Chapter 336

Haruto and the Red Nitro blurred back and forth across the clearing, their fists and claws colliding again and again.

Every impact unleashed a violent shock wave that split the ground beneath them and sent surrounding trees crashing down.

What frustrated Haruto most was the Red Nitro’s absurd defense.

Whenever his attacks struck its fur, it felt as though he were punching an impossibly tough layer of rubber. Most of the force was dispersed before it could reach the body beneath.

Even when he managed to break through the fur and land a solid hit, the most he could leave behind was a shallow wound.

And injuries that minor healed almost immediately.

Haruto, meanwhile, had to remain completely focused whenever the Red Nitro attacked.

Its claws were terrifyingly sharp. Even with Nen reinforcing his defenses, taking a direct hit was no pleasant experience.

He constantly maintained Ken to strengthen his entire body while using Ryu and Ko to redistribute his aura between offense and defense as needed.

Even then, every blocked attack sent his blood surging and left his arms numb from the impact.

The battle continued for more than ten minutes.

Haruto’s expression gradually became more serious.

His total amount of Nen was enormous, and his recovery rate was equally exceptional. Even if they fought for ten days and ten nights, exhausting his aura completely would be extremely difficult.

His physical stamina was another matter.

He had yet to learn Food Honor, the technique that allowed vast amounts of energy to be stored within the body.

Under normal circumstances, his stamina could only sustain combat at this intensity for an hour or two at most.

Fortunately, with the Gourmet Restaurant supporting him, even that was not a major concern.

Whenever necessary, Haruto could simply pull out a high-calorie dish and eat it on the spot to restore his strength.

The real problem was time.

This was the Gourmet World.

The tremendous noise created by their battle had already spread far beyond the clearing, and Haruto could sense more and more beasts gathering nearby.

If this fight dragged on for too long, then even if he eventually killed the troublesome Red Nitro, he would still have to deal with an endless wave of predators afterward.

Getting surrounded here would be troublesome even for him.

’I need to finish this quickly.’

Haruto continued fighting while rapidly sorting through his options.

Most of the magic and spells he had learned were meant for cooking support or everyday convenience. He had never systematically studied high-powered offensive magic, so that route could largely be ruled out.

He had already tried his Food Techniques as well.

His Nen kitchen knife had indeed managed to carve a fairly deep wound into the Red Nitro, but that injury had already almost completely healed.

Trying to kill it in one strike through Food Techniques alone was practically impossible.

Ultimately, the Red Nitro’s greatest advantage against him was its defense.

If Haruto could bypass that defense, killing it would not be nearly as difficult.

And among the abilities he possessed, there happened to be one technique designed for exactly that purpose.

The advanced application of Armament Haki known as Internal Destruction.

Internal Destruction allowed Armament Haki to bypass an object’s external defenses and release its destructive force directly inside the target.

No matter how tough the exterior was, once Internal Destruction penetrated the body, the organs within would suffer devastating damage.

It was the ideal answer to the Red Nitro’s absurd durability.

Haruto immediately began altering the nature of his Nen until it shifted into Armament Haki.

His fist turned black and took on a metallic sheen.

But that alone was nowhere near enough.

Haruto had mastered the basic applications of Armament Haki, yet most of his training had always focused on Nen. He had never seriously devoted himself to its more advanced techniques.

He understood the principle behind Internal Destruction, but he had never actually performed it.

Still, there could hardly be a better opportunity to learn.

And in terms of sheer quantity, the amount of Haki he possessed was already more than sufficient to meet the requirements.

’Then I’ll learn it right here in the middle of this fight.’

Determination flashed through Haruto’s eyes.

From that moment on, he stopped focusing purely on speed and power.

Instead, he deliberately slowed his rhythm and concentrated almost entirely on his fist.

He felt the flow of Armament Haki through his body and repeatedly tried to make it pass through the Red Nitro’s outer defenses before detonating inside.

The first attempt failed.

