"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Flames surged forward, engulfing the area in front of Neferpitou. The Royal Guard crossed their arms, body flickering aside as the torrent passed, avoiding the brunt of the attack.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu closed in, flames burning on his fists.
Bang!
Their blows collided, the shockwave reverberating across the field. Neferpitou only slid back a single step, while Natsu was sent skidding more than ten meters across the ground. The difference in raw strength was undeniable, even though Neferpitou was not of the Enhancement type.
The Guard ignored Natsu and Sasuke, continuing to charge straight toward Ron.
"lampent! Smog!"
A dense cloud of poisonous mist spread, forcing Neferpitou to halt again.
"En!"
Aura expanded instantly, spreading far wider than the smog's reach, and Ron's presence was locked in once more.
By then Sasuke's counterattack had finished gathering. "Chidori Stream!" Lightning burst outward, enveloping the Royal Guard and stunning Neferpitou's body for an instant.
Natsu seized the opening. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" His blazing strikes crashed down. The blows landed, but Neferpitou's body held firm; the damage was not fatal.
What the exchange revealed was far more important: Ron was not the same as Kite.
Both had been classified as A-rank Nen users. Kite had been formidable, but still only a standard A-rank. Ron stood at the peak of that tier, his abilities far broader. His Nen Beasts gave him access to multiple techniques simultaneously, so long as his aura reserves allowed it.
Neferpitou had once defeated Kite before even fully developing a personal Hatsu. Against Ron, dismissing him as prey would no longer suffice. The Guard could feel the aura gap still leaning in their favor, but the human's versatility was dangerous, and there was no time to waste while the King awaited.
"Human." Catlike eyes fixed on Ron, killing intent flaring. "You've angered me. Next, I will kill you seriously."
A surge of malevolent aura burst forth.
"Puppeteer's Black Dance!"
An overwhelming presence flooded the battlefield. The ability seized control of Neferpitou's own body like strings on a puppet, pushing it into a relentless combat state where it would not stop attacking until the target was dead. It resembled Shalnark's Autopilot in its loss of restraint, but magnified through monstrous physical strength.
The Guard lunged. Natsu and Sasuke blocked the way, but the body under Black Dance weaved through, slipping past the fire mage, tanking the lightning user's strike, and closing on Ron in an instant.
"Die, human!" Claws slashed downward.
Clap!
"Position Exchange!"
Natsu switched places with Ron at the last second, catching the full brunt. Instead of retreating, he grabbed both of Neferpitou's arms, his body igniting with furious flames.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
At point-blank range, the torrent exploded against the Guard's head.
"Break!"
Neferpitou snarled, ripping free, but the close-range flames had already scorched flesh despite aura defense. The fire could be blocked, but the sheer heat could not.
"Lightning Nen Bullet!"
A crackling sphere descended from above, striking the Guard's skull. Muscles froze for a fraction of a second, yet the Black Dance forced continued motion regardless. Paralysis lost its meaning here unless the voltage could climb high enough to annihilate even the most resilient lifeform.
Bang!
Natsu remained silent as claws tore through his chest, leaving a gaping wound. Ron immediately directed aura into him, attempting to repair the body, but it would take precious time.
That gap left only Sasuke's projection standing in Neferpitou's way, and even the Uchiha's techniques would not hold indefinitely. The Guard had already shown willingness to destroy the Nen Beasts if necessary.
Ron's thoughts tightened. "Such destructive force… no wonder raw physical strength alone places you at the S-rank threshold. Compared to Oster, this pressure is even greater." Against the biological weapon Oster, Ron had been forced to use nearly all of his trump cards, relying on Rosgell, the humanoid Nen construct, to finally win. Now, stronger than before, he could have beaten Oster without that last resort. But against Neferpitou, even at his current level, he was pushed into a reactive stance.
"But this isn't everything I have."
As the Royal Guard charged once more, Ron summoned his fourth Nen Beast. A pink silhouette emerged at his side.
Neferpitou immediately froze mid-stride. The aura it emitted was weaker than Natsu's or Sasuke's, yet an instinctive dread gripped the Guard's chest.
"Danger!"
They halted the attack abruptly.
"Sheer Heart Attack Bomb!"
From Killer Queen's arm, a deadly explosive round formed, aimed directly at the foe.
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