Chapter 41: The Strongest Combination
Wojin stood among the three Dark Beasts, ignoring their blood-soaked forms, his gaze fixed directly on Su Xiao.
Crack, crack...
Wojin clenched his flat teeth tightly, looking as if he wanted to devour Su Xiao alive. Su Xiao had killed Nobunaga, so Wojin's reaction was only natural.
Su Xiao walked forward slowly, drawing Dragon-Slaying Flash and sheathing Divine Remains. He prepared to engage Wojin in close combat.
The three members of the Troupe—Shalnark and the others—peeked out from behind the valley. After assessing the situation on the battlefield, they charged toward the fight.
"You three, hold them off. Five minutes is enough."
Su Xiao glanced at the three nearby Dark Beasts. The Dark Beast named Earthworm sneered, seemingly ready to flee.
"If you try to run, you'd better hope I die here. Otherwise, I'll chop you into minced meat and feed you to the dogs afterward."
Su Xiao's gaze was calm as he looked at Earthworm. A chill ran down Earthworm's spine. Minced meat fed to dogs was no metaphor or threat—he could clearly feel that if he dared to flee, that scenario would indeed come true.
Compared to Earthworm and Porcupine, Sick Dog was much more obedient. Ever since Su Xiao appeared, he had been in a state of terror. After all, Su Xiao had once used Realm Severing Thread to strangle his throat, slowly suffocating him, and later, during negotiations with the Ten Dons, had slit his throat open slowly.
Porcupine and Earthworm hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to head toward Shalnark and the others. Among Shalnark's group, two were support-type combatants—dangerous, yes, but not as terrifying as Wojin.
Wojin ignored the retreating Dark Beasts. Instead, he stomped the ground beneath him and shot forward like a cannonball.
Su Xiao lowered his body, his right hand gripping the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash tightly, the blade angled toward the ground.
Just as Wojin closed in on Su Xiao, he suddenly stopped and leaped backward.
Though furious, Wojin hadn't lost his reason. As he approached within five meters of Su Xiao, his instincts screamed danger. The closer he got, the more lethal it felt. Charging straight in would mean certain death.
Wojin's instincts were correct. If he had pressed forward, Su Xiao would have met him with Ring Break. Against a Nen user like Wojin, who relied on physical combat, Su Xiao had a natural advantage.
At equal strength, a weapon user held the upper hand—whether in attack power or range. With Su Xiao's LV.23 Blade Master skill, if Wojin recklessly charged in, Su Xiao could slice him into a pile of minced meat in no time.
Sensing Wojin's beast-like intuition, Su Xiao suddenly vanished from his spot.
"So fast!"
Wojin's eyes widened as he instantly concentrated all his Nen energy into his right arm. At that moment, the hardness of his right arm surpassed most metals.
A blade of light flashed in the night. Wojin raised his arm to block.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out. Wojin's bare flesh withstood the edge of Dragon-Slaying Flash. Though he had blocked Su Xiao's slash head-on, the rest of his body was far weaker—even ordinary bullets could pierce through without Nen reinforcement.
"I see."
Wojin grinned, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He redistributed the Nen energy from his right arm to both arms, massively boosting their defense. He was ready to take a risk.
"Ha!"
Wojin pressed his arm down, and a terrifying force transmitted through Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao withdrew his blade and sidestepped—if it came to a contest of strength, he was no match for Wojin.
Boom!
A fist slammed into the ground, sending gravel flying. Pebbles struck Su Xiao's face, stinging with pain.
Dust surged as Wojin's fists hammered down on Su Xiao's position like a heavy pile driver, shaking the valley floor.
Thud!
The sensation from his fist made Wojin pause slightly. He had struck something incredibly hard. In that split second of hesitation, a gleaming blade tip pierced through the dust.
Pfft, blood sprayed as the long blade pierced Wojin's chest.
"Shadow Sting."
Cyan Steel Shadow energy enveloped the blade, forming an energy spike at the tip of Dragon-Slaying Flash.
The moment the energy spike formed, Wojin retreated at full speed. As the Shadow Sting took shape and Wojin pulled back, the blade slid out of his body.
Shrrrk!
Over a dozen energy spikes appeared. Cold sweat trickled down Wojin's cheek. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would have been turned into a pincushion.
Wojin flexed his slightly numb arm. The poison from the Dark Beast Hedgehog had already been broken down and metabolized by Wojin's monstrous body.
The dust cleared, revealing Su Xiao surrounded by dozens of floating hexagonal energy shields—Counter Shields. It was these shields that had blocked Wojin's fists, allowing Su Xiao to pierce his chest with a single strike.
