Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 178 (Patreon)

Chapter 178: Casualties and Transformation

The amount of aura a Nen user can emit, as well as the total amount of aura within the body, both need to be cultivated and gradually increased.

The two Nen users enveloped in black membranes, however, had their aura levels skyrocket to their limits in an instant, as if shifting from a jogging pace to a full sprint.

An inexplicable sound of a harp string, an unanticipated attack, and a bizarre acceleration akin to forcing growth, made the air in the hall perilously tense.

The Nen users, bursting with a surge of aura, one younger and the other approaching middle age, seemed to have different lengths of exposure to Nen, yet the aura they emitted was uniformly intense.

This stark contrast provided Luo and his companions with a fundamental understanding.

The two slowly turned to face Luo and his group, their faces expressionless, their eyes lacking the rationality and emotions typical of humans, replaced only by indifference and a chilling murderous intent.

It was that harp sound… and also an extremely uncomfortable aura!

With no time to ponder the reason, the two Nen-controlled users moved simultaneously, transforming into shadows and rushing towards the nearest person with incredible speed.

Mark, who was closest, only had time to raise his arms before being punched and sent flying like a cannonball, accompanied by the sound of grinding teeth and a scream of agony.

If not for the protective aura covering his body, that punch would have been lethal for Mark; obviously, without concentrating most of the aura to a specific area, even that would not have withstood the attack from the controlled members.

After sending Mark flying, the two senseless members relentlessly dashed towards the next target.

"Bang, bang!"

Almost in the next second, Uncle Li and Aya were also punched away without any resistance due to the attacker's swift speed. However, at the moment of impact, Uncle Li and Aya had timely gathered their aura for defense, so their injuries were not severe.

In less than two seconds, three people were sent flying, displaying an exaggerated overpowering force. The next target was shockingly Ruby and Luo.

The overwhelming aura was as conspicuous as a light bulb in the dark, the cold murderous intent piercing like fine needles into Ruby and Luo’s skin.

Swoosh!

The two Nen users charged forward, devoid of any technique, driven purely by raw power and speed, much like berserk barbarians.

With Mark and Uncle Li as buffers, Ruby and Luo weren’t completely unresponsive.

Ruby's aura had musical notes flowing around it, and his body moved rhythmically. Even faced with the thunderous assault of the middle-aged Nen user, he was timely in dodging.

Despite the difference in speed, the slower Ruby was able to dodge the aimless punches of the middle-aged Nen user, highlighting a stark contrast in abilities.

However, Ruby was left exhausted from dodging, unable to retaliate against the middle-aged Nen user.

"Come and help!" Ruby shouted.

Meanwhile, the younger Nen user attacked Luo.

Just the momentum and aura were enough to create a tangible sense of oppression.

Luo knew he had to exert all his effort to endure; otherwise, he would end up like Uncle Li and the others, sent flying.

Luo suddenly drew his sword, the white cloth wrapped around the blade unraveling by itself, then crouched low, dodging the younger Nen user's punch and slashing upwards with a diagonal cut.

Sssst!

An arm flew into the air.

The young Nen user, however, showed no reaction, crazily opening his mouth to bite at Luo's neck, the raging aura perhaps strong enough to easily sever it.

Facing such an action, Luo calmly stepped back, sheathed his sword, and with a fluid motion, cut the young Nen user's neck, decapitating him.

In a single encounter, he had severed the right arm and the head, yet the young Nen user continued to struggle, though now without any threat.

Luo made several cuts, disarming the young Nen user’s other arms and legs, silencing him somewhat.

After defeating the young Nen user, Luo pointed his sword at the white cloth on the ground; within his domain, the cloth flew back up and rewrapped itself around the sword's blade.

The young Nen user's head and limbs were separated from his torso, which still lived, aimlessly releasing aura on the ground.

If not for the properties of God's Hand and the True Master, Luo would not have been able to easily cut through the young Nen user’s attacks, given the exaggerated amount of aura bursting from within.

Luckily, the young Nen user did not know how to use Ken; otherwise, given the scale of his aura, Luo would have had nowhere to strike.

The scene of Luo easily defeating the young Nen user was witnessed by Biscuit and Antomu, both surprised.

Judging from the explosive aura and speed of the two controlled members, they were challenging opponents. Yet, both only charged wildly, their attacks lacking any semblance of strategy, appearing to Biscuit and Antomu as nothing more than a ferocious beast not to be feared.

However, that was in relation to them; if Luo and his group were to face them, the outcome would likely be the same as Uncle Li and Aya's—being overwhelmingly thrashed without resistance.

In such a situation, the weaker party needed to recognize the strengths and exploit the weaknesses of the more dominant party, such as the extravagant burst of aura and the enemies' disorganized assault, and devise corresponding strategies.

Like Ruby, using his own Nen to withstand the middle-aged Nen user's onslaught did not take long, and soon, the middle-aged Nen user would succumb to his own uncontrolled consumption of aura, leading to his automatic defeat.

This was one way to achieve victory, and Luo's method of exploiting weakness to easily resolve the situation surprised Biscuit and Antomu.

If it were them, they could certainly do the same, but that would be due to their overpowering strength, whereas it seemed unlikely for Luo to achieve this so effortlessly.

After the two members instantaneously sent three people flying, and with Luo defeating the young Nen user, the tide turned.

The harp string sound continued to echo in the hall, and amidst the group's concerted attack, the middle-aged Nen user was killed on the spot.

Ruby, relying on his own Nen, dodged the middle-aged Nen user's frenzied attacks unscathed, while Uncle Li and Aya, though punched away, only suffered swollen arms without bone injuries.

The most seriously injured was Mark, who had his right arm completely fractured. He, however, gritted his teeth through the pain without making a sound.

The young Nen user, despite having his limbs and head severed, did not die, and the peculiar phenomenon of no blood flow caught everyone's eyes on Luo.

"Is this also the effect of Mr. Mighty?" Biscuit asked with a skeptical look at Luo.

"Look!"

Pretending not to hear, Luo suddenly pointed to the previously lively body of the young Nen user. The aura visibly dissipated from the young Nen user's body at a visible rate.

As the aura completely vanished, the young Nen user's face and muscles gradually withered, the light in his eyes dimming, eventually dying as blood slowly began to seep from the severed limbs.

Seeing this, the group couldn't help but look towards the palace enveloped in black Nen, their expressions solemn.

At the same time, the deep and oppressive sound of the harp strings changed again, marking a complete shift in style.

If the previous tune was of despair and oppression, now, the melody was as clear as morning dew, as bright as flowing water, dispelling the previously murderous atmosphere.

Listening to this clearly changed tune, the group had no interest in appreciating it, only feeling that the unknown entity inside the palace was increasingly eerie and difficult to understand.

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