Knuckle possessed over five thousand battles of practical combat experience.
Among them, he had encountered quite a few masters.
But even the strongest opponents he had faced in the past were far inferior to the monster he was witnessing now.
Fight... a monster like this?
Knuckle's body trembled uncontrollably, his pupils shaking violently as he posed the question to himself in his heart.
Such a reaction was not strange.
Displayed before Knuckle was Youpi's ferocious form, born purely for slaughter, and that terrifying aura amount far exceeding human comprehension.
Even if he could successfully activate the Hakoware ability on this monster... facing that bottomless aura amount, how long would it take to bankrupt him?
No, forget bankruptcy... under that suffocating offensive, even lasting ten seconds was unimaginable.
So what exactly should he do... to defeat such a monster?
There was no answer.
Nor did Knuckle have time to ponder deeply.
In the next second, he dragged his trembling body and rushed toward Youpi's back without hesitation.
The reason he could instantly suppress his fear was because he clearly understood that for every second he delayed, Morrow would be one step closer to the risk of death.
take some pressure off my teammate as soon as possible.
This thought, at this moment, overwhelmed all hesitation and confusion in Knuckle's heart.
Youpi's omnidirectional compound eyes almost instantly captured Knuckle's movement.
But he didn't react immediately, still fully suppressing Morrow.
That momentary disregard was clearly seen by Knuckle.
Compared to completely crushing Morrow... I'm just an insect not even worthy of caution?
Through Youpi's completely unfluctuating aura and physical response, Knuckle clearly read the other's momentary thought.
Although he had never truly fought Morrow, relying on the intuition honed through over five thousand battles and the combat assessment instinct gradually developed through his ability, Knuckle was almost certain that Morrow's surface strength was indeed above his.
But although there was a gap between them, it wasn't unreachable.
He still possessed the possibility of defeating Morrow.
Yet in that monster's eyes... he didn't even qualify to be placed on the other end of the scale?
Being so despised, should he feel anger or resentment at this moment?
No.
He should feel grateful, grateful that the monster made such an arrogant judgment in that instant.
Excellent...
Since learning to fight, this was the first time Knuckle felt happy about being treated like trash.
It meant one thing.
His probability of hitting Youpi had greatly increased at this moment.
He rapidly closed in.
Only then did Youpi seem to finally glance his way.
Thus, two of the ten tentacles that had been unleashing a storm of attacks suddenly separated, piercing directly toward Knuckle like sharp blades.
Facing such an attack, Knuckle abruptly bent and crouched, narrowly dodging the first strike.
Then, using the momentum, he pushed off the ground with both hands, adopting a sprinting posture as he charged toward Youpi's back.
However, the two missed tentacles instantly trembled, transforming into a sky full of whip shadows, bearing down on him from all directions. Knuckle's heart tightened, forced to halt his steps as he could only dodge awkwardly through the gaps in the whip-like net, unable to advance even half a step further.
This fierce and relentless assault completely shattered his earlier optimism.
With just two tentacles...
He found it hard to believe.
Only at this moment did he truly grasp the absurd and despairing nature of the offensive Morrow was facing.
A surge of profound respect welled up from the depths of his heart.
But the more he realized Morrow's strength, the more he knew he couldn't retreat now.
Gritting his teeth, a look of determination flashed in Knuckle's eyes.
To disrupt Youpi's assault, he was already prepared to accept injury in this moment.
Without the slightest hesitation, Knuckle took a forceful step forward, directly into the path of the sharply lashing tentacles!
Sshhk!
The whip-like tentacle tore a bloody gash across his side.
Knuckle paid it no mind, twisting his torso to throw a punch aimed at Youpi's lower back.
Youpi's compound eyes shifted slightly, taking in his every move.
Yet his focus and concentration remained firmly locked on Morrow, whom he found more troublesome and persistent.
So, faced with Knuckle's close-range strike, he didn't even consider mobilizing more tentacles.
Instead, the two initial arms snapped back like thunderbolts, aiming straight for Knuckle's vital points.
This response from Youpi was exactly what Knuckle had anticipated.
It was a natural outcome born of arrogance.
Merely by maintaining his punching stance while suddenly bending his knees and sinking low, Knuckle redirected Youpi's attack to non-vital areas.
Sshhk, sshhk!
Two streaks of blood sprayed into the air.
Still disregarding the injuries, Knuckle drove his battle-hardened fist solidly into Youpi's lower back.
Thump!
