A torrent of nen projectiles poured out, all of them slamming into the black-haired youth. In an instant, he was riddled with holes. Blood sprayed from dozens of wounds. He didn't dodge, didn't block. Already badly wounded from the scorching sun, he now looked like a slab of ruined meat—beaten over and over on the chopping block.
Collapsed to the ground.
"It's finally over," Pakunoda exhaled in relief.
Franklin turned to Feitan. "Feitan, if you can move, the boss might need your help."
Feitan hesitated, then nodded. "Alright."
Even though he was in terrible shape—no, it wasn't just bad, it was disastrous—Feitan still wanted to contribute. Compared to this area, the other side was a far more dangerous battlefield.
Pakunoda approached Hooker. Phinks was conscious but unable to move. Bonolenov had fainted earlier and was just now regaining awareness. Shalnark, however, wouldn't wake again.
"No idea how things are going over there..."
They all looked toward the building.
"That one," Franklin said grimly, "is probably the strongest. The boss, Hisoka, and Ron are all fighting him, but they haven't even pushed him into a disadvantage. When I left, Nobunaga had already lost the ability to fight. My double-gun technique couldn't hurt him at all. He only needed one strike to seriously injure me. He's way stronger than the white-haired one from before."
As Franklin recalled the earlier fight, his expression was tense.
Feitan sat against the wall, closing his eyes and breathing slowly, trying to recover as much strength as he could before going.
Oster, from inside the building, had already sensed what was happening outside.
"So, you really do have some ability," he muttered. "Phantom Troupe… I'll remember your name." His voice deepened with disdain. "Didn't think you'd get this far—but this is where it ends. You killed my experiments… now you'll replace them. This farce ends now."
Then, in an instant, a massive surge of aura exploded from his body. A powerful shockwave burst outward.
The ground cracked open beneath him. Stone and rubble flew in every direction. Cracks split the building's walls under the pressure of his aura.
Hisoka and Chrollo's expressions darkened immediately. Outside, Feitan and the others looked up sharply.
Oster gathered nearly all his aura, condensing it around his body. That energy began to materialise and take form.
A massive serpent emerged.
Its dark blue scales glimmered coldly, its enormous body coiled in the center of the building. The sheer size of it was overwhelming. Its head lifted high, fangs bared. The diameter of its body was several meters wide, and its length stretched over a hundred meters.
"This ability…" Ron narrowed his eyes. He recognized the style. It reminded him of the Beast Dojo school from the Kingdom of Fiora.
"If that's the case, then I can't afford to hold back."
With a thought, Ron summoned his nen beasts.
Natsu, Uchiha Sasuke, Killer Queen, Lampent, and Akame appeared beside him.
Ron himself drew his weapons—Rotten Life Blade in his left hand, Six Harmonies Sphere in his right.
"I'll handle him head-on. Hisoka, Chrollo—you two support me from the flanks. Good?"
The two glanced at each other and nodded. Oster's power had gone far beyond what they'd expected—but Ron's nen beasts were no less surprising. Five of them, plus Ron himself—it was the same as six high-level fighters.
"Fire Dragon's Horn!"
Natsu rushed in first, flames engulfing his body as he charged straight toward Oster.
Sasuke flickered to the side. "Rashomon—Susano'o."
A dark red energy cloaked Sasuke, transforming him into a giant. His massive arms extended outward and wrapped around Oster's tail, gripping it tightly. The force pierced into Oster's body.
A surge of pain ran through him. Oster tried to whip his tail away, but Sasuke held firm. No matter how violently he thrashed, he couldn't shake him off.
Lampent released thick fog, quickly flooding the entire building. Hisoka and Chrollo's visibility and aura perception were compromised, but they could still track Oster by sound and presence. His enormous body made him an easy target.
Hisoka's eyes flashed. He flicked his wrist, sending a flurry of cards through the mist.
Chrollo flipped a page in his book, switching to a new ability, abandoning the one from the shadow beast for another technique.
Killer Queen and Akame moved through the fog, circling for openings.
Ron gripped the Rotten Life Blade tightly and slashed toward Oster.
A shadowy glow swept out.
Countless insect eggs appeared on Oster's body, consuming his aura as they rapidly hatched—turning into white larvae, squirming quickly. After devouring enough aura, they pupated, transforming into cockroach-like forms.
A thick swarm of them crawled over Oster's form.
Akame seized her chance and closed in.
Her blade plunged in.
Ron narrowed his eyes. "So it's not a flesh transformation—it's aura given shape."
If it had been real flesh, Akame's strike wouldn't have gone unanswered.
"In that case, Akame's not needed anymore."
With a thought, Ron recalled her. No use wasting aura. Every additional nen beast increased his energy drain.
Ron's reserves were vast—but Oster was a top-tier A-rank nen user. His stamina was formidable as well.
Killer Queen picked up a rock and hurled it from afar.
The instant it struck Oster—
A silent explosion tore through him. The section of his body the rock hit vanished instantly. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
The damage caught Oster completely off guard. He turned sharply in Killer Queen's direction.
But the stand was already gone, hidden once more in the mist.
"Projectile Nen: Frost."