Blood seeped from the corner of Wojin's mouth. The searing pain from the Cyan Steel Shadow energy invading his body made the veins on his face bulge. Clearly, in a one-on-one fight, Wojin was no match for Su Xiao. The Dark Beasts could still hold off Shalnark and the others for a while, but their eventual rout was only a matter of time.
"Wojin, catch!"
Shalnark's shout rang out. At that moment, Earthworm was locked in combat with Shalnark, but the bastard was clearly just going through the motions—retreating at the first sign of danger, failing to hold him back.
Shalnark tossed a small antenna. Wojin caught it, his expression sour.
"Use that, Wojin. Don't hesitate. For Nobunaga's revenge..."
"I know. Shut up."
Wojin, holding the small antenna, seemed extremely displeased, but circumstances left him no choice.
The Troupe had several pairs of partners. Wojin and Nobunaga had the best synergy, but they weren't the strongest combination. That title belonged to Wojin + Shalnark.
Wojin opened his mouth and inserted the small antenna into his oral cavity.
"It's ready."
Wojin's voice was somewhat muffled, his expression clearly annoyed.
"Then I'll start."
Shalnark, still fighting Earthworm, pulled out a phone. He was a Manipulator, and this was his tool for control. Once his antenna pierced a target, no matter how strong the enemy, he could manipulate them.
"Auto-Pilot, activate."
A female voice came from Shalnark's phone. At the same time, Wojin stood still. Golden Nen aura appeared on his skin, surging outward. This golden aura was so dense that Wojin himself was barely visible within it.
"Enemy identification in progress..."
The phone spoke again. Shalnark immediately pressed buttons on his phone, and his Nen energy suddenly depleted significantly.
"Enemy selection in progress. Selection complete. Four enemies. Priority target designated. Beginning execution."
The golden Nen aura around Wojin contracted. His hair stood on end, and every muscle in his body bulged grotesquely. His gaze turned vacant, but his strength doubled. Su Xiao even felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.
Wojin stomped the ground. With a boom, a massive crater appeared beneath him as he vanished.
When Wojin reappeared, he was right beside the Dark Beast Earthworm.
"Impossible!"
Earthworm's face twisted in terror. His first instinct upon seeing Wojin was to flee.
Wojin threw a straight punch, so fast it left afterimages.
Boom!
Earthworm vanished instantly—not because he escaped, but because Wojin's fist had pulverized him. This was a true one-hit obliteration.
Nearby, Shalnark stood still, remote control in hand. Though Wojin's Auto-Pilot mode was incredibly powerful, this combination had major limitations.
First, Shalnark had to expend nearly all his Nen. Moreover, once Auto-Pilot was activated, he couldn't move, making him extremely vulnerable.
Second, when Wojin entered Auto-Pilot mode, all physical limits were removed. His strength, speed, and Nen abilities were unleashed at 100%. Attacks required no conscious thought—he fought purely on instinct. However, Auto-Pilot could only last nine minutes. Afterward, Wojin would be bedridden for a week. This was only possible because of Wojin's monstrous physique; other members would die outright. Shalnark, meanwhile, would be unable to use Nen for a month.
The limitations were severe, but the effect was devastating. The Nen Shalnark consumed didn't disappear—it was transferred to Wojin, forming a protective layer similar to "Ken," the golden Nen aura around Wojin's body.
Wojin's strength, speed, and defense multiplied.
Su Xiao stared at Wojin, who had transformed into something like a "Super Saiyan." His expression darkened. This technique hadn't appeared in the original story—probably because Wojin had died too early.
Given Wojin's temperament, he would never let Shalnark use this move unless it was a life-or-death situation. Today, Nobunaga's death had enraged him, and combined with Su Xiao's natural counter to his fighting style, Wojin had no choice.
After instantly killing Earthworm, Wojin turned his vacant gaze toward Su Xiao.
Wojin vanished from his spot, disappearing from Su Xiao's field of vision. His dynamic vision couldn't track Wojin. When Wojin reappeared, he was right in front of Su Xiao.
The same motion as before: arm drawn back, straight punch thrown.
Thud!
Wojin's fist, wrapped in golden Nen aura, slammed into the Counter Shield. A circular shockwave spread outward, tearing up the stone slabs on the ground.
Whoosh! Su Xiao was sent flying by Wojin's punch. Midair, he spat blood. Though the punch had been blocked by the Counter Shield, the sheer impact force was enough to injure him.
Boom! Su Xiao, still encased in the Counter Shield, crashed into the mountain. A bottomless hole appeared in the rock face.