"No one in this world can use Armament Haki.
But Nen abilities can't be absolutely unbeatable.
As long as something exists, there will always be a way to counter it.
Eli charged toward Ron and Wendy, his entire figure turning into a mass of flames. Faced with attacks from Wendy and Ron, he neither dodged nor blocked; neither attack truly threatened him.
With a blazing fist, Eli struck at Ron.
In Eli's mind, Ron was the priority target. First, Ron was stronger than Wendy. Second, Ron was a Nen Beast–type user. Generally, when someone uses Nen Beasts, their actual body tends to be somewhat weaker.
Ron's figure flickered.
In the next instant, Ron appeared off to the side. What Eli struck was merely Ron's afterimage; his Fire Fist hit nothing but air, piercing through the illusion and crashing down onto the ground.
Flames burst forth, scattering in all directions.
Hanma Baki charged back in, delivering a fierce punch at Eli. But it passed right through Eli's body. Meanwhile, Eli's fist landed precisely on Hanma Baki.
"Simply coating my fist with aura can't hurt this guy.
That leaves two methods.
One: exploit a property weakness.
He's turned into fire, so we can use water to attack. Water can extinguish flame.
Two: force attrition.
This ability that turns him into fire can't be passive; it must consume a large amount of aura. He can't maintain it forever."
They were on open ground with no water source. That left only the second approach.
"Wendy, drag this out!"
Wendy nodded. She'd arrived at the same conclusion.
"Ron, buy me some time."
At Ron's command, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and Hanma Baki both lunged at Eli.
Even if they couldn't harm Eli in his flame form, they could at least occupy him for a bit.
Two whirlwinds swept around Ron and Wendy. The next moment, both of them shot into the air. By the time Eli noticed, Ron and Wendy were already hundreds of meters high.
A cluster of aura emerged from Ron's body, heading toward the injuries on Hanma Baki to repair them. At the same time, Ron raised his finger, aiming at Eli below.
But he wasn't firing at Eli himself; instead, he targeted the fireballs Eli hurled skyward.
The Nen Bullet clashed with the flames in midair, exploding.
Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and Hanma Baki continued to tangle with Eli. Neither launched a frenzied assault; they were merely stalling. Since this was a battle of endurance, they aimed to expend a little aura themselves in exchange for forcing Eli to spend much more.
Eli looked up at Ron and Wendy hovering above.
"They can even do that?
But do they think I can't hit them just because they went higher?"
The next moment, he sprang upward, flames blazing behind him for extra propulsion.
Ron raised his hand, firing at Eli's position. On the other side, Wendy attacked Eli as well.
Their attacks quickly landed on Eli—
"Useless!" Eli snorted. "I told you, I am fire. Attacks like these can't hurt me at all. Stop wasting your energy and surrender!
I can stay aloft just fine in this form.
Your abilities can't affect me.
I already know you're trying to wear me down, but you underestimate me!"
Eli's altitude surpassed Ron and Wendy's, letting him look down and prepare to strike whenever he wished.
Hanma Baki clapped both hands.
In the next instant, Baki and Eli swapped places.
Eli had just been about to swing his fist when he realized he was back on the ground.
His punch slammed into the earth, carving out a huge crater. Quickly lifting his head, he spotted Hanma Baki in midair.
"Spatial ability?" Eli narrowed his eyes slightly. "Your skills are pretty varied. But when faced with absolute strength, no amount of fancy tricks matters."
He bent his knees again. But each time Eli rose to the same height as Ron and Wendy, ready to strike—
Hanma Baki clapped his hands again, swapping positions once more.
Wendy gathered aura into her palms. A vortex of wind enveloped Eli.
Together, Ron and Wendy confined Eli to the ground, preventing him from reaching them in the sky.
Eli's expression darkened as he glared up at Ron and Wendy overhead.
"You brats! Don't get carried away! You really think two C-rank Nen users can stop me? Fine, then—I'll just use up a bit more aura!
A surging aura flared around Eli, building higher and higher, until it could rise no more.
A low roar burst from Eli's throat.
The flames on Eli's body blazed fiercely, spreading outward and expanding.
A gigantic column of flame shot into the sky, dozens of meters wide.
Even more frightening was its height—soaring upward at incredible speed, higher and higher still.
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