Staring into Gyro's eyes, which were brimming with malice, Allen stood his ground and spoke nonchalantly, "Give up. You have zero chance of winning against me. No matter how powerful that midnight-colored liquid is, it's simply too slow. It's like a ten-thousand-pound sledgehammer, it doesn't matter how terrifying the destructive power is if it never hits its mark."
"Give up? Sorry, but the word 'surrender' has never existed in my dictionary!"
Gyro spat out a mouthful of dark red blood and pulled himself up again, leaning against the trunk of another nearby tree.
Determination.
Persistence.
Madness.
Undoubtedly, setting aside basic concepts of good and evil and looking strictly at spirit and will, he stood at the absolute apex of the human race.
One had to remember that even veteran Hunters like Morel and Knov couldn't help but feel fear and despair upon sensing Allen's terrifying Aura capacity.
But Gyro?
From start to finish, he never once viewed himself from a position of weakness!
Nor did he allow fear to seize control of his mind.
"Is that so? Then how exactly do you plan to continue fighting, let alone win, with a body as battered as yours?"
Allen didn't mock the man's overestimation of his own strength; instead, he wore a look of genuine interest. To be precise, until he figured out the true nature of that black liquid, he wasn't prepared to kill the greatest drug lord of the Hunter world quite yet.
"There's always a way, isn't there? After all, I survived being eaten by those monsters! Besides, every human has a weakness. You're no exception."
Gyro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and immediately manipulated the viscous black liquid to gather together, forming an orbiting shield around his body.
Allen nodded in agreement. "Well said! Nothing in this world is perfect; everyone has their own weakness. But the question is, given your current physical state, how much longer can you hold out? One minute? Ten minutes? Even if a Chimera Ant's vitality is more robust than a human's, internal organ rupture and massive hemorrhaging will kill you soon enough."
"You think I'm afraid to die?" Gyro sneered with irony.
"No. Of course you aren't afraid of death. But you are afraid of dying before you complete your plan, aren't you?" Allen countered with a half-smile, his lips curling upward.
At those words, Gyro's smile instantly froze. His expression turned incredibly dark. "Congratulations. You guessed right. It seems you found my weakness before I could find yours."
"That's why I advise you to stop struggling. The more violent the struggle, the more painful your death will be."
As Allen spoke, he began to close the distance slowly. He had already noticed that Baise had silently circled around, sneaking into a position less than twenty meters behind their target.
Gyro's attention was entirely fixated on Allen; he had no idea that the most lethal threat was right behind him.
The moment the distance between them closed to less than ten meters, he finally acted, controlling the black viscous liquid to form a massive net, attempting to envelop Allen from above.
But at that exact moment, the lurking Baise finally moved.
Imbued with superhuman agility, she closed the gap in a single Charge. Before the enemy could react, she executed a grapple-and-throat-lock maneuver, pinning his head back to deliver a fatal kiss.
Instant Lover activated!
The next second...
The emperor of the NGL underworld, the greatest drug lord of the human world, suddenly collapsed onto the ground and turned into a total "simp."
His aura and character design crumbled instantly!
"Hahahaha! Bark! Bark louder! You filthy, pathetic lecher!"
Baise planted her boot firmly on Gyro's face and laughed wildly, her hidden sadistic streak flaring up again. Despite having seen this many times before, several members of the team still couldn't help but cover their eyes.
Kalluto, the youngest member, looked particularly shaken. He raised his paper fan to cover his mouth and nose, his eyes shimmering with a complex light of shock and curiosity.
"Stop playing around. Hurry up and ask him exactly what kind of ability that black liquid is," Allen interjected to remind her. If he didn't speak up, this "Queen" would likely play with her "pet" for another twenty minutes.
"OK!"
Baise was clearly interested in the eerie Nen-created liquid as well. She asked bluntly, "Tell me, little doggy, what's the deal with your ability?"
"It's... it makes all things decay! No matter what it is, once it touches the liquid, it will rapidly rot, disintegrate, and wither. If it's a living creature, they will inevitably age and die. My Queen, please... continue to punish and torment me! Trample me more!"
Gyro answered while frantically licking the dirt off Baise's leather boots.
"Decay? It certainly fits his twisted, morbid personality and his heart's desire for revenge against all of humanity," Allen mused, rubbing his chin.
After all, a Hatsu often truly reflects a person's personality and their deepest inner desires. For instance, Chairman Netero desired to surpass his own limits, which granted him the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, a striking speed that defies physical laws. Or take Biscuit, who possesses a young girl's heart and hates her muscular "gorilla" form; she gained the Magical Esthetician - Cookie-chan and the ability to maintain a loli form long-term.
Without a doubt, "Decay" was an exceptionally terrifying rule-based ability. Had Gyro not lacked rigorous training, making him completely inept at direct combat, and had he not awakened his Nen so recently that he lacked the time for deeper development and tactical planning, killing him would have been a significant ordeal.
Having uncovered the truth behind Gyro's power, Allen, with Baise's cooperation, quickly fulfilled all the prerequisites for seizing the ability. He ended the life of this anti-human tyrant with a final punch.
When the Red Dragon finished devouring the soul, Allen immediately manifested a large mass of the black viscous liquid. Feeling the terrifying power contained within, he couldn't help but sigh softly. "What a frightening ability. It's a good thing this guy didn't escape back into the human world; otherwise, the trouble would have been immense."
"Oh? Truly?" Hisoka arched an eyebrow, sounding skeptical.
"If you don't believe me, feel free to test it," Allen said, making a "help yourself" gesture.
Hisoka, ever the man of action, immediately activated his Nen to create a strand of Bungee Gum, flicking one end into the black liquid. In less than a second, the rubbery substance, which could support the weight of a heavy truck without snapping, turned an eerie black and shattered into segments.
Had Hisoka's reflexes not been fast enough to sever the connection, his fingers and arm likely would have suffered the same fate.
"My, my~ This stuff really is as scary as you described. Even Nen is inevitably affected. I suppose I should congratulate you. This ability will only reach its maximum potential in your hands," Hisoka complimented with a grin.
But Allen shook his head gently. "No. You're wrong. I won't be using this ability often. Because anyone touched by it will age and die within a very short time. And aging means their Aura capacity will drop significantly, which means the quality of the 'Cocoons' they turn into will plummet..."