Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Debuffed
Before Hisoka could react, Cyr's figure appeared right in front of him. An invisible slash landed on Hisoka's arms, followed by Cyr delivering a powerful punch to his face.
Black and blue energy flickered with intensity.
Hisoka staggered back several meters, his upper body forced into a backward arc by the blow, but he quickly regained balance, straightening himself with precision.
Two crimson gashes now adorned Hisoka's arms, exposing glimpses of white bone beneath. Yet, Cyr's attack hadn't managed to sever his hands.
"Tch, didn't cut through, huh?" Cyr muttered softly, unsurprised.
From the moment Hisoka realized Cyr could use invisible slashes as attacks, he had wrapped his entire body in nen as a protective layer.
Though he looked like a crazed lunatic, Hisoka's battle instincts were calm and methodical.
"So you were deliberately baiting me into exposing a weakness…" Hisoka mused, his voice tinged with intrigue.
"Oh~ now I'm completely excited~"
Hisoka wiped the blood from his nose, his flushed face radiating uncontainable delight. His body seemed to emit an indecent glow, prompting imagery far too explicit for public consumption.
The amount of nen emanating from him surged even higher.
Watching this, Cyr's desire to keep fighting immediately plummeted.
Fighting Hisoka? This wasn't a battle—it was a reward for him! The harder Cyr fought, the more exhilarated Hisoka became.
Enough rewarding this freak!
Who would willingly fight a man glowing from his lower half?!
"However," Hisoka said with a subtle smile, manipulating invisible threads of energy with his fingers, "you seem to lack patience."
At the same time, the pink nen scattered throughout the area began converging back toward Hisoka, intertwining into an enormous web.
"What?!" Cyr exclaimed, his body instinctively leaping upward.
This guy—running around and spreading his nen everywhere was just a setup for this move?!
The pink web swiftly closed in, enveloping Cyr in its sticky threads.
As Cyr attempted to escape, he crashed directly into the nen web. Its rubbery elasticity prevented him from breaking through, while its gum-like adhesiveness held him firmly in place.
Like a butterfly ensnared in a spider's web, Cyr struggled to break free, his efforts proving futile.
"But for you to get this far, that's already quite impressive."
As Hisoka approached, he casually ran a hand over his arm, the gashes disappearing as if by magic.
"You're a truly remarkable child. And your eyes—they're the most beautiful I've ever seen."
Hisoka's voice brimmed with admiration.
"One day, you'll become an even more extraordinary fruit."
Staring at Cyr caught in the web, Hisoka's gaze was filled with anticipation.
"Ha? Like I need you to tell me that. Of course, I'll become powerful—it's just a fact."
The white-haired boy responded with a flat expression, his tone unwavering.
"That confidence is absolutely delightful," Hisoka murmured, cupping his face as he gazed lovingly at his "little apple."
"But," Cyr said with a sly smile, "did you forget something?"
"You shouldn't be standing this close to me."
With a grin, he added, "Your cards—take them back."
Cyr flicked his hand, tossing a handful of the playing cards Hisoka had used earlier. As he moved, the web surrounding his body swayed along with him.
Hisoka dodged the flying cards with a sidestep.
In that instant, Cyr reappeared behind him.
Prepared for such a move, Hisoka swiftly raised his leg and kicked toward Cyr's chest. His upper body twisted in sync with the motion, maximizing the force.
His foot connected with Cyr's chest, but instead of being sent flying, Cyr firmly grabbed Hisoka's ankle with one hand. In the other, he held three cards, his face showing a mischievous smile full of malice.
"While this web limits my movement, thanks to the nature of your nen, this thing…" Cyr gestured at the sticky threads binding him, "…can stretch really far."
He smirked as he spoke, his tone light yet dripping with mockery.
Even though Cyr's movements were highly restricted by the web, it didn't stop him from acting.
He wasn't the type to give up helplessly when faced with a difficult situation.
Hisoka's frenzied expression eased slightly as he pondered Cyr's intentions.
"Successful execution," Cyr said calmly, releasing Hisoka's ankle. His body was immediately snapped back to its original position by the web, like an overstretched rubber band recoiling when one side lets go.
Cough, cough, cough. Cyr coughed a few times.
Fortunately, he had protected his body with both nen and cursed energy. Coupled with the fact that Hisoka likely hadn't used his full strength, the kick hadn't caused any significant damage.
However, Hisoka stood in place, strangely silent, his demeanor unsettling.
'Did the three debuff cards make him passive?' Cyr speculated as he glanced at Hisoka.
Yet, the glow from Hisoka hadn't faded, and he didn't seem passive at all.
What's going on?
Cyr thought for a moment, his expression blank as he debated whether to move closer for observation. Before he could act, Hisoka suddenly looked up, his face twisted with an even greater madness.
"Little apple… heheheh…"
"Not bad at all… heheheh!"
Hisoka's nen burst forth without restraint, lashing out at the surrounding trees, leaving them covered in scars.
The magic-infused trees weren't about to take the abuse quietly. The attacked trees responded in kind, black holes resembling facial features appearing on their trunks.
"Ahhhhhhh~"
"Ahhhhhhh—"
The gaping holes, serving as mouths, let out a unified, eerie chorus as sharp, thorned vines whipped toward Hisoka.
Caught in the middle of this chaos, Hisoka only grew more excited, fully engaging in battle with the trees.
"…Is this some kind of berserk or chaos effect?" Cyr muttered, watching the scene unfold with a complex expression.
Mental contamination. This was definitely mental contamination!
Between Hisoka's wild behavior and the singing trees, the situation was unbearable for the psyche.
Still, it seemed that Hisoka no longer had the capacity to focus on Cyr.
The card effects were supposed to last 24 hours, but who knew how long they would last on someone like Hisoka?
With this thought, new insights about his abilities began to crystallize in Cyr's mind.
Using three cards of the same attribute could trigger cumulative effects:
The first card's effect applied at 100%.
The second card added an additional 50%.
The third card added another 25%.
In this case, the combined effect of the three cards on Hisoka was maximized at 175%.
The debuff caused a weakening of willpower, mental chaos, and a loss of order, which also translated to a loss of rationality.
Essentially, it placed Hisoka under a chaos buff.
At this point, Hisoka might not even know which direction to go.
Given the circumstances, the effect might last longer than expected.
After all, with the amplified 175% impact, even Hisoka's stronger nen would take time to recover.
Cyr didn't expect to hold Hisoka for a full 24 hours. If the cards could keep him occupied for just a few hours, that would be more than enough.
"Looks like my luck isn't bad today. Three debuff cards—well, in some sense, this is a huge success," Cyr muttered thoughtfully, observing Hisoka, who seemed to be lost in a frenzy.
"But first things first, I need to get rid of this thing on me…" He glanced down at the layers of sticky threads of nen wrapped around his body, all originating from Hisoka.
"Ugh, sticky and gross, like being trapped in a giant wad of chewing gum. Disgusting." He pulled at his limbs with all his strength, while simultaneously using his invisible slashes to cut through the bindings. After a concerted effort, he finally freed himself.
"Oh, right, let's record this," Cyr said, suddenly remembering. He pulled out his phone and aimed it at the chaotic scene of Hisoka battling the plants, hitting record.
He filmed the intense back-and-forth between Hisoka and the trees for a solid three minutes.
At the end of the video, he even made sure to turn the camera to himself, giving a bright, cheerful smile and flashing a peace sign.
°°°
If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon
Link: Patreon/Moziel