Layered Predicaments X Confidence

The smoke and dust had not completely dissipated.

Qi, who was fiercely fighting with the Cat Clone pouncing on him, suddenly had a blur before his eyes.

The Clone had just been wildly waving its gleaming claws, instantly transformed into Neferpitou's murderous main body, switching between forms as if by magic.

The sharp claws, gleaming with a cold, deathly light, tore through the remaining gray smoke and dust, already close to his face.

He was so close that he could even see the fine Spiral patterns on the claw tips and the remaining dark red bloodstains.

The true form's attack speed, power, and suffocating killing intent are worlds apart from the illusory Clone.

He smelled it—the smell of death.

One's own death.

Once struck by these claws imbued with terrifying Nen Aura—

Death will be the only outcome.

A chilling aura of death enveloped Qi's entire body instantly, as if dragging him into Abyss.

But things are different now than they used to be.

There are no more Nen needle to control him.

He can fight using his reason, Courage, and calm judgment.

After just a few rounds of intense Lightning Speed- fast exchanges, Neferpitou's combat acumen allowed her to instantly determine the most urgent target to eliminate in this siege.

Without a doubt, it was this white-haired brat whose threat level was increasing exponentially.

In just over a month.

A white-haired brat who could barely withstand a few moves from her before has suddenly grown to such a terrifying level of strength, like Volcano eruption.

That terrifying speed was so fast that even her nerves couldn't keep up with it.

That paralyzing electric light could instantly disable her ability to move.

It's practically the most uncontrollable variable in this battle.

Just as the sharp claw tip was about to pierce through the strange face, "Crack!"

A blinding flash of lightning erupted again, illuminating the dim battlefield.

Kiy's figure vanished without a trace, like a real lightning bolt.

"What?!"

Neferpitou stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his pupils filled with horror.

The claws, imbued with an unwavering determination to kill, tore through the cold, hollow air.

"Thunderbolt!"

A cold voice, carrying a hint of youthful clarity and decisiveness, suddenly rang out behind her.

A thick, blinding Lightning Pillar struck Neferpitou with perfect accuracy, leaving him completely unprepared.

It spread throughout her body from her back.

"BOOM--!!!"

A violent Electric Current surged through her body once more, even more fiercely and mercilessly than before.

The numbing and tearing pain caused her to let out a suppressed groan, and her body stiffened again, unable to move.

[ In the Godspeed]

A more advanced application of the Lightning Transmutation Type ability, using electricity to stimulate one's body and nerves, allowing the body to react instinctively in battle.

Having abandoned the slow control of thought and the speed of physical reaction, coupled with the extreme stimulation of lightning, it has almost reached the limit that the human body can withstand.

This extreme ability makes Qi virtually invincible in dodging attacks.

The more precise and deadly the attack, the easier it was for him to dodge, like a fish in water.

Just like the perilous scene before me.

At this moment, Neferpitou's body was stiff, as if he were nailed to a pillar, and he would twitch.

Melusina and Kite, as if they had anticipated this, followed closely behind, their deadly and swift attacks already appearing on either side of her stiff body.

The attack was imminent, just a hair's breadth away.

Neferpitou's pupils contracted sharply, her survival instincts and Loyalty duty to protect her driving her to the brink of madness.

Her physical abilities are far superior to those of humans.

Shift and Swap.

She forcibly swapped positions with a Clone that was fiercely fighting Xiao Hong in the distance.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Melusina's whip kick and Kite's Tachi, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, instantly struck the poor Clone who had been switched.

The Clone didn't even have time to utter a wail before it crumbled like a bubble under the relentless combined attack of the two, turning into specks of Nen Aura that dissipated into the void.

After eliminating the Clone with a single strike, the two immediately stopped fighting, their wary eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield.

Neferpitou had already appeared beside Xiao Hong, and taking advantage of the moment he landed after switching positions, he unleashed a vicious Tearing Claw Strike.

"Sizzle!"

The fragile Maid Nen Beast Little Red, made of thought, was mercilessly torn into countless specks of light, vanishing without a trace, like paper.

Having done all this, Neferpitou finally managed to buy himself a brief respite, landing in a relatively safe corner.

