Bang! Bang! Bang!
Neferpitou's body sank into the ground.
With his hair standing on end in fury and looking like a vengeful spirit, Oboro didn't give her a moment to breathe. The instant her figure fell, he bent his elbow and struck with devastating force. His arms became a blur of motion in mere seconds, the air filled with a dense barrage of fist shadows falling like raindrops. Every single punch was delivered with 100% of his power, each one a divine strike.
As Oboro unleashed his boxing technique, his spine and entire skeletal structure connected as one, making audible crackling sounds. His Aura locked firmly onto the Chimera Ant now buried beneath the mud.
The moment man and ant landed, the surrounding ground exploded violently. A massive crater with a radius of dozens of meters formed and collapsed inward. With each successive blow from Oboro's fists, the pit continued to expand outward. His offensive was relentless as a tidal wave, and under this overwhelming assault, Neferpitou struggled to mount any counterattack.
Her vision was completely obscured by the sliding mud around her. Each time she attempted to fight back, the man seemed to sense her intentions before she could act, his fist invariably striking down her raised limbs whenever she tried to retaliate.
"Can humans truly possess this kind of power?" Neferpitou's beautiful face was ruthlessly battered by Oboro's iron fists.
His assault drove them dozens of meters underground, and he showed no signs of stopping until he had beaten her to pieces.
The Cat-woman's eyes blazed crimson. For the first time since her birth she who had always appeared utterly relaxed in every situation Neferpitou felt genuine anger. It was the rage that came from being challenged by a mere human when she was a superior life form!
This human named Oboro is far too arrogant!
Neferpitou's Aura began changing with her emotions
Oboro's attack continued unabated, holding nothing back. But in the swirling dust before him, a shadow suddenly materialized. His descending fist was caught firmly in Neferpitou's grip.
Her other hand transformed into a knife-like edge and chopped toward Oboro's neck!
The movement was blindingly fast even faster than Oboro's furious punching speed.
Shocked by this sudden reversal, Oboro had no choice but to shift tactics and block with his forearms.
A deafening impact rang out as Oboro, who had seemed to be dominating Neferpitou just moments before, was blown backward by a terrifying force. His body flipped through the air before crashing to the ground, sliding dozens of meters away. He thrust his free hand into the earth to halt his momentum.
A ten-centimeter wound had appeared on his forearm, carved by a single fingernail
Through the still-settling dust, a pair of red pupils gleamed. Neferpitou's body gradually rose from the ground in an unnatural posture, like a damaged doll that somehow retained basic functionality and movement.
With a single flick of her arm, Neferpitou generated a terrifying wave of air pressure that instantly dispersed the surrounding haze, clearing their field of vision.
Her clothes were torn to shreds, with only a few tatters still clinging to her body. Despite enduring such a brutal assault, there were remarkably few visible injuries. Though bleeding in places, most wounds were merely superficial scratches. The few twisted joints and limbs realigned themselves instantly as she moved.
She wasn't fatally wounded, but she was bleeding
"I have decided" Neferpitou stared at Oboro, who was slowly regaining his footing, her eyes gleaming with fierce intensity. "to make you my most perfect collection." Her expression was utterly deranged.
As she spoke, a shadow coalesced behind her a manifestation filled with absolute murderous intent, like a tide of blood.
Terpsichora!
Her Nen ability had manifested.
The appearance of the puppet master meant that Neferpitou was now prepared to fight with her full strength. She had expected her previous strike to sever Oboro's arm completely, yet it had only scratched him. This proved that she had vastly underestimated the threat posed by the human before her.
Oboro recognized the terrifying puppet controlling Neferpitou. This was the same ability she had used against Gon in the original timeline! From activation to attack, it took a mere 0.1 seconds.
Oboro suddenly leapt backward as an enormous cloud of misty Nen rolled outward, enveloping both himself and the entire battlefield.
Even with his defenses stacked to this extent, Neferpitou had still broken through. Not only was her raw power overwhelming, but her Nen abilities, despite having been acquired so recently, were equally terrifying. After her death at Gon's hands in the original timeline, she had awakened her post-mortem Nen ability proof of her incredible resolve. Even if she died a thousand times, Neferpitou would undoubtedly awaken post-mortem Nen; there was no question of probability.
This indirectly demonstrated just how formidable her Nen strength truly was
The damage Oboro's attacks had inflicted would have been unavoidable even for someone like Beyond, who in his estimation possessed the strongest physical body among living humans. Yet against Neferpitou, their effectiveness had been severely diminished!
Her natural physique was simply too durable.
Among the three Royal Guards, there existed a clear gap in power between Neferpitou and her counterparts Shaiapouf and Menthuthuyoupi and it was considerable. Though Shaiapouf and Menthuthuyoupi were extraordinarily powerful, they could still be harmed by human Nen users. But if Gon were to awaken his true potential, only Netero at full strength could hope to injure Neferpitou. The Ant King Meruem could kill squadron leaders with casual flicks of his tail, yet when he struck Neferpitou in the face, it left only a minor scratch and a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. The contrast was stark truly night and day.
