The air in the air-raid shelter froze in an instant. Lin Ye slowly rose, stopped practicing Ren, and switched to Zetsu, completely concealing his presence. He spread his Observation Haki to its fullest extent, locking onto the Nen user's presence rapidly approaching him. Five people in all. The one in front had the strongest presence. His aura was steady yet savage—a genuine Nen user, far stronger than the scar-faced man from before. The other four were no weaklings either. They were hardened killers, each carrying a weapon, spreading into a fan as they surrounded the shelter. Their target was clear: Lin Ye. Tightening his grip on his dagger, Lin Ye stepped lightly to the shelter entrance and hid behind a rock to watch what was happening outside. Soon, five figures appeared in the clearing outside the shelter. Their leader wore a black leather jacket and had hair dyed red, a cross-shaped scar on his face, and a bandage-wrapped Samurai Sword in his hand. His eyes were sinister, and murderous intent poured off him. A faint layer of aura covered his body—Ten. Clearly, he was an expert who had systematically mastered Nen. The four men behind him were all tall and muscular, carrying steel pipes and machetes. They also had faint traces of aura, so they had clearly encountered Nen, though they had yet to master it systematically. The five stood before the shelter, sweeping their eyes over its entrance with undisguised malice. "Come out, brat," the red-haired man said, his voice hoarse and faintly mocking. "I know you're in there. Killing the Black Snake Gang's boss and taking over this territory—you've got some nerve." Lin Ye stayed still behind the rock, his presence completely suppressed. He watched and analyzed. This red-haired man's Nen fundamentals were solid, and his Ten was stable. He had clearly received systematic training in Nen and was probably a leader of some major gang nearby. His total aura was more than twice Lin Ye's current reserves. In a head-on clash, Lin Ye stood little chance of winning. But he had advantages of his own. His Observation Haki was far superior to his opponent's perception; the man had not even pinpointed his location. Shave and Kami-e gave him exceptional speed and evasive ability, and his opponent might not be able to keep up. His Armament Haki and Finger Pistol could achieve extreme penetration at a single point. Given an opening, he could kill with one strike. "Not coming out?" The red-haired man smiled, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger. "I hear there's something strange about you, brat. You can catch steel pipes barehanded, blades can't cut you, and you run like the wind. Let's see how long you can hide." He tipped his chin at the four men behind him. They immediately understood, raised their steel pipes and machetes, and charged toward the shelter entrance. "Drag that brat out here! Dead or alive!" Roaring, the four burly men rushed into the entrance. The instant they entered, Lin Ye moved. He did not stay inside to fight them; the cramped space would limit his advantage in speed. With Zetsu concealing his presence, he slipped silently out from behind the rock just as the four men rushed in, emerging outside the shelter behind the red-haired man. His steps were light, and combined with Zetsu, they betrayed not a trace of his presence. Yet the red-haired man instantly sensed something wrong. His reaction was lightning-fast. Almost the moment Lin Ye appeared, he spun around and viciously swung his Samurai Sword at Lin Ye's head, its blade carrying sharp aura. "Interesting. You actually slipped past my senses." A flicker of surprise entered the red-haired man's eyes, but his hands never paused. A faint layer of aura coated the Samurai Sword—Nen's Ten. That slash could have cut even a steel plate in half. Lin Ye's Observation Haki had already predicted its trajectory. "Kami-e!" Lin Ye instantly released all tension from his body. Like a falling leaf, he followed the air stirred by the descending Samurai Sword and tilted slightly aside, evading the slash perfectly. The blade skimmed past his chest and cut through empty air, its fierce wind making his clothes snap. The red-haired man's pupils contracted slightly. He had not expected the brat's evasion to be so uncanny. His slash had come at a tricky angle with tremendous speed. Even veterans in his gang might not have dodged it, yet this ten-year-old brat had slipped aside effortlessly, as though nothing had happened. "You know Nen too?" The red-haired man's expression instantly grew grave. He could feel the faint but steady aura around Lin Ye. Clearly, he too was a Nen user who had opened his aura nodes. Lin Ye did not answer. The instant he dodged the slash, his body moved again. "Shave!" A rapid series of footfalls came so fast they were almost inaudible. Lin Ye vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already on the red-haired man's left, a finger of his right hand coated in black Armament Haki thrusting viciously toward the man's left ribs. Finger Pistol! That thrust concentrated all of Lin Ye's strength along with Armament Haki compressed to its utmost, giving it terrifying penetrating power. The red-haired man's expression changed drastically. He had not even seen how Lin Ye moved. His vision merely blurred, and his opponent was already beside him. Without a second thought, he activated Ren and gathered all his aura around his left ribs, forming a defensive layer. Thk! Lin Ye's fingertip slammed into the red-haired man's left ribs. Coated in Armament Haki, it instantly pierced his opponent's aura defense and sank into his flesh, drawing a spray of blood. But the red-haired man reacted extremely quickly. The instant he was struck, he jerked backward and swept his Samurai Sword horizontally toward Lin Ye's waist, forcing Lin Ye to withdraw his finger and dodge back. The two put distance between them. Clutching his left ribs, the red-haired man stared at the bloody hole, his eyes full of shock and rage. This brat pierced my aura defense with a single finger? Impossible! I've trained