Oboro stood calmly and assessed his opponent. His physical abilities, mental strength and endurance far surpassed the Zodiac before him. The gap was especially apparent in defense, where his mastery of the Iron Shirt had raised his physical protection to a frightening level.
Having reached a level of strength comparable to that of the Zodiacs, Oboro knew their capabilities intimately. His knowledge, combined with memories and information gathered in this life, gave him a clear understanding of each member's level. Most were national level hunters, including his current opponent, though the more exceptional members approached sub-world level. Not that it mattered, as long as Oboro himself remained technically at the sub-world level, his actual fighting ability now rivaled that of world-class fighters.
Among the battle-oriented Zodiacs such as Saiyuu, Kanzai, and Ginta, his opponent was among the strongest. However, only three Zodiacs really worried Oboro: the dragon Botobai Gigante, the rat Pariston Hill, and the boar Mizaistom Nana. This battle was merely a test to see if Saiyuu could make him feel any real danger or pressure.
As his power grew, Oboro noticed a shift in his mentality, a certain emotion gradually fading away. He now understood why Chairman Netero had developed such a childlike personality in his later years, finding entertainment in toying with younger hunters. When few things could pose a real threat, everything became a game.
Age played its part, but personal strength was the deciding factor. Netero had surrounded himself with people like Oboro and Pariston, letting them run wild as a form of self-challenge, hoping that they would bring him some semblance of danger. As they said, it was lonely at the top. Standing alone at the top could get pretty boring.
Over time, something precious could be lost. Oboro felt that loneliness creeping in, nowhere near Netero's level, but a worrying sign nonetheless. He needed real danger as motivation to push forward. Without it, he might have to venture to the Dark Continent earlier than planned. Maybe that's why Netero had left in his youth: staying too long in the human world had led to stagnation.
Oboro held Saiyu's weapon with one hand without any real effort. When he raised his arm, the arc of the retractable staff widened. Despite Saiyu's strained muscles and gritted teeth, the veins bulging on his forehead, he couldn't win the contest of strength. The staff only slipped from Oboro's hand because he let it.
"HAAH!" Saiyu roared, leaping between trees before swooping over Oboro's head, his weapon whistling through the air. A dense storm of staff shadows rained down from above, their impact devastating the forest. Tree tops shattered and trunks splintered, clearing a wide area in a matter of seconds.
Saiyu's staff techniques and destructive power were impressive, but Oboro simply retreated, shaking his head as he effortlessly dodged each blow. The seemingly fierce barrage proved to be too slow, lacking any real threat.
His opponent moved like a frenzied monkey, pushing his telekinesis to its limits. His techniques flowed naturally, leaving no obvious openings. But no matter how hard Saiyu pressed the attack, he couldn't land a single hit. Even in his breathing state, Oboro's physical abilities and reactions were enough to nullify any technique.
But the frenzied attack had a purpose. As Oboro took another step back, a small monkey materialized out of thin air and crouched at his landing spot. Saiyu was no fool; any fighter capable of reaching the higher ranks of Nen users had developed their own refined style of combat, blending technique with tactical thinking. His apparent anger was only a facade.
He had studied Oboro's movements, forcing his reactions until he found an opening. His only chance to win, or even just to gain time, was to use his two remaining Nen-Monkeys and their special abilities to create problems for his target. The fact that Oboro had only dodged without countering suggested overconfidence, a weakness Saiyu intended to exploit.
The moment before Oboro's feet touched the ground, the monkey lunged from behind, reaching for the exposed skin. Without looking back, as if eyes in the back of his head, Oboro turned his palm toward the creature in his blind spot. His five fingers pinched the air, instantly trapping the struggling monkey. With a simple flick of his fingers, the creature exploded.
Saiyu's expression was not one of surprise, but of satisfaction that his trap had worked! The first ape was merely a feint to divide attention. The second would deliver the killing blow.
A black shadow materialized in front of Oboro, the young monkey's face showing an almost human joy as it reached for his eyes. The whole sequence happened in a split second.
Just as the monkey's fingers approached Oboro's eye sockets, its cold voice cut through the air: "You chose not to face me directly, but to wait for reinforcements. While tactically sound, you failed to meet my expectations. I gave you plenty of time."
Saiyu's pupils dilated as his carefully planned gambit crumbled. The monkey between them suddenly resembled a stuffed doll torn apart by brutal air currents, its internal organs scattered before dissolving into pure Nen.
