Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 190 (Patreon)

Chapter 190: Striking a Stone with an Egg

Luo had not yet reached the speed to defend against Antomu's palm strike with his aura. It seemed like he had preemptively gathered aura, as if he knew Antomu would aim for his right shoulder.

It wasn’t that Luo had anticipated it; rather, Antomu had many options in offense and defense, but Luo’s slash had reduced his options to just one.

This was what felt off to Antomu; he vaguely sensed something strange about that slash, but the opportunity was fleeting. He intended to kill Luo the moment he landed and was unsteady.

"It really hurts..."

Luo’s face showed his pain as he adjusted his posture in mid-air, then landed on his feet, sliding backward with the remaining momentum, still feeling the pain that even reached his back.

Enduring the pain, Luo slid on the ground with his knees half-bent and upper body leaning forward, his left hand pulsating with aura, pressing on the ground.

From afar, this action looked like an attempt to brake quickly, but that wasn’t actually the case.

Just as his body was about to stop, Luo used the ability of God's Hand to cut the rock layer beneath the stone pavement into granules, creating a cavity.

Having completed this hidden move, Luo looked up to see Antomu already close.

Antomu, with his extensive combat experience, should not overlook such a subtle movement. Yet, because Luo heavily relied on aura, Antomu didn't find it odd when he saw Luo using his aura-wrapped left hand to decelerate. Even if he noticed, he wouldn’t realize that Luo's Nen had hollowed out the rock layer below the pavement.

"Just lie there, will you!"

After closing in, Antomu gathered aura, ready to kill Luo with a palm strike, when suddenly, there was a muffled sound under his feet, and the pavement shattered, his right foot sinking into the ground.

"Huh?"

Antomu was startled, losing his balance as his foot sank, causing his body to lean forward.

By then, Luo was ready and slashed towards Antomu's chest as he leaned in.

The aura wrapped around the blade shone brightly in Antomu’s shocked eyes.

However...

Antomu suddenly bent his left knee, a burst of aura propelling his left leg, abruptly accelerating his movements. Before Luo's long blade could reach, Antomu's left foot stomped on the ground, creating a blast of wind.

"Boom!"

The strong aura infused into the ground, shattering the stone pavement completely and scattering it, lifting Luo up as well, his slash missing its target.

The shattered stone flew into the air.

Luo’s expression changed slightly, seeing his charged attack thwarted. He swiftly sheathed his blade, stabilizing his stance and retreating to increase the distance.

Meanwhile, Antomu, with a chilling expression, stood in a bizarre pose and then struck his palm on the flying stone slabs.

Each slab shattered into several pieces, flying towards the retreating Luo—a tactic of returning the favor.

The shattered stones, not wrapped in aura but propelled by sheer force, still packed a significant impact.

Seeing this, Luo, while retreating, deployed his field to stop the flying stones and then, wrapping them in aura, sent them back at Antomu.

"I underestimated you."

Antomu’s expression darkened slightly as the returned stones, too numerous, fell around him. With his feet still stuck in the ground, he could only brace himself.

He raised his arms, crossing them in front of his face, his visible aura distributed in front, successfully blocking the many aura-wrapped stones without a scratch.

By then, Luo had already increased the distance to fifty meters. Seeing Antomu’s feet sinking into the ground, he sighed.

Using smoke to obscure the view and then forcing Antomu to dodge with an aura slash was all to set up for that one palm strike to the shoulder.

Gathering aura in advance was to ensure he wouldn't be injured by that strike.

Luo was certain that after being struck and sent flying, Antomu would not miss the chance to pursue aggressively, attacking just as Luo managed to stabilize his posture.

The previous setup was all to wait for this moment.

Using the ability of God's Hand while braking to a stop during the slide, he created a cavity trap, causing Antomu to step into it and lose his balance due to the momentum.

That was when Luo would have cut through Antomu's body!

Unexpectedly, just as his plan was about to succeed, Antomu’s aura burst forth, acting like a jet propulsion, instantly speeding up his limb movements, breaking Luo's attack with a ground-stomping left foot.

The main problem was that Luo’s creation of the cavity trap was too brief and, using his left hand, he could only create

 a trap for Antomu’s right foot.

If his technique had been a bit better, he might have created a trap that included the left foot area, possibly altering the outcome.

Missing this opportunity, it would be even harder to create another...

The area where Antomu stood was now a complete mess, with no pavement in sight, exposing the uneven rock layer below.

"That was too close!"

Antomu pulled his foot out of the ground, looking towards Luo with a grim expression.

He had thought Luo would be an easy kill, but Luo forced him to use Nen, directly depleting one-fifth of his aura.

Had he not used Nen to suddenly enhance his speed and strength, he might have been severely wounded by that slash.

It was also thanks to Luo’s previous display; otherwise, Antomu wouldn’t have taken him so seriously.

The blade, rusty and seemingly fragile as if it might break with a bend, was not to be underestimated after witnessing its power.

The few rounds of brief combat significantly changed Bisky’s perception of Luo.

As a spectator, not a participant, she couldn’t see the intricacies of Luo’s strange slash, only witnessing the actions that eventually led Antomu into the trap.

Such a rare feat!

If the strengths had been equal, it wouldn't have been remarkable, but with a clear power disparity, it was incredibly difficult for the weaker party to set the pace.

Yet, Luo managed it…

"What a pity!"

Bisky gritted her teeth in regret as Luo’s offensive gambit fell short.

When Antomu’s right foot stepped into the ground, the outcome should have been decided at that moment. However, Luo’s physical fitness was too poor, executing the strategy perfectly but failing to achieve the intended effect.

If Luo’s coordination had been a bit faster, transitioning from a half-crouch to standing could have saved at least 0.5 seconds. If his physical strength had been greater, his slashing speed would have been faster!

Unfortunately, there were no ifs. Luo was just that one second too slow, allowing Antomu to escape danger.

Bisky felt she had misjudged the situation.

-------

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>

• Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

• You can also check out the other Novels I'm currently translating by clicking HERE.