Chapter 142: Ken: Zanka no Tachi x Reigniting from the Explosion
Dis... Disguise?!
Pariston recognized Gotoh. Wasn't that the tall, thin butler always accompanying Roy Zoldyck?
"Not a disguise... more like those monkeys?" Beyond stroked his beard, his gaze wandering over the corpses of the Man-Faced Apes, thoughtful.
Hearing this, Pariston's eyes flashed. An absurd idea popped into his head, but he quickly dismissed it. "Impossible... no one can learn another's 'Transformation' just by looking at it, even if they are a Transmuter..."
Indeed, while the Hunter world was full of bizarre and unreasonable Nen abilities, they generally adhered to certain "fundamental logic," such as the "Law of Equivalent Exchange" and "Vows and Limitations."
On the screen, Roy, transformed into Gotoh, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses just as the butler did. With a thought, his body shrank, his black hair turned white, and his back hunched slightly. With his hands clasped behind his back, he transformed again... into Zeno, white hair flowing, the motto "A Kill a Day / Active for Life" emblazoned on his chest!
Seeing this, Netero, in the barbecue restaurant at the entrance, nearly choked on his udon. He glanced at the real Zeno sitting next to him and chuckled. "That kid is mischievous. You need to discipline him when you get back. Or better yet, just let me adopt him."
Conjuration is adjacent to Transmutation. For an ordinary Conjurer, learning Transmutation is indeed easier than Enhancement or Emission, allowing them to use 80% of its power. But that doesn't mean it's easy to learn... Looking at Roy's mastery of Transmutation now, he clearly wasn't a novice. He had achieved a certain level of proficiency!
For a moment, Netero was reminded of Ging from a few years ago. Same youth, same extraordinary talent. It made one sigh.
"If you're not afraid of the Oldest Master beating you to death, go ahead and try."
Zeno couldn't be bothered with Netero. His heart was entirely focused on Roy. Seeing the boy transform again, this time into Botobai, Zeno's confusion thickened like fog, refusing to dissipate.
Heavens knew, the child was under his and Silva's noses every day, yet he, the grandfather, had no idea Roy had this trick up his sleeve! That brat really hid it deep!
Milsy Wetlands.
Roy, after familiarizing himself with [Deception] and transforming into Botobai, didn't plan on changing back. He swaggered through the wetlands, attempting to "trick" the opponent into revealing themselves. It might have a surprising effect... The boy saw clearly; his sweeping gaze had already spotted the hidden cameras in every corner.
Botobai, watching from the command room, met the boy's gaze through the camera and thought, 'Kid, your senses are sharp.'
He didn't care in the least that Roy had taken his form. He turned to the officer standing tall beside him and gave the order: "Captain Uke, send in the Suicide Infantry!"
If the boy thought looking like him would fool his troops, he was naive.
"Yes, sir!" Captain Uke, in camouflage and beret, snapped a crisp salute... turned, left the command room, pulled out a walkie-talkie, and relayed the orders.
Rustle... rustle...
The Milsy Wetlands, teeming with magical beasts and strange plants, were a paradise for these creatures.
Roy deactivated [Eye of Revelation] and switched to Gyo, cautiously exploring the area. Suddenly, he stopped.
Sensing a faint tremor in the earth from far away, he leaped into a large tree to get a better vantage point. Thousands of "Ghost-Head Spiders" were swarming towards him, densely packed, each encased in a hard layer of Ten. With ghost-like heads acting as antennas, they were being controlled by Botobai to rush Roy. Anyone with trypophobia would have fainted on the spot just by looking at them!
"All units, attention. Target is in the tree. Coordinates: [Milsy (87.5042)]."
"Commence detonation!"
"Countdown... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
One by one, the Ghost-Head Spiders self-destructed, blasting the tree and the ground beneath it into the air, forcing Roy to jump back down.
[Beep beep beep... Notification: Life Energy +0.01 +0.01 +0.01...]
A continuous stream of notifications echoed in his mind as the [Magical Beast Encyclopedia] began recording...
[Ghost-Head Spider]
[Ephemera Creature (Unranked)]
[Racial Talent: None]
So, the reason they could self-destruct... without a doubt, Botobai must have implanted some kind of micro-bomb inside them!
Kakin Empire.
Pariston, catching this scene on the monitor, shed his laziness and sat up straight, surprised. "Amazing manipulation!"
The boy had sharp eyes. The ghost heads flashed red, clearly indicating someone was controlling them. A casual glance estimated their numbers at no less than a thousand... meaning the examiner hiding behind the scenes must be an astonishingly powerful Manipulator!
