Chapter 146: Overwhelming Pressure—Unbreakable Tank

With every single one of Uvogin’s steps, Auren feels like a giant is slowly approaching him; however, despite his brutal and imposing appearance, Auren’s trained eyes are not easily deceived.Compared to Netero, half of Uvogin’s Aura is simply… not that impressive. This is nothing I can’t deal with. I guess experience really is invaluable…. I wonder how I can withstand that pressure? It doesn’t faze me at all.

“Allow me to pay you back... with my fist!!” Uvogin yells excitedly as his body and Aura suddenly burst forward.

Aura gathering around his left fist, Uvogin rushes in—slowly but surely telegraphing a powerful punch aimed directly at Auren.

Auren decides not to dodge this time—instead of choosing to flee or back off, he uses the brief opening—rushing forward, evading his punch, and pressing forward until he is right in front of Uvogin. He shifts his weight in one fluid motion and strikes Uvogin’s chin from below, with a powerful, yet precise uppercut.

That should shake his brain a little.

Annoyed by his opponent’s arrogant attitude, Auren refuses to let him rest and decides to punish him for it, giving him no opportunity to recover.

He rains kicks and punches into Uvogin’s face, mixing in body blows from time to time—always aiming at vital spots like the liver or the sides. He shifts his Aura with skill so that every single strike uses more than half of his total Aura, balancing risk and reward, attacking decisively, but not recklessly.

Even one attack can knock me out, so I need to make sure I don’t get caught off guard!

Finally, he senses that Uvogin is feigning his pain—as he notices a faint smile building up on his lips. Immediately, Auren jumps back, barely dodging another sudden hit from Uvogin, which tears through the air, as if it were strong enough to punch away the air itself.

Auren smiles, enjoying the tense exchange and celebrating his correct decision-making.

Sparring with Pariston really paid off!

I know that this is still merely half of the Aura he can use. Still, his sheer power and quantity are already around my maximum level—maybe slightly lower if I went all out and focused only on Aura quantity. However, he’s still not taking this seriously. If he keeps fighting while telegraphing his attacks, I can deal with him easily. This isn’t even a challenge. A balanced Aura would lose in an exchange—even if the opponent had only a fraction of his strength, meaning as long as I focus and shift my Aura correctly and Uvogin does not do the same, I am clearly at an advantage. I learned that much from Pariston.

Enraged, battered, and slightly confused, Uvogin surges forward again—this time much faster than before. Auren immediately notices the difference: Uvogin is using his Aura as a boost to increase his speed. As he flies toward Auren, he unleashes a compact but powerful right hook—only for Auren to duck under it and use Ko, striking him in the face.

Auren’s fist connects, and he feels his opponent’s bones creak and break. Seeing the attack deal devastating damage, Auren retreats a few steps again, unwilling to risk getting hit while he is still using Ko.

Didn’t expect that, huh? I can go all out as well! Sometimes you need to take risks, you just need to find the right timing!

Uvogin, however, does not collapse—even though Auren landed a punch that would’ve killed or at least crippled the average Nen user. He smiles wildly before suddenly exploding in a massive surge of Aura, revealing his full power—which, to Auren’s shock, is more than twice the amount he used before.

So that wasn’t 50%... maybe only 40‑45% I have to admit... his Aura is really incredible. Also, his body is insane. Even without Aura, he’s obviously a superhuman, a trained Enhancer that focuses all of his efforts on maximum Aura and physical strength. Only that way can you create such a physique. He has the most durable body I’ve ever seen. However, those huge muscles come at a cost; he’s not slow, but he’s not that impressive speed‑wise, at least for an Enhancer. I can counter him with my speed, reflexes, and nimbleness. I’m also smaller and way harder to hit... but I lack the weight to deal truly decisive damage.

“I deserved that,” Uvogin suddenly says, in an eerily silent voice, his eyes filled with clarity while his Aura is still not weakening in the slightest, proving to Auren that it’s merely his Ren, not some kind of special technique that gives him some kind of temporary power boost. “I guess Chrollo would never offer someone incompetent to join us.... I just thought you were a powerful supporter with an interesting and rare Hatsu, but you clearly have more to offer. I didn’t properly shift my Aura at the start. I thought I’d just beat you up a little. I just went in for a brawl, but it looks like you are similar to Nobunaga... you prefer skill over brawn... It’s a little bit disappointing, but allow me to demonstrate to you that I am not as much of a brute as you might think I am.”

