Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 184 (Patreon)

Chapter 184: Two Auras

The Nen that grew stronger after death, the seven unkillable Nen beasts, the piano melody of the seven tones, the Dark Sonata that seemed able to control people…

If it weren’t for Luo’s assistance with the White Smoke font, none present would have had the ability to bypass Stajy’s checkpoint.

Mark, who attacked from behind, was controlled by the Nen beast that infiltrated his body, his aura swelling to the level of a first-class Nen user. If not for Luo’s many restrictions with God's Hand, he wouldn’t have been dealt with so easily.

Adding to that, before entering, there were two stone doors; Luo was literally Stajy’s crypt’s nemesis.

Perhaps Stajy’s crypt could have remained dormant for many more years, undisturbed by outsiders, but Luo’s arrival changed everything.

“Severing her arms should end it.”

Luo retracted his gaze from Stajy and turned to look at Mark, who was sliced into pieces, still brimming with murderous intent, struggling under Stajy’s command to rise and attack him.

Playing the strings might well be the foundation of Stajy’s Nen abilities. As long as her arms are severed, preventing her from playing the harp, the battle would effectively be over.

“No need for further testing.”

Luo’s gaze shifted from Mark to Stajy.

Since the start of the battle, Stajy’s abilities had been largely revealed. With the help of the White Smoke font, Luo felt confident and decided not to probe further. Instead, he moved to attack directly, also to prevent others from being controlled.

With a push off the ground, propelled by his aura, he crossed the distance past Mark, charging directly at Stajy, the gap between them less than a hundred meters, only seconds apart.

Seeing Luo charge, a chilly aura suddenly stirred up around him. At that moment, Stajy, who had been looking down, suddenly lifted her head to look at Luo rushing towards her, her hands trembling on the strings creating a series of illusions.

A clear sound of the harp strings burst forth!

Simultaneously, a strong wave of Nen power emanated from behind him.

Luo frowned sharply, stopping in his tracks and turning sideways to look back, only to see Mark, his limbs dismembered but reattached with black smoke as adhesive, bursting forth with even greater speed towards him!

The surging aura, now exceeding the limits Mark could endure, shone with a blinding light.

Luo distinctly saw Mark's hair and skin aging rapidly!

The use of life force as a cost to drastically increase power was an application of pledges and restrictions. To control a target to this extent, saying it surpassed the framework of Manipulation would not be an exaggeration. It was also the terrifying aspect of the Dark Sonata.

“No need for a head-on collision!”

Luo instantly made a judgment and narrowly avoided the rushing Mark.

The desperately bursting aura, like an incredibly hard armor, enveloped Mark, turning him into a battering ram.

Whether a single strike could cut through that unreasonable aura was questionable. If hit, he would either die or be left in a severely injured coma.

Realizing the fuel Mark’s battle chariot could burn wasn’t much, Luo found it unnecessary to exhaust himself dealing with it.

Just as Luo had thought, Mark returned without success, attacking Luo again. After dodging, the wildly surging aura visibly decreased.

Simultaneously, Mark's feet seemed gripped by an invisible giant hand, numerous blood spouts shot from his skin, followed by shattered bones turning into sharp spikes piercing through his skin and clothes, exposed outside.

The side effects of overtaxing his body were exposed within seconds, yet Mark remained silent.

His legs turned into a blur of flesh and blood, and he immediately knelt down, his hair turning white, his skin withered as if aged.

Mark stopped, signaling another failed attack by Stajy, and the black aura suddenly became frantic, seemingly fearful of Luo's approach.

The split Nen beast was part of her; after being absorbed by Luo, she became wary of him and knew that if Luo got close, she would be consumed as nourishment and then vanish completely.

After resolving the threat of Mark with minimal cost, Luo charged towards Stajy, fifty meters away.

“Unforgivable!”

A voice as low as a mosquito’s buzz spoke in the black aura, unheard by anyone.

Stajy’s trembling hands transformed into claws, fiercely strumming the harp strings!

