Ted raised his hands in front of his face, preparing for Ryunosuke Akutagawa's attack.
A massive surge of aura condensed around Ted's body.
Pfft!
Pfft!
Pfft!
With his movement momentarily halted, Ryunosuke's strikes landed cleanly, each one drawing blood that splattered across the ground.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A rhythmic, powerful vibration echoed through the arena, reminiscent of a colossal heartbeat.
Then, Ted's body began to change again.
His entire form lowered to the ground. His body expanded, limbs thickened, and a massive tail unfurled behind him. A hardened, armor-like shell covered his torso.
Kaizen's pupils narrowed.
"An Ankylosaurus?" he murmured. "Is this the ability Ted gained from the Land of Nirvana?"
Compared to his previous transformation into a giant ape, this new form exuded an even greater presence—especially in terms of defense.
Before, Ryunosuke's aura-infused strikes had pierced the giant ape's hide with ease, but against the Ankylosaurus's armored plating, their effectiveness was significantly diminished.
Kaizen's expression shifted subtly.
This transformation reminded him of the Nen ability concept seen in Fairy Tail, where someone could take on the traits of different creatures. But more than that, it brought to mind the Zoan Devil Fruits from One Piece—especially the Ancient Zoan variety.
Zoan-type abilities were typically categorized into three types:
Standard Zoans, which allowed the user to transform into real-world animals like tigers, lions, and giraffes.
Ancient Zoans, which enabled transformations into long-extinct creatures like dinosaurs and Archeopteryx, granting greater strength and durability.
Mythical Zoans, the rarest type, allowing transformation into legendary creatures like dragons or divine beasts, often providing unique supernatural abilities.
Ted's ape transformation resembled a standard Zoan. But now, turning into an Ankylosaurus was clearly an Ancient Zoan-like ability.
That said, this wasn't One Piece's world.
The creatures of the Human Continent were diverse and not necessarily weaker than ancient beasts. Furthermore, the vast and mysterious Dark Continent remained largely unexplored, housing creatures beyond human comprehension.
Regardless, in the world of Nen, strength ultimately depended on the user's willpower and mastery of their ability—not an external power source like a Devil Fruit.
More than the transformation itself, it was how Ted used it that mattered.
Control the battle, gather information, and strike at the right moment.
Generally, there were two approaches to such a fight:
The approach Kaizen was using—observing, analyzing, and adapting.
Or overwhelming the opponent before they could fully utilize their ability.
Both strategies had their strengths and weaknesses, but given the nature of this battle, Kaizen had no choice but to stick with the first.
Because this was a competition, not a deathmatch.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
The metallic clang of aura-infused strikes echoed as Ted's armored hide withstood attack after attack.
But while his defense was formidable, his new form came with drawbacks. Compared to the agile great ape, the Ankylosaurus was far slower and more rigid in movement. His attacks also became more predictable.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The ground trembled beneath Ted's massive frame as he charged toward Ryunosuke Akutagawa, aiming to crush him with his sheer size and momentum.
A dark red aura flared from Akutagawa's body, surging into the ground. Spiked tendrils erupted from the surface, forming a bristling trap.
Pfft!
Ted stomped forward, the spikes piercing into his thick-skinned feet. Pain twisted his expression, but he didn't stop—he pushed through.
Akutagawa dodged to the side just as Ted pivoted sharply, swinging his enormous tail like a hammer.
The sheer force created a gust of wind, a terrifying pressure filling the air.
Just before impact—
Snap!
Raiken clapped his hands together, activating his ability.
In an instant, his two summoned beasts swapped places.
Boom!
Ted's massive tail slammed into Raiken's summoned beast instead of Akutagawa.
Raiken reacted swiftly, grabbing hold of Ted's tail with both arms to absorb some of the impact, but the raw power was overwhelming.
Boom!
He was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a resounding impact.
Kaizen's eyes tracked Raiken's position. In the next moment, his form flickered—moving in Raiken's direction, reinforcing his ally.
Raiken recovered quickly, shaking off the blow.
Ted's gaze shifted toward Kaizen.
"Kaizen, I don't want to do this, but you're too much trouble."
His expression darkened. "I'll have to end this in one move."
Instead of continuing to attack Akutagawa or Raiken, Ted changed his target.
He charged straight for Kaizen.
...
Outside the Arena
The spectators from the Dojo of Beasts nodded in approval.
"Now that's the right move."
"When fighting Nen users with beast-type abilities, the best strategy is to attack their main body directly. No need to deal with their summons."
"They rely too much on their constructs. Their physical bodies can't handle a direct assault."
"With that Ankylosaurus form, even Zoldyck-style beasts won't be able to do much to Ted. They might slow him down, but not stop him."
"In contrast, Ted's attacks could easily incapacitate Kaizen."
"This fight is already decided. Ted's won."
Ted hadn't wanted to use this approach at first. He had wanted to defeat Kaizen head-on.
But after their exchanges, he realized that was impossible.
So, he had no choice but to go for Kaizen's real body.
...
Back in the Fight
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The ground quaked as Ted barreled toward Kaizen like an unstoppable force.
Then—
Kaizen vanished.
No, not quite.
A dozen afterimages flickered in and out of existence, appearing all around the battlefield.
Even Ted's trained eyes couldn't track him.
Because these weren't illusory images.
They were all real.
Kaizen's speed had reached such a level that his movements left lingering afterimages, making it impossible to pinpoint his true position.
This was a technique he had developed by combining the Zoldyck family's secret assassination techniques, Raiken's martial arts, and his own mastery of Nen.
It was called—
Ghost Step.
------------
+285 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub