"Hmph. You think you can avoid the Reaper's gaze just by turning your head? No! You simply don't understand how powerful my ability is on this arena floor."
Barros quickly pulled out a large handful of spike-covered caltrops, each the size of a table tennis ball, infused them with his Manipulation Nen, and scattered them all over the floor.
Under his control, these annoying little things instantly covered every corner of the ring. It was impossible to lift a foot without potentially stepping on one by accident.
At the same time, the Undying Reaper began chasing Allen, constantly shoving its hideous face toward him.
It must be said that this tactic was genuinely irritating.
If Allen kept his eyes open, he would inevitably look at the Reaper swirling around him.
But if he closed his eyes, and happened to accidentally step on a caltrop, get injured, or fall, his subconscious, first reaction would be to forcibly open his eyes to check his injury, thereby accidentally making eye contact with the Reaper.
"En!"
For the first time on the Heavens Arena stage, Allen used this advanced Nen application technique for enhanced perception.
Instantly, a giant spherical detection network composed of Aura instantly enveloped the entire ring and the surrounding spectator stands.
However, under his conscious control, the En quickly began to contract, finally stabilizing just as it reached the exact boundaries of the ring.
Hisoka, noticing this from the stands, couldn't help but constantly lick his lips, muttering to himself, "En with a radius exceeding 260 meters? You truly are strong in every aspect! There's virtually no flaw or weakness to be found..."
"It is indeed a remarkable En. Even Zeno, my grandfather, after decades of training, can only maintain his En at about 300 meters. And Allen's control over his En is extremely proficient; he can even change its size at will to adjust the density of the Aura within to enhance his perception," Illumi commented gravely.
It is well known that the wider the range of En, the better. However, it must be suitable for the user.
A larger range means the Aura density is thinner for the same volume, and the sensitivity of the perception is lower.
Conversely, the smaller the range, the higher the Aura density for the same volume, and the higher the perception sensitivity.
Due to this huge difference, En is generally classified into several types.
The first is the Search Type, which covers the maximum possible area to quickly locate targets hidden in the dark. It doesn't require overly precise perception, just enough to detect the presence of hidden enemies.
Zeno Zoldyck, the family patriarch, and the Chimera Ant Royal Guard Neferpitou are typical users of the Search Type En, which has limited utility in direct combat.
The second is the Counter-Attack and Pre-Warning Type, which maintains En within a moderate range. This ensures that the user can immediately detect and prepare for battle the moment a dangerous enemy or Magical Beast approaches.
Kite's En in the Chimera Ant Arc was of this type.
The third is the Enhanced Perception Type, which shrinks the range of En as much as possible, maintaining it within the user's attack range to significantly boost perception and reaction time.
Masters of this type can even use En to perceive minute details such as the opponent's breathing, heartbeat, killing intent, and muscle activity.
Nobunaga Hazama of the Phantom Troupe and the later-stage Killua Zoldyck use this type of En, which is also the only type frequently used in actual combat.
Initially, Allen developed his En primarily to extend the maximum range of his Transmutation abilities.
But later, when soloing the Stratholme dungeon, he was constantly frustrated and irritated by the Eye of Naxxramas popping out of nowhere, prompting him to subconsciously shrink the range of his En, gradually transitioning it from a Search Type to a Perception Type.
Coupled with the fact that his aura capacity is several times that of most Nen users, once the ring was covered, neither the annoying caltrops on the floor nor Barros's every move could escape his perception.
At this point, closing his eyes was completely safe, as he didn't have to worry about looking directly at the "Reaper" while simultaneously avoiding injury or falling from accidentally stepping on a caltrop.
"Damn it!"
Barros was clearly encountering this situation for the first time. His face instantly turned ashen, and he frantically controlled the rolling caltrops, attempting to force his opponent to step on one.
Unfortunately, relying on his incredibly high Agility attribute, quick reaction speed, and his Perception Type En, no matter how those annoying little objects rolled, they couldn't achieve anything.
As for The Undying Reaper, it had been rendered completely useless the moment Allen closed his eyes.
"Heh heh, I imagine you are both surprised and furious right now, aren't you?" Allen suddenly asked, chuckling.
"Shut up! I don't want to talk to you, and I certainly don't want to hear your voice!" Barros yelled, angered and humiliated.
He never dreamed that this teenage boy in front of him could succeed in completely making a fool of him without even using any of his known abilities.
But Allen continued unconcernedly: "Do you know why this is?
"It's because the way you Floor Masters think has been imprisoned by this small arena.
"All your habits, abilities, and tactics revolve around the ring, and you've long forgotten the broader world outside.
"Look at those clumsy caltrops. If the ground wasn't relatively sturdy stone and there were no trees or buildings to climb or jump onto nearby, what purpose do you think they would serve?
"As for the Undying Reaper, while it's a decent ability, if you had just added one or two more restrictions to grant it the power of active attack, it would definitely be much harder to deal with.
"But you don't possess enough power to utilize its full potential.
"If it were me, an opponent who dared to close their eyes in a fight would be facing swift defeat and death.
"But you?
"You don't even dare to approach me right now, afraid of being pierced in the wrists and ankles by the four nails of the Execution Cross."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Barros demanded, highly vigilant.
"Nothing, I'm just completing the preconditions necessary to steal your ability. The conditions have now been met. It's time for the execution to begin."
The moment the words fell, Allen instantly activated the movement speed-increasing Hunter skill [Aspect of the Cheetah], and he shot out at extreme speed.
Because the entire ring was covered by En, he easily avoided the annoying caltrops on the ground, cutting directly into the area less than half a meter from his opponent, raising the Conjured Nen nail, and violently driving it home.
Pfff!
"Aaaarrrrgghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!"
Accompanied by a shriek, Barros's right wrist was instantly pierced. Blood rapidly poured from the wound, staining his sleeve crimson in the blink of an eye.
However, the Floor Master clearly knew the danger of this nail. Ignoring the pain, he immediately tried to pull it out of his flesh.
But no matter how hard he pulled, the nail remained firmly embedded in his flesh and bone; it simply wouldn't budge.
"Give up. Don't waste your energy. I've modified the rules. Even if you chop off your entire arm, the nail will still remain. Now, let's continue with this execution, and let your blood and death announce the start of this war..."
With that, Allen launched his second round of attack with his eyes still closed, piercing the left wrist with another nail.
The left foot and the right foot followed.
The moment the final nail was driven in, he coldly announced, "Execution, Begins!"
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]