The rapidly extending black sword pressed firmly against Pitou's forehead.
The ability to extend the black sword was something Moses had recently developed.
The origin of this ability came from the cornerstone reward he received after killing Saiyu.
The specific effect of the ability was similar to Saiyu's [Nyoi Bo], and it allowed the weapon to freely extend, retract, thin, or thicken by channeling Nen.
Since developing this ability didn't consume memory capacity, and the ability cornerstone was limited to conjured weapons, so Moses had no hesitation in applying the [Nyoi Bo Cornerstone] to his black sword.
Now-
Strictly speaking, this was the first time Moses had used the Nyoi Bo Cornerstone ability in combat.
Relying on the Emission-type explosive power brought by [Super Speed], this retractable sword now has strong penetrating force.
"What a shame..."
Moses's sharp gaze followed Pitou as she was pushed back by the black sword.
The moment the black blade tip pierced Pitou's forehead, Mosesclearly saw...
This newly born Royal Guard had actually learned to concentrate more Aura in one place for defense.
It was the Gyo technique!
The amount of her Manifested Aura is already outrageous enough. If she learns techniques such as Ko or Ryu, her offensive and defensive capabilities will be further improved.
Therefore, this seemingly swift sword strike hadn't actually caused any substantial damage to Pitou.
'If it's just Gyo... that's still manageable.'
Moses was at most a little regretful for not being able to bring out the value of his 'first-use advantage'. In a short moment, he anticipated what changes and direction the opponent's Gyo would bring to this battle.
In summary...
This was actually good news for Moses.
If Pitou didn't have the awareness to concentrate her Aura to enhance localized offense and defense, maintaining her full Aura output throughout the battle…
Then, from Moses's offensive perspective, Pitou, with her massive Manifested Aura, would become a turtle retreating into its shell, leaving him with no way to strike.
On the other hand…
If Pitou did have the awareness to concentrate her Aura to enhance localized offense and defense, then the moment she did so, the defense of some part of her body would inevitably weaken.
This would be Moses's opportunity to breach her defenses.
However, this was a one-on-one fight...
With an absolute disadvantage in Manifested Aura, and without teammates to assist or distract the enemy, not only would it be difficult to exploit Pitou's openings, but even creating those openings would be no easy task.
Moses's thoughts raced like lightning as his gaze followed the retreating Pitou.
Pitou had completely withstood the black sword's killing power, but due to the continuous force pressing against her forehead, she found it difficult to break free from the ever-extending black sword while in mid-air.
However, as long as she could withstand the damage, the current situation wasn't a big deal.
The force transmitted from the black sword would eventually run out.
Just as Pitou thought this, the black sword firmly pressed against her forehead suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Huh?"
The sudden change surprised Pitou slightly, and she thought it might be because the black sword's ability had reached its limit...
But this judgment is wrong.
Her shallow combat experience with Nen Abilities somewhat limited her understanding of certain phenomena.
Moses had suddenly withdrawn the black sword because Pitou had flown to the 'expected' position.
That direction was where Moses had pre-positioned another shadow clone, which could serve as a backup for disengaging or be used to coordinate offensive tactics at any time.
[Shadow Shift]
With a thought, Moses activated his ability.
Whoosh-
The next moment, Moses swapped places with the waiting shadow and appeared on the path where Pitou was flying backward.
Looking at Pitou's rapidly approaching figure, Nen surged from Moses's palm, and then conjured into the black sword in its normal state.
Whether the black sword extended or retracted, as long as it was re-conjured, it could instantly return to its original form.
This was what made it so versatile.
For example, now-
Moses stepped forward and swung the black sword in its normal state through the air.
At that moment, Pitou flew backward, perfectly timing her collision with Moses's descending blade.
If an outsider had suddenly seen this, they would have thought Pitou had actively thrown herself onto Moses's sword.
Sstt-
The slash carried a sharp gleam, and a tear suddenly appeared on the clothes on Pitou's back.
But the skin beneath the tear was completely unharmed.
Although she had withstood the damage from the sharp blade, she couldn't negate the force carried by the sword.
Pitou was slammed into the ground by the slash.
Boom!
The tremendous impact shattered the ground, sending debris flying.
Moses glanced at Pitou's exposed, unharmed skin and her Aura that is surging surrounding her like a torrent.
Breaking through the defense was ultimately the hardest thing to do.
Especially when two shadow clones are already deployed.
In an extremely short amount of time, Moses silently dismissed all meaningless thoughts and instead reversed his grip on the sword hilt, driving the blade tip hard into Pitou's back.
Clang!
Where the tip of the sword stabbed, dazzling sparks flew out.
Crack, boom-
The ground beneath Pitou and even the surrounding area cracked and collapsed.
From this, it can be seen the destructive power of Moses's thrust.
"So tough..."
For a moment, Moses considered recalling the two shadow clones.
'No.'
'At least not now.'
A hint of red light appeared in Moses's eyes, and he output the maximum power to the black sword in his hand.
[Super Speed]
A surge of Nen enveloped the blade, and then transformed into streaks of black lightning.
At a glance, it looked as if the air itself was cracking with black fissures.
[Second Stage: God Spear]
While using Super Speed, Moses first controlled the black sword to become thinner, and then made it longer!
Multiple operations culminated in an attack aimed at piercing through Pitou's defenses.
Sss-
The black sword, which had become as thin as a needle tip, drilled fiercely into Pitou's skin like an electric drill.
The extremely fast and violent friction caused sparks to fly repeatedly on Pitou's back.
At this moment, Pitou sensed the danger and quickly concentrated more life force at the point of impact, creating a thicker barrier.
Meanwhile, Moses pressed down on the hilt with all his strength, ensuring the extending force of the black sword continued to bear down on Pitou.
But even with this level of effort, he couldn't drive the black sword into Pitou's body.
Setting aside physical toughness, the sheer amount of Manifested Aura Pitou has was overwhelming.
'The Aura intensity from her feet to her calves has weakened. As long as I maintain the pressure and bring the shadow clone over...'
Moses quickly scanned at the distribution of the Manifested Aura on Pitou's body.
In order to defend against his [Second Stage: God Spear], Pitou had consciously reduced the Aura intensity in her lower body.
For Moses, this was undoubtedly a prime opportunity to strike.