The mist of Nen energy could weaken the propagation of Neferpitou's sensory abilities and keep Oboro concealed, making it easier for him to remain hidden while watching for an opportunity.
Oboro retreated toward the place where Kite had recently died.
However, the moment he began to move, a massive breach exploded through the mist beside him.
Neferpitou, her body now engulfed in crimson Nen that shot skyward like a torch, had instantly located his position and launched her attack.
This is impossible! Oboro's facial muscles tightened, his pupils contracting in shock.
How did she do this? Even fighters of Beyond's and Netero's caliber would be hindered by this mist!
"HOWL!"
Neferpitou plunged toward the astonished Oboro, unleashing a sound halfway between a roar and a cat's shriek harsh and grating to the ears.
Immediately after, several blindingly fast claw strikes descended upon him.
Oboro hastily altered his breathing pattern. His heart hammered wildly, pumping blood at a frantic pace, gathering it within his chest. He activated his Nen flow, reinforcing his defenses while employing various bodily-hardening techniques.
Despite his efforts, hot blood sprayed into the air.
The skin and flesh of Oboro's chest were instantly shredded, though thankfully his internal organs remained intact! The young Gon fought against THIS kind of monster?!
The injuries he'd sustained during his prolonged battle with Beyond weren't nearly as severe as a single attack from the Cat-woman.
"Though the mist can shield against Nen radiation and indirectly weaken perception it has no effect on her. Such tactics only work against conventional Nen users. Even without Nen, this ant's innate sensory abilities are beyond human comprehension. She can detect the slightest movement even the sound of disturbed air currents. This is a capability no human possesses." Oboro understood the situation now.
"HOWL!"
Neferpitou was clearly determined to kill him! After landing, guided by the crimson puppet master hovering above her, she suddenly propelled herself upward exhibiting power and speed that exceeded even her normal limits!
Even Oboro couldn't track her movements!
Neferpitou's Nen ability Terpsichora took many forms. The most dangerous was the demonic puppet master activated in extreme circumstances, which had no physical form. Another variant was the automaton that manifested after death, with different effects. She also possessed Doctor Blythe, which took on various forms, and accordingly, the puppet master's appearance changed as well.
Swish.
Too fast impossibly fast.
For the first time, Oboro's control over his own Nen flow couldn't keep pace with his opponent's attack speed.
His reactions were simply too slow
Neferpitou flew past Oboro, landing in a half-crouch on the ground as her activated Nen ability dissipated. The manifestation of Terpsichora vanished as she reverted from her heightened state.
A smile spread across her face, and the manic anger in her eyes gradually gave way to calm.
She raised her hand, examining the blood and fragments of flesh on her palm with a gleeful laugh.
Behind her, Oboro's abdominal cavity had been torn wide open. Nearly half his body appeared to have been ripped away by some colossal beast. With a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground.
Blood poured from the wound, mixing with the mud beneath him.
The mist of Nen energy surrounding them instantly disappeared.
Oboro lay motionless on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, yet somehow still breathing his consciousness remarkably intact.
The misty Nen technique had proven completely ineffective against Neferpitou. The strength of her Nen reflected the power of her resolve, her soul her loyalty to the King had never wavered. If she failed here, then this human would undoubtedly threaten the King who had yet to be born!
As for whether the ant colony might be destroyed, Neferpitou cared nothing for that.
All that mattered to her was the Ant King.
Therefore, Oboro had to die.
She would not allow anything to threaten the Ant King.
"Mmm"
Neferpitou's body immediately relaxed, returning to her usual carefree demeanor. She approached Oboro, looking down at the human from above, and said with a smile, "You've performed admirably. Originally I didn't think there would be any humans powerful enough to force me to use my full strength and in such a brief span of time. This means I acknowledge your existence. You represent a significant threat a genuine danger."
"Now let me search your head to see if there's anything interesting"
As she spoke, Neferpitou bent down and reached to grasp Oboro's head.
She had already determined that he posed no further threat, his life force rapidly fading.
His death was inevitable!
"Or perhaps you're just another inferior creature after all"
Yet Oboro, lying pale and exhausted on the ground, suddenly smiled strangely.
Neferpitou's hand froze in mid-air.
Her hair instantly bristled like a cat with its fur standing on end.
But Oboro had already created his opening! In battle, the competition extends beyond physical prowess and tactical thinking.
It includes the mind itself!
He knew Neferpitou's abilities intimately, but she knew nothing of his capabilities.
Just as when he had attacked her from a distance initially During his battle with Beyond, Oboro could only unleash straightforward attacks within an extended range, unable to execute complex techniques. But now he could. In the six months following his confrontation with Beyond, he hadn't been idle, focusing solely on training the others in Nen.
Oboro understood clearly that his body had reached its physical limits. Beyond a few additional attributes that could be enhanced through Nen, his development had plateaued.
So he had sought alternative paths.
One involved developing new Nen abilities the other meant finding variations within existing techniques.
When raw power couldn't be improved further, there remained room for strategic enhancement. Each new variation represented another weapon in his arsenal
As Neferpitou hovered over him, Oboro's eviscerated torso suddenly began filling with regenerating flesh, blood, and tissue.
