Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

That elbow strike did indeed hit Linne, but it caused no substantial damage.

Law was able to unleash 100% precision across all six Nen Categories.

For instance, this elbow strike was a 100% power Enhancement-type attack. Yet Linne, who wasn't an Enhancer, managed to disperse all the damage with her quick Ryu reaction.

After landing from the air, she coldly glared at Law, who was dozens of meters away, and said with clear displeasure, "What did I just say?"

"Uh…"

Law stared at Linne's annoyed expression and was at a loss for words. His reaction earlier had been normal, after all, this wasn't a life-or-death battle against an enemy.

However, seeing that Linne was fine after being hit by the elbow strike, he realized he'd overthought things. There really had been no need to hold back.

"I understand."

After a moment, Law took a deep breath and his Aura flared outward.

He would do as Linne said. There is no need to be hesitant or have any unnecessary worries.

The coldness in Linne's eyes faded slightly as she redistributed the Aura concentrated around her abdomen, spreading it evenly across her body before charging at Law again, still opting for close combat.

Law still didn't know what Linne's Nen Ability is. All he knew was that she could nullify Nen before they fully manifested. If her precision was high enough, that would indeed be troublesome.

The night sky was a river of stars, the full moon hanging high, its silver light spilling over the vast desert. A figure kicked up a trail of dust as they rapidly closed in on another.

Linne seemed to have great confidence in close-quarters combat, or perhaps, her offensive techniques could only be executed at close range.

Once in range, she struck out with both palms, her movements carrying an unstoppable momentum, blending offense and defense seamlessly. She neither feared counterattacks nor neglected her own assault.

Faced with Linne's relentless advance, Law didn't even consider blocking. Instead, his figure suddenly vanished from sight, he had used [Instant] again, retreating twenty meters in an instant.

From Linne's perspective, Law had genuinely disappeared. She knew it was an Emission-type technique, using expelled Aura to propel the body at speeds beyond normal perception.

This technique had one critical weakness: the user couldn't change direction mid-movement.

They could only move in a straight line, and if their reactions weren't sharp enough, they might easily impale themselves on an enemy's attack.

When her attack missed again, Linne retracted her stance, preparing to press the assault once more. Suddenly, Law reappeared right in front of her!

'Two consecutive movements…?!'

Linne was shocked. She never expected that Law to evade her attack by teleporting backward, only to instantly dart back in.

She was intimately familiar with this Emission technique, which was precisely why she hadn't guarded against it.

The instantaneous movement distance was nearly impossible to control… like a car going 200 km/h, the slightest turn would send it veering wildly off course, with a margin of error far too high to account for.

However, Law had not only returned with pinpoint accuracy, but had also positioned himself perfectly for a counterattack.

The moment he reappeared, Law swung his sword towards Linne without hesitation. If this slash hit her, the outcome would be decided immediately.

Though Law's unexpected maneuver had caught Linne off guard, Linne was experienced after all and she could still react in time.

She raised her hands and clapped them in the middle. Relying on her almost monstrous battle instincts, she predicted the attack and caught Law's blade with her bare hands.

At that moment, even Law was stunned. He hadn't expected Linne to block his strike like this… not only neutralizing the God Hand coating the blade, but also dissipating the force behind the slash.

Although he was caught, because of this slash, Law now had a rough idea of how Linne was nullifying his Nen.

'Not erasure… but assimilation?'

As this thought crossed his mind, the Aura attached to Law's body suddenly expanded… It was Domain!

The circle formed by the condensed Aura stretched outward, extending over a meter in radius and enveloping Linne within it.

Since the Aura on his sword had been neutralized, Law stopped channeling excessive Aura into it, leaving only a trace while diverting most of his Aura to sustain the Domain.

Linne's eyes gleamed with Nen's distinctive glow. Noticing the expanding Domain beneath Law's feet, she frowned, attempting to twist his blade aside and disengage.

But Law's strength slightly surpassed hers, leaving them momentarily deadlocked.

Then, the Domain's effect was activated!

Linne felt as if a mountain had suddenly crashed onto her shoulders. Her body lurched downward, and the sand beneath her feet cratered as though struck by an invisible giant's palm.

'Gravity?'

Linne's heart sank for a moment, and she suddenly felt that the Manipulation-type-like ability displayed by Law was very tricky, but she also immediately noticed the weakness of this ability, which was that Law had to expand his Aura in the form of En, leaving his own body completely undefended.

Realizing this, Linne resisted the crushing pressure and lifted her leg, delivering a phantom kick toward Law's body. Aura surged from her foot, firing a Nen Bullet that struck Law squarely and sent him flying back.

Then, seizing the opportunity, Linne released her grip on the blade, allowing the bullet's impact to fully propel Law away.

Law's body skidded across the sand for over five meters before finally coming to a stop.

Expanding the Domain outward to exert pressure on Linne significantly lowered Law's own defenses. If that Nen Bullet had struck him directly, there was a high chance he would have been severely injured.

Fortunately, Law reacted quickly enough to block the bullet with his left hand, preventing damage, but the force of the impact still sent him stumbling back, costing him the advantage he had gained from the earlier suppression.

'Enhancement, Emission, Manipulation, Conjuration...'

Linne watched as Law was forced back, silently listing the four Nen Categories in her mind.

Every Nen Ability belonged to a specific category, and a Nen User could only achieve 100% efficiency in a single category. However, if a Nen User was willing, they could train in multiple categories to create a balanced skillset.

Linne is a Transmuter, but her proficiency in Enhancement and Emission was also considerable.

Earlier, to escape the crisis, she had used an Emission-type Nen Bullet. Since she was a Transmuter, the Nen Bullet lacked significant power, which was why Law managed to block it with just a small amount of Aura covering his left hand.

After several exchanges, Linne began to suspect that Law could achieve 100% efficiency in all four Nen Categories. It was just a guess and she couldn't be certain, because such a thing was nearly unthinkable.

She had originally intended to gauge Law's limits, but after actually fighting him, she realized his combat skills were formidable.

By seamlessly integrating multiple Nen Categories, he had managed to gain the upper hand against her.

'I really am getting old…'

Linne's eyelids lowered slightly. No matter how strong a veteran was, there would always come a day when the younger generation surpassed them.

On the surface, it seemed Linne was being suppressed by Law. But if this had been a life-or-death battle, Linne could have leveraged her vast combat experience and refined Nen Techniques to completely overwhelm him.

That is Linne's advantage, and her weakness, however, was her lack of stamina. If Law could endure the initial onslaught, by the mid-fight, Linne would have no chance of winning.

Had this been Linne in her prime, Law might not have stood a chance at all. But there was no point in dwelling on 'what ifs'. The current Linne was an old woman with half her body already in the grave.

Since Linne herself had demanded it, Law didn't hold back. He launched a fierce assault, combining multiple Nen Categories to maintain overwhelming pressure on her.

Ten minutes later, with a crisp crack of bone breaking, the battle came to an abrupt halt.

Linne's back… had given out.