The punch landed true.
Youpi's body swayed slightly.
The blow failed to breach his defenses, not even causing the slightest discomfort.
But being nipped by such an insignificant mosquito inevitably irritated Youpi.
Just as he contemplated whether to crush this pest completely... the other party, after landing the punch, turned and sprinted away without a moment's hesitation.
The unhesitating retreat, the posture in every fleeing step... it felt vaguely familiar to Youpi.
That's right.
It was just like that man with the smoke pipe.
But Youpi's assault didn't falter.
He continued to suppress Morrow with full force while simultaneously controlling the two tentacles to lash at Knuckle's escape route.
Yet ultimately, he failed to stop Knuckle.
This was because, the moment Knuckle turned to flee, he had already activated his ability, Hakoware.
A.P.R., bearing the interest counter, materialized abruptly beside Youpi's armpit without any warning.
Distracted for an instant by the doll's sudden appearance, Youpi missed his final chance to cut off Knuckle's escape.
What is this thing?
Appearing so suddenly at such close range...
And those numbers, a bomb countdown?
No, the numbers aren't changing...
Another bizarre ability. Annoying!
Youpi's eyes narrowed sharply. Knowing it was already impossible to block Knuckle's escape, he decisively retracted his tentacles and thrust them toward the mysterious doll floating beside him.
Sshhk!
The power behind this strike could easily have pierced through Knuckle's life, but now, as it passed straight through A.P.R.'s body, it failed to inflict any substantial damage.
Or rather, it should be said that A.P.R. remained completely unscathed. Youpi froze for a moment, suddenly recalling the three eerie blue flames still burning on his body.
They appeared out of nowhere just like before, couldn't be extinguished, and showed no detectable abnormalities... the same situation was repeating itself.
This had a significant impact on Youpi's mental state.
Despite this, Youpi remained certain of one thing.
No matter how troublesome this ability worked, eliminating its source would resolve all confusion.
This was the correct line of thinking.
However, his momentary distraction and the decision to withdraw two arms had greatly affected the offensive pressure bearing down on Morrow.
Morrow naturally didn't waste the opportunity that Knuckle had fought through injuries to create for him.
Bearing numerous wounds, he retreated to create distance from Youpi while deactivating his Starlight Convergence ability. Instead, he gathered aura in his palm and flung a Deceptive Shooting Star behind him.
Just as he completed this action, Youpi, having solidified his resolve, was already before him once more.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
Another terrifying assault woven from ten arms mercilessly targeted Morrow.
But Morrow promptly reactivated his Starlight Convergence ability.
As brilliant starlight filled the air, Morrow's figure weaved through the overwhelming barrage of whip-like shadows.
Everything seemed to have returned to the moment before Knuckle intervened.
Knuckle, having escaped to a safe area, turned back and witnessed this scene.
Did I fail to help Morrow?
The unchanged situation prompted a question to flash through Knuckle's mind.
But he soon noticed something different.
He observed Morrow advancing forward.
Pushing through the same overwhelming whip-shadow assault that had filled him with despair, Morrow was gradually closing in on Youpi.
'...'
Having personally experienced that terrifying offensive, Knuckle fell into silent astonishment.
It was truly terrifying... the awe emerging from his shock was directed both at that monster and at the ability Morrow displayed in combat.
However, Knuckle quickly suppressed these emotions that held no meaning or utility in battle.
At this moment, he didn't know what Morrow intended to do.
But his intuition told him to turn back immediately and approach Youpi once more.
Betting on "what Morrow would do next" might just grant him another chance to land a solid punch on Youpi.
This was Knuckle's judgment, and he turned around with absolute decisiveness.
This courage to gamble made the fear he had felt earlier pale in comparison.
Youpi naturally noticed Morrow's advancing movement.
The cost of this aggressive approach was the rain-like tentacle strikes tearing more densely through Morrow's body.
What exactly... is he planning?
Youpi could almost foresee Morrow trapped in the killing formation, unable to escape.
This was why, despite having clarified his approach, he still felt puzzled.
And his confusion would be answered in just a few seconds.
More precisely, in five seconds.
"Ding dong!"
"Time's up, interest accrual begins!"
From the moment Knuckle escaped to safety until now, with Morrow once again trapped in Youpi's fierce assault.
Exactly five seconds had passed.
It was also the tenth second since A.P.R.'s appearance.
Thus, A.P.R. began its first interest calculation.
