Chapter 65: Kurapika's First Battle
Worm had a lot of confidence in his ability.
Ronin knew exactly what he was planning. He had thrown that rock at Bat just to create a distraction.
He wasn't going to let Worm get anywhere near Kurapika and Neon.
With the Sharingan's insight, Ronin could clearly see the massive flow of Nen moving underground.
As he retracted his throwing arm, his hands blurred, completing a sequence of seals in front of his chest.
Earth Style: Opening Earth Rising Excavation.
Ronin slammed his palms onto the ground, injecting Chakra deep into the earth.
The ground nearby bulged upward, forming a small mound that quickly swelled into a mini-volcano.
BOOM!
A massive eruption of earth force blasted out from the "crater." Worm, who was "swimming" underground toward Kurapika, was forcefully ejected from the soil and launched high into the air.
This was a B-Rank Jutsu used by Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi in the anime to unearth the White Zetsu army.
Scaled down to a single target, it was the perfect counter to an underground ambusher.
Worm never expected to be ejected like a cannonball. Floating in mid-air with a panoramic view of the city, his brain short-circuited.
But Ronin was ready.
The moment the earth erupted, Ronin launched himself into the air. He intercepted Worm at the apex of his flight.
His fist, charged with concentrated Nen, hammered down onto Worm's lower back.
CRACK!
Before Worm could process what was happening, he was smashed back into the ground like a meteor.
He landed in the classic "Yamcha death pose" in a crater.
Ronin landed gracefully next to him, satisfied.
In the sky, Bat fared no better. He hadn't dodged the infused rock in time, and it had punched a hole through his wing.
He struggled to stay airborne. Seeing the mini-volcano erupt and his partner smashed, Bat realized he was in trouble.
He had seen Ronin fly away from the Phantom Troupe earlier and assumed Ronin was valuable prey. Now he realized Ronin wasn't a soft target at all.
We can cooperate!
Bat swallowed his pride.
"We can talk!" he shouted from above, his tone conciliatory despite his high position.
The gap in strength was obvious. Bat felt that even escaping might be a luxury now.
He regretted attacking first.
Ronin ignored Worm. That punch had shattered the creature's spine. If he survived that, maybe he really was part earthworm.
As for Bat's proposal? Ronin sneered.
Oh! Now that you can't win, you want to negotiate? Where was this attitude five minutes ago?
Typical Emitter—impulsive and rough around the edges, just like Hisoka said.
Ronin had planned to interrogate the Shadow Beasts about the Ten Dons anyway. Since Bat and Owl delivered themselves, he would accept the gift.
But he only needed one alive. Owl was more useful.
So Bat had to die.
"Come down first," Ronin said, glancing at the other battles.
In the other fights, things were tense.
Owl swung his Fun Fun Cloth aggressively, forcing Kurapika to dodge repeatedly.
The distance between them was shrinking. Owl looked ready to envelope Kurapika with the cloth at any moment.
Kurapika seemed oblivious, still relying on his Judgment Chain (Pinky Chain - note: text says little finger chain but context implies attacking chain) to harass Owl.
Just as Owl took another step forward, he felt a sudden constriction.
Something's wrong!
Before he could react, he froze. His Fun Fun Cloth dropped to the ground. His arms were pinned tightly to his sides by an invisible force.
Slowly, a chain materialized around him, connected to Kurapika's middle finger.
In (Concealment).
Kurapika had used In to hide his Chain Jail (Middle Finger Chain) and laid it as a trap.
As long as Owl kept advancing, he would inevitably walk into the invisible bind.
Kurapika had identified Owl's weakness early on.
Although Owl had developed a unique Hatsu, his fundamental application of Nen was sloppy.
He only maintained a basic Ren, not even Ken. And he wasn't using Gyo on his eyes constantly, meaning he missed critical information during the fight.
In was the checkmate.
This is what Brother Ronin meant by 'half-baked', Kurapika thought. They rely on their ability but ignore the basics.
Against such an opponent, a little strategy guaranteed victory.
Kurapika raised his index finger.
The chain on his index finger ended in a syringe. Under Owl's horrified gaze, the needle pierced his body.
A wave of weakness washed over Owl.
His aura was being drained.
Steal Chain (Index Finger Chain).
Kurapika's five chains each had a specific function:
Thumb (Holy Chain): Enhanced healing for self and others. Boosted significantly in Scarlet Eyes mode.
Index Finger (Steal Chain): Drains the target's aura and steals their Nen ability. It forces the target into Zetsu. However, it works best on restrained targets (hence the combo with Chain Jail). In Scarlet Eyes mode, he can lend the stolen ability to others (Stealth Dolphin), though the cost is high.
Middle Finger (Chain Jail): Restrains the target and forces them into Zetsu.
Ring Finger (Dowsing Chain): Used for tracking and lie detection. In Scarlet Eyes mode, its range and accuracy increase massively, even detecting lies without visual contact.
Little Finger (Recovery Aid): The pinky chain aids in recovery via aura nodes and is used for attacks.
Right now, Owl was helpless, his aura being siphoned away by the Steal Chain.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you