“And finally... I will destroy you!” he yells as he rushes forward, his Aura going wild, strong enough to affect the ground under him, causing huge footprints wherever he walks, and loose rocks getting blasted away from him through the sheer strength of his Aura.

I can feel the ground shaking with his steps—that is unreal.

Despite his rage-filled charge, Auren feels that Uvogin’s style has changed.

As he arrives in front of Auren, he does not use telegraphed, brutal attacks anymore.

He quickly uses a few speedy punches, almost reminding Auren of jabs from a boxer, not leaving any opening for Auren to abuse and counter.

With every strike, Auren’s bones hurt as he desperately blocks some attacks, as he is not able to dodge all of them anymore.

Suddenly, Uvogin backs off, spins in a circle, and unleashes a mighty kick at Auren.

Wary of the attack, Auren jumps backwards, barely evading the incoming kick, but still feeling the pressure on his body as he shields himself with his arms.

Emission... or was that merely some loose Aura? That kind of pressure... those attacks can kill me. I need to conquer my fear... I can’t be intimidated. If I cower and take his attacks, I’ll lose any hope of winning this little spar.

Deciding not to remain passive, despite the pressure he’s feeling, Auren focuses his Aura on his feet and dashes forward, only to stop right in front of Uvogin and dart around him, activating Rhythm Echo, creating multiple copies of himself. Multiple afterimages of himself appear, and Uvogin is unable to follow the true Auren with his eyes, as he changes course multiple times.

Suddenly, one image changes course and dashes forward, and Uvogin quickly punches it. However, it just disappears, and another one attacks Uvogin from behind, causing him to desperately spin around and strike it as well, only for the real Auren to appear above him, using Zetsu, completely erasing his presence.

Quickly switching to Ren and then Ko, focusing his Aura on his feet, Auren stomps onto Uvogin’s face, spins in the air, switches back to an even distribution of Aura, and kicks Uvogin in the face, using the force of the impact to gain distance.

With both attacks inflicting heavy damage on the now battered Uvogin, Auren’s eyes light up in joy and satisfaction.

He felt that one. I can keep up!

However, despite Auren’s hit, he can tell that Uvogin’s injuries are superficial.

He shifted his Aura as well.... despite using Ko, he negated any serious damage. His Aura is just that much stronger than mine.

Uvogin, somewhat unfazed, stares at Auren and begins closing in the distance again.

Auren notices a tremendous amount of Aura gathering on his right hand, as his face is twisted in rage and anger.

Now more than just wary, Auren sees Uvogin gather more and more Aura in his right fist as he prepares to punch forward.

However, Uvogin does not aim for Auren but instead decides to strike the ground right next to him.

That’s his Big Bang Impact. What is the lunatic doing? This is just a spar!

As soon as Uvogin’s fist connects with the ground, a large Aura explosion occurs, creating a devastating shockwave of destruction.

Auren quickly focuses a large amount of Aura beneath his feet, desperately launching himself backward.

Despite his speed, he still feels the shockwave from Uvogin’s Big Bang Impact. The force crashes into him like a sudden blast of wind and pressure, and though his swift reaction saves him from taking the brunt of it, the impact still knocks him back, pain travelling through his chest and arms, as the impact crashes against him.

Damn this shockwave... It’s hot! My skin is getting burned!

Uvogin, now standing in the middle of a shallow crater, stares at Auren, who’s landed a fair distance away, his arms still raised defensively.

“Not bad,” Uvogin grins, licking blood from his lips, his face swollen from Auren’s earlier attacks.

“Hey, Uvo!” Shalnark calls out from the sidelines, waving one hand. “You’re overdoing it! This was supposed to be a spar, remember? Look at him—he’s not even using his sword or any of his Hatsus! Stop using your Big Bang Impact!”

“Oh?” Uvogin tilts his head, staring at Shalnark, a brief flicker of guilt flashing through his eyes. “I guess that’s true... sorry about that. Let me apologize,” his grin returns, “with my fists!”

He charges forward again, and Auren doesn’t back down either, trying to increase his Aura output as much as possible. Their auras flare up, filling the air next to them with dense Aura.

Uvogin throws a barrage of smaller, more controlled punches. Auren weaves through them, dodging the majority, blocking the rest with his forearms and shoulders. He even takes a few hits on purpose, bracing through the pain, reading Uvogin’s rhythm.

He’s starting to fight smarter... but I can’t just stay defensive. I need to change my approach... now!