"Now, let us begin the second round!"
Feeling the immense power of the 100-Type Guanyin, the King once again donned an expression of arrogance and confidence. He believed that with this ability, he could surely strike down the formidable enemy before him.
"Second round? No, little ant! It seems you still don't understand the situation. The one I am dueling next is the Chairman's dying wish; you are merely the tool to realize that desire. To be precise, you have been a tool from start to finish, used by all sorts of people for one purpose or another. What a truly pathetic existence."
With that, Allen gave a direct command to the invisible Red Dragon: "Vaelstrasz! Possession!"
"Understood!"
In the blink of an eye, solid, deep-red scales erupted across Allen's body, while the iconic wings and tail of a dragon-kin form sprouted from his back. Most importantly, the moment the merger was complete, the staggering reserve of Aura stored within the Red Dragon was instantly unleashed.
Within a radius of several kilometers, this brief release triggered a terrifying hurricane. Soil and debris were sent flying, and trees nearest to the center were torn out by their roots.
"This... how is this possible?!!!"
The King's pupils dilated abruptly, clearly stunned by the sight. He could hardly believe that a mere human could possess a physique and life energy even more powerful than his own.
"This is my final trump card! Now, show me to what extent you can wield the power of the 100-Type Guanyin."
As the last word left his lips, Allen snapped his bowstring taut and unleashed a torrential rain of arrows. Due to the massive boost in total capacity from the possession, he could instantly mobilize the volume of Aura that previously required seconds of charging, and the arrows' power only increased.
Under this all-encompassing, omnidirectional barrage, the King had no path of retreat. He was forced to rely on the 100-Type Guanyin's logic-defying speed to desperately parry, looking like a small boat in a violent storm, liable to be swallowed at any moment.
In this moment, he finally understood Netero's helplessness when facing him, as well as the pain and despair of being utterly crushed by a superior opponent. Even worse, the intensity of the fight accelerated his Aura consumption, and with the black liquid of Decay constantly eating away at him, his Nen was visibly dwindling.
Allen, supported by the Red Dragon, poured out a relentless storm of arrows as if he were an infinite spring of energy that would never tire.
Damn it! I can't let this continue!
The King's combat intuition was sharp; he soon realized that if he didn't close the distance, the 100-Type Guanyin could never unleash its true potential. But the problem was that the two portals, separated by five hundred meters, made that impossible. Even if he braved the terrifying arrow rain to get close, Allen wouldn't just stand there, he would simply step through the portal and emerge on the other side.
Furthermore, the black liquid draining his life eliminated any possibility of escape or tactical retreat. To flee would be to eventually crumble into decaying dust and blow away in the wind. This suffocating sense of powerlessness was identical to the method used to trap the entire Chimera Ant swarm within the palace ruins!
He had no choice. There was no hope of victory. There was only a dead-end path leading to a bottomless abyss.
A checkmate.
Upon realizing this, all of the King's anger, frustration, and impulsiveness vanished. His previously violent Aura calmed down, and his mind focused on a single task: finding a way to block every incoming arrow.
This shift in mindset perfectly aligned with the nature of the 100-Type Guanyin. Within seconds, the torrential arrows were slapped aside by the massive golden palms. This time, he didn't meet the destructive projectiles head-on; instead, he used a deflection technique, utilizing unparalleled speed to alter the arrows' trajectories, protecting himself with a minimal expenditure of Aura.
"Interesting. You've already made the 100-Type Guanyin your own? Your talent is truly terrifying," Allen remarked, halting his fire to offer praise.
"Because I have accepted that I will die here. When a living being no longer fears death, there is nothing left in this world to fear. Haven't you wanted to see me surpass my limits? In the final minutes of my life, I shall grant your wish."
As he spoke, the King's face was devoid of expression, as if he were discussing the fate of a stranger rather than his own. Having placed himself in a position of certain death, he finally exuded the true dignity of a sovereign.
Allen nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent eyes. In return, I shall use a power I have never revealed to send you on the final stage of your journey."
"You still have more hidden?" A flash of surprise crossed the King's eyes.
"Yes. Not many, but a few. No one has ever pushed me to use them before. But I believe you have earned that right."
As Allen spoke, he coated an arrow in Shaiapouf's scales, causing it to radiate a dazzling, multicolored glow.
Next second...
Mach 8!
Wyvern Sting!
BOOM!
The iridescent arrow streaked out at a speed far beyond human perception. The massive amount of scales scattered in the air created a stunning rainbow trail. However, the King was prepared. With even greater speed, he commanded the 100-Type Guanyin to deliver a horizontal palm strike, forcing the arrow off course and causing it to slam violently into the ground nearby.
Looking at the thorium arrow buried deep in the earth, the King said flatly, "Your arrows are useless against me now."
"Useless? You think my arrows only take effect if they hit you? Don't be naive. It's already taking effect..."
Before the words had finished, Allen drew his bow again, firing a series of arrows imbued with different Nen abilities. This time, under the hypnosis and suggestion of the scales, the King found himself unable to block every shot as he had before. Within seconds, he was back in the predicament of being a passive target.
To ensure the King couldn't see the arrows' flight paths clearly, Allen deliberately added a pinch of gunpowder to every shot, ensuring the smoke and fire from the explosions obscured his vision.
Clearly, the Wyvern Sting coated in scales had accounted for both a hit and a miss. Had it hit, the King would have fallen into a forced sleep for ten seconds, a time more than enough to fire one of those initial terrifying arrows and kill him instantly. But since it missed, the scales dispersed in the air were inhaled in large quantities, allowing the hypnosis and interference to take hold.
As someone who had personally tasted the palm of the 100-Type Guanyin, Allen would not let a version of the King with even more Aura get close to him. This was a life-and-death struggle, not a sparring match. Furthermore, he wasn't confident he could win a close-quarters brawl against a King wielding Netero's ability.
In truth, if the Aura of every Nen user, including the Chimera Ants, were leveled to the same standard for a martial arts tournament, the winner would undoubtedly be Chairman Netero. To a certain extent, the 100-Type Guanyin was practically invincible in close-range combat.
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]