"Amazing?"
More than amazing!
Beyond grinned. "Look at those black hairs. Botobai has coated every single spider with a layer of Ken!"
"If the kid still wants to repel the explosion with just magnetism... unless he counters with Ken himself, it won't be that simple!"
Is that so?
Pariston leaned forward, staring intently at the screen, indeed spotting the "black hairs." He had to admit, Beyond might be a terrible father, but his strength was impeccable.
Milsy Wetlands.
Forced to the ground, Roy immediately deployed his "Magnetic Wall," trying to block the "explosions" just as he had the "bullets." Surprisingly... these "Ghost-Head Spiders" not only fearlessly acted as suicide bombers but also pushed through the "repulsion," pouncing right to Roy's feet before exploding...
Forcing Roy to open all his aura nodes, unleash Ren, and form a hemispherical defensive dome over himself, locking himself down for protection!
"Hoho... now it's a battle of attrition." In the barbecue restaurant, Netero finished a sumptuous "afternoon tea," sipping black tea with Zeno. He thought to himself, Little Botobai really listened to me. He's not holding back.
"Ken should be met with Ken."
"If that child Roy doesn't have any other tricks, the next wave of impact..."
"I reckon... he won't be able to hold out."
Zeno frowned silently.
As Netero said, opening all aura nodes and releasing a "Nen Dome" consumed a massive amount of aura. Roy had been lectured on this by Grandpa Zzigg during his Ren training: don't do it unless absolutely necessary. But... Botobai's attack was all-pervasive!
Driving the "Ghost-Head Spiders" to surround him from all sides, the goal was to constantly squeeze Roy's living space.
As expected of the "Three-Star Terrorist Hunter" who would hold the three key positions of "Terrorist Hunter," "Prosecutor," and "Military Analyst"! Just based on his advanced application of Nen and the aura capacity to simultaneously control thousands of "Ghost-Head Spiders" to self-destruct, calling Botobai the "Number One" in the Hunter Association after Netero was no exaggeration!
[Notification: "Ghost-Head Spider" analysis complete.]
[Detected a layer of Ken coating their bodies. Appraising... Extracting Fragment "Ken"...]
[Current Fragment Count: 57/200]
[Note: Collect 200 fragments to redeem Advanced Application Technique: Ken]
Finally!
The moment the appraisal was complete, Roy dropped the "Nen Dome." With a flip of his right hand, he conjured the training blade, spun, and unleashed a "Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
Another ring of explosions hit. This time, Roy neither dodged nor evaded. Leaving only a sliver of Ten to protect Goldie, he tanked the shockwaves with his body, conserving his Nen to the maximum.
"Is he crazy?"
"Dropping the shield and tanking the impact? Accumulating injuries will only make him pass out faster!"
Kakin Empire.
Pariston stared unblinkingly at the TV, refusing to believe Roy Zoldyck wouldn't understand such a simple concept!
"Guh-heh-heh-heh... Stretch your neck, get cut. Shrink your neck, get cut. Might as well stretch it..."
"At least 'dying on your feet' is dignified." Beyond took a glass of red wine from a maid and sipped it. Honestly, he was admiring the boy on the screen more and more. A pity... his last name was Zoldyck! Otherwise, he might have tried to recruit him.
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
Sixty... seventy... eighty... More and more Ghost-Head Spiders fell to Roy's blade. Similarly... wave after wave of shockwaves tore through the boy's body, churning his insides, blood spilling from his mouth. He almost couldn't hold the Nen protecting Goldie...
Fortunately, "Caw! Don't worry about me!" Goldie, seeing Roy's pain, canceled its "summon," turning back into Nen and flowing into Roy, replenishing his reserves just in time.
The boy took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the training blade, and canceled [Deception], reverting to his original form. Sching! He drew his cane sword again. Dual-wielding, he charged rapidly into the swarm of spiders!
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
Sword light flashed, explosions followed like shadows. The numbers on the panel rolled, climbing rapidly from eighty... one hundred... one hundred twenty... one hundred forty... one hundred eighty... until... two hundred!
[Notification: "Ken" fragments collected... Initiating infusion...]
Voom~ The panel flashed, and a stream of "information" flooded Roy's mind.
With a graceful, magnificent "Flame Sword Technique," the boy cleared a temporary vacuum around himself, seizing the moment to absorb the knowledge. In the blink of an eye... the two "Crimson Blades" in his hands suddenly flared!
Two fierce streams of scorching flame erupted!
Ken: Zanka no Tachi (Longsword of the Remnant Flame), complete!
☆☆☆
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