Leo felt the torrent of power surging through his body, almost tearing his muscles apart. He grinned, baring his gleaming white teeth.
"I hope you-"
His figure vanished.
He appeared-in front of Nobunaga.
"-can give me a good time!"
Nobunaga's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He saw Leo's fist growing larger before his eyes. It was a plain straight punch, without any technique, only pure speed and strength.
But he couldn't dodge it.
Too fast.
So fast that he could barely hold the blade of his broken sword across his chest-crack!
The forged steel blade shattered like glass.
The punch lost none of its momentum.
Boom!
The sharp crack of Nobunaga's ribs breaking rang out clearly.
He coughed up blood for the second time, this time mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
His body flew backward like a rag sack, smashed through a wall, and was finally buried beneath a pile of rubble.
"Nobunaga!!!"
Franklin's eyes blazed with fury. The gun muzzles on his arms spun wildly, every Nen bullet changing course as he unleashed a frenzied barrage after Leo!
But Leo was already gone.
He appeared on Franklin's left, raised his right foot, and delivered a simple stepping side kick.
"Sorry, within seven steps, I'm faster than a gun!"
Franklin didn't even have time to turn his head.
He only felt an irresistible force strike the left side of his waist, followed by the sharp crack of breaking bones. Then the whole world began to spin.
His massive body flew sideways as though hit head-on by a train, snapping two lampposts in succession before embedding itself in the wall of a building across the street. Rubble rained down.
At the same time, Leo whipped his right foot backward in a scorpion kick, striking the Nen thread needles Machi had fired with perfect accuracy and knocking aside every one of the nearly invisible needles.
Machi's pupils contracted. She hastily retreated, whipping out several Nen threads in midair to entangle Leo and halt his advance.
Mores seized the chance to put some distance between them, panting as he watched Leo in the thick of battle.
Without looking back, Leo spoke, his voice carrying a strange echo.
"Your life is mine. No one else can take it."
Machi's net of Nen threads finally descended-but Leo merely raised his left hand, spread his fingers, and grabbed it.
Screeeech-!
A piercing scraping sound rang out.
The Nen threads, sharp enough to cut steel, scraped against Leo's palm like a saw cutting through a steel plate. Sparks flew, but-they failed to break his skin.
"What..."
For the first time, Machi's expression faltered.
Leo gave a powerful yank.
Machi was pulled off her feet and sent hurtling toward him!
But she lived up to her reputation as one of the Phantom Troupe's most agile members. She forcibly twisted her body in midair, flicking both hands repeatedly and firing dozens of Nen threads from every angle at Leo's eyes, throat, joints, and other vulnerable spots.
But Leo didn't even dodge.
He closed his eyes. The Nen threads struck his eyelids-and bounced off.
They struck his throat-and bounced off.
They struck his joints-and still bounced off.
Under Annihilation, his body's defenses had already surpassed the bounds of conventional understanding of Nen Abilities.
Leo opened his eyes, reached out with his right hand, and caught Machi by the ankle.
"Girls,"
he said softly.
"Should really stay out of violent activities like this."
Then he swung Machi up like a sandbag and hurled her at the charging Bonolenov!
"Battle Cantabile: Jupiter" had already advanced to within three meters of Leo. The wind pressure from the enormous sphere spinning at the speed of sound threatened to tear skin apart.
But Machi's body hurtled toward it like a cannonball. If Bonolenov continued his attack, he would have to crush his own companion first.
He chose to cancel his attack.
The enormous sphere instantly dissipated. Bonolenov forcibly twisted his body and pushed Machi aside with both hands. They fell toward the roadside together, tumbling into a heap.
Leo didn't pursue them. Instead, he turned to face his last three enemies.
Omokage, and the two puppets he controlled.
"Truly spectacular."
Omokage applauded, a sickly smile on his face.
"A body like that, power like that... so beautiful. I'll turn you into a puppet. I absolutely will."
The two puppets lunged from either side at once, their hands transforming into sharp claws aimed straight at Leo's eyes and heart.
Leo didn't even look at them.
He merely raised his right foot, then stamped down hard.
Boom-!!!
The entire ground within a five-meter radius of him caved in!
A shock wave exploded outward in a ring. As though struck by an invisible giant hammer, the two puppets instantly shattered, their fragments dissolving into the air.
Omokage's smile froze.
Leo's figure vanished again.
Omokage's pupils contracted. He hurriedly activated his ability-a third, fourth, and fifth puppet emerged from the shadows behind him!
But it was already too late.
Leo appeared in front of him, clamped his right hand around his throat, and lifted him off the ground.
"Puppeteer."
Leo tilted his head.
"Your ability is interesting. But you're too weak in person."
With his feet dangling above the ground, Omokage struggled to fight back, but Leo's fingers tightened steadily like an iron vise.
Lack of oxygen blurred his vision, and his fingers drooped limply.
"Stop!"
Pakunoda roared.
She aimed her pistol at Leo's temple and pulled the trigger.
Bang! The bullet shot out.
Leo didn't even turn his head. He simply raised his left hand and, just before the bullet struck his temple-caught it between two fingers.
The bullet warped between his fingers, burning hot.
He turned to Pakunoda and gave her a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. You're next."
Pakunoda's hand trembled.
As the Phantom Troupe's intelligence specialist, she excelled at interrogation and reading memories. Head-on combat wasn't her strong suit.
But now, watching Omokage gradually lose consciousness in Leo's grip, seeing Nobunaga and Franklin lying in the distant rubble with their fates unknown, and watching Machi and Bonolenov struggle to rise by the roadside-she gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger again.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Five consecutive shots, all aimed at Leo's forehead, throat, and heart.
Leo released Omokage's throat-Omokage collapsed limply to the ground, unconscious.
Without breaking stride, Leo kicked Omokage away as though disposing of garbage.
Then his left hand swept through the air five times in succession.
Five sharp metallic clangs rang out. He knocked all five bullets away, embedding them deep in the surrounding walls.
Pakunoda's magazine was empty.
"It's not over yet..."
A low voice came from the rubble as Bonolenov staggered to his feet.
His "Battle Cantabile" had changed its tune, becoming faster and wilder.
"Battle Cantabile: Finale!"
Bonolenov's body began spinning at high speed, sending countless blades formed from Nen Aura shooting in every direction.
This wasn't an attack aimed solely at Leo, but an indiscriminate area attack!
"Bonolenov, have you lost your mind?!"
Shocked and furious, Pakunoda hurried to find cover.
Leo finally stopped smiling, his expression turning serious.
"Now that's more like it."
Rather than dodge, he charged straight into the rain of blades.
Crimson Nen Aura formed a protective barrier around his body. The Nen blades struck it with piercing scraping sounds, but couldn't break through.
Three seconds, and Leo broke through the rain of blades.
Two seconds, and he appeared in front of Bonolenov.
One second, and his fist struck Bonolenov's abdomen.
There was no earth-shattering boom, only a dull thud.
Bonolenov's movements stopped abruptly. He instantly flew backward and fell to the ground.
"Nice dance."
Leo spoke softly as he withdrew his fist.
"..."
A brief silence fell over the scene.
Only two minutes had passed since Leo activated "Instant," but all four of the Phantom Troupe's combatants were already down.
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