Karen's composure finally vanished completely. He stared fixedly at Lin Ye, whose entire body was coated in black Armament Haki, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. He had seen countless geniuses and countless Enhancement Type Nen users, but never an eleven-year-old child who had cultivated Enhancement Type Nen to this level. The hardness and density of that black, metallic aura far surpassed those of most Enhancement Type experts he had encountered. What alarmed him even more was the penetrating aura in that last punch. It had actually bypassed Wild Lion's enhanced defenses and shattered his internal organs. He had never even heard of such a technique. "Interesting." Karen slowly suppressed his shock, a cold, sinister smile curling his lips. "Old captain, you've raised a fine disciple. Unfortunately, the greater his talent, the more reason he has to die here today." As he spoke, he walked slowly into the courtyard. His aura instantly erupted at full strength. Cold and viscous, it swept through the entire courtyard like a black tide, making the loose stones on the ground tremble and lift slightly. He was a Nen user specializing in Transmutation, and his greatest skill was using Nen to imitate toxins that corroded his opponents' bodies and Nen defenses. Years ago, that very trick had allowed him to cripple Fei Lan's left arm in an ambush. "Fei Lan, it's been more than a decade. It's time we settled our old score." Karen locked his gaze on Fei Lan. "Today, either you die or I do." Fei Lan pushed aside Lina, who had been shielding him, and slowly stepped forward. His back was still bleeding, and his breathing was a little labored, but there was no fear in his eyes, only a calm resolve. He handed the Revolver to Lin Ye behind him, then drew the long blade from his back and held it in his right hand. "Lin Ye, take care of Lina," Fei Lan said calmly. "This is between him and me. I have to settle it myself." "Master!" Lin Ye immediately cried. "Your wounds haven't healed yet! Let me fight with you! Together, we can definitely kill him!" "No need." Fei Lan shook his head and glanced back at him, his eyes holding a gentle smile and a barely perceptible resolve. "Trust your master. I could best him more than a decade ago, and I can still kill him now." Seeing the look in Fei Lan's eyes, Lin Ye felt that unease surge wildly through him again. He could not shake the feeling that his master was about to do something reckless. But before he could say anything more, Fei Lan moved. His body shot toward Karen like a streak of black lightning. His long blade, coated in dense aura, slashed viciously toward Karen's head, carrying more than a decade of hatred and resolve. "Bring it on!" Karen roared. Black Nen instantly enveloped the Silver Dagger in his hand as he raised it to meet the blade. Clang! The blade and dagger collided hard. The piercing clash of metal made their ears ache. Violent waves of aura radiated from the two men, sending dust and loose stones flying through the courtyard. In an instant, they exchanged dozens of blows. Fei Lan's swordsmanship was ruthless and precise, every strike lethal. These were practical techniques honed through life-and-death battles as a bounty hunter, without a single wasted movement. Every slash targeted Karen's vital points. Karen's dagger, however, was vicious and treacherous, constantly probing for openings like a venomous snake. His Nen kept spreading along the dagger, trying to corrode Fei Lan's blade and burrow into his body. Neither could gain the upper hand, and their clashing auras made the entire courtyard tremble slightly. Lin Ye stood where he was, his body still coated in Armament Haki, watching the battle intently. He extended his Observation Haki to its fullest; at the slightest danger to Fei Lan, he would rush in to help. At the same time, he kept watch on the surrounding gang members to prevent another sneak attack. Lina clutched the hem of Lin Ye's clothes, her little face deathly pale. She watched the duel without blinking, her heart in her throat. After dozens of exchanges, Fei Lan's old injury finally began to affect him. He could not exert strength through his left arm, leaving a slight flaw in his balance. Karen keenly seized that opening. His dagger suddenly changed direction, slipped around the long blade, and stabbed viciously toward Fei Lan's left arm. Fei Lan instinctively turned aside to dodge, but he was a moment too slow. The dagger sliced open his left arm, and black Nen instantly burrowed into the wound. "Agh!" Fei Lan let out a muffled groan and staggered back several steps. His left arm immediately blackened and swelled, the black toxin spreading rapidly through his blood vessels. "Master!" Lin Ye's expression changed dramatically, and he started to rush forward. "Stay back!" Fei Lan immediately shouted, raising a hand to stop him. Gritting his teeth, he forcibly sealed the blood vessels in his arm with Nen to halt the toxin's spread, then looked up at Karen, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger. "Old captain, you're still the same after all these years." Karen smiled smugly at Fei Lan's injured arm. "Your body was ruined long ago. Do