Oboro stared at the younger version of Netero.
Though an excellent martial artist in his own right, Beyond lacked the decades of relentless practice that had forged Netero's mind. The gulf between them was fundamental, a disparity of soul that manifested itself in their mastery of Nen. No amount of raw talent could bridge that gulf of experience.
The same was true for Oboro.
Knowing that he could never achieve Netero's spiritual refinement through traditional means, Oboro had taken a different path. He deliberately weakened the connection between his mind and Nen, transforming his original ability into the three different types he now possessed. His current abilities allowed him to passively increase his Nen power by collecting souls, a shortcut that bypassed the need to refine his will to extraordinary levels.
Of all their opponents so far, Beyond's body was the most abnormal. Netero might be old, but Beyond was something else entirely.
Take the earlier knife attack as an example. Oboro could use his Nen to defend against it, but the sheer physical force behind Beyond's strike would have overwhelmed his defenses. If it weren't for the armor and body-tempering techniques he had accumulated, Oboro would have lost at least one arm to that single blow.
Beyond could judge Oboro's physical strength, just as Oboro could judge his. But Beyond's assessment would inevitably be flawed. The physical attributes Oboro currently displayed didn't take into account the attack range, critical strike chance, and armor values associated with his abilities.
The massive ghost mist descended once more, enveloping the battlefield.
Beyond attempted to clear the mist with his knife, but failed this time for two critical reasons. First, his control over his Nen had become erratic, evidence that Oboro's acupuncture and pulse manipulation techniques had begun to take effect. Second, one of his hands had lost sensation, preventing him from wielding his knife with both hands and significantly reducing his strength.
Most importantly, Oboro had increased his Nen output, subtly transforming the Sea of Mist. The clouds, once invisible, now seemed to possess weight, taking on an almost liquid quality. Even the ghosts swimming around the Beyond, whose features had previously been blurred, suddenly became sharper and more defined, almost like living people.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
Despite these setbacks, Beyond's knife strokes remained lightning fast. Massive inverted rainbows of energy sliced through the dense fog, momentarily shattering it to reveal glimpses of open space. These fleeting gaps were his only hope of locating Oboro, whose presence had completely vanished from his perception beneath the fog's hazy breath.
"Circle!"
Though the transformed ghost mist made it more difficult to release Nen's energy, Beyond used his technique. With himself at the center, rolling waves of Nen spread outward, covering everything within a hundred meter radius. He understood now that while Oboro could attack from a distance, his range was limited to only ten meters. The Ghost Mist might weaken his perception, but it couldn't completely block his Nen of the Circle technique.
A hundred meters was far beyond Oboro's attack range. As long as he appeared anywhere within that perimeter, Beyond would sense him immediately.
He'd realized another limitation as well: Oboro's remote attacks had certain limitations. When Oboro had severely injured his arm earlier, he'd made physical contact. This suggested something crucial.
"That means for complex techniques, including Nen, you can't attack remotely," Beyond muttered. "This approach has one fundamental requirement: simplicity! Only the simplest attack methods can work from a distance."
I understand this much better than Yangde.
Beyond continued to swing his knife wildly.
From above, the scene was terrifying. A massive black shadow formed by concentrated Nen stood in the sea of fog, raising his sword and slashing down repeatedly. Each slash created tumbling air currents that, along with flashes of light from the blade, formed devastating shock waves that stirred the dense green fog. Nearby ghosts couldn't get close to the enormous pressure, which instantly dissipated them, reducing them to wisps of nen that dissolved into nothingness.
"React to all changes with the same attitude," Beyond thought. "He saw that everything within the fog is invisible to my perception."
A hundred meters away, Oboro took up a rider's stance and drew in a deep breath.
His eyes pierced through the fog and fixed on a single direction.
Then the sound of a pounding heartbeat filled the air like an engine roaring to life. The frequency gradually increased, the sound going from barely audible to deafening.
Oboro pushed his breathing technique to its absolute limit, forcing his body into a state of overload. Within seconds, his heart was pumping blood dozens of times faster than normal, a form of deliberate self-destruction with potentially devastating side effects.
Since mastering this breathing technique, Oboro had never used it so recklessly. He'd always applied it gradually, allowing his body to adapt naturally. Even during his fight with Netero at the Hunter's Trial, he'd only used a fraction of its power.
Oboro's eyes transformed, a terrifying blood power surging through him. His pupils filled with crimson, blood vessels bulged across his forehead as every muscle in his body expanded and swelled. The heat radiating from his form distorted the surrounding light and air.
"Step," Oboro's lips moved as a foot landed on the ground, instantly creating a crater two to three meters wide. Mud and rocks exploded outward from the impact.
"As he spoke, every bone in his body seemed to relax simultaneously, creating a symphony of crisp sounds. His spine thundered especially loudly, crackling like lightning.
"Divine Fist!"
Oboro clenched his right hand into a fist and let it hang at his waist.
Against an opponent of Beyond's caliber, normal techniques would never do any significant damage, especially with the Circle Technique active. The problem wasn't Oboro's attack range, it was his own power level. Simply put, Oboro wasn't strong enough to kill someone of Beyond's caliber with Nen alone.
The former member of the Phantom Troupe might have managed it, but Oboro had to close the distance. He had to cross a hundred meters at unimaginable speed, approaching his opponent before Beyond could notice and react, like a bullet that leaves no time for evasion once fired.
"The Seven Stars Move."
This was a technique Oboro had later learned and reintegrated based on experience, using footwork to accelerate and then using the Seven Star Shift to close the distance instantly.
With an explosive bang, Oboro disappeared. This wasn't his Flash ability, which couldn't be used in succession. But the power he used seemed to be indistinguishable from it.
The ground where Oboro had stood erupted in a wave of earth several meters high, the surface couldn't withstand the force of his departure. His speed was so extreme that even his trajectory seemed to be erased from existence, creating a vacuum zone through the ghostly mist in his wake.
"There!"
Standing in the mist, Beyond detected the movement even before Oboro launched himself. His hearing, honed to perfection in the Dark Continent where the slightest carelessness meant death, caught the subtle preparation.
"Ha!" Beyond felt a chilling premonition that a terrible creature was coming for him! He laughed grimly as his heart stretched to its limit. Twisting his sword in one hand, he lunged forward with every ounce of his strength.
It's coming from the front!
His intuition had not failed him. Time seemed to slow down as Beyond saw a flash of lightning cut through the sea of fog and head straight for him. At that moment, he saw Oboro's changed features and physical condition.
He immediately understood that this method of attack came at the cost of destroying Oboro's own flesh and blood.
"You really are a madman!"