One could hear the screeching air splits, the cracking of stone tiles, and the muffled thuds of palms pounding flesh...
The King listened to the chorus of violence swirling around his ears, felt every ounce of force impacting his body-
And then he fell into deep thought.
At this moment, the King understood that 'countering moves with moves' was useless against this old warrior, who had reached a realm even higher than the peak of perfection.
Therefore, even if he could remember all Ninety-Nine Hand of the 100-Type Guanyin, he still wouldn't be able to counter them evenly, let alone gain the upper hand in such an exchange.
This realization struck the King even more clearly than the first time he faced the 100-Type Guanyin.
It was like a game of shogi.
The more you understood the art, the more you grasped how terrifying it truly was.
And from this understanding, a new emotion began to grow within the King.
It wasn't frustration born of helplessness, nor is it the unwillingness and anger from being overpowered.
Instead-
It was pure, unreserved admiration.
The King sincerely admired Netero, who had reached such an ineffable state… a level that could only be achieved through mad obsession and unyielding dedication.
At the same time, the King also understood-
With his current abilities, he had no hope of confronting Netero on a technical level.
Admitting one's shortcomings was nothing to be ashamed of.
The King accepted that, but that didn't mean he would give up.
Technique alone does not decide a battle.
The King admitted that 100-Type Guanyin was a technique that could defeat him, but that was all it was.
Whoosh-
A sharp wind rose through the thick smoke and dust.
After enduring an unknown number of strikes, the King finally blew the horn of counterattack.
He surged forward, charging straight through the residual force of the palm strikes, and lunged toward Netero fearlessly.
Willpower. Resolve.
All of it channeled into his Aura, weaving into an overwhelming presence.
Facing the King's counterattack, Netero's Aura remained as calm and steady as ever.
And the 100-Type Guanyin, the embodiment of his life's work, perfectly mirrored that serene mastery.
A palm strike came from a cunning angle, slamming into the King's body without the slightest surprise.
Boom!
With a deafening impact, the King's body was sent flying and crashed into the most dazzling throne in the palace.
In an instant,
the throne that represented the pinnacle of national power shattered into rubble.
And right after,
The King rushed out of the still-forming cloud of smoke and charged straight at Netero once again.
Bang!
Another heavy thud echoed through the hall.
The King was sent flying once more by the 100-Type Guanyin.
But what followed was the next wave of attack from the King.
At this moment, the King was clinging to a single thought.
That is, to accurately hit Netero with the attack.
Apart from this, nothing else occupied his mind.
Not the shattered throne behind him, not the Royal Guards fighting desperately outside the hall, not even his ambition to rule the world.
At this moment, they were all swept into the corner by the King.
In order to make his current idea a reality, the King adopted an extremely simple tactic.
That is-
Relentless offense!
In the King's eyes, even though the 100-Type Guanyin had taken 'speed' to its absolute limit, its palm strikes still followed a set pattern.
Therefore, if he could attack from angles the 100-Type Guanyin's palms couldn't defend, then Netero would be forced to adapt, to throw out new palm strikes beyond his predetermined flow.
What the King has to do is to force Netero step by step into the situation where he has to use a new palm strike.
That being said…
Though the constraints of the battle space limited the trajectories and angles of the palm strikes, the sheer volume allowed for endless combinations.
In other words-
It might take thousands, even tens of thousands of attacks to finally break through with this tactic!
The King clearly saw that future.
And he was fully confident that he could force Netero into a desperate situation.
What gave him that confidence was his physical resilience and Manifested Aura, which were far superior to Netero's.
And he was right.
By this point, the King's Manifested Aura was leagues beyond what it had once been.
Because since he was born, he not only devoured Pitou, but also devoured a large number of Nen User prepared in advance by Pouf, as well as a powerful Nen User stationed in Deigo's palace.
All of this nourishment had strengthened the King further.
So much so that when facing the infinite palm strikes of 100-Type Guanyin again, the King felt the attacks land on his body like gentle taps and did not hurt him at all.
This harsh truth added a new possibility to the deathmatch right from the start.
That before Netero even exhausted his Potential Aura, he might already be unable to deliver any fatal damage to the King.
And yet, this battle, one with its outcome seemingly written in stone...
Didn't bore the King in the slightest.
In fact, it made him even more excited.
The King sincerely hoped Netero would hold out just a bit longer.
To last until the moment where he had no more techniques left to use!
And then, the King would personally put a perfect end to this deathmatch.
Before that moment came, he had no desire to see Netero collapse from exhaustion.
The King's growing excitement was clearly transmitted to Netero through each fierce clash.
'…So it's no use after all…'
Compared to the King who was enjoying himself, Netero felt only a deepening weight in his heart.
The one undergoing changes and adaptations wasn't just the King.
After their first bout, Netero had come to understand the King's 'defense' was the greatest obstacle to achieving victory.
Therefore, he believed his best chance of winning lay not in the visible torrent of strikes, but in the subtle undercurrents beneath it.
The opportunity lies in the Nen Technique that every top Nen User has mastered-
Ryu!
As long as he increased the intensity and rhythm of the attack at all costs, he will definitely create a gap in the King's defense.
Then, he can use the better Ryu to expand the gap...
That was Netero's plan for this second round of combat.
But what he hadn't anticipated was...
In less than a month, the King's Manifested Aura had increased by half.
It was this unexpected development that had massively raised the difficulty of breaking through.
And with it, his already slim chances of victory dwindled to almost nothing.
Some things seemed to have changed, but in truth… they haven't.
Inside the palace, the fierce clash raged on.
Even the aftershocks were now strong enough to make the surrounding structure tremble on the verge of collapse.
Though Netero was the one launching the fierce assault, it was beginning to feel more and more like he was the one being pushed back.
Outside the palace…
A razor-sharp slash tore through the night.
Although there was no wailing sound, many cells representing life were scattered into the air.
Moses's relentless assault was steadily overwhelming Pouf.
"Have you decided how you want to die yet?"
The outcome of a battle that could be seen at a glance made Moses feel bored, but it also gave him the confidence to announce the result in advance.
"…"
Faced with Moses's condescending tone, a fatal crack began to form in Pouf's composure.