Leo Takes on Many, the Troupe is Defeated

Leo felt the torrent of power surging through his body, nearly tearing his muscles apart. He grinned, baring his white teeth.

"I hope you—"

His figure vanished.

He appeared—before Nobunaga.

"—can give me a good time!"

Nobunaga's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

He saw Leo's fist enlarging before his eyes. It was a plain, straightforward punch, without any technique—only pure speed and power.

But he could not dodge it.

It was too fast.

So fast that he could only barely hold the broken blade across his chest—Crack!

The finely forged steel blade shattered like glass.

The punch did not lose any momentum.

Boom!

The crisp sound of Nobunaga's ribs breaking was clearly audible.

He spat blood for the second time, and this time, fragments of internal organs were mixed in with it.

His body flew backward like a rag doll, smashing through a wall before finally being buried beneath a heap of rubble.

"Nobunaga!!!"

Franklin's eyes went bloodshot. The gun barrels in his arms spun madly, and every Nen bullet changed direction, frantically sweeping after Leo's figure!

But Leo was no longer where he had been.

He appeared to Franklin's left, lifted his right leg, and delivered an utterly simple step-in side kick.

"Sorry, but within seven steps, I'm faster than a gun!"

Franklin did not even have time to turn his head.

He only felt an irresistible force strike his left waist, followed by a crisp crack of breaking bone. Then the whole world began to spin.

His massive body flew sideways as if struck head-on by a train, snapping two streetlight poles in succession before embedding itself in the wall of a building across the street. Rubble pattered down around him.

At the same time, Leo swung his right leg backward in a scorpion kick, precisely striking the Nen-thread needles Machi had fired and knocking every nearly invisible needle away.

Machi's pupils contracted. She swiftly retreated, flicking several Nen threads through the air to bind Leo, intending to halt his advance.

Mores used the opportunity to pull back, gasping as he watched Leo in the midst of battle.

Without looking back, Leo spoke, his voice carrying a strange echo.

"Your life is mine. No one else gets to take it."

Machi's web of Nen threads finally descended—but Leo merely raised his left hand, spread his fingers, and grabbed.

Screeeech—!

A harsh scraping sound rang out.

The Nen threads, capable of cutting steel, made the sound of a saw grinding through a metal plate in Leo's palm. Sparks flew everywhere, yet—they failed to cut his skin.

"What...?"

For the first time, Machi's expression wavered.

Leo yanked hard.

Machi was dragged into the air, flung toward Leo!

But she was indeed one of the Phantom Troupe's most agile members. She forcibly twisted her body in midair, flicking both hands repeatedly as dozens of Nen threads shot toward Leo's eyes, throat, joints, and other vulnerable points from every angle.

But Leo did not even dodge.

He closed his eyes. The Nen threads struck his eyelids—and bounced away.

They struck his throat—and bounced away.

They struck his joints—and were still bounced away.

In the Annihilation state, his body's defenses had already surpassed the limits of what ordinary Nen abilities could comprehend.

Leo opened his eyes, reached out with his right hand, and grabbed Machi's ankle.

"Girls,"

he said softly.

"shouldn't take part in this kind of violence."

Then, as if throwing a sandbag, he swung Machi around and hurled her at Bonolenov, who was charging toward him!

"Battle Cantabile: Jupiter" had already advanced to within three meters of Leo. The wind pressure raised by the massive sphere spinning at supersonic speed was nearly enough to tear skin apart.

But Machi's body came hurtling in like a cannonball. If Bonolenov continued his attack, he would have to crush his own companion first.

He chose to withdraw his move.

The giant sphere instantly dispersed. Bonolenov forcibly twisted his body, pushed Machi away with both hands, and the two of them crashed toward the roadside, rolling into a tangled heap.

Leo did not pursue. Instead, he turned to face the final three enemies.

Omokage, and the two puppets under his control.

"Truly splendid."

Omokage applauded, a sickly smile on his face.

"A body like this, power like this... it's too beautiful. I have to turn you into a puppet. I have to."

The two puppets lunged from both sides at once, the claws formed by their hands aiming directly for Leo's eyes and heart.

Leo did not even look at them.

He merely raised his right foot, then stomped down hard.

Boom—!!!

The ground within a five-meter radius around him sank in all at once!

The shockwave exploded outward in a ring. The two puppets were struck as though hit by an invisible sledgehammer, instantly torn into pieces and dispersing as fragments into the air.

Omokage's smile froze on his face.

Leo's figure vanished again.

Omokage's pupils contracted. He hurriedly activated his ability—the third, fourth, and fifth puppets emerged from the shadows behind him!

But it was already too late.

Leo appeared before him, seized his throat with his right hand, and lifted him off the ground.

"Puppeteer."

Leo tilted his head.

"Your ability is interesting. But the original body is too weak."

Omokage's feet dangled in the air as he struggled to retaliate, but Leo's fingers were like iron clamps, gradually tightening.

Oxygen deprivation blurred his vision, and his fingers drooped weakly.

"Stop!"

Pakunoda's furious roar rang out.

She aimed her pistol at Leo's temple and pulled the trigger.

Bang! The bullet fired.

Leo did not even turn his head. He merely raised his left hand and, at the instant the bullet was about to strike his temple—caught it between two fingers.

The bullet deformed and heated up between his fingers.

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 memory reading. Direct combat was not her strength.

But now, watching Omokage gradually lose consciousness in Leo's grip, watching Nobunaga and Franklin's fates remain unknown beneath the distant rubble, watching Machi and Bonolenov struggle to rise from the street—she clenched her teeth and pulled the trigger again.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Five bullets in rapid succession, all aimed at Leo's brow, throat, and heart.

Leo released Omokage's throat—Omokage crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Then Leo casually kicked Omokage away as though clearing out trash.

Immediately afterward, his left hand swung through the air five times in succession.

Five crisp metallic impacts rang out. All five bullets were slapped away, embedding deeply into 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 tempo, becoming more urgent, more savage.

"Battle Cantabile: Finale!"

Bonolenov's body began spinning at high speed, countless blades formed from Nen aura shooting in every direction.

This was not an attack aimed at Leo alone, but an indiscriminate area attack!

"Bonolenov, have you lost your mind?!"

Pakunoda was both shocked and enraged as she hurriedly searched for cover.

Leo finally put away his smile, his expression turning serious.

"Now that's more like it."

He did not evade. Instead, he charged straight into the rain of blades.

Crimson Nen aura formed a protective barrier around him. The Nen blades produced piercing scraping sounds as they struck the barrier, but could not break through.

Three seconds. Leo broke through the rain of blades.

Two seconds. He appeared before Bonolenov.

One second. His fist struck Bonolenov in the abdomen.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dull impact.

Bonolenov's movements came to an abrupt halt, and he was instantly sent flying backward before falling to the ground.

"Not a bad dance."

Leo softly said, withdrawing his fist.

"..."

The entire area fell into brief silence.

Only two minutes had passed since Leo activated "Instant," yet all four of the Phantom Troupe's combatants had already fallen.