A three-sided pincer attack.
Leo didn't even turn his head; he reached out with his left hand, caught Bat's wrist, and twisted it hard.
"Crack"—the sound of breaking wrist bones and Bat's scream rang out simultaneously.
Leo didn't let go; following through with the momentum, he threw Bat's entire body toward the Shadow Beast on the right who was wielding a long blade.
The two collided, the sound of shattering bones filling the air, and the long blade flew out of the Shadow Beast's hand, spinning several times in the air before embedding itself in a flower bed in the distance.
At the same time, the rope condensed from Nen had already coiled around Leo's right arm.
The Shadow Beast controlling the rope's eyes lit up, and he yanked it tight. As long as his rope caught a target, it could force them into a state of "Zetsu," though the restriction would lift once the rope was removed.
Leo looked down at the rope wrapped around his arm, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
He knew what this Shadow Beast was thinking; a materialized rope was nothing more than a special effect designed to restrict movement or prevent the use of Nen.
"Unfortunately, my body is immune to any abnormal intrusion; your plan is destined to fail."
He clenched his right hand, his arm muscles bulging, and gave a violent tug—
The Shadow Beast felt an irresistible, tremendous force coming from the other end of the rope; he was yanked off his feet and sent flying toward Leo.
His eyes went wide, and his mouth opened to shout, but Leo's fist was already upon him.
A punch smashed into his face!
His head snapped back, and blood from his nose mixed with teeth as they flew out.
He slammed into the ground, sliding over a dozen meters and leaving a long trail of blood, while the rope wrapped around Leo's hand dissipated into nothingness.
Bat hadn't even landed after being thrown when Leo turned and kicked him in the abdomen.
Bat's body curled up like a shrimp, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and he shot off like a cannonball toward two other Shadow Beasts nearby who hadn't had a chance to attack yet.
The three of them collided, slamming into the manor wall with a loud boom.
The brick wall couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed instantly, burying them under rubble and debris.
By now, the gang thugs who were still mobile had already run to the gate of the manor.
Some were leaning against the wall, gasping for air; some were collapsed on the ground, dry-heaving; others were running down the mountain without looking back.
But many more hadn't managed to escape—
They were sprawled out in the courtyard; some were struck by flying rocks, some had their internal organs shattered by the shockwave, and others were killed instantly upon being struck by the flying bodies.
"Bang!"
The ground cracked, and gravel sprayed out from under Leo's feet.
His figure vanished from where he stood, and in the next instant, he appeared beside Porcupine.
Porcupine shuddered, his scalp tingling, every hair on his body standing on end.
He didn't have time to think and instinctively activated his ability—
The hair on his body instantly surged and hardened, transforming from soft strands into countless sharp, rigid needles.
They covered his entire body densely, making him look like a humanoid hedgehog.
Those needles gleamed coldly in the sunlight, each one like a steel needle, their tips sharp enough to pierce steel plates.
"I can freely manipulate my hair and turn it into tough needles!"
His voice was shaking, but he was still shouting, as if trying to bolster his own courage.
"Your fists are useless against me!"
Before he had even finished speaking, those needles shot out like living things, viciously stabbing toward Leo's incoming fist.
"Clang, clang, clang"—the sound of metal colliding was as dense as a torrential downpour hitting steel.
Porcupine's pride-and-joy hair needles struck Leo's skin like toothpicks poking a steel plate, snapping one after another.
The broken needle tips bounced away, falling to the ground with faint, crisp sounds.
Porcupine's eyes were wider than brass bells, his mouth agape, but he couldn't make a sound.
His strongest attack couldn't even pierce a single layer of skin.
Leo's fist did not stop, smashing straight into Porcupine's face.
With a bang, Porcupine's head exploded into a mist of blood, with red and white matter spraying far into the distance.
His body stiffened for a moment, then collapsed to the ground like his bones had been removed, his limbs still twitching unconsciously.
A warm sensation spread across the back of his hand.
[Rank: 78 (90%) → 78 (94%)]
Not far away, Owl was hiding behind a pillar, cold sweat dripping from his forehead down to the tip of his nose.