The number displayed on its head changed from 270 to 297. It was this first instance of interest accrual that caused Youpi's offensive to once again exhibit a minuscule pause.
Under normal circumstances, such a brief pause would be insufficient to affect the course of battle.
However, Morrow had been mentally counting A.P.R.'s interest accrual time from the moment Knuckle landed a punch on Youpi.
To focus on evasion while simultaneously dividing attention to mentally count time amidst such terrifying onslaught. This was absolutely not something a human could accomplish.
But Nen could.
Relying on his Starlight Convergence ability, Morrow accurately counted to the tenth second.
Thus when A.P.R.'s interest accrued, his timing judgment became like an exquisitely precise and sharp scalpel, directly cutting through Youpi's momentary pause.
Seizing this opportunity at the cost of several additional wounds, he leaped through the final incoming whip shadow and arrived before Youpi.
Knuckle, who was charging toward Youpi's rear again, finally understood why Morrow had insisted on advancing despite overwhelming pressure.
It was for this moment, to achieve true close-quarters combat during the instant when A.P.R. captured Youpi's attention.
So, after closing in... what exactly was he planning to do?
Knuckle still couldn't guess.
But he completely trusted Morrow's determination to close the distance at any cost.
Therefore, no matter what happened next, he had to vigilantly watch for any fleeting opportunity.
Both Youpi and Knuckle's gazes thus simultaneously focused on Morrow.
Morrow simply raised his right hand, pinching an inconspicuous coin between his index and middle fingers.
Like holding a white Go stone, with an unavoidable momentum, he thrust forth a white light that accurately and powerfully struck between Youpi's eyebrows.
!?
Youpi froze.
Because he felt no damage whatsoever.
Naturally, he couldn't comprehend why Morrow, whom he considered quite troublesome, would risk everything for such an action?
No matter!
Youpi knew Morrow now had no possible escape.
This was the moment he could tear Morrow apart.
I'll kill you!!!
Youpi's eyes erupted with beast-like ferocity.
But just as all the tentacles carrying lethal intent were about to shred Morrow's body... Morrow vanished into thin air.
Ten tentacles subsequently struck empty air.
A hundred meters away, Morrow's figure reappeared.
He had finally used his Astral Step ability for the first time in this battle.
Youpi hadn't anticipated this situation. With Morrow's disappearance, he halted in astonishment, following the aura trail to look ahead a hundred meters.
At that moment, the Shooting Star Morrow had released earlier, guided by the Divine Script Star-Marked coin, arrived before Youpi's forehead.
「Shooting Star · Star Rain」
What attacked was a Shooting Star that had split into a series of celestial bodies.
Thus, before Youpi could react, they continuously struck his forehead in succession.
Pop! Pop! Pop...!
Continuous stellar pearls exploded one after another before Youpi's forehead.
Although each individual strike lacked sufficient power to breach his thick Nen defense, the impact force unleashed during the explosions acted like a high-frequency percussion gun, densely and precisely hammering the same spot.
They forcibly knocked his head backward.
The prepared Knuckle, sneaking over like a chicken thief, delivered another punch to Youpi's lower back. After that, he had no time to check the numbers on A.P.R.'s forehead before turning and sprinting away from Youpi.
Got it, I'm such a genius!
Knuckle was so excited that sweat was practically gushing from his forehead.
But Youpi paid him no mind. Instead, through the compound eyes on his collarbone, he saw a ghostly blue flame suddenly appear on his forehead.
Utterly meaningless.
Yet, unusually, Youpi didn't lose his composure. Instead, he expressionlessly looked at Morrow's body, now largely soaked in blood, not even caring about the Nen bullet glowing with green light in Morrow's hand.
He understood that given Morrow's current physical condition, there was no way he could cause any more trouble.
As for the other human, he was even less noteworthy.
It was only natural for Youpi to make such a judgment.
After all, Morrow was covered in blood and appeared truly battered.
"Is that so?"
Morrow slowly spoke. The pre-formed "Shooting Star · Essence Siphon" detached from his hand, paused briefly, then flew straight toward the direction of the Chimera Ant Nest.
Pre-prepared recovery blood medicine.
He had prepared quite a lot before launching the full-scale assault.
That is, the life force of the Peons.
As long as Star Marks were implanted in advance, he could use Shooting Star · Essence Siphon to plunder the life force needed to heal his injuries.
All these meticulous preparations were for... the ant swallowing the elephant.
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Bonus chapter @2000powerstones