"Just a mere C-level kid, daring to attack me first?"
"Are you underestimating me, or underestimating a B-level Nen user?"
"The higher your level in Nen, the greater the gap between tiers."
"And I'm no support-type tool user. Killing is what I do best!"
"Kid, I'm sure now—there's definitely something suspicious about you."
"There's no way I'm letting you go this time!"
Ron paid him no mind. Suddenly, a figure materialized next to Ron.
In an instant, dense fog enveloped the entire area. Hanma Baki and Killer Queen both appeared as well.
Once Ron decided to strike, he would go all out, leaving no chance for his opponent to escape.
The Turbid Mist disrupted the young man's senses.
Right after, the dark-red claws behind Natsu appeared once more—three of them in total—slashing relentlessly at the young man. This put considerable pressure on him.
But that was only the beginning.
Natsu took a deep breath.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A fierce blaze swept toward the young man, leaving him no room to dodge. He was hit head-on by the flames, which packed a powerful impact and searing heat. For a moment, he froze.
Right then, Hanma Baki clapped both hands together. In a flash, Hanma Baki swapped positions with the young man.
Before the young man could react, Killer Queen rushed in, wielding a baseball bat.
He tried to evade, but there was nowhere to go. Dark-red claws surrounded him, forming a cage. This Rashomon Natsu used was stronger than anything Akutagawa could employ. The young man had no chance of breaking through quickly.
Killer Queen's bat struck the young man's body. A silent explosion erupted.
In the blink of an eye, the young man's waist vanished—obliterated. His torso and legs separated, blood gushing everywhere.
Both halves dropped to the ground, twitching only briefly before going still.
His eyes were wide with disbelief.
He couldn't comprehend how a dignified B-level Nen user like him could fall so easily to Ron, a mere C-level.
But Ron's strength defied simple classification by rank. C-level applied only to Ron's physical body. Killer Queen, Hanma Baki, Lampent—each was effectively at C-level themselves. Meanwhile, after merging with Akutagawa's power, Natsu had stepped right onto the threshold of B-level.
In other words, Ron's single assault was the combined effort of four C-level entities plus a near-B-level Natsu.
There was no way one B-level Nen user could endure that, especially without any intel on Ron's abilities.
Even though Ron also lacked info on his foe, the young man's skill set was nowhere near as complex as Ron's. Hence, in a mutual ignorance scenario, he was at a much bigger disadvantage.
He was outnumbered, had no intel advantage, and was plainly outmatched overall.
On top of that, Ron's Nen beasts meshed their abilities perfectly:
First, Lampent's Turbid Mist altered the environment and impaired the target's senses.
Then Natsu's Rashomon cage pinned him down. A single Fire Dragon's Roar inflicted severe damage.
Hanma Baki's position swap left the young man firmly trapped inside the Rashomon prison, giving him no chance to break free quickly.
Finally, Killer Queen's explosive touch—fatally effective against flesh and blood—finished him off. Unless you had a special power like Gluttony (the one Ron had faced before), it was basically an instant kill.
Hence, it made sense they could kill him so fast with a chain of attacks.
"Before, I was on the back foot when I faced that other B-level user from the Republic of Mingbo," Ron mused.
"Now, I can finish one off without even needing my full power.
Of course, this guy might not have been as strong as that earlier one, but I didn't have to go all out, either. Lampent's shared-pain ability wasn't even necessary. Nor did I use the Rotten Life Blade or Sumas, which I only just obtained."
Ron approached the fallen body, planning to store it in Sumas. A B-level corpse would be good to toss into the Trial Grounds to strengthen it, or into the pyramid to become a mummy.
But just as he neared the body, a wave of intense menace washed over him. The air around him turned frigid, and a figure abruptly materialized behind him.
"Kid, not bad," came a calm voice. "Your Nen beasts are interesting.
Why not join Mingbo?"
A hand reached for Ron's shoulder.
"You managed to kill Kololo so easily. That shows real promise. I didn't expect that when I decided to swing back here. Looks like I found something worthwhile. How about becoming my disciple?"
Not far away, Hanma Baki clapped both hands again.
In that instant, Ron and Hanma Baki traded places. The man's hand landed on Hanma Baki's shoulder, freezing him solid on contact.
Ron reappeared a distance away.
"An A-level Nen user…"
Ron grew guarded. B-level opponents no longer threatened him too severely, but A-level was a whole different story.
"Turbid Mist!" he ordered quickly, while also gripping the hilt of the Rotten Life Blade. A spectral gleam shot forth from that sword toward the middle-aged man.
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