Rules vs. Rules

Wisps of white breath escaped from the corners of Long's mouth, his eyes were very abnormal, almost completely filled with bloodshot veins... and every part of his body was spewing out strange Nen energy.

This aura is not ordinary spiritual energy; it carries a certain will.

At this moment, Ike was able to clearly perceive it.

Normal Nen user would use Ten to lock their Nen energy on their body surface and prevent it from leaking out... But Oboro's state is more like the body's life energy is too strong, and it is purely releasing energy outwards, giving the feeling that 'training' has been sublimated to the extreme.

What is that?

Ike couldn't help but take a step back.

He discovered that Oboro seemed unconscious... in a state of fainting or delusion.

His Nen power surged, manifesting countless shadows... flashing and intertwining. Some were white-haired youths with white marks on their faces; others were robust men wearing horned helmets and wielding large swords; behind them floated an old man with long hair and a beard, resembling a clockwork object; still others were werewolves like Magical Beasts; and still others were mysterious figures holding brass lampposts...

The figures formed by his Nen power kept changing. In just a few seconds, Ike saw at least a dozen different figures... These unknown figures were entangled around Oboro, making him look as if he were possessed by a group of evil spirits, which made people shudder.

At the same time... the space behind Oboro was like a screen with a short circuit, shaking frequently... a large number of mosaic-like pixels fell to the ground and dissipated into flame-shaped Nen power.

That's so weird!

This situation was completely beyond Ike's comprehension.

How could he still be alive?

That kind of injury... even if the bleeding is stopped, it's still fatal.

"It's no use... No matter what you do, you can't bridge the gap between us." Then, Ike calmed down, his face turning cold.

The ceremony is still ongoing...

He is invincible.

After saying that, he instantly flashed in front of Oboro and threw One-Punch Man.

As Manipulation, the power he possesses at this moment has made him abandon the usual Manipulation.

The moment he made his move, Ike realized that his power was draining away, and he forced himself into an Exhaust state.

The man in front of them was surrounded by a shield of light, accompanied by various rainbow-like rays of different colors.

His fist shattered the shield and struck Oboro hard...

"Playing tricks!"

The old man said indifferently.

But... the attacks that had previously easily pierced its flesh were now blocked by its incredibly tough skin! "!!!"

Ike was startled.

Looking up, he saw countless shadows staring at him from his body... not only people, but also other strange creatures.

The man's body seemed to have become different.

"His defensive capabilities..."

Before the old man could think it through, Long raised his finger and slowly touched his forehead.

Like a frightened bird, Ike retreated in an instant.

However, his speed at this moment... is nowhere near that of Oboro.

Long seemed to traverse space, appearing behind him. Ike's throat barely moved before... his head was sliced off his neck by a shadow.

The fifth rebirth! For Ike, it was only a brief moment that he lost his sight. When his consciousness returned to his body, a new head had grown back.

A more powerful and astonishing force erupted from within him than before! Before he could even rejoice... darkness plunged him once more, his mind and body severed...

He was killed once again.

In the instant of his rebirth.

The same situation keeps repeating itself...

Several brain short circuits allowed Ike to notice a problem during the brief moments of his consciousness recovery! Oboro was calculating the connection point between his body and mind when he was resurrected... and thus began to act.

However, his resurrection was faster each time. How did the opponent manage to do that? In Ike's eyes... the enemy suddenly became incredibly strong in terms of Nen, speed, and power.

Bang! Just as Oboro was about to strike again, Ike, whose strength had increased exponentially, finally reacted, turned around, and kicked Oboro away.

The old man panicked.

He couldn't die anymore... The fused mother worm and the ritual itself, through his subconscious, gave him a 'message': there was only one sacrifice left.

If you die again, the ritual will end!

The moment he forced Oboro away, Ike manipulated the stone golems, which were now as lifelike as flesh and blood, to surround the target.

At the same time, with a flick of his finger, several enormous stone figures came together, colliding, splitting, and reforming. Like water and milk blending together, the stone compressed, transforming into a smaller, yet more powerful, puppet.

The stone figure is covered with tribal totems.

Furthermore, the material is no longer a simple stone; the skin has a crystalline texture.

They look exactly like the warriors of the Botswa Tribe.

Ike's Nen has evolved too! Victory still belongs to him! At least, that's what he believes...

Boom! A deafening roar filled his ears, and he was sent flying into the air by a tremendous force.

Ike down into the underground space, all of his puppets were smashed to pieces by Long's frail body.

The latter has a stone-like shadow on its body that roars, causing enemies to crash into the earth like comets after taking off and landing, with terrifying destructive power.

Everything around exploded... and flew into the sky.

Including him.

The entire underground space showed signs of collapse...

Although the force was powerful, Ike's current strength was unfathomable, and the damage he suffered was very limited... Just as he was about to retaliate, he was shocked to find that he couldn't move during the time he was thrown into the air.

There was nothing that could be done to deal with it...

It seems to be... forcibly controlled by an unseen force.

Just like before, when he was killed time and time again... no matter how fast he revived, Oboro could always find an opportunity.

Use control to amplify and delay his 'vital points' during his brief rebirth! That's the rule!

The opponent's Nen contains rules!

Ike's pupils contracted, and he suddenly understood something.

The rules are similar to those of the ceremony.

It lacks the complete and complex rules of a ritual; it is simpler, but effective.

His guess is very close to the truth.

But it's not a control effect, it's a knockback effect.

Malphite's ultimate ability Unstoppable Force!

What worried Ike even more was that he was still unable to move while his body was falling.

A ball formed from Nen power flew over and froze him in place.

It's Morgana's Q skill, Dark Binding.

This time, it's about control! "Oh no!"

Ike fell to the ground, his hands and feet ice-cold. Looking at the man who had come up in front of him, he felt for the first time... death was so close to him.

If he remains under control, he will be unable to retaliate in any way.

That...

No matter how strong you are, if you rely on Nen to defend, there will always be a time when your defenses are breached.

Damn it!

The old man screamed, his voice trembling.

"Wait! Hold on..."

"I promise you! I agree to your terms!"

Unfortunately, Oboro's current state is extremely abnormal; he cannot understand or hear what Oboro is shouting.

Just out of some kind of instinct, he looked at the frightened old man, grinned, and gave him a smile.

Like a child who has received a lollipop.

His smile was so innocent...

Oboro's body, and the surrounding space, were still being sculpted by falling pixel blocks of varying sizes...

But to Ike, that smile... was filled with despair.

We had guests over the past couple of days, and it was a struggle to finish the update—a bunch of rambunctious kids, chattering away—it was exhausting!