"Eh?"
From afar, Biscuit suddenly froze.
She had spotted it—a streak of pitch-black lightning spreading beneath the radiant golden light of the Kannon.
"Black lightning?"
The V5 leaders stared at the livestream in shock.
"Is that Aoki Hiroshi?"
"He still has power left in reserve?!"
On the Mountain Summit
Under the eyes of countless viewers—
Crackle!
Pitch-black lightning armor solidified around Aoki Hiroshi.
Its lines were sharp, edges jagged and vicious.
He stood encased in it like a beast possessed, or a revenant wreathed in malice—his killing intent so dense it seemed to take physical form.
Even the radiant glow of the Hyakushiki Kannon was pushed back.
Golden brilliance and black lightning clashed in the air, canceling each other out.
From above, the summit appeared divided in two—half bathed in sacred gold, the other drowned in malicious black.
"Five-system fusion?"
Netero blinked—then quickly shook his head.
"No… it's still missing Conjuration. Just four-system fusion."
"That visibility… it's from Transformation, not Conjuration."
"But still… what perfection."
With just four systems merged, Aoki's power surged.
And with it, Netero's sense of danger spiked tenfold.
For the first time in decades, he felt something very real—
If this turns into a deathmatch… I might actually die.
"The younger generation is truly terrifying,"
Netero muttered, smiling with pride.
Meanwhile, V5 Watchers…
Their expressions were pale.
"You've got to be kidding."
"That pressure—it's already on par with Netero!"
"Is he seriously going all in against him?"
"We better back away."
"Yeah, if Netero goes full power, this entire mountain becomes a no-go zone."
In the Distance…
"So this is your real power, Aoki?"
Biscuit murmured, eyes conflicted.
"That aura matches the Kannon in intensity… but it still lacks the same level of mastery."
"Netero is a five-system fusion. A Perfect Domain user."
"Keep pushing this fight, and Aoki could die!"
She shuddered, recalling the last time she saw Netero truly unleash his strength.
The result?A whole forest obliterated.The terrain collapsed into a basin from a once-flat plain.
"Please, Chairman… take it easy. Don't kill him," Biscuit whispered anxiously.
V5 Conference Room
The global leaders stared at the feed, eyes wide.
"What is Aoki thinking?"
"He can't possibly think he can beat Netero, right?!"
"No way! That's suicide!"
"Even with talent like his, this is too soon!"
"Exactly. Netero hasn't declined yet. It's not time for Aoki to replace him!"
They couldn't sense the true aura through a screen—only the visual clash of lightning and golden light.
Black on one side. Gold on the other.
And in that image, the Hyakushiki Kannon still looked dominant—majestic, overwhelming, unshakable.
The black lightning looked like a serpent—menacing, yes, but dwarfed by the Kannon's grandeur.
"He's going to get crushed."
"If Netero doesn't hold back, Aoki might die."
"Honestly… I'm hoping for the worst."
"This might finally give us a wedge to split the Hunter Association!"
Their tone turned conspiratorial—watching the feed like vultures.
On the Summit
"Hell Spearhand…"
Aoki Hiroshi exhaled slowly, his breath crackling with dark lightning.
He raised one hand—fingers pressed tightly together.
"Fourfold Thrust."
Fwoosh!
He vanished.
Black Lightning Mode + Four-System Fusion + First-Stage Gene Lock + Hell Spearhand—
Quadruple Amplification!
The power behind this one strike had reached terrifying heights.
Rip!
The air screamed—shredded like cloth.
Boom-boom!
The ground exploded behind him, torn apart into a ten-meter crater.
Aoki shot forward like a bolt, a spear of living lightning, tearing through space, aiming directly at—
Netero.
"Hyakushiki Kannon: 90th Form."
Netero crossed his hands into a stance.
Shiiing!
The Kannon above him pulsed brightly.
A thousand arms fused into two—forming a single, perfect pair of hands.
They shone like crystal, pure and flawless—like divine glass.
Wham!
The hands came down.
They didn't fall—they crashed, like meteors from heaven.
The surrounding air was crushed in their wake—wind vaporized, shockwaves blasted outward.
And then—
Black Lightning met Luminous Glass.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted that rocked the entire mountaintop.
The very ground trembled.
"Oh no!"
The livestream crew had already begun to flee.
Just in time.
FWOOOSH!
Blinding light and searing heat burst from the impact point,sending a shockwave like a hurricane across the terrain.
BOOOOOOM!!
It lasted seven full seconds before the force dissipated.
In that moment—
All vegetation within a 500-meter radius was reduced to ash.
The battlefield mountain—
Split.
A gaping fissure tore from peak to base—like a bolt of lightning had cleaved the whole mountain in two.
That peak would forever remain sundered.
Silence.
Those who had fled early turned back—only to gape in disbelief at the broken mountain.
"They're monsters…"
"Are they even human?!"
"You've got to be kidding—Nen users are way too overpowered!"
"And I live in the same world as these people?!"
They all felt the same thing—a deep, primal fear.
Many had heard of Netero's name.Few had seen his power.
Now they understood—why he was called the strongest Nen user alive.
"This is what it means to be the strongest."
"To stand alone… above nations."
"This is insane…"
"These are the enemies we face as V5?!"
"Screw this job, man…"
"Against monsters like that, we don't stand a chance."
"Even missiles are useless. They're too fast, too strong…"
Terror was written across every face.