in Nen for five whole years, and a ten-year-old brat wounded me? "Fuck! You're dead, brat!" The red-haired man flew into a fury. His aura surged instantly as he unleashed Ren at full power. Dense aura covered his entire body and enveloped the Samurai Sword in his hand, making it hum. At last, he had brought out his full strength. Just then, the four burly men who had rushed into the shelter came charging back out. Seeing their wounded boss, they roared and surrounded Lin Ye. "You dare hurt our boss, brat? We'll kill you!" Waving their steel pipes and machetes, the four attacked Lin Ye from four directions. Lin Ye's gaze turned cold. He did not get bogged down fighting them. These men were merely small fry; the real threat was the red-haired Nen user. I have to get rid of these small fry first. Then I can focus on the real opponent. Lin Ye moved again. "Shave!" His figure flashed rapidly among the four men, moving so fast he left only afterimages. They could not follow his movements at all and could only swing their weapons wildly, unable to touch even the hem of his clothes. "Kami-e!" Like a leaf in the wind, Lin Ye effortlessly dodged every attack. At the same time, he extended fingers on both hands, coated them in Armament Haki, and unleashed Finger Pistol in rapid succession. Thk! Thk! Thk! Thk! The four muffled impacts came almost as one. Before the four men could even see Lin Ye's movements, Finger Pistol struck each of them precisely in the heart. Their bodies crumpled, and they died instantly. From beginning to end, it had taken less than three seconds. Having disposed of the four small fry, Lin Ye slowly turned toward the red-haired man. A little blood stained him, but his eyes were cold and his presence steady, like a leopard poised to pounce. The red-haired man was utterly stunned. He looked at the four corpses on the ground, then at Lin Ye. The shock in his eyes had turned to fear. He knew he had run into a formidable opponent today. This brat was far stronger than he had imagined. But he was, after all, a seasoned survivor who had spent more than a decade in Meteor City. He quickly suppressed his fear, tightened his grip on his Samurai Sword, and let his aura grow increasingly savage. "You're good, brat." The red-haired man's voice was as cold as a blade. "I'm Red Ogre, the Wild Lion Gang's third-in-command. Today, I'll show you what a real Nen user is." Before he finished speaking, Red Ogre charged. He moved extremely fast, gathering all his aura into his Samurai Sword and unleashing a vicious slash of razor-sharp aura at Lin Ye. It was an all-out strike, driven by the determination to kill. Lin Ye's expression grew more serious than ever. He could feel the terrifying power contained in that slash. Rather than meet it head-on, he spread his Observation Haki to its limit, predicting the blade's trajectory. "Shave!" Lin Ye instantly shifted position again, dodging the aura slash. It crashed into the abandoned shipping container behind him, cutting its thick metal walls clean in half. But Red Ogre's assault did not stop. The moment his slash missed, he changed his attack, swinging his Samurai Sword again and again. Waves of aura slashes hurtled madly toward Lin Ye, sealing off every avenue of escape. Using Shave and Kami-e, Lin Ye dodged frantically through the dense barrage like a streak of black lightning, narrowly avoiding each attack. But he knew perfectly well that dodging forever was no solution. Red Ogre had far more aura than he did and greater staying power. If this dragged on, Lin Ye would certainly be the first to run out. I have to take the initiative, find an opening, and kill him with one strike. Lin Ye's gaze sharpened as a plan formed in his mind. The next time he used Shave to evade an aura slash, he stopped retreating and charged straight at Red Ogre instead. Seeing Lin Ye rush toward him, Red Ogre gave a cruel smile. "You have a death wish!" With all his aura behind his Samurai Sword, he brought it down viciously at the charging Lin Ye. He put every ounce of strength into the blow, determined to cut Lin Ye in half. But just as the Samurai Sword was about to strike, Lin Ye suddenly dropped low. "Iron Body!" Lin Ye instantly activated Iron Body, covering himself in Armament Haki. Like a cannonball, he slid close along the ground toward Red Ogre's feet. The Samurai Sword skimmed his back and struck the ground, scattering broken stone. The instant he slid beneath Red Ogre, Lin Ye raised his right leg. Gathering all his aura and Armament Haki into his foot, he kicked Red Ogre's knee at tremendous speed. He had created this move by combining Shave's explosive acceleration, Armament Haki's hardening, and the force-generating technique of a kickboxing roundhouse. It was also the beginnings of Tempest Kick. Bam! A thunderous impact rang out. Lin Ye's foot slammed into Red Ogre's knee. Red Ogre let out an agonized scream as his knee shattered instantly. His entire leg bent at a grotesque angle, and he lost his balance, crashing heavily to the ground. Lin Ye gave him no chance. He flipped over and straddled Red Ogre, extending a finger on his right hand and coating it in black Armament Haki before driving Finger Pistol viciously toward Red Ogre's heart. "No... don't!" Despair filled Red Ogre's eyes. He struggled frantically to fight back, but his leg was ruined, and he could not move. Thk! The fingertip pierced his chest and plunged into his heart. Red Ogre's body convulsed once, his eyes wide, and his life ended. Lin Ye rose from his body, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He had won this battle. For the first time, he had killed a genuine Nen user in a head-on fight. The wind swept black smoke across the clearing and stirred the fallen leaves on the ground. Standing among the corpses, Lin Ye looked at his hands, his eyes shining. For the first time, his Six Powers, his Haki, and his Nen had truly fused, forming a fighting strength uniquely his own. Gale Force had made its debut, and his legend had only just begun.
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