Chapter 36: Final Strike X Defeat
At this moment, Ryker had no way out. The outcome of the battle hinged entirely on this final exchange.
Every step of his plan was unfolding as anticipated. Ryker knew that even at his current speed, Silva could detect his approach through his En (Aura Perception).
This meant Silva's reaction time was part of Ryker's calculation. He was certain Silva would turn to face him before the attack landed.
Even if Silva couldn't fully rotate his body, his face would inevitably turn toward Ryker. That moment was the opening Ryker needed to unleash his illusion technique. Just a sliver of hesitation was enough.
Before launching his final attack, Ryker had carefully observed Silva's hair, ensuring he targeted an area that Silva's hair could not reach.
Confident he had accounted for all possible threats, Ryker moved in, banking everything on Silva turning to meet his gaze.
As expected, Silva didn't fully rotate his body, but his upper torso and head shifted just enough to face Ryker.
The critical moment Ryker had been waiting for had finally arrived. Without hesitation, he cast his illusion technique, his eyes locking onto Silva's.
From the sidelines, Zeno, who had been silently observing, began to evaluate the situation.
'Looks like this is Ryker's final attack,' Zeno thought. 'He's already revealed all his abilities and trump cards.'
'Even under such extreme circumstances, he managed to create an opening for one last gamble. As expected, combat is the best training ground for growth.'
'But I doubt his illusion will work on Silva. Still, it's his best option right now. Even he must know the odds of success are slim.'
'It's unfortunate, though. Ryker is about to taste defeat. But for someone like him—always riding high and basking in his talents—failing here might not be a bad thing.
Better to learn this lesson in a controlled environment than lose his life out there.'
'The real issue, however, is that with Ryker's stubborn personality and his tricky space-based Nen ability, Silva will struggle to deal with him in the future.'
Zeno's judgment was clear: Silva held the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Ryker's meticulously crafted strategy had reached its climax. Every element had gone according to plan thus far, and he knew that victory against Silva was theoretically possible if things continued smoothly.
As Ryker's illusion took hold, he exited his intangibility state and lunged forward toward his target.
Whether or not Silva fell for the illusion didn't matter. Ryker's only concern was striking. This was his all-out effort, leaving the rest to fate.
At that exact moment, Silva, feeling the effects of Ryker's illusion, executed the countermeasure he had been preparing.
From the moment Ryker had altered his attack trajectory using Kamui to this critical juncture, everything had unfolded within a fraction of a second—barely even one second in real-time.
*Whoosh!*
Just as Ryker was about to make contact, a high-speed Nen projectile erupted from a blind spot, hurtling toward him with unbelievable speed.
The projectile moved so fast it almost seemed to teleport, and given the negligible distance between Ryker and Silva, Ryker had no time to react.
*Bang!*
In that split second, Ryker was solid, unable to phase out of reality. The Nen bullet hit him squarely, its overwhelming force sending him hurtling into the training hall's outer wall.
A deafening crash echoed as Ryker slammed into the wall before crumpling to the ground.
Silva, however, remained standing in the same spot, his expression calm, as though nothing had happened.
Despite his disheveled appearance, Ryker hadn't sustained any significant injuries. Silva's Nen bullet had been designed with speed as its focus rather than destructive power.
It was clear Silva had carefully controlled his output to avoid harming Ryker too severely.
Yet, Ryker couldn't comprehend what had just happened. As he lay there, he glanced at Silva's hair and noticed something peculiar.
Among Silva's flowing locks, one strand shimmered with an overwhelming concentration of aura, standing out like the moon in a starry sky.
'So that's it,' Ryker realized. 'He charged that strand of hair with Nen and fired a bullet at the perfect moment. He hid it in a blind spot until now...'
'But wait... Silva is an Emission-type Nen user. He could have launched the attack from anywhere on his body. Why go to such lengths to use his hair?
Unless... he has a way of distinguishing between my intangible and physical states with pinpoint accuracy. That's the only explanation.'
Zeno, still observing from the sidelines, smirked.
'As I thought, Ryker is still too inexperienced to overcome Silva. That bullet hit him squarely because Silva's En likely allowed him to discern whether Ryker was solid or intangible. His real body probably can't fool Silva's aura perception.'
"It's over," Zeno declared. "This fight has served its purpose. There's no need to drag it out further. What do you think, Silva?"
"I agree," Silva replied. "The match ends here. I've seen enough to gauge Ryker's strength."
"Ryker, you've done well. Your abilities are impressive, and your intangible state makes you difficult to deal with.
Outside these walls, you'd have no problem protecting yourself—so long as your limitations remain a secret. Still, nothing is without flaws."
"Your ability to phase out of reality has two major constraints: it cannot be used simultaneously for offense and defense, and it likely has a limit in either usage frequency or duration.
The more powerful the ability, the greater the restrictions."
Silva's analysis hit home, but there was one thing he couldn't know—Ryker was an outlier, a player with an unfair advantage. His abilities couldn't be judged by normal standards, no matter how thorough Silva's reasoning might be.
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