BOOM!
Following a deafening explosion, both combatants were involuntarily pushed back over thirty meters by a violent gust of Aura, leaving a massive, gaping crater at the center of their collision.
Feeling the numbness spreading through his arms, Allen's face registered genuine surprise. "Your muscular strength is truly an eye-opener! To think you could bridge the gap in our Aura capacities through raw physical power alone!"
"Hmph! You're not bad yourself! No wonder you were able to take down Pouf!" Youpi looked down at the bone shield on his arm, which had been shattered to pieces.
Since mastering his centaur form during battle, he had not suffered a single injury. Even against Knov's incredibly dangerous and troublesome spatial restructuring attacks, this shield, composed of his hardest bone, hadn't sustained so much as a scratch.
Yet now... it had been pulverized by a single punch.
The terrifying explosive force generated at the moment of impact had given Youpi the illusion of being struck by a super-dreadnought's main cannon. However, such an injury was not a major issue for him. After a brief process of consumption, decomposition, and restructuring, a brand-new, flawless shield emerged once more.
Watching from the sidelines, Bodoro couldn't help but remark, "Does this guy possess a near-immortal regenerative ability similar to Allen's? It really takes a monster to defeat a monster!"
"What do you mean by 'immortal'?" Illumi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Exactly what it sounds like!" Bodoro explained in a low voice. "Back when we were hunting Nen criminals, we encountered a man nicknamed Ghoul. He could consume Aura to recover from any injury, even a pulverized heart. Allen plundered that ability and modified it to suit his needs. Though he rarely uses it, standard methods are effectively incapable of inflicting a truly fatal wound on him."
"You mean... Allen possesses an ability similar to this Royal Guard?" Knov's eyes widened in shock, finding it hard to believe what he was hearing.
Bodoro nodded grimly. "Yes. The most terrifying thing about Allen is that you never know what ability he'll use next. And remember, he's only at full power when he has his bow in hand."
"So you're saying one Royal Guard isn't enough to make him go all out?" Illumi rubbed his chin, a pensive look on his face.
"Right. I imagine he wants to save his trump cards for the King. After all, Chairman Netero is getting on in years; it might be difficult for him to win a one-on-one fight against the King," Bodoro speculated, drawing from his understanding of Allen.
"You don't think the Chairman is a match for the King?" As a staunch loyalist to Netero, Knov's expression soured.
But Bodoro, with his blunt Enhancer personality, didn't notice the change in mood. He retorted directly, "Haven't you realized it after our fierce struggle with the Guard? In terms of Nen, these Chimera Ants, especially the three Royal Guards and the King, possess physical life energy that far exceeds any human's. We all attacked that Guard together for so long; was he hurt? No! He didn't even get a scratch."
"He has a point," Illumi agreed. "With Chairman Netero's current Aura capacity, it may be truly difficult to pose a substantial threat to the King."
As they spoke, Allen and Youpi collided again, their fists moving in a blur of rapid-fire exchanges. To compensate for his disadvantage in reaction speed, Youpi manifested six arms that flailed with manic intensity, yet he was still no match for Allen's two. Within seconds, he began to falter.
"An opening!"
Allen keenly snatched a gap in the Guard's rhythm, landing a heavy blow on the vulnerable chin. Utilizing the momentary shock of the hit, he shattered Youpi's defense. Staring into the Guard's astonished eyes, Allen asked with a smile, "Speed is power. Have you ever been hit by something moving at supersonic speeds?"
"Wh... what?" Youpi clearly didn't grasp the meaning.
But in the next instant, Allen's arms became twin meteors. Utilizing the power of Aura Burst, he briefly pushed the frequency of his punches beyond the speed of sound.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Under the onslaught of fists too fast for the naked eye to track, Youpi was hammered into the air, completely helpless. His hardened muscles and bones tore inch by inch; blood and pulverized internal organs sprayed from his mouth as agonizing pain surged through his nerves to his brain.
He could not resist. He could not evade. The Guard who had always prided himself on strength and defense finally realized how weak and helpless he truly was. He could only watch as his body collapsed toward total ruin.
Big Bang Impact!
With a classic wind-up motion, Allen finished the combo with Uvogin's signature move.
BOOM!
With a world-shaking roar, Youpi's already battered upper body exploded. Crimson gore and shredded meat sprayed in all directions. The visual impact was so stunning that the onlookers reflexively widened their eyes, terrified of missing a single moment.
Just as most assumed the red-skinned Guard was finished, an even more powerful surge of Aura erupted from Youpi's remains!
Every scattered piece of flesh and blood seemed to be manipulated by an unseen force, reconverging. His size began to grow inexplicably until he formed a red giant over six meters tall. He appeared to have lost all reason, roaring with uncontrollable rage as he lashed out: "GRAAAAAHHH!!!! IT HURTS! KILL YOU! I'LL TEAR YOU APART!"
He's sacrificed his sanity in exchange for even greater power?
Allen instantly saw through the nature of Youpi's transformation, though he wasn't sure if it was a result of a Vow and Limitation or Nen that becomes stronger after death. He couldn't be certain if his last strike had actually killed Youpi.
But at this point, theorizing was meaningless. The red giant's cells were saturated with a staggering amount of Aura, looking as if they might trigger a massive explosion at any moment. Simply put, this body was now a giant bomb. Its goal wasn't to kill the enemy with fists, but to detonate itself and consume everyone nearby.
To prevent the blast from damaging the surrounding area, Allen didn't hesitate; he immediately lured the red giant toward Ragnaros. The Firelord construct, having finished clearing the surrounding "pests," was standing idle, making it the perfect candidate for some "waste utilization."
In a rational state, Youpi would never have approached this massive elemental puppet of fire and lava. Unfortunately, he had lost his mind, leaving only the obsessive desire to kill Allen. He plunged headlong into Ragnaros's reach.
"BY FIRE BE PURGED!!!!"
Sensing a foe, the Firelord raised his flaming warhammer and slammed it down with all his might. Simultaneously, the Aura accumulated within the red giant's cells reached its critical point.
When the two forces collided, a pillar of brilliant fire shot into the sky, incinerating most of the palace's central ruins. The resulting shockwave and heatwave pulverized and crushed everything in their path.
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