Chapter 279

They quickly reached Ron and Wendy's altitude.

Faced with the rushing flames, both of them had no choice but to spend aura in defense, which consumed a great deal of their energy.

Ron was in slightly better shape. 

Among people of the same rank, Ron's aura reserves were considered among the highest. 

But Wendy wasn't so lucky. She could restore her aura by "consuming" air, yet just keeping herself and Ron aloft was already draining her aura at a steady rate. Now, confronted with Eli's onslaught, Wendy's aura visibly dwindled.

Their bodies started to waver, on the verge of falling. 

Eli gave a slight grin. 

"Before absolute power, your fancy tricks are worthless. Realize that now? Fall to the ground—and let me burn your corpses to ash!"

Ron and Wendy began plummeting downward. 

Eli withdrew his towering flames. Watching the spectacle, Ron couldn't help recalling the world of Bleach and the Bankai of Genryusai Yamamoto—a giant pillar of flame shooting skyward. Of course, Eli was leagues behind Yamamoto; they weren't even on the same plane of power.

Hanma Baki and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke dashed at Eli. 

While dodging their attacks, Eli kept his eye on Ron and Wendy, waiting for the exact moment they both crashed to the ground.

"Smog!"

Suddenly, thick turbid mist burst forth, covering the entire area around them. 

Eli's pupils shrank. 

"En!"

Ron glanced at Wendy beside him. 

She looked pale, her condition extremely poor.

"Wendy, you go. I'll handle the next part alone. Recover your aura as much as you can."

Wendy nodded. 

"All right, Ron—please be careful…"

"Don't worry."

Ron had Lampent manipulate the smog to open a path for Wendy. He then charged off in Eli's direction.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Even before he got close, intense clashes echoed through the fog. Parts of the mist lifted from the fighting between Eli and Ron's two Nen beasts, revealing an open space at the center—a faintly lit patch where they could see each other.

Eli noticed Ron. 

"Just you?"

"What happened to the other one?"

"She's out of commission?"

A savage grin twisted his features. 

"For two little C-rank punks, you've done well enough already. I bet in the Fiora Kingdom, you're not nobodies, right? Maybe some local 'geniuses'?"

"So speak—tell me your names. After I kill you, I'll put them on my list, and more people will learn who you were."

Ron met Eli's gaze calmly. 

"You think victory's already yours?"

"Isn't it?" Eli asked in surprise. "Kid, you can't possibly think you stand a chance against me now, do you?"

He looked almost amused, as though Ron's words were ridiculous. 

"You sure your head's on straight? Both of you together couldn't stop me—how much success can you have on your own? Don't be so full of yourself."

Ron shook his head. "I don't believe your victory is assured."

"Yeah? You're aware I've got a lot in my favor. I'm older, more experienced; I'm a higher-ranked Nen user with a bigger aura pool and a unique ability—"

Eli cut in. 

"If you know all that, why're you even talking?"

"Senior, I'm not finished." Ron continued, "You do have those advantages, but you also have weaknesses. In the fight just now, you used up a massive amount of aura—how much do you have left? You can't even sustain your flame form anymore, so it can't be very much."

"And though I've seen most of your abilities, you don't really know mine."

Eli narrowed his eyes. 

"Aura running low, huh? Sure, I used a lot, but even if I've got only a tenth left, that's more than enough to beat you. As for your powers—what else could you be hiding? You're just a C-rank kid. You've already shown plenty of tricks. You can't have that many more."

Suddenly, a look of realization appeared on Eli's face. 

"Oh, I get it—you're stalling for time, aren't you? The moment you left Gik City's boundaries, you must have sent out a distress signal, right? You think I'll hesitate, and time will pass until your backup arrives?"

Eli let out a snort. 

"You're far too naive. Even if they rush here at top speed, it'll still take a while. In that time, I could easily kill you. Fine. If you want to buy time, I'll just finish this quickly. I was planning to toy with you a bit more."

A surge of fierce aura burst from Eli. An instant later, he turned to flame once more.

"I am fire!"

He lunged at Ron, hurling a blazing punch. 

Waves of flame swept toward Ron.

Just then, Lampent interposed itself in front of Ron.

"Flame Draw!"

The fiery blow struck Lampent, triggering its passive power. It was unscathed by the flames—and even absorbed them. 

From Ron's perspective, Eli's attack caused no harm whatsoever; in fact, Ron sensed his own aura replenishing slightly.

When the flames dissipated, Eli saw Ron completely unharmed and his pupils contracted. 

"How are you…not even scratched?"

His gaze landed on Lampent in front of Ron. 

"This Nen beast? If you had such an ability, why didn't you use it sooner? Is there a limitation? Or were you hoping to catch me off guard?"

Eli frowned, his figure vanishing; when he reappeared, he was behind Ron. 

"But as long as I strike your real body, no matter how peculiar your beast is, it won't matter."

Ron turned to face him. This time, Lampent did not intervene. But Eli sensed something off—Ron wasn't panicking at all; in fact, he was smiling.

"Finally…I've met the four conditions."