Feitan instantly threw up his guard.
Ronin's heavy punch slammed directly into Feitan's raised arms, forcing him back and carving two long trenches into the dirt with his feet. A severe, numbing sensation shot through his arms.
Above them, the temperatures were violently neutralizing. The high-temperature flames and the freezing Ice Moon were caught in a brutal stalemate, seemingly intent on mutual destruction. Though the neutralized air was still chilly, the cascading embers made sure the temperature wouldn't drop low enough to cause frostbite.
Mere wind and frost were far too weak to threaten a skilled Nen user.
If he likes the heat so much, I'll just have to make another one for him!
With his anger still boiling—and escalating even further after being punched back by Ronin—Feitan's body erupted with another massive surge of Nen.
But Ronin wasn't going to give him the chance to unleash a second ability.
[Ama-no-Tokotachi] instantly locked onto Feitan's head, completely paralyzing his movements. Simultaneously, the black flames of [Amaterasu] flared to life right beside Feitan, immediately engulfing his body.
However, the protective suit Feitan wore had already quietly shifted back to a deep crimson. As the black flames of Amaterasu scorched the fabric, they failed to pose an immediate threat to Feitan himself, instead burning away the dense layer of Nen radiating from the suit.
But that was enough. Feitan's massive aura output became the perfect fuel for the inextinguishable black flames.
Ronin closed the distance again in the blink of an eye. This time, he didn't attack with his own hands; a colossal Susanoo materialized around him. A skeletal arm, draped in blood-red chakra, reached out and grabbed the black-flame-engulfed Feitan.
Unable to move his head, Feitan didn't know exactly what was happening, but instinct drove him to reach up and grasp at his face. That single motion made him realize that the space around his head was as solid as a steel plate, completely impenetrable.
That same motion also made Ronin feel a sharp, rapid drain on the visual prowess of his left eye holding the stasis.
But in that brief window, Susanoo's massive hand firmly clamped around Feitan.
[Ama-no-Tokotachi] vanished. The giant hand hauled Feitan high into the air before slamming him brutally back down into the earth.
Smash!
Just like the Hulk thrashing Loki, Susanoo dragged Feitan by the legs and delivered a savage, unrelenting beating.
The black flames hadn't burned through Feitan's protective suit, but the violent impacts caused him to vomit mouthfuls of blood. In that moment, both his rage and his physical trauma peaked at their absolute limits.
Yet, Feitan could no longer deliver any surprises.
A thin trail of blood leaked from Ronin's left eye, but it wasn't a fundamental injury. The Susanoo dispersed, and Feitan, entirely wreathed in flames, fell to the ground.
As the Ice Moon above finally shattered and vanished under the intense heat, the forest returned to an eerie silence. Droplets of water slowly fell from the thawing trees, and the distant chirping of birds and insects had completely ceased. It was entirely possible they had all been frozen to death in that brief moment of absolute zero.
Ronin took a step forward, looking down at Feitan, who was still encased in his protective gear.
"You lose, trash."
It was a simple insult, but it was enough to make Feitan cough up another mouthful of blood. He struggled to get up, only to realize his body was too weak to even rise. The protective suit covered him entirely, but it didn't heal his injuries; it only made him look as if he were unhurt. In reality, he had already suffered massive internal trauma from Ronin's first heavy punch.
Part of him had allowed that to happen, hoping the severe injuries would trigger a stronger counterattack to kill his enemy. But now, the Ice Moon had failed to end Ronin's life, he hadn't gotten the chance to unleash his Scorching Sun, and the Susanoo's brutal thrashing had nearly shattered every bone in his body.
Just as Ronin said, he had lost!
Like a piece of trash, he had been utterly crushed in the one-on-one combat he prided himself on.
Shalnark's plan was probably the right move after all, Feitan thought.
Unfortunately, he never would have chosen to avoid a fight. His Nen ability didn't exactly differentiate between friend and foe anyway, which meant his confrontation with Ronin was always destined to be a solo endeavor.
Losing now meant that even if he somehow survived, he would inevitably lose the next time they crossed paths. After all, Chrollo and Shalnark had accurately deduced Ronin's growth rate long ago. He would outpace every single one of them!
Feitan narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the pitch-black flames to look at the sky. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
Without giving Ronin the chance to deliver any more taunts, the protective suit covering Feitan abruptly shattered and dissipated.
In that split second, the black flames of Amaterasu directly touched his flesh.
So this is the burning agony Bonolenov felt? he mused bitterly. I really wanted to see Ronin burn to death in a fire just like this!
"Is it hot?"
"It must be hard to even breathe with your throat burning like that, huh?"
"Run if you want to. Assuming you can even move, how about it?"
"Why don't you use that ability you're so proud of to get out of this?"
The incessant, mocking voice buzzed in his ears. It was Ronin. In the final moments of his life, these infuriating, agonizing words were all he could hear.
"Damn you...!" The hoarse scream was the last sound Feitan ever made.
The searing black flames of Amaterasu completely erased Feitan from the world, leaving not even a pile of ashes behind. However, when Ronin opened his hand, a small piece of Feitan's flesh sat in his palm—a chunk he had purposefully torn from the man's chest during his earlier assault.
He didn't take it for sentimentality. He took it so that, if the opportunity to use [Edo Tensei] arose in the future, he could resurrect the squinty-eyed killer to serve him.
Placing the flesh into a pre-prepared nutrient bottle, Ronin stretched his limbs and cast one last glance at the spot where Feitan had vanished. He shook his head slightly, feeling a twinge of regret.
His final taunts were designed to fuel Feitan's dying obsession, hoping to trigger Post-Mortem Nen.
But it seemed he had failed. Feitan had chosen to give up in his final moments, likely realizing that victory was entirely impossible.
"Book."
Summoning his Binder, Ronin pulled out a [Magnetic Force] card. "Magnetic Force, target: Shizuku."
The next second, a shroud of aura enveloped him, turning him into a streak of light that shot off into the distance.
Meanwhile, just as Ronin had been battling Feitan, Shizuku—having dragged Phinks away—summoned Blinky the moment her feet hit the ground.
Despite her quick reflexes, Phinks' heavy kick landed squarely on the vacuum's handle. The immense force sent Shizuku stumbling backward. Yet, her expression remained entirely unchanged. Treating Blinky like a shield, she stubbornly defended against Phinks' relentless barrage of strikes.
Just then, a fishhook materialized out of thin air right in front of Phinks, whipping viciously toward his neck.
Phinks' eyes narrowed. He planted his feet, reaching out to grab the fishing line trailing behind the hook. Flexing his muscles, he violently yanked the hook away just a fraction of a second before it could dig into his throat.
In that exact moment, Neon appeared behind him, her pink hair catching the light. Gripping a Nen-infused fountain pen, she viciously thrust it toward his lower back.
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