.

The foot stomped down, instantly creating a crater two or three meters in size in the ground, and blasting up mud and rocks.

"Dragon Spine Opening..."

He continued reading.

As he spoke, the bones in his body seemed to stretch out all at once, making a crisp sound.

Especially the back where the spine is located, it seems to rumble incessantly.

"God Fist!"

As he spoke, he made a fist with his right hand and let it hang down at his waist.

When facing an opponent Beyond, even with attack range, ordinary moves are unlikely to cause him much damage... let alone when the opponent releases 'En'. It's not that attack range is useless, nor is it related to the method of enhancing this ability; to put it bluntly... it's just that Oboro's own level is not high enough to kill a strong person Beyond out of thin air.

Like the previous members of the Phantom Troupe, Oboro could do that.

This is a matter of his own strength. Once his Nian (spirit/mind) advances to a certain level, it will be able to effectively strike against Beyond.

Therefore, he must enter the opponent's territory and, before being detected and reacted to, traverse a hundred-meter distance at an unimaginable speed to get close.

Just like an ordinary person facing a bullet, they see the muzzle but can't dodge it.

"The Seven-Star Shift".

This is a footwork technique that Oboro later learned in the system and re-integrated based on experience.

Use Ta Bu to gain speed, then use the Seven-Star Shift to close the distance.

With a loud bang, Oboro disappeared from the spot... This time it wasn't a flash, as flash can't be used consecutively.

But the power he used seemed to be just like a flash.

Where Long disappeared, a wave of earth several meters high was stirred up, the ground unable to withstand his force... His speed was so fast that even his shadow seemed to be erased out of thin air, and a vacuum zone was formed directly in the Ghost Mist along the way.

"It's there?!"

Standing in the fog, Beyond sensed the movement before Oboro made his move; his hearing was incredibly sharp.

After all, in the environment of the Dark Continent, even the slightest oversight can be fatal.

"Ha!"

By Beyond sensed a chilling crisis... A terrifying creature was coming!

He chuckled softly.

With his heart also taut to the limit, he spun the greatsword with one hand, bringing all his strength to slash forward.

It's a positive sign! His intuition couldn't be wrong! In an instant, the flow of time seemed to slow down, Beyond saw a figure resembling a bolt of Inazuma, cutting through the sea of fog and rushing towards him.

They also noticed Oboro's unusual appearance and physical condition.

He understood... that this method of attack came at the cost of destroying his own flesh and blood.

"You're really crazy!"