Haruto’s fist slammed into the Red Nitro’s shoulder, but the Haki penetrated only the outer layer of fur before being stopped, causing little more than superficial damage.

The Red Nitro immediately countered with a claw aimed at Haruto’s chest.

Haruto was forced to defend with Ko, yet the impact still sent him stumbling backward.

The second attempt failed as well.

This time, the Haki passed through the fur and entered the muscle beneath, but it did not travel deeply enough. The only visible effect was a violent twitch in the Red Nitro’s shoulder.

The creature shrieked furiously and intensified its assault.

It had clearly sensed that something dangerous was changing.

The pressure on Haruto increased.

Several wounds had already appeared across his body where the Nitro’s claws had slipped through his defenses. Blood ran down his skin and dripped onto the ground, filling the air with a faint metallic scent.

Watching from a distance, Kagura and Kanna both looked worried.

Even so, they remembered Haruto’s warning and forced themselves not to interfere.

Haruto’s gaze grew increasingly focused.

Increasingly calm.

The surrounding forest faded from his awareness.

The danger of the battle disappeared.

Even his sense of time seemed to vanish.

He continued experimenting, feeling the movement of his Haki and adjusting the way he released it.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Every failure deepened his understanding of Internal Destruction.

Then, finally, realization flashed through his mind.

Haruto twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the Red Nitro’s claws, while concentrating even more Armament Haki into his right fist.

The fist became pitch-black, radiating an oppressive presence that seemed almost tangible.

Then he struck.

This time, the Red Nitro’s incredibly tough fur and muscle offered no meaningful resistance.

The black Armament Haki passed directly through its body and erupted inside.

The Red Nitro’s entire frame abruptly stiffened.

A piercing scream tore from its throat.

"SKREEEEE—!!!"

The shrill sound made the loose stones scattered across the clearing tremble.

For the first time, disbelief filled the creature’s expression.

Thick dark-red blood began dripping from the end of its beak, splattering across the dry ground in ugly stains.

A moment later, its massive body arched backward.

Fear appeared in its golden eyes for the first time.

Haruto shook out his slightly numb fist, excitement lighting up his face.

It worked.

He had finally mastered the advanced application of Armament Haki—

Internal Destruction.

He was still far from proficient.

Out of ten attempts, perhaps only two or three would successfully trigger the effect, leaving his success rate below thirty percent.

But for the current battle, that was enough.

The Red Nitro shook its head and rapidly scanned its surroundings.

As one of the Gourmet World’s highly intelligent predators, it immediately understood the situation.

The human in front of it now possessed a technique capable of killing it.

Continuing this battle would only end in death.

There was no hesitation.

No wounded pride.

The Red Nitro immediately chose to flee.

For a top predator that had survived the brutal environment of the Gourmet World, retreat was never shameful. It was simply another necessary means of staying alive.

With a short, sharp roar, the Red Nitro launched itself toward the dense forest behind it.

Its acceleration was so explosive that it left a blurred red afterimage behind.

The decision came so suddenly and decisively that Haruto actually froze for a moment.

By the time he reacted, the Red Nitro was already dozens of meters away and about to disappear among the trees.

"Don’t even think about running—!"

Kagura’s voice rang out.

A violent tornado suddenly erupted beneath the Red Nitro’s feet.

Completely unprepared for the attack, the creature was swept straight into the air.

It thrashed wildly, desperately trying to break free of the vortex, but with Kagura actively controlling the wind, it could not get back to the ground.

Holding a Red Nitro in place with a tornado, however, consumed an enormous amount of Kagura’s yōki.

"Kanna!"

Kagura shouted, beads of sweat forming across her forehead.

Standing beside her, Kanna reacted without hesitation.

She raised the Mirror of Death and aimed its surface toward the struggling Red Nitro.

A beam of light shot from the mirror and struck the creature dead-on.

In the next instant, a translucent spirit identical in shape to the Red Nitro began to slowly emerge from its body.

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