His hand! Saiyu stared at Oboro's fingers. 'Telekinesis? But there was no sign of it.'
The opponent's fingers carried knife-like power, but like the earlier wound inflicted on Saiyu himself, there had been no warning. Just a simple movement of the knuckles, executing an air finger fighting technique at a range of five meters. Within that radius, anything Oboro wanted to destroy had no chance of reaching him.
Although Saiyu hadn't seen the first strike clearly, this attack confirmed his analysis. Despite his surging emotions, his fighting instinct drove him to press his attack as soon as the monkey died, seizing what he thought was an opening.
Nen flooded through his body, concentrating on the tip of the staff as he swung for Oboro's forehead. But history repeated itself: Oboro extended a finger in a gentle caressing motion, and torn air currents sliced across Saiyu's neck. The timing was precise, disrupting his technique before it could fully form.
Saiyu tried to dodge, but the initial movement of his arms had delayed his reaction. A wet splash reached his ears, followed by hot blood splashing across his face, turning his vision crimson. His carotid artery had been severed, blood spurting out to stain the floor. Staggering backward, Saiyu clamped a hand over the wound, contracting his muscles, but blood still seeped between his fingers.
"Why?" His mind raced. "It's not just air manipulation, it has telekinetic properties. The telekinesis leaves his body through the air currents?"
He had assumed that Oboro's ability to attack through the air was just a residual power, like a shock wave or a technique. After all, he hadn't seen him use telekinesis on anything but the air itself. It differed from normal emission in that there was no visible projectile or movement. Oboro's attacks simply manifested within five meters.
"This is a Nen ability, but it's more passive than active, with specific properties," Oboro explained coldly. "Strictly speaking, I'm just performing normal attacks, without any visible Nen manifestation or warning signs."
As he finished speaking, the Nen around his body ignited like flames. Dark green mist filled the forest, accompanied by ghostly shadows that grew increasingly turbulent and thick, expanding rapidly.
"This is the Nen you know," Oboro's gaze pierced through the ghostly mist to the restless Saiyu.
The Zodiac's face had grown pale. From his perspective, hideous ghostly faces writhed in the swirling green mist, manifestations of souls struggling to break free and attack. These evil spirits darted through the mist with gut-wrenching screams, their presence weakening Saiyu's very thoughts.
His telekinesis faltered, both from his broken will and from his rapidly diminishing vitality. Suddenly, recognition struck: "The champion Thresh!
Saiyu had been playing Island of Heroes. After entering the game world, Pariston had instructed them to study each champion's abilities, suggesting that they were related to Oboro's goals. Somehow, Oboro had brought the game's abilities into reality, though they manifested far more powerfully than their in-game versions.
These created champions clearly form a complete system," Saiyu recalled Pariston's words. Their design and positioning are precise, implying that they all have origins. When Oboro created them, he must have developed a background lore, though he deliberately concealed the key details. We can only make educated guesses based on their abilities."'
Thresh was connected to hell and souls. How many abilities had Oboro made real? Saiyu's mind reeled at the implications. Not only that, but it seemed that Oboro intended to develop these abilities further, considering how drastically they differed from their game versions.
The only conclusion Saiyu could draw was that Oboro planned to manifest Thresh in reality, using himself as a medium. Pariston was right, the Master's background was the key. In the heart of the Ghost Fog, ghosts with indistinct features crawled at Oboro's feet like obedient pets, their very presence holding Saiyu's breath. The distance between them was insurmountable.
"Don't waste time thinking my patience has run out."
Oboro's words struck Saiyu like lightning, shattering his composure. He retreated frantically, dragging his badly wounded body out of the ghost mist.
"Catch him," Oboro ordered quietly.
The wandering spirits rose like a disturbed hornet's nest, trailing mist as they pursued their prey.
"Now that you've discovered my secret, I can't let you escape," a slight smile crossed Oboro's face.
So this is the limit of the Zodiacs," he thought. He had sensed Saiyu's attack coming and had deliberately fallen into the trap, hoping to draw out whatever trump cards or killing moves the Zodiac possessed. Unfortunately, Saiyu's performance was only average. While his brute strength and fighting spirit were promising, his insight was lacking.
Oboro had originally had high hopes for Saiyu. Now, he understood not only Netero's perspective, but also Hisoka's disappointment when they faced Bushidora. Their opponent simply hadn't lived up to expectations.