Hanma Baki was Ron's Nen Beast.
And Ron is only in his early teens.
Thus, Park did not expect Hanma Baki to be very strong.
Now, Park realized that Baki was far more powerful than he had guessed.
This also meant that Ron was much stronger than Park had anticipated.
"Incredible."
"Does he really possess such power at such a young age?"
"Is this the Zoldyck family?"
The small cockroach had a body resembling that of the giant cockroach but with a human face. It first glanced at the tip of the spear that had struck it and then turned to Park.
A mocking smile appeared on the small cockroach's face.
It sidestepped and leapt over Park's spear, lunging to bite him.
Park gritted his teeth and withdrew the spear, positioning it defensively in front of him.
"Bang!"
The impact sent Park staggering back several meters before he could regain his footing.
But the small cockroach was already launching its next attack.
The term "small" was relative when compared to the giant cockroach; to a human, the small cockroach was quite large, even towering over Park.
The relentless barrage of attacks forced Park into a defensive stance.
He had completely fallen into a disadvantageous position.
Peter watched Park with concern.
Over the past few days, Peter had come to acknowledge Park, recognizing him as a good person who treated him well. Moreover, he had placed all his hopes for the future on Park.
Peter clenched his fists tightly.
Ron glanced in Park's direction and noticed something.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Park remained calm and steady. He was struggling, but not defeated. Ron observed another detail.
The colour of the spear in Park's hands had changed.
Previously, the spear was entirely red, with only the tip bearing a hint of gold.
Now, however, half of the spear had turned gold.
"Restriction and Oath, huh?"
Ron deduced Park's ability.
In its normal form, the spear manifested as a long weapon, and the content of the restriction and oath was related to the attacks made with it. The more hits the spear landed, the more gold accumulated along its shaft.
Once the spear was entirely covered in gold, a transformation would surely occur.
Ron inferred this from Park's intent to attack.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
A series of intense collision sounds rang out.
Finally, the spear's entire shaft turned golden, and Park's face lit up with joy as he lifted his gaze to the small cockroach.
"Just a mere cockroach, do you really think I am not your match?"
"Now let me show you Park's true strength!"
"Die!"
With a fierce battle cry, Park raised his spear and lunged straight at the small cockroach.
A burst of golden light exploded from the spear in Park's hands.
The small cockroach sensed that something was amiss.
But by this point, it was too late to dodge.
"Bang!"
The spear pierced directly through the small cockroach.
"Pffft!"
A massive wound opened, and the small cockroach sustained a fatal injury, its light green blood spewing out and staining the ground around them.
Seeing this, Peter breathed a sigh of relief.
Park panted heavily, staring at the small cockroach's corpse, a smile spreading across his face.
Then, instinctively, he glanced toward Ron.
What he saw was that dozens of small cockroaches had already fallen near Ron.
All of these had been slain by Hanma Baki.
Park shook his head.
"People truly can't be compared."
"The gap is just too vast."
"When I was around your age, I was still scavenging for food."
At that moment, Zeno suddenly appeared in mid-air.
"Ron, fall back!"
"Yes, Grandpa Zeno!"
Ron quickly retreated.
Hanma Baki also fought while withdrawing.
Park hurriedly moved to Peter's side.
What he saw was Zeno's aura continuously gathering in the air.
A dragon shape emerged, coiling in the sky.
A single word floated into Ron's mind.
" Dragon Lance!"
In the original storyline, Zeno showcased two abilities.
One was Dragon Head, a mid-range suppression attack.
The second was Dragon Dive, a large-scale attack ability.
The former had been used during the Yorknew City arc when Jeno fought against Chrollo.
The latter was employed during the Chimera Ant arc after accepting a commission from Netero.
That massive Dragon Dive covered the entire palace.
However, such abilities usually come with drawbacks.
The destructive power of a single strike is limited, and it's not easy to hit a specific enemy.
In short, this ability is more suited for clearing out mobs or managing the battlefield.
In one-on-one scenarios, Dragon Head would be more appropriate.
But in the current situation, it was indeed usable.
There were simply too many small cockroaches.
"Dragon Dive!"
As Zeno focused his thoughts, the enormous dragon shape disintegrated in an instant, transforming into countless light spheres that turned into arrows of light, plummeting downward.
"Bang!"
"Pffft!"
"Bang!"
"Pffft!"
…
Upon hitting the ground, the light spheres exploded instantly, creating massive craters.
When they struck the small cockroaches, they burst apart under such an attack.
This obliterated the vast majority of the small cockroaches, leaving only a few outside the area of effect.
The giant cockroach let out an angry roar.
But it was of no use.
Zeno calmly surveyed the giant cockroach below, then gathered more of his aura into his hands and dove directly at its head.
Too fast.
Too strong.
The giant cockroach couldn't dodge.
It could only raise its antennae, bracing for Zeno's attack.
"Boom!"
The earth shook.
Ron was already far away, but he could still feel the ground trembling.
"So strong!"
Park looked at Zeno in the distance, feeling awestruck.
But Ron knew that this was probably not Zeno's full strength.
The Dragon Dive that Zeno was using now was far inferior to the one he had employed during the Chimera Ant arc in the original storyline.
The scale difference was simply too vast.
The giant cockroach's shriek echoed again.
However, its appearance was already completely different from before.
One of its compound eyes had exploded, both antennae were broken, and its head was in a pitiful state; it looked battered, and its imposing presence had diminished considerably.
Yet the ferocity in its eyes had not waned; instead, it had intensified.
What awaited the giant cockroach was an even fiercer attack from Zeno.
From the previous assault, Zeno had already grasped the giant cockroach's basic situation.
The first half of the assassin's job was done.
Now, all that remained was the kill.
Zeno's figure vanished.