In the moment when Neferpitou had completely lowered her guard, he struck
Without even touching her body, Neferpitou's eye socket suddenly exploded.
Some invisible force had penetrated her eyeball
To her credit, even in this situation, Neferpitou managed to react, tilting her head just enough that only one eye was damaged instead of both.
Neferpitou instantly leapt backward, creating distance between them as she covered her now-blind left eye.
She stared in disbelief at the man who slowly rose to his feet.
Before her eyes, a surge of vitality erupted from his body like bones spontaneously growing flesh, snatching him back from the precipice of death.
How is this possible? Neferpitou was stunned
Is this some kind of Nen ability?!
In that moment, Neferpitou understood.
This was Oboro's attribute enhancement life stealing.
Originally, life stealing worked by converting a percentage of damage inflicted into healing energy for the user. But Oboro had developed this further, creating a method to temporarily store this converted energy, which could then be released at an opportune moment essentially like consuming a massive healing potion.
However, he hadn't actually inflicted significant damage on Neferpitou, meaning the energy he'd converted couldn't possibly heal such grievous wounds Therefore, before confronting her, he must have deliberately injured other ants, storing their life energy.
His purpose had been to preserve this resource for a critical moment.
Now it was proving its worth!
However, the storage of this life energy was time-limited and would dissipate eventually.
The principle was simple if you wanted to store life energy, your body was the only viable container, and flesh and blood the only medium.
But Oboro's body had already been at peak health, with no extra "capacity" to store external vitality.
It was equivalent to already having maximum life energy.
He could only compress some of his existing physical space to temporarily accommodate the absorbed energy, but this state couldn't be maintained indefinitely.
With each passing second, this excess energy was dissipating
Within half an hour, he would no longer be able to sustain himself, and the external energy reserves would collapse.
So Oboro had been calculating everything from the beginning.
He had calculated precisely when Neferpitou would appear the exact moment when he would create his opportunity. He had been controlling the battle invisibly all along.
His attacks, his evasions, his Nen abilities everything had been part of a meticulously planned strategy.
"The human heart is infinitely complex. We've survived thousands of years of conflict and killing, fighting to exist until this moment. The challenges we've faced are incredibly diverse, giving us a rich history in combat." In moments, Oboro's fatal injury had nearly healed completely, though not entirely. The wound on his arm remained showing that his stored life energy wasn't sufficient to match the damage Neferpitou had inflicted. But Oboro didn't care; his goal had been accomplished.
"Compared to humans you Chimera Ants are blank slates. No matter how powerful you become, you can only rely on instinct in battle That is the fundamental difference between humans and beasts."
"Chimera Ants aren't perfect Every creature in nature has weaknesses, including your body. No matter how tough your exterior might be, certain parts like the eyes remain vulnerable And you were far too careless."
"However remarkable your comprehension might be, you've only been exposed to Nen for a matter of days. But we humans have cultivated this power for generations"
Whoosh! Terpsichora prepared to attack again.
Oboro had already preemptively released another cloud of Nen mist.
He employed this technique again despite its apparent ineffectiveness earlier.
As expected, his concealment proved futile, and Neferpitou appeared before him instantly.
But this time, though the attack looked identical to her previous assault Oboro noticed her speed had diminished slightly
Boom!
Oboro's body was sent flying, stirring up a massive cloud of dust as he soared through the air like a cannonball.
The impact of landing sent waves of excruciating pain throughout his body, as if his very frame might shatter at any moment.
But he had survived the attack.
"Hehehe"
"Losing an eye does have some impact after all"
Oboro released a hoarse laugh.
As Neferpitou pursued him closely, hovering above and preparing to continue her assault with a devastating combination, he instantly twisted at the waist, changing position.
Neferpitou's razor-sharp claws sliced through empty air, carving into the ground instead.
Her attack had missed
"Your Nen ability, Terpsichora, pushes your body beyond its natural limits Which means you can't maintain it indefinitely it places a significant burden on your physical form." Oboro dodged again, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth as he spoke calmly. "Although ant and human physiologies differ greatly, all techniques and abilities still rely on aura and blood to function, including Nen I may not understand your precise body structure or whether you have the equivalent of pressure points, but during these past months, I've studied countless ant corpses"
"Every part of your body I struck has been targeted with precision. Even if a single blow has minimal effect, the cumulative impact becomes more pronounced with each successive hit. Judging by your movements which are noticeably slower than before I must have struck several critical points!"
"Little ant you don't understand humans at all."
"We are far more terrifying than you can imagine"
Oboro's eyes grew cold as he spoke.
He raised a finger to his temple, indicating his brain.
He would never waste energy using an ineffective technique twice! He had released the mist again specifically to gather vital intelligence and information.
In that moment, he had confirmed with absolute certainty it wasn't that his Nen mist had no effect on Neferpitou at all.
Rather, the effect was simply too subtle, making it appear as though she was completely unaffected.
Having confirmed this crucial information, the fundamental elements of his strategy had solidified in Oboro's mind.
From this moment on, their roles would reverse!
He was about to become the hunter!