Chapter 793
Note: We will go with She/her for Neferpitou from now on: As you might see in this chapter, it reads/flows a lot better than the previous ones.
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The moment Neferpitou touched the oily mist, a corrosive effect spread across her body. Her heart sank.
She had thought Ron was already at his limit. She had thought Ron had lost control of Rosgell. Yet the situation shifted again. Rosgell had grown stronger, and what made it worse was that this form acted entirely on its own—Ron did not even need to divide his focus to control it.
Ssshh!
Smoke hissed up as corrosion spread across Neferpitou's body. That alone satisfied the condition for Rosgell's ability, Chain Combo.
"Chain Combo!"
Rosgell lunged forward, fists colliding with Neferpitou's. The moment of impact triggered the ability. For Neferpitou, time itself froze. For Rosgell, time flowed as normal. Aura concentrated into its fist, driving straight into Neferpitou's abdomen.
Bang!
During that frozen span, Neferpitou could not react at all. It was as if no guard had been raised. The full brunt of the strike smashed into her stomach, flesh caving inward under the blow.
Then time snapped back.
Her body was hurled backward uncontrollably, searing pain flooding her senses. Eyes wide, she stared at her abdomen in disbelief.
"How is this possible? Impossible!"
She could not comprehend it. She had clearly blocked the strike. She had felt her fist collide with Rosgell's. How then had Rosgell's fist reappeared at her abdomen in the next instant? Was it a special Nen ability, a spatial technique, or something else entirely?
For all her overwhelming strength, Neferpitou's knowledge of Nen techniques was shallow. In battle, information was often the most decisive factor.
Pfft!
Blood burst from her mouth as she skidded back over a hundred meters before stopping, glaring at Ron and Rosgell.
Ron studied her in turn.
"As expected of a Chimera Ant. That vitality is absurd. Even under that kind of attack, you're not fatally wounded. But the picture is clear now. With Natsu, Sasuke, and Rosgell, my overall strength is above yours—unless you break through or awaken some new ability, the outcome can only be my victory. It's only a matter of time."
With Rosgell fused with the Lamp Spirit, Ron's combat capacity had reached the level of an S-class Nen user, equal to Neferpitou. Rosgell, a semi-Nen beast at S-class. Natsu and Sasuke, both A-class. Killer Queen and Akame, both B-class. Blue-Eyes White Dragon as an A-class card beast.
Ron's own body, also at A-class. Add in Sumas, the Six Harmony Sphere, and the Zodiac Cards. The gap between A-class and S-class was vast. That had been obvious earlier when Ron could barely injure Neferpitou. But with Rosgell binding her movements, the combined force of Ron and his beasts turned the tide.
To guard against so many abilities at once was nearly impossible.
"My composite strength is S-class. Reaching S-class with my own body is not far off."
He could feel it. Years of accumulation, walking the path of the Observer, had brought him to the brink. One more push, and the bottleneck would break. His crystal sphere showed nearly ninety percent completion, accelerated sharply since his clashes with the King and the Royal Guards.
Neferpitou's expression twisted darkly. She could not shake free of Rosgell's relentless pursuit. Then, from another battlefield, a sudden upheaval.
A figure was hurled through the air, body limp, tumbling in an uncontrolled arc before crashing hard into the ground.
Boom!
The earth cratered beneath the impact, the body rolling over and over, leaving a long smear of blood across the ground.
Both Ron and Neferpitou turned their eyes toward it.
"Gon?"
Neferpitou flickered, about to move toward him. But Natsu raised its hands.
"Position Swap!"
In an instant, Gon's position shifted with Natsu's, saving him from the follow-up strike. Ron rushed forward, catching Gon by the collar and pulling him up. Neferpitou's attack fell short.
That was not the only change. Morel's white smoke began to dissipate, not from Pouf's power but by Morel's own choice.
Three figures emerged—Morel, Pouf, and Shoot, standing in a line. Shoot looked battered, blood streaking from his mouth, his body scarred.
Morel's gaze was locked on Pouf.
"What you demanded, I've done. Now it's your turn."
Pouf smiled faintly.
"Of course. I'll keep my word. I won't attack this one again."
With that, his wings beat, carrying him into the sky. He turned immediately toward the King's location, not sparing a glance at Neferpitou or Youpi. That was the relationship among the Royal Guards—no bond, only shared devotion to the King.
Morel ground his teeth, fury flashing.
Shoot lowered his head.
"Master… I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I was too weak. It's because of me…"