But at this moment, after only a few rounds of fighting, she was already in a sorry state and looked exhausted.

The once smooth and shiny fur was now charred and curled in many places, as if it had been scorched by flames.

Her body was covered with hideous bloodstains of varying depths, and fresh blood was constantly seeping from the wounds, staining her prized fur red.

Although her self-healing ability is equally powerful, it is nowhere near as good as Youpi's monstrous regenerative power.

Her breathing was noticeably rapid and erratic, and her eyes, besides the icy killing intent, also held a hint of disbelief, anger, and frustration.

This is really wrong!

Just two months ago, she had easily defeated many enemies, including the ones in front of her.

How could this be—how could I have become so disheveled?

Such passivity and despair?!

The woman and the white-haired man hadn't made a significant leap in strength, and their fighting style was largely as expected.

But that brat----

His growth rate is simply unbelievable.

Moreover, the improvement was precisely in the most crucial areas of speed and reaction, instantly shattering the original balance and catching her completely off guard.

His strength couldn't possibly have increased so dramatically in such a short time.

That Nen ability, that strange lightning- Nen ability.

He is a human being, and a young child at that.

Therefore, Nen ability that can unleash such terrifying speed and paralysis must consume a huge amount of energy and cannot be maintained for a long time.

If that's the case, then we need to use the precious time that's needed to delay things.

Patience and maneuvering are required.

As long as we stall until his Nen Aura is depleted and his speed decreases...

A fatal opportunity will then arise.

But now, she's the one being held back; she's the prey whose time is being wasted.

A dead end.

Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in her cold cat-like eyes.

"Bang!!"

Two more plumes of pink smoke exploded from her body, and two new Clone instantly joined the battle, their momentum overwhelming.

At this moment, the number of her Cat Clone surrounding her in the arena had reached a staggering six.

Including the one that was just destroyed, she has now displayed the terrifying ability of seven Clones.

Seeing the two strange figures that had appeared again beside Neferpitou, Melusina frowned deeply, her face filled with worry.

There are too many.

How can there still be so many?

If each Clone can be used for Shift and Swap, her battlefield mobility and survivability will become extremely terrifying, like a ghost.

Furthermore, one must be wary of any Clone escaping, and then use a position swap to create an opening for the cat to escape.

The difficulty of encirclement and killing will increase dramatically.

But is this the limit of quantity?

Or is there another hidden card?

The current pressure is already overwhelming for Neferpitou.

Will it still be hidden?

In another suffocation area, shrouded in swirling, thick smoke, resembling a giant Cage.

The battle here seems to be going more smoothly than the Hunter x Hunter had anticipated.

The enormous Cocoon tiny Scale Powder that Youpi used for concealment had been torn open with a huge, gruesome gash.

He was forced to reveal his true form and confront this inescapable battle.

His cunning attempt to disintegrate his body into countless tiny, invisible flying insects and escape through gaps in the smoke was completely exposed and Blockade by his opponent.

At this moment, inside this enormous Cage formed by billowing smoke, countless translucent "Silk Fish" condensed from Nen Aura are silently patrolling and darting through the smoke, like ghost hunters.

Like the most astute and deadly hunters, these Silk Fish swarm and greedily devour any tiny Clone of Owl Youpi that dare to divide his body into small enough parts to penetrate the gaps in the smoke.

His Nen ability, "Lord of the Flies," does indeed allow his body to be infinitely subdivided, but the more subdivided it becomes, the weaker the power and Nen Aura each individual carries, rendering it almost useless in combat.

This ability was never designed for direct combat, and his own combat strength was relatively weak among the Royal Guards.

Under the double Blockade of the overwhelming net of Nen Beast and smoke, Youpi had no choice.

This is the fatal disadvantage that comes with revealing Nen ability.

In their first battle against the Royal Guards, Neferpitou and Youpi faced opponents who overwhelmed them, which meant that their Nen ability were not fully displayed before they were forcibly repelled.

Or rather, both of their Nen ability are the kind that, even if you know them, there's not much you can do to counter them.

Only Youpi was different.

