With a thought, Arin dismissed all life-forms back into the folds of his aura, save for one.
"White-1," he called out.
It stood awaiting orders, perfectly still.
"Attack me. Full speed."
White-1 didn't question.
The first punch came fast, direct to Arin's centerline.
He sidestepped and slapped the hand away.
A follow-up kick swept toward his shin, and he hopped over it smoothly.
Arin kept his hands raised, weaving through each strike like water flowing through stone.
The creature continued without pause: jab, elbow, knee, low kick, feint, and straight punch.
Arin grunted and blocked another jab, then backstepped.
"Okay," he thought.
"Even at full power, one of them doesn't pose a threat. I can block and counter without effort."
He raised his palm. "Stop."
He did not need to order the commands loudly, as his intentions would be enough to control them.
But he liked to order when there was nobody around.
White-1 ceased its motion instantly.
"Now let's raise the pressure."
With a flick of his fingers, five more life-forms appeared in a smooth sequence, White-2 through White-6.
They stood silently around him, forming a loose circle.
Ten meters apart, just outside close-combat range.
"Attack," Arin commanded.
The six life-forms moved as one, rushing in from every angle.
Arin's eyes sharpened. He moved.
White-2 came from the front with a heavy punch.
He ducked it and swept to the side, narrowly avoiding White-3's downward hammer strike.
White-5 tried to grapple from behind, but Arin bent forward, flipping it over his shoulder with practiced grace.
He was fast, faster than any of them individually.
But they weren't individuals.
They were a unit now.
Arin deflected three more strikes, then spun, delivering a palm thrust to White-4's chest that knocked it backward.
He was breathing more heavily now, the rhythm of the battle forcing his focus to rise.
"They're not learning. They are using what I would do in a battle like this; they are taking from my experience."
"The more I know, the more powerful and harder to counter they would be."
After a minute of dodging and blocking Arin dropped low and swept White-6's legs, then delivered a controlled elbow to White-2's neck, ending the simulation.
"Stop," he said.
The six halted at once.
He stepped back, rolling his shoulders.
Sweat lined his brow, and his aura pulsed just slightly with fatigue.
"That was harder," he admitted.
A slow breath. His eyes narrowed.
"Let's try ten."
He summoned four more White-7 through White-10, bringing the total to ten life-forms.
They took positions naturally.
"Same command," Arin said. "Attack."
They moved.
This time it was different.
More angles, more overlapping attacks.
A strike from the front was quickly followed by a flanking kick from the side.
A fake-out high punch distracted him just long enough for White-9 to aim low.
Arin blocked the high crack, but White-3's elbow connected with his ribs.
He staggered slightly.
A moment later, White-1's palm hit his chest.
Not a full-force strike, but enough to push him back.
He jumped away, flicking his hand in the air.
"Stop."
The ten life-forms froze mid-motion.
Arin stood there, breathing a little harder, but with a grin on his face.
He looked down at his chest, where the hit had landed. No real injury. No bruising. But the meaning was clear.
"One of them touched me."
"That's exactly what I needed to know," he said.
"Ten of them working together can disrupt my reaction timing, even if I'm faster individually."
"I have no way to stop them from touching me."
"Despite the fact that, when I use my full power, their physical capability is not nearly strong enough to harm me. If I get too careless..."
"The number of hits they can deal in the end will be enough to damage me."
He walked to a nearby tree stump and sat down, wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve.
"They're still slow compared to me. But that doesn't matter. "
"Their coordination if I get better at controlling their movement, spacing, and rhythm, they can overwhelm enemies just by attrition."
"As long as I do not get taken out and their 'cores' are not harmed beyond repair, they will exist."
"They will exist until I am harmed gravely or I don't have more aura to control them."
"That hit wasn't because they outsmarted me."
"It was because my eyes couldn't track all ten at once."
"My body can't react to every strike without missing another."
"I lack the experience and ability to fight against ten capable humanoid figures."
He looked at the ten aura beings, still frozen in place like statues.
"But they might make me feel like I am."
"I can use them to train..."
Arin stood again.
"I need to refine command sequencing," he said aloud.
"Make it more efficient. Right now, I give them orders like 'attack' or 'dodge,' but what if I create preset formations or behaviors?"
He imagined it commands like Formation Spear, Formation Shield, Flank Right, and Retreat Bait. Words that could instantly trigger complex movements across a group.
"That's how I'll win fights against real Nen users," he muttered.
"Smart Nen users. I can't just throw numbers at someone with experience and deadly Hatsu."
His eyes sparkled at the thought.
He walked forward and placed his hand on White-1's shoulder.
"You did well."
It didn't respond. Of course it didn't.
But something about saying it made him feel grounded.
"Nen" is pretty responsive when it comes to emotion and will.
He stepped back and dismissed the ten back into his aura.
He clenched his fist.
"Once I have all one hundred summoned, and I can use them like extensions of my body… I'll be unstoppable."