The golden Hyakushiki Kannon resembled an ancient deity, quietly suspended behind Netero.
Those dozens of arms shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight; each hand held a different pose, yet all contained terrifying power.
Leo stood ten meters away, looking up at the statue of Kannon.
There was no fear in his eyes, only burning Battle Intent and heartfelt admiration.
"This is what I pursue... the peak of the world."
He whispered softly, then took a deep breath.
The next second—
Nen erupted violently!
Black, living-creature-like linear patterns instantly began to spread from his neck, crawling over his entire body like vines!
Those patterns meandered across his skin, eventually forming a complex and mysterious design!
Dark red waves of Qi rose into the sky with Leo as the center!
The ground beneath his feet cracked violently, spiderweb-like fissures spreading frantically in all directions!
The surrounding grass and leaves were swept up by the airwaves and torn to shreds in mid-air!
The almost suffocating Nen swept through the surroundings like a tsunami!
In the distance, Menchi, Buhara, and Satz were forced back several steps again by this wave of Qi.
"This... what kind of ability is this?!"
Menchi's eyes widened, her voice trembling slightly from shock.
Cold sweat seeped from Buhara's forehead as he murmured.
"That Nen from just now was already terrifying enough... and now it's increased again?!"
Satz's gaze was solemn.
"No wonder he could wipe out the Genei Ryodan... power of this level..."
The three stopped speaking, simply staring fixedly at the battlefield.
[Shivering Soul]
This was Leo's readjusted ability.
Ability Effects:
1. Physical strength and recovery capacity increased by 50%.
2. Flesh Transformation: Strength, Defense, Recovery, Agility—can be converted and enhanced at any time according to combat needs. When Strength is enhanced, the other three decrease; conversion follows the heart to adapt to all changes.
3. Final Strike: Synchronously stores damage received. When the black stripes on the body all turn red, a devastating attack can be released without consumption.
Ability Restrictions:
1. Nen consumption per second is doubled.
2. Only fists and feet can be used; no weapons.
3. While the ability is active, the use of "En" is prohibited.
4. After the ability ends, enter a "Zetsu" state for one hour.
With Leo's current Nen capacity, even with doubled consumption, he could maintain it for over an hour.
That's enough.
Leo looked up at Netero, the black patterns particularly striking in the sunlight.
"Chairman, come."
Netero looked at the mysterious black patterns on Leo's body and felt the rising Nen, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
"Interesting."
He said softly.
"Then this old man won't be polite."
He placed his palms together in front of his chest in prayer, then slightly opened his right palm.
The movement was very slow.
So slow that every detail was clearly visible—the palm slowly rose, then chopped downward at an extremely slow speed.
"First Form."
Behind him, one of the arms of the Hyakushiki Kannon moved accordingly!
The arm's movement was perfectly synchronized with Netero's—likewise rising slowly.
But at the moment it rose—
The air exploded!
A massive golden palm, with the momentum to tear through everything, chopped down violently toward Leo!
Leo's pupils constricted slightly.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he directly raised his arms in a cross-block!
"BOOM—!!!"
An earth-shaking roar!
Golden light exploded!
The shockwave spread frantically in all directions, kicking up dust and rubble into the sky!
When the smoke and dust cleared—
The spot where Leo stood had caved in, forming a deep pit over five meters in diameter!
The bottom of the pit was filled with spiderweb-like cracks, and the soil at the deepest part had been compressed as hard as rock!
And Leo stood right in the center of the pit.
His arms were still crossed in a block before him, his feet sunk deep into the soil, his entire posture motionless.
He had taken the hit, unscathed.
Netero's brow twitched slightly.
'Hmm?'
He carefully observed Leo at the bottom of the pit—though the young man's arms trembled slightly, his aura remained steady, and the black patterns on his body hadn't changed at all.
'Not bad. To be able to take this hit, it seems I don't have to worry about killing him.'
For that move just now, he had only used sixty percent of his power.
Leo slowly lowered his arms and shook his somewhat numb hands.
He looked up at Netero, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, but his smile grew even more brilliant.
"Chairman Netero."
He spoke loudly, his voice filled with excitement.
"Don't hold back! I can take it! Come!"
Before his voice could fade, he suddenly exerted force with his feet!
Bang!
The bottom of the pit exploded again!
His figure was like a cannonball, shooting straight toward Netero!
Netero watched his rushing figure, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
'An interesting young man.'
His hands slowly rose again in front of his chest—
Pressed together in prayer.
The moment those palms met—
The Hyakushiki Kannon behind him moved!
Fast!
So fast it transcended the limits of time and space!
Leo only felt a flash of golden light, and his consciousness seemed to be forcibly stripped away for an instant!
By the time he regained his senses, intense pain had already swept through his body like a tsunami!
His entire person had been struck as if by a giant hammer, deeply embedded into a huge boulder in the distance!
"BOOM—!!!"
The boulder exploded! Spiderweb-like cracks spread from him as the center, nearly shattering the entire boulder!
Two seconds later.
Leo suddenly opened his eyes, recovering his consciousness from the shock of that strike.
He exerted force with his hands, forcibly "pulling" himself out of the indentation in the rock wall and landing on the ground.
He glanced down at his chest—his clothes were torn, and there was a clear red mark on his skin, with faint traces of blood seeping out.
But that was all.
After activating "Shivering Soul," his physical strength had reached another level.
Having taken two consecutive attacks from the Hyakushiki Kannon, he had only suffered minor injuries.
Leo looked up at Netero, the fire in his eyes burning even more intensely.