His sunglasses had slid down to the tip of his nose, but he dared not raise his hand to push them up, fearing he might make a sound.
He had originally planned to catch Leo off guard and capture him with his ability, "Convenient Large Wrapping Cloth," while Leo was entangled with the others.
The wrapping cloth he materialized could shrink objects; he could wrap an enemy inside, shrink them, capture them, and restore them to their original size later.
Once trapped, he could secure a one-hit victory.
He was very well aware of the capabilities of his 'colleagues.'
But it had been a minute—not even a minute.
Out of nine people, six had instantly lost their ability to fight, and one was dead.
The man stood in the center of the courtyard, covered in blood—someone else's blood.
His breathing was steady, and there wasn't even a red mark on his body.
There weren't many people left alive in the courtyard.
Those gang thugs who were unconscious on the stone floor had been caught in the crossfire of the battle again—
At least sixty or seventy of them had been killed—some crushed by flying bodies, some struck by rubble, others killed by the shockwaves.
The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood and burning, and the ground was littered with severed limbs and viscera.
Those who were still alive lay among the piles of corpses, motionless, terrified of being noticed by that man.
Leo turned his head and looked in the direction where Owl was hiding.
Owl's body stiffened violently, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head.
His teeth began to chatter, clattering loudly, and he couldn't make them stop.
His legs went weak, and he only stayed upright by leaning against the pillar.
He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't obey him.
He wanted to scream, but his throat felt like it was blocked.
That look—it wasn't anger, it wasn't killing intent; it was the look one gives to trash.
He wasn't even worth considering an enemy.
Just as Owl was about to collapse, a voice rang out from another direction.
"Alright!"
Bull stepped out from behind cover, a massive hand cannon equipped on his right arm, the muzzle still smoking.
His ability was the Energy Cannon; he materialized a hand cannon that could amplify the power of a Nen Bullet to 300%.
But it required a minute of preparation time.
He had crouched there, holding it in for a minute, watching his companions fall one by one, watching Porcupine's head explode, watching Owl cower like a quail.
He had endured for a minute, just waiting for this one shot.
"Go to hell!"
He aimed the hand cannon at Leo.
With a thunderous boom, a Nen Bullet with a radius of over twenty centimeters shot out from the muzzle, carrying a blinding white light as it flew straight toward Leo.
The speed wasn't slow, but it wasn't particularly fast either.
At least, for Leo, it wasn't fast enough.
Leo stood where he was, watching the Nen Bullet fly toward him at a leisurely pace.
He even had time to observe its flight path—straight, without any changes, no turns, no splitting, no acceleration.
He raised his palm, a layer of condensed Nen covering his hand.
Timing it perfectly, he swatted at the Nen Bullet like he was swatting a fly.
The Nen Bullet paused against his palm, like a ball being struck, and then flew back in the opposite direction at an even greater speed.
Bull still had a smile on his face, but as he watched the Nen Bullet drawing closer and closer, his pupils suddenly constricted.
He wanted to dodge, but his body couldn't keep up with his brain.
"Boom"—a violent explosion, and flames engulfed the spot where Bull had been standing.
After the smoke and dust cleared, only a large crater remained on the ground, with charred fragments scattered around the edges.
A warm sensation spread across the back of his hand.
[Rank: 78 (94%) → (99%)]
Leo withdrew his hand, looked at the still-smoking crater, and shook his head.
"Trash ability; the speed is too slow, and you don't even know how to set a condition for active detonation."
However, he hadn't expected that the trash dying from his own Nen Bullet would also count as his kill.
Leo glanced at Owl, who was slumped behind the pillar, and then scanned the Shadow Beasts who were still embedded in the walls, buried in piles of rubble, or lying by the fountain pool.
They were still breathing, but only just barely.
He withdrew his gaze, having already made up his mind.
One is enough; there's no need to keep the rest alive.
Leo raised his right fist, Nen gathering at his knuckles.
"I've had enough fun."
His voice was calm.
"It's time to end this."
The strength of these Shadow Beasts was far too pathetic, so Leo intended to finish them off with a Nuclear Punch as a token of his sincerity.
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100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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