Not That Simple

Long's Unstoppable Force One-Punch Man landed squarely on Beyond's blade.

Along with the opponent's swung blade, a beam of light descended from the massive black shadow overhead.

The Beyond said Oboro was crazy was because Oboro planned to use his bare fists to shake his sword power... to take it head-on.

This is a very foolish thing to do.

But there's no way around it... Both sides know that it's almost impossible to find each other's weaknesses... Trying to take shortcuts is not the best strategy.

Aside from a strong, physical opponent, it's a matter of seeing who falls first... there's no other way.

The fact that Oboro dared to do this must mean that he was extremely confident in his physical body.

Boom.

An invisible wave of energy emanated from the two of them, spreading outwards and instantly sweeping away the mist... The thoughts of Oboro and the thoughts of Beyond intertwined and clashed in their respective attacks.

The ground beneath their feet collapsed in concentric rings...

"!!!"

By Beyond stared intently at Oboro's fist, which was enveloped in Nen power, his gaze serious.

Because his sword... failed to cleave through Oboro's Nen power defense; instead, the blade tilted backward, forced back little by little by the force of the charging fist.

However, the sword rainbow that landed on Oboro's body, slashed down by his Nen, cut into Oboro's left shoulder.

Oboro concentrated all his power into one point, including his Nen power... As a result, the defense of other parts of his body would naturally be weakened accordingly.

Beyond watched Long's body gushing blood, he smiled at the young man with bloodshot eyes who was close at hand.

The bleeding from the body surface is due to the enormous consumption of blood and energy, causing blood vessels throughout the body to rupture.

Bang! After a few seconds of tension, Oboro's fist finally deflected Beyond's broadsword and struck him squarely in the abdomen... Beyond was instantly sent flying through the air with a sharp sound.

The blade of light that struck Oboro from above tore through half of his body, piercing straight down from his shoulder.

"Cough cough cough cough!"

By Beyond's figure crashed into walls and buildings one after another, as well as a row of metal lampposts. His vision spun, and he didn't know how far he had flown before finally landing... The residual force alone caused him to slide dozens of meters on the ground.

He collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.

He spat out blood clots... not just bloody water.

"This is terrible..."

Beyond covering his mouth with his hand, looking at the foreign matter mixed in with the blood in his palm, he chuckled.

How long has it been since he suffered such a serious injury?

Even the internal organs were damaged...

After a short while, he used one hand to grip the broadsword to support his body and slowly stood up unsteadily from the ground, his long hair, which had been tied up, now hanging loosely down his back.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Hahahaha!

Then, he looked up at a black dot a few hundred meters away.

The sound changed from a soft chuckle to a loud laugh.

Because he knew... Oboro's injuries must be more serious than his! The Ghost Mist on the battlefield had disappeared... All abilities are supported by Nen, and the greater the power, the more unimaginable the energy consumption.

The sheer devastation of Long's desperate attack just now... one can only imagine how much energy it must have consumed.

"You... are already very strong..."

"No one in the entire world could hurt me to this extent, except for Netero and that old devil from the Zoldyck Family."

"I acknowledge your strength; you have already reached the pinnacle of the Hunter World."

Beyond staggered forward, striking the ground with the hilt of his knife to steady himself.

He slowly approached Oboro.

In his eyes, the black dot that Oboro had become remained motionless.

It took several minutes for Beyond, whose abdomen was churned into a mangled mess and whose mouth was still bleeding, to finally stand in front of Long.

The two were three or four meters apart.

Looking around, Oboro stood against the wind in the depression created by the two men, now covered in blood... Most of the blood came from his own body, partly from the forceful use of breathing techniques that caused his blood vessels to burst and his muscles and skin to be unable to withstand the strain, and partly from the injuries inflicted by Beyond's Nen, specifically the blade strikes from that enormous black shadow.

A gruesome wound, stretching from Long's left shoulder to his lower back, came into view.

The incision was so deep that it exposed the bone.

After glancing at it, Beyond lowered his head.

Her long black hair also fell down.