He was fighting a match of equal strength, and at the time he had lost his mind, so he displayed almost all of his Nen ability, which were precisely the kind of Nen ability that were so easy to counter.

And almost none of them were related to direct combat.

This has led to his current predicament of fighting while wearing invisible shackles.

He could only tear apart his own little box of concealment— the Cocoon —with a heart full of humiliation and anger.

He stepped forward, spent his precious time, and truly confronted this bloody battle, which he did not want to engage in, a battle akin to a barbaric gladiatorial contest.

"Why?! Why are you always so cruel?!"

Youpi flapped his magnificent wings, he hovered in mid-air, his voice filled with grief and pain, rising as mournfully as an operatic aria.

Despite serving as a advisor to the king, he was a sentimental individual.

"Time and again, they try to forcibly separate me from the supreme king! This vile Cage tortures my Loyalty heart!"

However, he faced two ruthless opponents who were as silent as stone.

Morel carried his Pipe, his eyes serious.

Men Qi was on high alert, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

Both of them were holding their breath, enduring the suffocating feeling of the dust.

The only response he received was the whistling of the swirling smoke Cage.

A fierce glint flashed in Youpi's eyes, and his wings flapped violently behind him.

"Call out!"

His figure blurred instantly like a phantom, and the next moment he appeared ghost-like above Morel's head.

A long, slender leg, imbued with terrifying power, slammed down like a battle axe, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, towards Morel's skull.

Morel reacted quickly, his arm muscles bulging as he forcefully raised his huge, heavy pipe to block the Pipe.

"Thump!!!"

The dull, thunderous roar was deafening.

The immense force pressed down, causing the ground beneath Morel's feet to crack inch by inch, sending fragments of stone flying everywhere.

He groaned, his body forced to bend over heavily under the weight, veins bulging like Worm on his forehead.

"Heh," Youpi let out a cold, contemptuous laugh, "What, so confident you are? Your strength is nothing special after all—"

"Call out--!"

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whistling sound tore through the silence.

A faintly glowing Nen Arrow, carrying some kind of fine dust particles, shot towards his face with the speed of a venomous snake.

Youpi tilted his head slightly with elegance, and the telepathic arrow grazed past his hair.

He was about to speak up and mock this clumsy sneak attack when—"Pfft!"

The arrow that had just grazed past him suddenly exploded in mid-air, catching him completely off guard.

A large cloud of pungent, highly irritating dust instantly filled the air, like a yellow poisonous fog, and splattered all over his handsome face.

"Cough cough cough! Damn humans!" Inhaling the dust caused Youpi to cough incessantly and tear up, looking utterly disheveled.

This forced him to flap his wings and fly back into the air.

His body instantly split into several child-sized Clone, which then merged back together, as if refreshing his body.

My body feels completely refreshed and is no longer affected by dust.

With a flap of its wings, it drew a graceful arc in the air and flew directly to Men Qi's side, delivering a powerful kick.

The kick was so powerful, accompanied by a whistling wind, that it sent Men Qi flying several meters.

Seeing this, a knowing, cold smile appeared on Youpi's handsome face.

"It seems that building such a Cage is a very Nen Aura- consuming thing for you."

He knew the two men's Nen ability: one could materialize enormous Nen Beast of various kinds, and the other could manipulate smoke.

But now, in order to maintain the Cage that confines him, these two have lost many of their flexible ways of dealing with battle.

Furthermore, with both of them trapped in Cage covered in dust, unable to breathe properly, their combat ability will be severely hampered.

Still so confident?

He could still keenly discern the emotions of the two people.

Although other emotions were mixed in, self-confidence was undoubtedly the most prominent of them all.

Neither of them showed any panic; their emotions suggested they had already achieved their goal.

But this confidence had been completely seen through by Youpi.

The two were confident they could trap him here until the Ant King was destroyed.

This is undoubtedly a war of attrition that will keep him firmly pinned down.

Now he can only wield violence like a barbarian, devoid of any elegance.

Moreover, he genuinely couldn't gain a decisive advantage in close combat.

Even if they have the upper hand, they can't leave this place.

"Open your mouth and breathe; in a battle like this, not being able to breathe is incredibly painful."