AN: This is a bit shorter of a chapter today but I have two birthdays in the family back to back this weekend and I am going out for dinner (It really is odd all of my friends or family have birthdays in winter... like ALL of them.) I hope you enjoy it despite its length.
Also, I wanted to discuss the length or scope of this fan fic, I would hate to drop this and especially in the middle of an arc (I'm not planning on doing that btw). but, I may stop writing within 3-6 months as some big things will be happening in my life then. I may be able to write after that period but it's up in the air for me. So I have looked at trimming up some things for this story. The main thing I have considered is the dark continent, which could be its own story by itself. The other cut I was considering was the succession war, I don't know much about it and it would cut off at the same place as the anime which just seems fitting to me considering it was how I discovered this fictional world. I may also cut other side stories or locations like the barren sea plot I made. I would just like to come to some sort of clean conclusion by the end. Really, I wished I started with a smaller-scale story. I have a few outlines of other stories written up that would be much easier to make or more fitting for me to write yet I chose the more challenging one. idk, on to the chapter.
- - - - - End of Author note - - - - -
Slowly inching backward, I trained my eye on the spider as everyone began to readjust themselves for the next round of combat and the addition of another combatant. Sure, we could have pressed further while we had an initiative but an unorganized attack would lead to a defeat. Our strength was found in our combined movements, allowing us to hit above our weight class, and while I was not as synchronous as Gon and Killua we meshed well enough.
Though as suddenly as it stopped, combat started back up once again as gunfire, Knife attacks, and Nen-enhanced strikes began to increase in intensity. However, as we continued to fight the momentum and tide of the battle began to tilt in our favor. Not much mind you, yet small concessions were made by our enemy to avoid major injury, receiving small cuts or strikes from our united attacks.
Currently, Gon and I were throwing anything and everything we had at him to keep him busy while Killua tried to hide away before jumping back into the fight whenever he spotted an opening. We were even trying everything we could to prevent his pins from connecting with a human body, from upping the pressure before he can attack or knock it out of the air. However, to do that we had to have more aura on the contact with the needle to overpower the needle as we did not want to lose a numerical advantage. I mostly used a combination of Ko and my Hatsu, while Gon just spiked his aura across his body since he hasn't learned many advanced techniques.
*chink* Stepping in a bit further, I tried to stab him in the abdomen instead of wide slash attacks. In turn, my opponent did something new; creating another needle he flooded it with a sizeable amount of aura and parried and redirected my knife attack. But since he had his other hand occupied with his phone, he was struck by a full-strength attack from Gon to his midsection. Sure, he used a layer of Ren but most of his aura was concentrated on the needle and phone resulting in a critical hit dealt.
*Shink* What I should have expected though all things considered was when he flipped the needle in his hand before sinking it into his thigh. Immediately after, the aura stored inside the phone and needle began to seep back into his body before changing in nature and quality, bathing his body in a fierce and oppressing golden hue as his pupils went blank as his body began to straighten a bit.
"Assessing objective… eliminate all persons within the vicinity. Assessing status… minor contusions and cuts across the body, minor fractures in the arms and legs, and two broken ribs… Assessing plans… Swiftly eliminate the target." as the enemy began his 'Non-Descript-Power-up' we quickly retreated, we knew we were outgunned in this situation.
Thankfully, from what I could piece together from my general grey area that is anime bullshit I mostly remembered in my mind was that this state wouldn't be held for long. Hopefully, we could run away or I could stall long enough for this state to burn through all his aura. I mean when he transformed his Ren dissipated and what I could only assume was most of his aura was placed into his Hatsu.
"Gon, Killua, try to retreat or stall this out, these sorts of power increases cannot be sustained for overly long periods of time or have crippling conditions to the user. I'll try to get away as well but I am more durable." peering behind my back, I saw the standing form of our enemy, stood straight as a pole, and wasn't even looking at us, just looking straight ahead in the direction he was standing.
*thwip* That was until he disappeared. In just one second, I no longer saw his standing form before I felt what could only be a trace of someone's presence behind me.
*BOOM* And I was subsequently blasted straight into the ground with an unholy amount of strength immediately afterward burying me underneath multiple feet of dirt and asphalt.