Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 453

Chapter 453: Severed Arm

As an observer, Nobunaga couldn’t see how Chrollo was injured, and even as the one involved, Chrollo himself didn't know how he got hurt. He believed that in the battle of nen, he did not fall behind.

Indeed, it was true. In close combat between nen users, if one doesn't master the use of "Ryu," losing within three rounds is inevitable.

Luo's "Ryu" was certainly exquisite, but Chrollo wasn't weak either. He used it without showing any signs of being suppressed by Luo. This was only in terms of skill, but in the diversity and effective use of nen abilities, even Chrollo’s Skill Hunter wasn’t as good as Luo’s.

In six or seven years, not only had Luo made great strides, but so had the members of the Phantom Troupe, especially the extraordinarily gifted Chrollo.

However, even though he allocated enough nen to block Luo's incoming attack, he still suffered internal injuries.

What was the sensation at that moment?

While continuously creating distance, Chrollo had the presence of mind to recall the feeling when he got hurt. It seemed... like being struck by a fist with a softer texture.

If this phenomenon was absolute, should physical blocks be avoided as much as possible?

Looking at Luo, who was relentlessly pursuing him, Chrollo couldn't help but feel a bit irritated. He noticed that Luo was targeting his weaknesses. If he couldn’t create distance, he couldn’t leverage the advantages of Skill Hunter.

"I can't engage in close combat. I need to find a way to create distance."

He believed Luo's physical skills and that long sword, which was equivalent to a conjured weapon, were very troublesome, and so was the unknown ability that caused his injury.

In other words, Luo's oppressive force in close combat was too strong. A single mistake could lead to a rapid reversal of the situation, so close combat had to be avoided.

Compared to Chrollo’s somewhat strained state, Luo appeared rather relaxed. However, to fully utilize his nen transformation effects, he needed to ensure that the nen he used was effective.

After all, even without Machi, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Pakunoda, and Kortopi, the Phantom Troupe still had eight skilled nen users, so he couldn’t squander his nen recklessly.

Bite down and attack swiftly!

Luo forced Chrollo into a retreat because Chrollo had abandoned the idea of close combat, thus weakening his momentum.

In fairness, Chrollo's nen skills weren't weak, and his close combat ability was also one of his highlights. But the outcome against Luo wasn’t favorable, so he changed his approach, intending to fully utilize the emitter-type abilities he had stolen to create an offensive stance.

However...

Luo noticed Chrollo's reluctance to engage in close combat, raised his right hand, and pointed at Chrollo, who kept retreating.

"At this distance, if I burst out with speed briefly, I can dodge it."

Seeing Luo's movement, Chrollo thought he was summoning True Master again, and through a quick distance judgment, he felt assured.

In the next moment, Chrollo’s eyes tightened because Luo summoned not a long sword but a short stick wrapped in black threads.

"Is it a nen weapon that can be freely controlled? What a convenient ability."

Chrollo’s thoughts paused momentarily, a cold current suddenly pierced his nerves.

Luo summoned the Ruyi Stick, injected nen into it, causing the stick to rapidly lengthen, the head of which pointed straight at Chrollo’s face.

Although Chrollo hadn’t anticipated this, he remained vigilant. When the stick suddenly elongated, he tilted his head to avoid it, feeling a sense of surprise.

At this moment, Luo’s mouth curved into a smile, and he pressed his arm down. The stick, which Chrollo had dodged, also pressed down, pinning Chrollo’s shoulder.

Chrollo’s heart trembled, the irritation spreading through his chest like branches and leaves.

He didn’t like this feeling of being suppressed.

"Boom!"

Chrollo was pressed down by the stick, causing the ground beneath his feet to crack.

After pinning Chrollo, Luo controlled the extended stick to strike towards Chrollo’s left neck.

At this moment, Chrollo gathered his nen and punched the stick, lifting it half a meter. The force applied to the stick simultaneously transmitted to Luo’s arm.

Chrollo wanted to take the opportunity to create distance, but Luo simply let go of the Ruyi Stick, removing the force.

"Troublesome..."

Chrollo clenched his teeth, the irritation rising continuously.

The two engaged in close combat once again.

Luo didn’t hold back, releasing the Ruyi Stick and directly summoning True Master, unleashing a series of blade strikes that enveloped Chrollo.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as the blades collided.

Once engaged in such attack and defense, it was hard to break away.

Luo’s offensive was like raging waves, but Chrollo blocked each strike with a short blade, both showcasing their exquisite "Ryu."

Ten times, a hundred times...

In just one minute, True Master and the short blade clashed hundreds of times.

Luo felt it was time for the real battle, switching True Master from "Blunt Mode" to "Sharp Mode."

Swoosh!

In the next collision, the short blade failed to block True Master. The half blade was directly cut off, flying into the air.

This sudden change was something Chrollo didn’t anticipate.

The rusty blade, unexpectedly and abruptly, severed the short blade, its momentum unrelenting, slashing towards Chrollo.

No time to dodge...

Instinctively, Chrollo raised his arm to block.

Silently, an arm flew into the air.

Luo’s slash broke through the nen defense, severing Chrollo’s right arm. Due to the ability restriction, Chrollo couldn’t feel pain, so his body movements weren’t affected, and he retreated.

This time, Luo didn’t pursue but caught Chrollo’s severed arm.

Initially, maintaining True Master in "Blunt Mode" was to create the illusion that Chrollo’s short blade could block it. Over a hundred clashes deepened this illusion.

When the warm-up ended, switching modes, Luo broke through the short blade’s defense, catching Chrollo off guard.

As a result, Luo succeeded. Even Chrollo's cautious battle style was trapped.

Chrollo retreated dozens of meters, covering his severed arm, and coldly said, "I’ve never truly shown my ability."

Luo retracted True Master, facing Chrollo, and took a few steps back, also retrieving the Ruyi Stick, then replied, "That’s correct."

"But you know my weakness well." Chrollo said.

"So what?" Luo’s expression remained calm.

"Nothing, you’ve won."

Chrollo exhaled deeply.

At this moment, several auras approached, revealing Uvogin and others who had dealt with numerous enemies. Along with Franklin and Shalnark, they arrived on the scene.

Upon seeing Chrollo’s missing right arm, they were shocked, displaying the same disbelief as Nobunaga.

They knew well their leader’s abilities. What exactly had happened?

Luo looked at the arriving Uvogin, Feitan, Phinks, Franklin, and Shalnark, thinking the timing was perfect.

"About twenty percent of the nen has been consumed, still acceptable."

Luo calculated the potential situations to face next. Since the battle began, he had consumed about twenty percent of his nen, mainly due to the high consumption of "Instant," which he had used many times.

At this moment, the arrival of Uvogin and others also made Chrollo breathe a sigh of relief.

The Special Attack Squad could come because, upon learning about the museum's incident, Clover had redirected more manpower there.

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