028 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

A sharp glint flashed in Nasubi's eyes, and his aura swelled like a rising tide.

"Since you've shown up here... don't think you're leaving alive."

As he spoke, a grotesque Nen beast emerged behind him—its design so bizarre it looked like it had been pulled from a forbidden corner of the internet.

It had a drooping, swollen tongue, a mouth shaped disturbingly like female genitalia, and a body lined with horn-like organs and vibrating vocal sacs.

"Maybe you sat here so calmly, explained your dealings with the princes, and even spoke of ending the Succession War, all because you rely on your sheer power, Gray."

"I'll admit it—you're incredibly strong. Maybe even stronger than Netero or Beyond. At your age, to possess such overwhelming strength... You really are a genius among geniuses."

"But you should know: in a world ruled by Nen, raw aura and telekinesis alone only grant superficial power. If you're deluded enough to think power can solve everything, then you've already lost."

Nasubi's voice was firm, calm, and utterly confident.

"Especially at your age, it's natural to misunderstand the true essence of Nen. But I won't give you the chance to correct that mistake."

"I'll make you understand what true Nen is. In the final moments of your life, you'll remember this lesson: the one thing a Nen user must never lose... is their reverence for Nen itself—heart... Gray."

They were powerful, ominous words, delivered with the gravity of a seasoned ruler. But somehow, the silly little "Gray" at the end ruined the entire effect.

Ronnel thought so too.

At that moment, he was flipping through the memory data extracted from Nasubi using Psychometry. In his mind, pieces of the hidden throne war intelligence surfaced, one after another.

"So you've got secrets too, Nasubi... You really might be the one capable of leading Kakin into becoming a true world power."

Ronnel looked up at the grotesque Nen beast, its foul mouth gaping toward him, and then at Nasubi standing calmly behind it. His expression betrayed nothing—only a fleeting glimmer of amusement and admiration in his eyes.

"Awe of Nen? I've never lost it."

If he had, he never would've developed an entire ability just to counter Nen attacks.

"From you?"

He slowly stood.

"Doesn't look like we have anything to talk about."

...

The Nen beast snarled silently, as if provoked by Ronnel's indifference. Its skin shivered as its garments fluttered unnaturally despite the still air.

Then suddenly—

"Graaack!"

Its gaping mouth sprang open, and a long, dark-purple tongue lashed out like a whip. Covered in jagged barbs and oozing foul black-blue saliva, it surged forward at supersonic speed.

Ronnel clicked his tongue.

"Gross."

He tilted his body just slightly—and the attack whooshed past him, missing by a hair.

In the same motion, he focused Nen into his right hand, fingers tight together to form a hand-blade, and slashed cleanly through the monster's tongue.

Zsssh—

His blade met flesh with barely a whisper. The resistance was so light it felt like slicing jelly.

The grotesque beast howled in pain, its tongue flopping in two. Nasubi's face darkened.

The strike looked effortless. But to slice through his Nen beast's most resilient organ so easily? That level of raw Nen density was no joke.

Nasubi knew precisely how tough his beast was. He'd crafted it carefully over the years. And yet this—this was casual.

...

"Could he really be... stronger than Netero or Beyond?"

He narrowed his eyes. The realization hit him like a splash of cold water. Whatever doubt had lingered was gone now.

Still, Nasubi didn't panic.

Like he had said earlier, in Nen combat, raw power and aura control could only take you so far. What truly decided the outcome... was Nen abilities.

And his weren't even revealed yet.

He still had cards left to play.

...

While Nasubi was sizing up Ronnel's true level, Ronnel himself wasn't waiting.

After severing the tongue, a set of chains materialized around his hand.

The chain on his middle finger shot forward, climbing up the bleeding tongue toward the beast's face.

Before it could react, the chains coiled around its grotesque body and snapped shut.

Whip—!

In that instant, the creature evaporated without so much as a scream.

Kurapika's middle finger chain—Judgment Chain.

When wrapped around a target, it forces them into a state of Zetsu, completely cutting off their Nen.

Originally, this chain was only usable against members of the Phantom Troupe—otherwise, the user would die.

But Ronnel had poured countless encyclopedia points into it, modifying it through sheer knowledge and experimentation.

He'd considered removing the restriction entirely, but the cost was too high.

So he pivoted—

Instead of deleting the limitation, he altered it.

He learned that modifying constraints cost far less than erasing them. And the more similar the new condition was to the original one, the lower the price.

That revelation opened a new path.

And from that, Ronnel developed another branch of his Nen.