you think you're still that renowned bounty hunter you once were? Today, you're dead!" As he spoke, he charged at Fei Lan again. The black Nen coating his dagger thickened further, closing in on Fei Lan like a cloud of black mist. Watching Karen rush toward him, Fei Lan suddenly smiled. His smile was calm, and the long blade in his hand slowly lowered. Rather than block Karen's attack, he closed his eyes, and the aura throughout his body began compressing and gathering at a frenzied pace. All the aura in his body, all his life energy, surged wildly toward his right hand at that moment. Even the surrounding air began to distort violently as an utterly terrifying presence slowly erupted from Fei Lan. Karen's expression changed instantly. He could feel just how terrifying that presence was. It was a suicidal technique that burned the user's life to detonate all their Nen and take the enemy down with them! "Fei Lan! Have you lost your mind?! You're going to detonate your Nen?!" For the first time, fear entered Karen's voice. He stopped immediately and turned to retreat. He knew the power of this move all too well. The explosion produced when a top-tier Nen user detonated all their Nen could raze the entire abandoned factory. Even he could never withstand it. "Karen, did you think I spent more than a decade hiding in Meteor City just to cling to life?" Fei Lan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze frighteningly calm. "Back then, you got two of our brothers killed and destroyed my life. Today, we're settling that debt once and for all." "Didn't you want my life?" "Come and take it." The terrifying presence radiating from Fei Lan grew stronger and stronger. Cracks had already begun appearing in the courtyard's ground. The surrounding gang members, terrified out of their wits, fled madly toward the courtyard gate. They all knew what was about to happen. A Nen user detonating their own Nen was a killing move that took everyone down with them. Staying meant certain death. Karen stared at Fei Lan, his body retreating uncontrollably, his face filled with terror and disbelief. "Madman! You're a madman! You're willing to throw away your own life just to kill me?!" "Master! Don't!" Lin Ye finally realized what was happening and rushed madly toward Fei Lan. "Master! We have other options! Don't do this!" He finally understood what his master's earlier resolve had meant. From the very beginning, Fei Lan had never intended to leave this place alive. He planned to use his own life to hold Karen back and open a path to survival for Lin Ye and Lina. "Lin Ye, stay back!" Fei Lan immediately turned to look at the approaching boy, his eyes full of warmth and a trace of reluctance to part. "Listen to your master. You're a talented child. Your future shouldn't be trapped here." "Remember what I told you. The strength of the powerful is meant to protect, not to seek revenge." "Take Lina, leave Meteor City, and enter the Hunter Exam. Go see the world outside." "Live a good life. See the wonders of this world for me." Fei Lan's voice grew gentler and gentler, but his aura became increasingly violent, already on the verge of detonation. Lin Ye stopped where he was and looked at Fei Lan. At last, he could no longer hold back his tears. After he had crossed over into this world, the first person to give him warmth, the first to teach him skills, the first to give him a home, was about to trade his own life for Lin Ye's chance to survive. He couldn't accept this! He didn't want his master to die! "No! Master! We'll leave together! We can definitely get out of here together!" Lin Ye's voice shook with sobs, and the aura throughout his body erupted wildly. At that moment, his will reached an unprecedented peak. His determination to protect his master, to protect Lina, to keep everyone alive erupted in his heart like a volcano. The aura inside him surged out of control as never before. An invisible will, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure, swept through the entire courtyard along with his aura. Black lightning began flickering faintly around him. Every gang member still alive in the courtyard, including the retreating Karen, felt a terrifying pressure deep within their souls. Their bodies instantly froze, unable to move at all. Those with weaker wills rolled their eyes back and fainted outright. This was the first sign of Conqueror's Haki! It was a sign that his will had broken through its limits and was about to awaken! Fei Lan looked at the black lightning surrounding Lin Ye, shock appearing in his eyes before giving way to a gratified smile. He knew he had chosen the right person. This child would one day become a top-tier powerhouse who would astound the entire world. "Lin Ye, take care of Lina." Smiling, Fei Lan took one last look at Lin Ye and Lina, his eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance to part. Then he abruptly turned toward Karen, who stood immobilized by that invisible will. The smile instantly vanished from his face, leaving only icy killing intent. At that moment, all the aura in his body detonated! "Karen! You're coming to the grave with me!"
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