Chapter 178 Take This, You Arrogant Fool!
Benjamin's pupils narrowed slightly.
In his eyes, Haze had absolutely no sense of his own place.
Just a common gang leader… yet unbelievably arrogant.
Perhaps the recent actions of the Field's family had made this man far too self-important.
"Trash,"
Benjamin said.
Then, without warning, he raised his hand an explosive gust burst forth as his palm swung down toward Haze's head.
Slap!
The clothes of both men rippled from the shockwave generated by Benjamin's strike.
But that overwhelming palm never landed on Haze's cheek.
It was stopped in mid-air by a much thinner arm.
Haze's five fingers gripped Benjamin's wrist firmly.
His expression remained relaxed.
Compared to Benjamin's arm thick as a normal person's calf Haze's arm looked slender and long.
But the strength behind it made Benjamin's expression stiffen.
His hand… would not move.
The fingertips pressing on Benjamin's wrist sank deeper, and the muscles of his arm gave way instantly.
Even so, the First Prince stayed expressionless, as if nothing had happened.
"Oh? No wonder you're so arrogant… A Nen user?"
Benjamin looked at Haze, mildly surprised.
"Prince!"
The nearby soldiers tensed; they had not expected Haze to possess such strength.
"No need."
Seeing his men about to intervene, Benjamin waved them back.
A ferocious surge of Nen burst from the First Prince's body, and Haze so close to him felt as if a hurricane had slammed directly into him.
In the original work, Benjamin's strength was described as possessing "Nen that rendered him immune to blades and spears."
It truly seemed accurate.
Nen is directly proportional to one's vitality and physical power.
Benjamin's physique was monstrous even by military standards so his Nen was naturally immense.
"I love hunting strong opponents… because only then can I prove my strength! I'll pin you down like a captured beast and crush your bones myself…"
As Benjamin spoke, his arm began to move slowly resisting Haze's suppression.
He actually started lifting Haze's arm upward, fighting with brute force.
Yes Benjamin loved combat with large, powerful beasts.
He had torn lions apart, ripped giant bears limb from limb, even killed magical beasts with his bare hands…
All to sharpen his ferocity and maintain his absolute dominance.
As king, he would be invincible untouchable.
All creatures who opposed him would meet death.
Haze tilted his head, watching Benjamin's arm gradually push back.
His Nen control was impressive, and his force driven by sheer will was indeed considerable.
Most importantly, his physical strength was extraordinary.
"It seems… you've received proper Nen training," Haze commented.
"But haven't you misunderstood something?"
Haze shifted the conversation, smiling faintly as Benjamin's eyes met his.
Misunderstood?
Benjamin stiffened.
The next moment, veins bulged across his forehead as his face twisted in pain.
He could no longer maintain his calm.
The arm he had been using to overpower Haze suddenly throbbed violently
A pain shot through his nerves like lightning, stabbing straight into his brain.
His face turned pale deathly pale.
Then
With a tearing sound,
Haze's left sleeve exploded into shreds that drifted downward.
The thin muscles of his arm suddenly bulged outward like an inflating balloon.
His arm grew several times thicker, his skin and muscles taking on a rocky texture, blue veins writhing beneath the surface like serpents.
The violent power hidden under his skin…
made Haze look like some unknown creature wearing human flesh.
At the same time, Haze released his Nen only partially letting it surface just enough to activate his flesh and blood, revealing his true physical power.
Normally, Haze restricted his blood flow and heart output, reducing physical changes that he found uncomfortable.
He preferred to operate with the minimum necessary energy.
But now…
"Aaaaah!" Benjamin roared.
Haze's finger-like blades effortlessly pierced through Benjamin's Nen defense and sank into his flesh.
Benjamin, who had been raising his arm inch by inch, now had it forced downward instantly unable to resist the crushing force.
"Too weak…
The strength you think you have is nothing but self-indulgent illusion.
The Kakin Empire is only a small part of the human world…
Do you need to step outside to understand what true power really is?"
Haze forced Benjamin's arm down
forcing the First Prince's body to bend
forcing him to kneel.
"Your Highness!"
The sudden reversal chilled the soldiers to the bone.
With a shout, all nine unleashed their Nen abilities at once.
Several close-combat specialists instantly rushed Haze, trying to force him to release Benjamin.
Whoosh!
But Haze casually waved his other hand.
Like a black whip slicing through the air, in a single instant
those attackers froze in place, headless.
Blood splashed across the floor and windows.
Balsamilco Mighti Benjamin's loyal soldier from the Black Whale was about to activate his Nen ability, Insect Shot, a wasp-like Nen beast capable of killing without direct contact.
But before he could manifest it fully
Haze's distant eyes locked onto him.
Sharp, like twin blades piercing straight through his skull and soul.
A malicious Nen surged with his gaze.
Under that suffocating mental pressure, Balsamilco Mighti's whole body trembled uncontrollably unable even to activate his Nen correctly.
The room felt like a pitch-black cavern.
Haze appeared like a monstrous beast awakened from deep slumber, blood-shot eyes wide, staring at its prey caught in its jaws.
His breathing became ragged.
Haze knew everything about the First Prince's soldiers
every Nen ability, every detail.
Li Han one of Benjamin's top soldiers and the man who had once created the Nen beast that devoured Prince Eight's guardian spirit felt a freezing shiver run down his spine.
His ability required data and preparation.
But Haze was using no ability
just pure, overwhelming Nen.
He had nothing to analyze.
Everything was happening too fast.
"Ah!"
Benjamin roared, swinging his remaining fist to strike Haze.
Boom!!
The surviving soldiers didn't even see what happened.
They only heard a massive impact.
Haze's leg bulging with muscle, fabric split had kicked Benjamin.
The First Prince flew across the room and slammed into the stone wall, blood spraying.
His eyes rolled back
he appeared unconscious.
Of the nine soldiers, only four remained alive.
"Don't do anything foolish…
or I'll kill him… tear him apart."
Haze lowered his extended leg and tapped the floor lightly with his shoe.
He was referring to Benjamin.
Despite their fear and shock, the soldiers' eyes showed no cowardice. They were loyal, well-trained, and unafraid of death.
But with Benjamin's life in danger they dared not act rashly.
Suddenly
A chilling green mist spread beneath Haze's feet, filling the room.
Faint ghostly shapes drifted like fish through water.
Some even crawled across the surviving soldiers, making the scene eerie beyond belief.
The air grew cold.
Haze walked slowly toward Benjamin's collapsed body.
Under the soldiers' horrified gazes, he raised one hand toward the prince's chest.
Ghosts scattered, dissolving into green flames that clung to Haze's arm.
His entire arm ignited with eerie, ghostly fire.
And then
a miraculous scene unfolded.
Haze's arm slipped into Benjamin's chest without resistance, penetrating his body.
With a pull, Haze drew out a human-shaped, spectral fragment
part of Benjamin's soul.
"Yes…"
Haze chuckled.
With a gesture, two ghosts appeared from the mist, dragging a strange object
a lantern dangling from a chain.
It resembled a small cage.
The four surviving soldiers felt a dreadful aura envelop them.
Haze opened the tiny cage door, placed the torn fragment of Benjamin's soul inside, and closed it.
The room normalized instantly as he retracted his power.
"You may take your prince and leave…"
He spoke with absolute indifference.
"Y-You… what did you do…?"
Li Han asked, trembling.
"Don't you understand?"
Haze raised an eyebrow.
"I took something from him…"
A simple sentence
yet it chilled all four to the core.
(End of Chapter)