"It's not a bad thing to let those bones teach them a lesson, so they can truly grasp the terror of the darkness."
"Well~ The strength of those bones isn't bad, but with their whimsical and silly notions about conquering the darkness, it's hard to say how they'd fare against humans…"
The voice dripped with sarcasm, but it was quickly drowned out by the swirling dark wind.
Everything returned to silence, yet the picture painted by the voice—of bones and humans clashing—seemed impossible to realize.
Because...
In the shadowy depths of the Braga Canyon, something extraordinary had occurred.
Or rather, it was no longer a "space" at all. When the Momentary Epiphyllum] detonated, the seal confining the area shattered like a paper screen in the face of the blast.
Now, the once-isolated chamber was entirely exposed, merging seamlessly with the narrow path leading to it. No barrier remained.
This time, in the clash between Nen and technology, the winner was undeniable: technology.
The Debate Between Nen and Technology
Among the upper echelons of the Six Continents, there has always been heated debate over which force is superior: Nen or technology.
Each side brandishes their arguments and examples, unwilling to yield. Yet, subtly, the technological faction seems to hold the upper hand.
Consider how the V5 armed Netero with the Poor Man's Rose to confront the Ant King. This act demonstrated their reliance on advanced weaponry, even when faced with Nen's unimaginable potential.
Technology's strength lies in its ability to manage and unify large populations. In contrast, the mysterious and dreamlike qualities of Nen—like miraculous healing or elemental mastery—remain the domain of the exceptional few.
Even so, Nen-users who rely solely on brute force can find themselves helpless before advanced weapons. The Ant King was one such example, and now so was Overlord.
Overlord's Grim Struggle
"Ugh...!"
The explosion had come and gone in seconds, but its aftermath lingered. Amid the wreckage of shattered bones, a weak, rasping cough broke the silence.
A skeletal arm, riddled with cracks and dulled to an ashen gray, emerged from the debris. Another arm soon followed. Slowly, laboriously, the upper half of a broken, skeletal figure rose from the rubble.
Its skull-like face moved, the jaw clicking open and shut as it mumbled incoherently:
"That human… that human… that human..."
The figure—Overlord, the undead bone demon—was still alive, though barely.
His once-mighty form was a shadow of itself, his energy depleted, his hardened body battered and splintered. He was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Memories of Defeat
As time passed, the faint blue flames flickering in Overlord's eye sockets grew stronger. Gradually, his scattered thoughts coalesced.
"This place…"
His voice rasped, and with it came the flood of memory. Two humans—both wielding a dark and ominous Nen—had come to Braga Canyon.
He and his clansmen had confronted them. One of the humans had invoked a Vow and Limitation, sacrificing themselves in the process. Most of Overlord's clan was annihilated, and he himself suffered grievous injuries.
Then, the surviving human revealed a flower-like artifact.
And...
"Ah!!"
The memory triggered a sharp, unbearable pain in Overlord's skull. He clutched at his head as the flames in his eyes flickered erratically.
He would rather have forgotten.
That human had crushed the flower, unleashing a blinding white light that consumed everything.
Desperate Recovery
Only through sheer survival instincts had Overlord endured the explosion. His undead resilience, honed over centuries, was one of his greatest assets. It allowed him to cling to life, even now.
The other reason he survived was his weapon into which he had poured the last of his strength to shield himself from the blast.
But now, as he stirred amidst the ruins, Overlord realized the weapon was nowhere in sight.
Frantic, the skeletal demon began sifting through the shattered remnants of his domain. His cracked bones protested with each movement, but the ice-blue flames in his eye sockets burned brighter, tinged with red—a sign of desperation.
The explosion had obliterated everything: the towering bone piles, his throne, his surviving clan members, all reduced to ash and ruin.
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