Chapter 303

"Could it be because of this?

My Observer sphere absorbed the Kurta clan's traits, causing that Nen spirit to judge me incorrectly?

But then why didn't it react when I opened the door before? Was the concentration too low?

Well, either way, this is a pleasant surprise.

This place really does resemble the Nirvana Grounds of the Fiora Kingdom.

Now let's see what this reward actually is."

Ron no longer felt puzzled by the young man's performance. Indeed, it had been tied to Ron's own strength. This area would generate a Nen Beast on par with Ron—only slightly weaker—and it had potent regeneration. Yet once it sustained enough damage, it would collapse.

"In other words, as long as I kept attacking that guy, I could have beaten him, even without the Rotten Life Blade draining all that deathly aura. As for the reward…"

A hint of delight spread across Ron's face.

"Fusion. A fusion of Nen Beasts. It seems the reward here is tailored to the challenger's circumstances, providing the most suitable ability possible within their limits. But which two Nen Beasts should I fuse?"

He immediately ruled out Chii. Since Chii was purely a tool-type support Nen Beast, boosting its combat ability wasn't very meaningful, especially when Ron could already command all of them from a distance.

"That leaves Lampent, Killer Queen, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Hanma Baki, and Natsu. There's no point fusing Lampent with Natsu—both have fire-resistance features, and their abilities don't mesh. Lampent's pain-sharing doesn't really match Natsu. As for Killer Queen, its bombs are unique, and it only needs to make those bombs while the other Nen Beasts use them. Hanma Baki and Akutagawa Ryunosuke don't really need to fuse, either, or I'd be wasting the Scales of Gravity Game. So it comes down to Akutagawa Ryunosuke fusing with Natsu, or Hanma Baki fusing with Natsu."

Ron preferred the first option. At the moment, Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Natsu were his two strongest attacking Nen Beasts, each with a different style. Combining them should yield an effect greater than the sum of their parts. Meanwhile, Hanma Baki's main strengths lay in the Scales of Gravity Game, his martial skills, and Position Swap, which could be used on two other targets. Whether he fused or not wouldn't make a huge difference. Besides, Ron could learn Hanma Baki's fighting techniques himself, and once Ron mastered them, Natsu could use them too.

"In that case, I'll fuse Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Natsu. Too bad I'm short on time and have to decide quickly. If I had longer, I could see whether the Nen Beast created through the Kurta-clan trait absorption might make a better fusion option. But for now, this will have to do."

Ron focused his thoughts, and Natsu and Akutagawa Ryunosuke both appeared. A red glow shone between them. 

"Fuse!"

In the next moment, the red glow erupted with powerful suction, pulling Natsu and Akutagawa Ryunosuke inside. The glow grew denser, enveloping them like a giant cocoon. 

Ron could sense the concentrated aura swirling within, and part of his own aura was drawn in as well. He waited patiently. After a while— 

Crack! 

A fissure split across the cocoon. It widened, splintering until the entire shell shattered into countless pieces, scattering over the ground. A brand-new figure stood in Ron's view: the fusion of Natsu and Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

"It still looks mostly like Natsu, which makes sense—he's stronger overall. He seems a bit taller, and his clothes have gained some black detailing. The bigger question is his abilities."

"Dragon Slayer Magic. Currently available skills: Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, Fire Dragon's Roar, Fire Dragon's Wing Attack, Fire Dragon's Horn, Fire Dragon's Claw, Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang. 

Rashomon. Currently available variants: Rash, Jaw, Hell Gate Jaw, Consecutive Gate Jaws, Infant Sever, Higan Cherry."

Ron paused, noticing another development. 

"It can use Spatial Sever now. That's good news—its defensive power is immense. The fusion has clearly made them stronger. Their upper potential is higher, too."

Ron did some mental calculations. 

"Before, if I allocated one unit of aura, Natsu's power was three, and Akutagawa Ryunosuke's was two. Now, post-fusion, that total has risen to four. That's already pretty good. Jumping to five would be impossible because previously I needed two aura units to reach five combined. Nen rules wouldn't allow me to halve the aura requirement just by fusing them."

"But the main advantage is their potential limit. If before Natsu's ceiling was ten and Akutagawa Ryunosuke's was eight, then post-fusion, that might be around eighteen in total. I'll keep calling him Natsu, since that's still his foundation. Akutagawa Ryunosuke is basically part of the past now."

"The Scales of Gravity Game transferred to the new Natsu as well, boosting its effects. Gravity can now increase by up to eight times or decrease by up to one-eighth. Adapting to that isn't going to be easy."

Ron mentally commanded Natsu to disappear. 

"I only got one ability out of this, but it boosted my overall strength tremendously—way more than just a bit. This hidden Kurta clan settlement was definitely worth visiting. Even if you consider only this outcome, it's already enough. And who knows? Having absorbed some of the Kurta clan's traits, I might get another chance to create a new Nen Beast."

A surge of spatial power wrapped around Ron. In the next instant, he felt himself transported to a new area. The ground was muddy, but not with water—blood. Corpses lay scattered all around. The moment Ron arrived, hordes of creatures rushed in to attack him.

"Natsu!" 

Natsu emerged, dark red claws—Rashomon—forming behind him. 

Splorch! 

In one swift strike, a monster fell, sliced cleanly. Yet the rest charged on, undeterred by their comrade's death.