"Again!"
He charged forward once more!
Netero pressed his hands together again.
Boom!
Leo was sent flying again!
But this time, he forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, adjusted his center of gravity, and the moment he landed, his feet kicked off the ground, diving forward again like a spring!
Netero pressed his hands together again.
Boom!
Leo was sent flying again!
But he still didn't give up, charging forward again the moment he landed!
The corners of Netero's mouth curled up slightly.
He didn't give Leo a chance to counterattack, repeatedly pressing his hands together!
Boom boom boom boom boom—!!!
Golden palm shadows poured down like a torrential rain!
Leo's figure was constantly tossed, falling, and tossed again in that dense barrage of attacks!
But every time, he adjusted his posture in the shortest time possible and charged forward again!
Ten times.
Twenty times.
The black patterns on Leo's body remained stable, but his aura began to fluctuate.
Every attack left new scars on him.
Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, nostrils, and even tiny cracks in his skin, but it was quickly mended by his powerful recovery ability.
He was still charging.
He could never get within ten meters of Netero.
The attacks of the Hyakushiki Kannon formed a seamless net, completely sealing off the space ten meters away.
No matter what angle he attacked from, what awaited him was a golden palm shadow.
After being knocked back once more, Leo finally stopped, panting heavily.
'Too fast.'
He gritted his teeth inwardly.
'There's no time to react. My thoughts, my reflexes... they can't keep up with the Chairman's hand-clapping speed.'
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, a flash of determination crossed his eyes.
'Convert.'
The black patterns on his body began to wriggle, moving across the surface of his skin like living things.
The light that was originally distributed evenly began to converge toward his limbs and head.
Strength: Decreased by 30%
Defense: Decreased by 30%
Recovery: Decreased by 30%
Agility: Increased by 90%
Leo's body felt slightly lighter, as if he had shed invisible shackles.
He could feel the surrounding air flow becoming clearer, and he could even capture the trembling of distant grass leaves.
That's enough.
He charged at Netero again!
Netero pressed his hands together!
Golden light flashed!
This time—
Leo saw it!
That golden palm shadow was no longer a trace-less streak of light, but had turned into a clear trajectory!
He tilted his body slightly, avoiding that lethal strike by a hair's breadth!
"Oh?"
A flash of genuine surprise crossed Netero's eyes.
He can dodge it?
Interesting.
He pressed his hands together again.
Even faster!
Leo sidestepped, dodging again!
But the moment he dodged—
The second palm shadow had already arrived!
"Bang!"
Leo was hit, his whole body flying sideways and slamming heavily onto the ground!
He spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to get up.
Although his agility was enhanced, his defense had decreased by 30%, making the damage from this strike much heavier than before.
But he was still smiling.
"Come!"
He charged up again.
What followed was a one-sided crushing.
Leo was like a tireless trapped beast, charging at Netero again and again.
His speed became faster and faster, his dodging more and more flexible, sometimes even managing to dodge two or three consecutive attacks—but every time, he would be hit by a subsequent one.
Ten meters.
Like a natural chasm.
Netero stood ten meters away, his hands constantly meeting in prayer.
The palm shadows of the Hyakushiki Kannon poured down like rain, accurately hitting that frantic figure every time.
But that young man never fell.
Even if he was covered in blood, even if his aura grew weaker, even if his steps began to stagger—he was still charging, still dodging, still counterattacking.
In the distance, Menchi, Buhara, and Satz were completely speechless.
Cold sweat poured down Buhara's forehead as he murmured.
"If it were me... I might have been heavily injured by the first hit... this Leo is simply a monster..."
Menchi bit her lip tightly, her eyes full of shock.
Satz didn't speak, just stared fixedly at the battlefield, his hands clenched into tight fists.
Three minutes.
Leo didn't know how many hits he had taken.
Twenty? Thirty? Or fifty?
Most of the black patterns on his body had turned dark red—meaning the stored damage was approaching its limit.
Every time he was hit, the patterns would turn a shade redder.
But he still couldn't break through that ten-meter distance.
Netero's attacks were too fast, too dense, and too accurate.
He was like a moth flying into a spiderweb; every impact only got him more firmly entangled.
Finally—
A palm strike from the Hyakushiki Kannon landed squarely on his chest!
"BOOM—!!!"
A dull, heavy thud!
Leo's entire body flew out like a broken kite, tracing an arc in the air, and then—
Slammed heavily onto the ground!
He lay on the ground, motionless.
The black patterns on his body flashed violently, then slowly faded, receding back under his skin.
"Shivering Soul" deactivated automatically.
Leo's vision went dark, and his consciousness gradually blurred.
'...Still... a long way off...'
This was his last thought before losing consciousness.
On the prairie, there was dead silence.
Menchi, Buhara, and Satz held their breath, staring fixedly at the figure lying motionless on the ground.
Netero stood in place, the Hyakushiki Kannon behind him slowly dissipating into golden specks of light and vanishing into the air.
He looked at the young man lying on the ground in the distance, a hint of complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
There was approval, gratification, and a faint hint of... nostalgia.
"Not bad."
He said softly.
"Truly not bad."
He turned and walked toward the Airship.
After a few steps, he stopped and said without looking back.
"Carry him onto the Airship. He won't die; he'll be fine after a little rest."
Only then did Menchi and the others snap out of it and hurriedly run toward Leo.
As they supported the bloodied, completely unconscious young man, only one thought remained in their minds—
Is this guy really still human?
(To be continued, the battle isn't over yet...)