Things on Manman's side were going far better than Xiang Nan had expected.
He had braced himself for a hard fight, yet the black-robed man was actually being driven back by her second personality's attack.
Wielding a dagger and guided by flawless feral instinct, Manman struck with brutal ferocity, leaving her opponent covered in wounds. His robe was already shredded, exposing the face of a gray-haired old man.
At a glance Xiang Nan saw why the elder was no match for her: his stamina was poor and his combat skills shallow. Once she forced him into close quarters he had very few techniques to neutralize her assault.
Still, he was a high-level player—at the very least rich in battle experience.
What really caught Xiang Nan's attention, however, was the power the man was using.
"Is that … 'On'?" he muttered, surprised at the black aura coiling around the elder.
"No wonder he looks so miserable," Xiang Nan mused.
On (怨, "Malice") is a concept introduced in the Hunter × Hunter movies. It is the power wielded by Jed, whom Xiang Nan had mentioned before.
Jed had been a friend of Netero in their youth. He led a covert group called "Shadow," which handled the Hunter Association's dirtiest tasks. Much of the Association's present influence could be traced back to Shadow's work—Netero in the light, Jed in the dark.
When Shadow grew too unruly and drew V5's attention, Netero, unable to bring his friend back to the right path, personally struck Jed down.
Some of Jed's followers are still alive, meaning the organization endures.
If On has appeared, then Jed must have resurrected, for he is its sole source.
Xiang Nan had not expected any player to side with that faction—nor that Jed would return so soon. In the original story Shadow reappears later at Heaven's Arena, when Gon and Killua are already accomplished Hunters.
On corrodes a Nen user's mind and spirit, but Manman's second personality has no independent will—she is a blank slate.
Moreover, the Nen technique Xiang Nan devised for her is itself a form of "emotional contamination," not unlike On. Thus the elder's power failed to harm her as he had hoped.
"Not every high-level player is broadly powerful," Xiang Nan thought, watching Manman slice off several of the old man's fingers. "Some clear the stages on the strength of a single unusual ability."
The very atmosphere seemed stained with the elder's dark aura, thick with negative emotion. That explained a puzzle: all the corpses Xiang Nan had passed bore different mortal wounds, clear signs of squadmates turning on one another—slain not by outside foes but by internal betrayal. It also explained how just two men—the one-eyed swordsman and this robed elder—could wipe out every player who landed on Mustang Island.
In the canon, On is the antithesis of Nen. Unlike Nen, it springs less from the body than from the psyche—anger, regret, obsession. That is why Jed could revive decades after death: On is born of lingering grudges, touching the soul itself. If Jed left post-mortem Nen clinging to an object or corpse that was never fully destroyed, resurrection would be possible.
Xiang Nan's own "Shingen-ryū" studies stress the same principle: a Nen user's strength comes from the heart. Spirit is everything.
Where the mind is flawed, On seeps in, eroding reason. Most Hunters who lack deep meditative discipline are easily dominated, becoming puppets of their own negativity—as happened to the Heavens Arena floor masters, and even Gon himself, in the film.
For Nen users without a strong spiritual core, On is almost a natural counter—an outright trump card. Small wonder this elder, though poor in body techniques, could slay so many players with such a rare and dreaded power.
"Manman's special state—and her Nen—give her a certain resistance," Xiang Nan noted, though he could see the black energy slowly staining her aura. It was a gradual assimilation, but before it could spread from her second personality to her primary one, she would have ample time to finish the old man off. Xiang Nan himself would likely have found the matchup harder than she did.
The elder was now in dire straits—pale, hunched, one knee on the ground, supporting himself with a hand.
Above him the girl's hair whipped in the wind; her eyes were utterly cold. She flicked her dagger straight at his throat.
His right-hand fingers were severed, his chest lay open and bleeding. Exhausted, he could hold out no longer.
Just as the blade was about to end him, Xiang Nan spoke: "Don't kill him."
At once Manman halted. The tip hovered scarcely two or three centimetres from the elder's neck. Cold sweat dripped from his chin.
"One On user and one swordsman whose style mimics an Emitter's reach—interesting," Xiang Nan said, walking over.
The elder dared not move; Manman had not stepped back, and the dagger was still aimed at him.
"Are you satisfied with our strength?" Xiang Nan asked.
The old man kept silent, glancing sideways at him. These two players, drawn by the Mustang Island rumor, had exceeded every conventional expectation—frighteningly strong. He had never before seen a Nen user immune to On.
"You're with Shadow, aren't you?" Xiang Nan pressed.
"…Yes," the elder croaked. Any player who sensed On would guess as much.
"So every player's fate is different, and their growth takes all sorts of paths," Xiang Nan smiled.
"You two are Extinction 5?" the elder ventured, uncertainty in his voice. If this was Extinction 5 power, it was terrifying. Yet he knew the player ranks sometimes produced "monster rookies." He had met one or two before, but they too had died in the end.
"We can discuss ranks later." Xiang Nan crouched before him. "Right now—use your On on me. Corrupt my mind."
The elder's expression changed. No one had ever asked to be attacked by On.
"Are you sure?" he asked. As a player he could guess Xiang Nan's aim.
"Relax. Before I lose control, I guarantee she alone can kill the two of you—so you'd better pray I stay fine." Xiang Nan propped his chin with one hand and pointed to Manman with the other, smiling.
…
After a pause the old man inhaled deeply and lunged, seizing Xiang Nan by the throat.
Black energy poured down his arm. Veins on Xiang Nan's neck darkened, the stain creeping toward his face; his eyes, as though ink had spilled into them, began to change.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!