As Hisoka hurtled through the air, a thin strand of Bungee Gum stretched from his fractured left arm, and the other end was connected to Moses's left fist.
This is the compatibility between Bungee Gum and close-quarters combat.
With even the slightest physical contact, Hisoka could attach his Bungee Gum at any moment.
Whoosh-
But attaching one strand of Bungee Gum wasn't enough. Hisoka's right foot lashed out mid-air, then shot another thread of Bungee Gum toward Moses's armpit.
As long as this thread of Bungee Gum can hit the target, Hisoka could link it to the one on Moses's fist, setting up his next move.
"Huh?!"
However, when Hisoka straightened his body and took a quick glance, he saw that the Bungee Gum that was supposed to shoot towards Moses's armpit suddenly veer off course, as if hooked, and hit Moses's left fist directly.
The bizarre sight shocked Hisoka.
But the bigger problem was-
Both the Bungee Gum on his fractured arm and his right foot were now anchored to Moses's fist.
'I need to dismiss the ability!'
Before Hisoka could act at this thought, Moses had already swung his left arm in a wide arc and started to spin like a windmill.
A single rotation generated enough force to yank Hisoka's body forward.
And because the two Bungee Gum were tied to Moses's fist, Hisoka's body curled up slightly in mid-air.
It was also at this moment that Hisoka released his Bungee Gum.
However, it was already too late.
As the Bungee Gum was released, Moses suddenly stopped swinging his arms, planted his foot on the ground, and flashed in front of Hisoka.
At this time, Hisoka was in mid-air, so he had nowhere to dodge.
Moses didn't hold back at all. He swung his arm and punched Hisoka on the cheek.
It was a scene that had played out many times before.
And this time would be no exception.
The force transmitted by the fist caused Hisoka's cheek to be severely deformed.
The powerful impact that followed caused Hisoka to spin sideways like a discarded puppet.
Moses lowered his fist, stopped where he was, and smiled as he watched Hisoka tumble away.
With his current Manifested Aura, that punch should have ended the fight.
However, he'd held back at the last moment.
Because he wanted to see if 'beating up Hisoka' would earn him a reward from Perception.
And he also wanted to further test the effects of Gyo: Phase Force.
The attempt just now did attract the Bungee Gum that was supposed to be shot at the armpit...
This phenomenon is consistent with Moses's initial expectations.
However, since Hisoka's Bungee Gum is similar to the direct emission of Nen, it is difficult to define whether the effects of Gyo: Phase Force could manipulate all Nen abilities or just specific types.
As Moses pondered, Hisoka's body slammed heavily on a big tree.
With a loud noise, the trunk shattered, collapsing in a cloud of splinters.
Hisoka lay sprawled across the broken wood.
His cheeks were severely red and swollen, and large dark purple bruises were visible.
Moses's punch should have instantly reminded him of some unpleasant memories from the past.
'What the hell was that just now…?'
Hisoka ignored the throbbing pain coming from his cheek, slowly straightened his upper body, and recalled the slightly strange scene just now.
'The Bungee Gum that should've hit Moses's armpit had suddenly curved toward his fist at the last second-'
'During the whole process, there was no sign of Nen Ability being activated.'
'And all Moses had done was gather a dense concentration of Aura on his fist.'
'If I wasn't mistaken-'
'It's just normal Gyo, right?'
'But why would Bungee Gum be pulled toward it?'
With too little information, Hisoka couldn't make sense of it. He could only remember the information about this ability to avoid the same situation from happening again.
As his thoughts raced, Hisoka stood up from the broken tree trunk and looked at Moses, who hadn't moved from his spot.
The swelling on his cheeks affects his vision a little, but it wasn't a major hindrance.
Having taken a hit, Hisoka wasn't in a hurry to attack again.
Moses looked at Hisoka calmly, and when he saw that he didn't show any exaggerated reaction, Moses realized that Hisoka hadn't noticed the true gap in their strength.
'It seems that my 'control' has reached a very high level...'
Moses flexed his fist casually, and the corner of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
'Even someone as perceptive as Hisoka hadn't noticed me holding back during the attack...'
'Good.'
Moses knew that if Hisoka realized the truth, it might not completely kill his fighting spirit, but it would definitely make this battle far less entertaining.
Therefore, before the truth of their power difference became obvious, Moses intended to beat Hisoka up as much as possible.
With that thought in mind, Moses abruptly switched gears, and he launched himself at Hisoka in an aggressive assault.
Seeing Moses charge forward, Hisoka's eyes narrowed slightly. He had no intention of defending at all. Instead, he instantly threw himself backward, putting distance between them.
With one arm fractured, relying solely on hand-to-hand combat meant his chances of winning were practically zero...
Hisoka understood this clearly.
So-
Squelch!
While retreating backwards to create some distance, Hisoka's right palm, which was glowing with pink Aura, suddenly inserted into his fractured left arm. Without so much as a flinch, he forcibly realigned the broken bones.
Under the adhesive effect of Bungee Gum, the bones snapped back into place.
The entire process was brutally efficient, which is a testament to Hisoka's mastery over his ability.
Squelch-
Once the bones were set, Hisoka pulled out his right hand, sending arcs of blood splattering through the air.
He was still thinking of using Texture Surprise to temporarily disguise the wound left by the violent repair job, but before he could grab the materials such as wood fiber, Moses was already on him.
[Bungee Gum - Maximum Retraction!]
Moses's figure was reflected in his pupils. Sticking to his strategy of avoiding direct confrontation, Hisoka triggered the Bungee Gum strand he'd earlier kicked backward and anchored to a distant tree.
Then, Hisoka's body was yanked into the air, flipping upside-down as he shot away like a puppet on a string.
This was one of Hisoka's signature tactics.
Thanks to his mastery over Bungee Gum, he could fire Bungee Gum from virtually any part of his body.
Though-
Compared to other parts of his body, his limbs are the ones where he has the strongest control.
This Bungee Gum thrown out from his 'heel' became the key which saved him from another brutal hit.
However-
Moses knew Hisoka's tricks all too well.
Even while holding back, he didn't hesitate to exploit the brief opening and punched Hisoka in the face, which was leaning forward in the short moment due to the upside-down position.
Bang!
Under Moses's calculated precision, this punch landed squarely on Hisoka's uninjured cheek.
In an instant, Hisoka, who should've been swinging safely toward the tree, hurtled sideways like a leaf caught in a storm before slamming into the trunk with bone-jarring force.
The repeated blows left Hisoka's head swimming, a thick haze of dizziness clouding his thoughts.
A flicker of realization began to dawn to him-
But Moses's attack was not over yet. He flashed in front of Hisoka and threw another simple punch at Hisoka's chest.
But Hisoka reacted at the critical moment and twisted his body sideways with some difficulty.
As Hisoka made a dodge, Moses's punch immediately hit Hisoka's right shoulder.
Bang-
Just like slapping a blood-engorged mosquito to death with a palm, Hisoka's shoulder suddenly burst, spraying fragments of bone and gore in all directions.