Clang!

A grating, metallic screech echoed throughout the hall.

At that moment, the Nen beasts engaged in battle with Uncle Li and the others suddenly dispersed, turning into a black mist, then rapidly condensing into basketball-sized black spheres, five in total, striking towards Luo’s back like lightning!

“Be careful!” Biscuit instinctively shouted a warning.

“Hm?”

Luo heard the sound and simultaneously felt a prickling sensation on his back. He turned his head and his expression changed instantly as he reflexively expanded his Nen domain.

The black spheres, just as they neared his body, exploded simultaneously, turning into a dark Nen field that engulfed Luo within it.

Even as this happened, the Nen behind Stajy broke away and surged into the dark Nen field.

In an instant, the Nen field churned like a storm, emitting a chilling aura.

A gust of wind sprang from nowhere, pushing outward, almost extinguishing the flames on the necks of the statues in the hall.

Inside, Biscuit, Antomu, Uncle Li, Ruby, and Aya all had grave expressions. While Biscuit and Antomu, who were mentally stronger, managed somewhat better, Uncle Li and the others showed signs of fear.

With Stajy's Nen detaching, she became like a puppet with its strings cut; the stone harp in her hands suddenly fell forward, thankfully not breaking due to its quality.

The stone harp hit the ground first, followed by Stajy, whose eyes lost their luster instantly, her graceful body tipping over to one side, lying on the ground silently.

Mark fell alongside her.

The toll of life force drained was evident as Mark's aura vanished completely, and he collapsed, lifeless.

With death, the protection of God’s Hand was lost, and the severed limbs and neck bled profusely.

This series of sudden events left everyone shocked. Regardless of what came next, they could only silently mourn for Luo.

To them, it seemed Stajy’s Nen, enraged by Luo, had chosen to ignore them and focus all its power on him.

At this moment, Luo, within the Nen field, felt extremely uncomfortable. Surrounded by pitch black, cold as an ice cellar, it felt like being deep in the ocean, the pressure preventing his body from stretching out.

The White Smoke font ability activated, but its efficiency seemed suppressed, absorbing energy at a slowed rate.

Perhaps due to the thinning oxygen, Luo felt like a sardine squeezed in a can, unable to move and struggling to breathe.

Just as Luo’s consciousness began to blur, the book of God’s Hand spontaneously materialized in front of him, emitting a faint white light and floating before his face.

“Hm?”

Using this sole source of light, Luo strained his eyelids to look at the suddenly appearing book.

Its pages, pulsating like a dim and bright respiratory cycle—like complex blood vessels—were throbbing.

“What’s going on…?”

Luo was certain he hadn’t intended to summon the book, nor had he directed his aura to do so, yet the book materialized on its own.

While puzzled, he saw the book automatically turn its pages at a steady rate, only showing page after page of pitch black, with no white pages visible.

A powerful and sinister cold aura surged from the flipping black pages, and at the same time, the pitch-black environment around him began to change.

Breathing became easier, and the pressure around lessened. Luo found the pitch-black scene before him resembling a mottled old wall, pieces falling off, as if slowly peeling an eggshell.

Bright white light slowly emerged, mingling with the darkness.

Another wave of aura, like a tidal wave, crashed over Luo, and then he saw a pair of silver vertical beast pupils.

“Unforgivable!”

From the other direction came a clear and forceful female voice.

Luo... was completely confused about what was happening.

Outside the pitch-black Nen field, as the powerful evil aura surged, everyone abruptly stepped back.

As they increased their distance, they stared in horror at the surging Nen field, realizing that this was Stajy’s true power!

For a moment, even Biscuit and Antomu, who had been holding back, couldn’t help but think of retreating.

The power displayed by Stajy had exceeded their ability to handle, perhaps requiring a more powerful Nen exorcist to assist in dealing with this post-mortem Nen.

The sinister and cold aura appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly within three seconds.

At that moment, the same conclusion popped into everyone’s minds.

Luo… was dead!

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