As the dust settled, the ground beneath Nara Dan had been carved away to a depth of dozens of meters, while a golden giant hand enclosed him.
"Hm?!"
Nara Dan was a little surprised. Pure striking force couldn't break through Gang Qi's defenses. Could squeezing him with a hand really do the trick?
Ging, watching from the side, seemed to realize something.
"Could Chairman Netero be trying to..."
Netero slowly brought his palms together again and chanted,
"Hundred-Type Kannon: One Hundredth Style: Lotus!"
All the other hands of the Kannon closed around the golden hand encasing Nara Dan, layering over it.
One layer after another, hand after hand,
until every hand of the Hundred-Type Kannon had closed together, densely packed yet clearly layered, like a lotus flower about to bloom.
At the center of the lotus, Nara Dan's eyes narrowed. He understood.
"He wants to stack all those hands together and squeeze me with their combined force, breaking through my defenses."
"Now that's a creative idea."
A metallic groaning sound came from within Nara Dan's Gang Qi barrier, as if metal were being crushed. Every giant hand of the Kannon pressed in at once. The force multiplied layer upon layer, reaching a terrifying level!
"Creak."
Nara Dan's Gang Qi barrier began to tremble, on the verge of giving way beneath that immense pressure.
Outside, Netero was controlling the Hundred-Type Kannon. He could sense Nara Dan's defenses weakening, and his eyes flashed.
"Now!"
"Close!"
Netero exerted himself with all his might. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his Nen burned like kindling.
"Pop!"
A sound like a bubble bursting rang out.
Beneath Nara Dan's calm gaze, his Gang Qi barrier cracked apart, piece by piece.
"So you finally broke through. That defense really was like a tortoise shell."
Netero breathed a