Chapter 280
"Share the Pain, Pain Split!"
In an instant, Eli felt the already-meager aura remaining in his body suddenly cut by almost half.
This sudden change took Eli completely by surprise, causing him to stagger.
At the same time, he was forced out of his flame form.
"What is this?!"
A figure appeared behind Eli.
"Whip Strike!"
Hanma Baki's arm lashed across Eli's body.
Smack!
Intense pain tore through Eli. Along with Hanma Baki's attack, Eli felt his body grow heavier and heavier.
He still hadn't figured out why his aura had suddenly dropped so much.
One times gravity enhancement, two times gravity enhancement…
It pushed all the way to five times.
That was the limit Ron's "Scale of Gravity" game could currently reach.
Not far away, behind Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, several dark-hued claws appeared and thrust forward.
Smack!
Hanma Baki clapped both hands together.
"Position Swap!"
Hanma Baki and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke switched places, and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's "Claws" stabbed straight at Eli.
Pshk!
Pshk!
Pshk!
One after another, they pierced Eli's body.
"You brat!"
Eli's face contorted as he glared fixedly in Ron's direction.
Flames ignited on Eli's body once more.
Akutagawa Ryuunosuke was forced back a bit, but his claw still skewered Eli's torso.
This time, Eli couldn't turn his entire body to flame; his remaining aura was insufficient to maintain that form.
A pink figure appeared.
Killer Queen rushed forward, swinging a baseball bat at Eli.
"Another Nen beast? How many do you have?! You really are strong, brat. But no matter how many beasts you summon, or how many tricks you pull, you've already lost!"
"Die!"
Eli ignored the spikes of claws in his body, and ignored Akutagawa Ryuunosuke altogether, dragging himself doggedly toward Ron.
He dragged Akutagawa Ryuunosuke along with him.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
With heavy steps, Eli barreled forward—one step, two steps—faster and faster, drawing closer and closer to Ron.
Before Killer Queen could reach him, a wall of flame forced it back.
By now, Eli was extremely wary of Ron.
He was also leery of the newly appeared Killer Queen, so he refused to let it get close.
Ron retreated, dodging Eli's attacks.
Eli's eyes lit up.
"You're dodging? That means you're at your limit, right?! No more aces up your sleeve?!"
Behind Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, a dark-hued claw emerged and dug into the ground, dragging Eli's movements to slow him further.
Meanwhile—
"Ghost Step!"
More than a dozen images of Ron flickered into view.
Eli couldn't tell which one to chase.
Time passed bit by bit, and Eli's condition worsened.
Ron twitched his wrist.
Whish!
A cluster of Nen needles shot toward Eli.
Eli tried to dodge but was hampered by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke's grip, severely limiting his mobility.
Pshk!
A Nen needle sank into Eli's flesh, unleashing the venom of Crystal Featherbone inside him.
He staggered, looking ready to collapse.
Ron glanced over at Hanma Baki.
Hanma Baki pressed his palms together.
Ron took a step forward.
Smack!
"Position Swap!"
In a flash, Ron and Eli swapped places.
Akutagawa Ryuunosuke came along with Eli, who landed exactly where Ron had stood a moment earlier—on a huge rock.
But this was no ordinary rock; Killer Queen had planted its power there.
This, Eli hadn't foreseen.
He was aware of Hanma Baki's ability and was on guard against it.
He also knew to watch out for Killer Queen.
However, Eli had no idea of Killer Queen's specific powers.
Moments earlier, seeing it holding a baseball bat misled him, so he never paid attention to what lay underfoot.
The instant Eli appeared on that rock
Crack!
Killer Queen detonated the bomb it had set.
That was the "second type" of explosion.
A mighty force rushed up Eli's legs.
A silent blast, its violent shockwave catapulted Eli high into the air, obliterating both his lower legs.
Bloody stumps dripped gore.
Ron raised his hand, gathering a massive amount of aura—far more than usual for a Nen bullet.
"Nen Bullet!"
The shot blasted Eli in midair.
Boom!
The huge explosion sent Eli's body even higher.
A massive dark-red jaw waited below, wide open, ready to catch him on his way down.
Crunch!
It bit down, cleaving Eli's body in two.
Organs, blood, bones—splattered everywhere, raining onto the ground.
Eli's life force ebbed at lightning speed. Because he was a Nen user, he held on to a sliver of consciousness for a few seconds, but it was fading fast.
Eyes wide in utter disbelief, Eli choked out his blood, "How…how could this happen? How could I lose? I lost to some brat? Who is he, anyway? Just how many Nen beasts does he have? How many abilities…?"
He was unwilling to accept it.
A recognized genius back in the Mingbo Republic, Eli had the full support of his nation. This mission was supposed to be his chance to shine. After completing it, he would have received countless rewards and further elevated status—he was certain he was on the path to a grand future. Yet now he was about to die, at the hands of a "kid."