Phinks, who had been bracing for Zane's counterattack, witnessed Zane and Feitan vanish simultaneously. His expression shifted drastically as he frantically scanned the surroundings.
Inside the Equality Space.
While Phinks was searching outside, Zane and Feitan were already locked in a fierce battle within this realm.
Entering the Equality Space didn't cause Feitan to panic.
His cold, ruthless temperant allowed him to act decisively, seizing the offensive by lunging at Zane with blinding speed once more.
Swish!
Feitan was fast, but Zane was no slouch either.
The rapier pierced through Zane, but it was rely an afterimage.
His figure flickered.
Zane appeared high above Feitan, looking down from a superior position as he swung a heavy punch downward.
Boom!!!
The fist slamd into the ground, spider-web-like cracks spreading as the earth collapsed into a deep crater.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Having dodged the attack just in ti, Feitan raised his red umbrella, firing a bullet infused with high-intensity Nen from the hidden barrel at the tip.
The bullet landed precisely on Zane's face.
Along with a burst of air pressure, Zane's head shifted slightly, but he remained completely unhard.
[BODY OF STEEL]
Just as the bullet was about to hit, Zane's head had tallicized in advance.
Although he hadn't possessed the Nen ability Body of Steel for long, his higher base stats allowed him to exert power far beyond its original owner.
"Barely a tickle. Is that all you've got?"
Reverting from his tallic state, Zane calmly turned to look at Feitan nearby.
Veins throbbed on Feitan's forehead.
The man stared back with chilling, murderous eyes.
Die!!!
Channeling Shu and Ryu, more Nen aura gathered on the rapier. Feitan responded with action, lunging at Zane with extre speed.
"Too slow!"
A crimson glint flashed in Zane's eyes. With a slight tilt of his head, he effortlessly evaded the incoming blade.
He pressed his fingers together.
Just as Feitan tried to transition his thrust into a horizontal slash to continue the assault, Zane had already launched his counter.
Using his right palm as a hand-blade, Zane struck like lightning, thrusting toward his opponent's throat.
Feitan's pupils constricted.
He hurriedly pulled back his sword and retreated.
However, Zane's hand-blade still tore through the skull-patterned collar, completely exposing the lower half of Feitan's face.
'Who the hell is this guy?'
Feitan didn't pay any mind to the torn collar. After gaining so distance, he locked his gaze firmly on Zane.
Though their exchange had been brief, it was enough for him to make a judgnt.
In Feitan's assessnt, Zane was undoubtedly terrifying.
Speed, defense, power, and Nen—he was flawlessly strong in every aspect.
Especially regarding his Nen abilities.
First a spatial-type ability, then a body-talizing one; it made it impossible to gauge the depths of Zane's power.
'This space is quite large. Even though I can't maximize its power here, my only hope of winning is probably relying on my Nen ability.'
Feitan's mind raced as he analyzed the situation.
"Why stop the attack? Don't tell you're planning to use the damage I deal to you to trigger that Nen ability of yours?"
Seeing that Feitan hadn't imdiately attacked again after retreating, Zane let out a light chuckle.
The opponent's Nen abilities were called Pain Packer and Rising Sun.
The forr conjured a protective suit to shield him from his own power.
The latter allowed him to use Nen to create a miniature sun with devastating power and range.
Notably, the power of the latter depended on the damage he had sustained.
In other words, the more damage he took, the more powerful the miniature sun would be when the ability activated.
Feitan's heart jolted.
Zane's words hit the nail on the head, making Feitan's already grim expression turn even darker.
He was exposed.
The enemy knew his Nen ability.
Who could it be?
Another Troupe mber?
Or perhaps a teor City Elder?
"I was just playing around with you. Did you really think you still had a chance of winning after coming in here?"
Even though the other man remained silent, Zane didn't care.
Prohibition Mode—Nen Abilities Prohibited!
The rule activated.
The Body of Steel imprinted within Zane instantly went dormant, and he was even forced into a state of Zetsu.
Feitan, standing opposite him, was in the exact sa predicant.
"..."
Feitan was sharp; he noticed the abnormality within himself imdiately.
If the exposure of his Nen ability had allowed him to remain sowhat calm, being forced into Zetsu completely shattered his psychological defenses.
With a face full of shock and rage, Feitan tried to speak.
But before he could open his mouth, Zane closed the distance in a flash.
Armant·Spin-Spin·Aggressive as Fire!
His right fist, wrapped in Armant Haki, spiraled at high speed and blasted forward, wreathed in flas.
Faced with the incoming strike, Feitan had no ti to think and could only cross his arms to block.
Crack!
Boom!!!
Without Nen aura, there was no contest between the two.
With a single punch, Feitan was sent flying into the distance.
He tumbled across the ground like a bouncing ball.
When he finally stopped, Feitan looked absolutely wretched.
Beyond the abrasions from the tumbling, his arms were shattered and twisted.
Even his chest was caved inward.
Putting aside the enhancent from the Spin-Spin Fruit...
Just the Armant Haki alone was enough.
Although Zane hadn't mastered Internal Destruction yet and couldn't strike into an enemy's vitals like Nen, the raw destructive power was clearly beyond what Feitan could withstand.
Thud!
A footstep landed nearby.
Looking down at Feitan, who was clearly mortally wounded and unable to rise, Zane showed no rcy. He delivered a violent kick.
The corpse, its neck snapped, quickly dissolved into three glowing orbs.
Because Nen abilities had been prohibited, Feitan's death did not produce a Hatsu-related orb.
Zane didn't feel any regret about this.
He had activated Prohibition Mode not only to end the fight quickly but also because he didn't think much of the other's Nen ability.
While Rising Sun was incredibly lethal, it required taking damage first, not to ntion needing Pain Packer for protection.
Such an ability didn't suit his combat style at all.
Without any hesitation, Zane snatched up the technique attribute orb.
That's right.
For his plunder from Feitan, Zane chose technique.
Or rather, he chose it to acquire the other's mastery of Nen application.
While Prohibition Mode prevented Hatsu orbs from forming, the technical application of Nen aura was still categorized under the technique attribute.
Unlike his Armant Haki, which he had practiced for a long ti...
Although Zane was talented, his Nen techniques were relatively weak due to his short training period.
Take the exchange with Feitan just now, for instance.
Regarding Nen aura, Zane relied mostly on his massive reserves.
In terms of pure finesse, he was more than a step behind Feitan.
But that was no longer the case.
After absorbing Feitan's technique orb, all the various Nen applications the other had mastered beca Zane's.
Flash!
Back in the outside world.
As soon as Zane reappeared, he was t with Phinks's fist.
Thump!
Raising his hand to catch it, Zane, who had perceived the move in advance with Observation Haki, didn't panic at all and steadily blocked the blow.
"Bastard, where did you take Feitan?!" Phinks roared, throwing his other fist.
Zane used the palm of the hand holding the first fist to parry.
With masterful technique, Phinks's montum was instantly stalled as his balance was expertly disrupted.
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