Long's eyes, covered in blood, were still flickering... He was still conscious, but the light and spirit in his eyes were not as strong as before.

The body's functions were severely damaged.

In this state, it's not that I don't want to move, it's that it's very difficult to move...

"Oboro! Be proud of yourself... Before you stands me, Biyan Denitero!!"

The old man suddenly looked up and shouted loudly in a declarative tone.

Then he continued, "So... I won, right?"

"According to our agreement..."

Pat-pat.

The sticky blood on Long's body was still dripping onto the soil.

Beyond could finish speaking, Long's arm, which had been hanging down naturally, suddenly rose, as if he had abruptly escaped from a state of severe injury and near death, like an old tree that had been rejuvenated and regained its ability to move.

Beyond's eyes widened, and he abruptly stopped speaking.

He saw the wounds on Long's body, the exposed flesh... strands of flesh and tissue, automatically woven together like yarn.

This allows the bone to regenerate tissue and the skin to re-adhere.

This sudden vitality took Beyond by surprise.

"Don't declare the result on your own... You and I are just participants, not referees." Long raised his hand and wiped his face, shaking off all the blood. At the same time, he tightened the muscles in the slashed areas, including the ruptured blood vessels, which temporarily stopped the bleeding due to the tension in his body.

Life Steal!

Long is not a reckless man. The reason he dares to use this style of fighting that trades injuries is because... he has a hidden attribute.

His Life Steal has now increased from one-third to forty percent.

Simply put, he can convert nearly half of the damage he inflicts on a target into his own health.

However, the transformation process takes a little time.

"Of course, you can also admit defeat."

Long coldly addressed his shocked opponent.

In the blink of an eye, the huge wound on his body was reduced to a pink scar, resembling a pink centipede crawling on his body.

"Once again, I'm truly impressed..."

Beyond's smile vanished.

He saw... the sudden burst of vitality, which was also a characteristic of Nen.

This was a trump card that Oboro had prepared long ago.

The recovery speed is amazing.

In this way, Oboro's condition was superior to his... This made Beyond initially thought he had the upper hand, suddenly realize that he was in big trouble! If they really fought to the end, the result would be more serious than expected.

"Pity..."

"I suppose you are not fit to be my companion... Since we cannot get along, I absolutely cannot let you leave!"

"That's what I think too..."

"Long said softly."

"Although this is an unfair victory... there's no other way. You chose to refuse..." Beyond finished speaking, he raised the heavy hilt of his knife and slammed it on the ground with a loud bang.

Long's expression suddenly changed.

Suddenly, figures appeared all around.

In an instant, he understood who these people were.

They weren't members of the royal family, but Beyond had secretly recruited over the years, forming a team heading to the Dark Continent... The Zodiacs' Saiyu and Pariston were among the participants in the plan.

Moreover, these people must have been involved in the Chimera Ant incident.

Many of them are members of the Hunter Association.

"I thought... you really had the courage to fight me one-on-one."

He said in a low voice.

"Between you and me, in certain matters, we never represent individual beings, but rather two completely different camps." Beyond grabbed his weapon, and his seemingly severely wounded body once again unleashed a powerful surge of Nen, manifesting a terrifying, oppressive black shadow behind him.

"We both carry missions... If we set those aside, I'd be willing to fight you to the bitter end... but it's not the right time yet."

"I thought you would choose to join me, and I had the ability to make you submit... I was wrong. Although you weren't completely transformed by the old man, you were still influenced by him and bound by him. You already have the ability to go to the Dark Continent, so why are you still here?"

"You crave power too, don't you?"

"Oboro... I'm very disappointed in you..."

Ghost Mist once again emanated from Oboro's body.

Hearing Beyond's words, he chose to tell the truth, "Do you know why I rejected you?"

Beyond looked up.

"Partnering with you would indeed be the most advantageous... but you are not the strong person I consider. Just because you survived once on the Dark Continent doesn't mean you'll be able to do it again..."

"Besides... you haven't even seen through the human world... yet you're thinking of going to the Dark Continent? That's ridiculous."

"The human world, the center of the lake where you are, is not that simple."