Both sides had fallen into a deadlock. The difference, however, lay in how that balance was maintained. On Ron's side, it was entirely his own strength that kept the Mummified Fallen One restrained, preventing him from escaping while also making it impossible for him to defeat Ron. With one person and two Nen Beasts, the Mummified Fallen One was like a kite manipulated by taut strings, completely powerless to do anything about Ron and forced to watch as he was slowly worn down.
On the other side, the younger Fallen One had been weakened significantly after a freelance Gourmet Hunter of A-rank forcibly used a second cursed silver coin, and only because of that could Misty and the others manage to hold him back.
Time passed bit by bit, and both Fallen Ones grew increasingly agitated. The reason was simple—they had already exhausted nearly all their hidden trump cards, while the Gourmet Paradise faction still had reinforcements en route. Once those support units arrived, defeat for the Fallen Ones would be inevitable.
Rotting maggots crawled over the Mummified Fallen One's body. At this point, his aura reserves had dropped to less than half. "Damn it," the Fallen One snarled as he glared venomously at Ron before suddenly plunging into the sea. He had already given up hope of killing Ron and was now attempting to escape instead. But Ron had no intention of letting him get away so easily.
Ron and Uchiha Sasuke moved at the same time.
"Lightning Nen Bullet!"
"Chidori Flow!"
A surge of intense lightning burst across the ocean's surface, and the powerful current paralyzed the Mummified Fallen One, whose body froze momentarily. Natsu immediately closed in.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
With one punch, he sent the Mummified Fallen One flying into the air. The Fallen One's expression darkened, but he didn't linger. He quickly adjusted his posture midair and fled into the distance. Ron continued his pursuit.
The Fallen One glanced back at Ron and let out a cold snort.
Elsewhere, the younger Fallen One also abandoned the idea of killing Misty and the others and chose to escape instead. Misty and the others pursued from behind.
The younger Fallen One briefly shut his eyes to sense the situation on the Mummified Fallen One's side.
"I didn't expect someone of this level to be hiding among these people."
"To think that my Mummified half would be at such a disadvantage in a one-on-one."
"But if Linne hadn't interfered with my cursed silver coin, you would never have been able to threaten me. If I had acted directly, all of you would be dead by now—not a single one spared."
"It's only because of Linne that you've managed to gain the slightest upper hand."
"Your actual strength, as far as I'm concerned, is garbage."
"Children like you dare to act this arrogantly?"
"Even so, if I want to flee, there's nothing you can do to stop me."
Seeing the distance between himself and Misty's group steadily increase, a look of disdain appeared on the younger Fallen One's face. But when he sensed the other side again, his expression changed slightly.
"He's still chasing?"
"And the gap hasn't widened at all?"
"This guy really is troublesome."
"But how long can you keep this up?"
"My Mummified body's defensive power is far beyond what an ordinary Nen user can deal with. No matter how many attacks you use, none of them will inflict fatal damage on it."
"Keep chasing, then."
"I want to see how long you can keep it up."
"From this point on, my Mummified half will no longer counterattack."
"It will only retreat."
"You can't break through its defense; in terms of aura consumption, you're no match for me."
"Time will not favor you!"
Ron had noticed this as well. Once the situation reached this kind of stalemate, if the Fallen Ones were trying to kill Ron's side, then time would favor the Gourmet Paradise faction, because reinforcements would continue to arrive. But if the Fallen Ones were trying to escape, things changed—there was no guarantee that reinforcements could arrive in time. In terms of aura reserves, the Fallen Ones held the advantage. Even after being split into two halves, they were still beings of a different tier.
"Incredible defensive capabilities," Ron thought as he watched the Mummified Fallen One ahead with a serious expression. Throughout the fight, he had used many methods—Nen bullets from the Six-Harmony Sphere, Natsu's fire attacks, Uchiha Sasuke's Fire Style and Lightning Style techniques—but none of these had managed to break through the Fallen One's defense. Only the Rotten Life Blade had been truly effective. The maggots clinging to the body had consumed a significant amount of the Mummified Fallen One's aura.
"If that's the case, then let's try this."
At Ron's command, a pink figure materialized beside him.
"Killer Queen."
Ron issued the order: "Killer Queen, use Sheer Heart Attack."
A massive bomb emerged from Killer Queen's wrist and, in the next instant, shot straight toward the Mummified Fallen One at incredible speed.
The Fallen One turned and saw the incoming Sheer Heart Attack Bomb. At first, he looked dismissive.
"A mere explosive? What can that possibly do to me?"
But almost immediately, he sensed something wrong—he felt a strong Nen aura radiating from the bomb. It was unusually potent.
As the Sheer Heart Attack Bomb rapidly closed in, the Fallen One leapt high into the air, trying to evade it. But just as he did, the bomb adjusted its trajectory and continued chasing him.
"Another homing attack?"
The Fallen One's expression turned grim. This was the same kind of problem he'd encountered with the cursed silver coin modified by Linne—it had caused no end of trouble, impossible to dodge. He could only watch himself get hit.
Now, the bomb Ron used exhibited the same property.
The Fallen One changed direction again, weaving through the air in an S-shaped path over the ocean surface. But the Sheer Heart Attack Bomb stayed close on his trail. Whether he rose into the sky, sped across the surface of the water, or even dove beneath it, the bomb remained locked onto him.
And the distance was closing—closer and closer.
Finally, the Sheer Heart Attack Bomb made contact.
BOMB!
A violent explosion erupted!
A massive shockwave rippled outward. The sea surface caved inward. Rings of waves surged across the water. The blast's roar echoed between sea and sky.
Ron came to a stop, eyes fixed intently on the center of the explosion.
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