Boom!
Luo Ning's fist smashed heavily into Uvogin's chest.
A violent, overwhelming force exploded instantly.
Pinned against the outer hull of the airship, Uvogin's body actually bent backward under the sheer impact of the explosion. Shock flickered in his eyes the moment the punch landed.
Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth; it was clear that Luo Ning's explosive strike had wounded him.
However, in the next second, a hint of madness erupted across his furious face. The fist that had missed Luo Ning previously, along with his other arm, suddenly snapped inward toward his chest.
He seemed intent on crushing Luo Ning in a direct bear hug.
But Luo Ning, having landed his hit, gave Uvogin no such opportunity.
The powerful dynamic vision of the Sharingan allowed him to see every one of Uvogin's movements with ease.
The moment his strike connected, Luo Ning dropped into a sudden crouch. His right arm pulled back in tandem, and chakra began to accumulate rapidly. From his posture, it looked like he was aiming a follow-up punch directly at Uvogin's vitals!
The moment Luo Ning ducked, even someone as tough as Uvogin felt a chill rush straight to his skull.
But then, as his Nen shifted downward to protect himself, he took a sudden, deep breath.
Luo Ning sensed the instantaneous change in Uvogin and realized what he was planning.
Instead of throwing the loaded punch, he glared at Uvogin with both eyes, activating a Sharingan Genjutsu the same moment he leaped backward.
At such close range, Luo Ning clearly saw Uvogin's shroud of Nen flicker slightly as the Genjutsu took hold.
The fluctuation was incredibly subtle, lasting only a fraction of a second before returning to normal.
Yet, that brief moment was enough for Luo Ning to retreat several meters and raise his hands to cover his ears.
Right then, a roar capable of shattering eardrums erupted from Uvogin's mouth!
After having two consecutive attacks evaded by Luo Ning, Uvogin had clearly noticed something was wrong and decided to use a wide-range sonic attack.
Against this kind of area-of-effect strike, even if Luo Ning used the Substitution Jutsu, he wouldn't be able to block the shockwave entirely.
However, Uvogin hadn't expected Luo Ning to be so decisive.
He had been holding that breath since the moment Luo Ning began his charge.
After all, the memory of Luo Ning turning into white smoke under his previous attack was still fresh in his mind. When Luo Ning rushed him, Uvogin hadn't assumed he could catch him easily.
Using a sonic roar to stun the target at close range was his best tactical choice.
But now, it seemed the effect was underwhelming.
Uvogin's gaze toward Luo Ning grew more solemn. That sudden explosion of power had managed to hurt him, though a large part of that was due to the several ribs Luo Ning's father had broken in their previous fight, which still hadn't fully healed.
Still, it proved that Luo Ning's attacks were not to be underestimated. Furthermore, the kid possessed the ability to see through his movements and had several troublesome life-saving tricks.
This guy was much more difficult to deal with than he had initially judged.
Retreating, Luo Ning looked at Uvogin with a heavy expression.
The defense of a pure Enhancer was indeed terrifying.
The Cherry Blossom Impact was the most powerful physical attack he could generate at this stage, yet even after catching Uvogin off guard, it only managed to make him bleed slightly.
'In that case...'
Luo Ning watched the buildings on the ground grow larger in his vision as the airship descended. He dropped into a low starting-block pose.
Uvogin narrowed his eyes.
'Is this kid going to charge again?'
The terrain on the airship's hull was too restrictive for him. On level ground, even if Luo Ning could see his movements, Uvogin was confident he could outspeed him and smash him into the airship before the kid could retreat.
But here, he could only act like a target, waiting for the other's assault before looking for a chance to counter.
'This is really annoying!'
Uvogin thought as his muscles tensed, preparing his defense.
As he did, his mouth moved slightly.
Luo Ning's movements were fluid and without hesitation. A second after settling into his dash posture, he exploded with even greater speed than before, charging straight for Uvogin.
The distance between them wasn't far to begin with.
His instantaneous burst of speed reached the limit, bringing him in front of Uvogin in the blink of an eye.
Rotating his body, he swung his right leg toward Uvogin's head.
Taijutsu: Leaf Hurricane!
This time, Uvogin chose not to tank the hit.
He lowered his head slightly to dodge the kick. Simultaneously, his jaw shifted, and he spat a tooth out of his mouth.
Wrapped in Nen, the tooth flew like a bullet, grazing Luo Ning's abdomen as he was mid-rotation.
Luo Ning's expression didn't change. When his kick missed, his center of gravity had already shifted downward. The insight of the Sharingan had already allowed him to see the Nen gathering in Uvogin's mouth.
So, whatever Uvogin spat out didn't surprise him—it was just that the speed of the tooth was too fast.
Even though he tried his best to dodge, his side was still grazed.
Pressing his hand against the hull to launch himself, Luo Ning ignored the wound on his side. He coiled like a spring and snapped upward, aiming a kick directly at Uvogin's chin.
The movement was incredibly fast, a perfect flow of motion.
Because he had just committed to an attack, Uvogin couldn't dodge again at such close range.
Luo Ning's foot connected squarely with his chin.
At that moment, Uvogin felt a surge of alarm. The metal plating of the hull beneath him began to screech and groan as his body was lifted by the force of the kick.
In that instant, Uvogin realized Luo Ning's plan.
'He wants to kick me off the ship!'
Understanding this, Uvogin threw his upper body back into a bridge, his hands reaching down to grip the airship's hull firmly.
But right then, a sense of impending crisis rose in his heart.
In the next second, he found that the entire section of the hull beneath him had changed. His perspective flipped and tumbled as the world spun.
That damn brat had actually ripped and flipped the entire section of the outer plating he was holding onto!
Standing on the remaining hull, Luo Ning had focused a massive amount of chakra into his arms. He didn't use the Cherry Blossom Impact, but rather a C-Rank Ninjutsu: Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!
Originally, this jutsu used Earth Attribute chakra to enhance strength and dig out a massive rock to hurl at a target.
Using it now to tear away the iron skin of the airship was a perfect application.
Especially since Uvogin's position wasn't far from the structural weakness of the windows below, making it much easier to rip the section away.
The airship was still dozens of meters above the ground. Luo Ning wasn't entirely confident that a fall from this height would kill Uvogin.
But even if it didn't kill him, Uvogin likely wouldn't be able to land as gracefully as Chairman Netero.
Luo Ning was left with two choices.
He could either turn back to the cockpit and force the pilot to pull up and fly to the next city.
Or, he could let the airship land and go finish off the Uvogin who had just fallen.
These two options existed in Luo Ning's mind for less than three seconds before he made his judgment.
He would finish the job.
Because he had seen Uvogin cough up a large spray of blood the moment he hit the ground!
Strike while he's down!