HxH: I Will Be Supreme

Oboro had to acknowledge Sato's perceptiveness. In all his battles until now, no one else had managed to discern the true limitations of his Nen ability. Even though he'd worked extensively with the system to reduce his restrictions by slowing down activation speed, certain fundamental rules couldn't be ignored. The core principles of Nen abilities were absolute, every user had to abide by them, no matter their strength or skill.

The foundation of his ability, the Endless Dreamer's Game Treasury, required specific activation conditions. Most crucially, there needed to be someone harboring genuine hostility and murderous intent toward him, a "hostile player" in his game's terms. This wasn't arbitrary; his ability's structure was fundamentally that of a competitive combat game, and every game needed its players.

Each of the five major categories of his game effects carried distinct disadvantages that he'd learned to work around but could never fully eliminate. For resources, once a transmission channel opened, it became fixed in place, summoned soldiers and wild monsters operated within defined attack ranges, just as they would in any strategic game. Equipment posed its own challenges, if Oboro was judged to have lost against an opponent, any equipped items would vanish, forcing him to invest time and energy in recreating them.

Rune skills demanded precise timing, requiring a 72-hour cooldown period once used in battle before they could be configured again. Hero abilities drained substantial mental power, with ultimate skills being particularly taxing. The map function remained incomplete, requiring further development of his game world before it could be fully utilized.

Oboro had dedicated himself to understanding the rules of mental power, using this knowledge to exploit loopholes within the game system's framework. He'd found ways to work within these restrictions rather than fight against them. Take his resource limitations, while monsters would lose aggro if a target moved far enough away, this same distance made it impossible for the enemy to mount an effective attack. To defeat him, they had to step within range, creating a natural zone of engagement.

Unless, of course, they specialized in extreme long-range combat, like the sniper he'd eliminated earlier. But even then, attacking across such distances inevitably reduced power, and Oboro had ample time to respond and counter. Such attempts proved largely ineffective against his defensive capabilities.

The equipment restriction only took effect after battle's end, allowing him to fight at full strength until victory or defeat was decided. Subsequent recreation of items was merely a matter of time and energy expenditure. Similar principles applied to his rune and hero abilities, their limitations could be managed with proper planning.

These "side effects" had become negligible through careful refinement, which drove his ambition to manifest his complete game world in reality. His ability continued evolving, its shortcomings growing weaker, yet he could never fully violate the fundamental rules of Nen. Even if his power reached terrifying heights, some form of restriction would always remain. This was the foundation of this world's power system, the very principle behind why psychic abilities existed.

Consider Feitan of the Phantom Troupe, his abilities "Pain Packer" and "Rising Sun" required extreme anger to activate, with the drawback of causing indiscriminate area damage that could harm allies. The Nen consumption was equally massive. Then there was Chrollo's "Skill Hunter," which demanded specific conditions: witnessing the target's ability, questioning them about it, and having their hand touch his book's handprint, all within an hour. Using stolen abilities required materializing the book and turning to the correct page, and abilities vanished upon their original user's death.

Oboro suspected another hidden restriction in Chrollo's ability, that everyone recorded in his book was fated to die, making it a true book of death. This had proven true for Neon Nostrade, the young fortune-teller, though rumors suggested she might still live, her ability possibly exorcised. The same uncertainty surrounded the Shadow Beast Owl. Both abilities had vanished from Chrollo's book.

Compared to such abilities, Oboro had managed to minimize his restrictions significantly while gaining substantial power. The trade-off came in the form of enormous energy consumption and time investment, utilizing the system's analysis of Nen's fundamental structure.

In the series, the old master had noted that only Kurapika and Gon seemed bound by dramatic restrictions and covenants. But examining the whole story revealed a more nuanced truth, while some users could develop abilities with less obvious restrictions, this often meant their abilities remained more neutral in nature. Kurapika's chain abilities doubled his power against the Phantom Troupe, making him nearly invincible against them. He'd wanted too much, too quickly, necessitating an equivalent exchange.

The same principle applied to Gon's transformation when facing Neferpitou. Both sought moments of overwhelming power, and both paid tremendous prices. Their restrictions and covenants became legendary precisely because they pushed these principles to their limits.

Most Nen users lacked such patience for development, preferring immediate combat capability and stable power. They avoided risk and extreme costs. It was like comparing a basic gun technique to their abilities, yes, shooting required bullets, a functional weapon, aim, and dealing with recoil. These could be considered restrictions and covenants, but their impact on the user remained minimal.

The prerequisites for shooting and its physical limitations were real restrictions. The intent to hit and harm was a covenant. The gun and bullet represented the granted power. This explained why most Nen abilities seemed less bound by dramatic restrictions, users developed abilities that matched their natural fighting styles and familiar methods.

Talent and skill level also factored into Nen development. Mere desire for overwhelming power didn't guarantee success. Achieving results like Kurapika and Gon required exceptional willpower, idealism, and awareness. Otherwise, everyone would possess such strength.

Was Oboro's ability truly unbeatable? Obviously not. A sufficiently powerful Nen user could overcome his range limitations through overwhelming combat ability. If they could prevent his escape after securing victory, his equipment would vanish, leaving him vulnerable. But Oboro continued growing stronger, refining his ability alongside his expanding game world.

He progressed steadily toward the peak, knowing that raw power remained the ultimate truth. Nen abilities were simply means of expressing that power. As many masters had observed, there were no worthless abilities, only inadequate users. At the highest levels, fancy techniques became secondary to fundamental strength.

Oboro had never discussed his ability's drawbacks because, until now, no one had noticed them. Perhaps Biscuit had seen through them but kept quiet, recognizing them as inevitable limitations. Besides, these restrictions barely impacted his current combat style, making them largely irrelevant in practice.

Sato was the first to clearly perceive and react to these limitations. He'd proven himself a genuinely threatening opponent, living up to Oboro's expectations.

Oboro glanced at Sato's dark figure standing atop the distant dome and allowed himself a slight smile. Without hesitation, he launched his counterattack against Brown's nearby group. The Demonic Swamp Frog and Razorback immediately shifted their focus to the gang members, including the Ten Dons. Some registered as hostile players, making them valid targets for his summoned creatures. The rest he could handle personally.

As predicted, the moment Sato recognized Oboro's intention, he leaped down from the palace roof, rushing forward at high speed. He'd stepped back into range, exactly where Oboro needed him. The Nen user protecting Brown grabbed his boss and fled.

The dozen or so gangster bodyguards didn't even manage to raise their weapons. In an instant, Oboro's strikes sent them crashing to the ground.

"Run with the boss!" someone shouted from behind. "If we get far enough, these monsters will lose their target!"

Sato's approaching footsteps thundered closer.

Oboro chuckled softly. With a thought, he directed the Demonic Swamp Frog and Razorback to pursue Brown's group. Then he turned to face the advancing Sato.

Walking to the black hole, Oboro inserted his hand into the game world's pocket dimension. He watched Sato's pupils contract as the other fighter observed the torrent of Nen energy pouring into the spatial rift.

"The game," Oboro announced quietly, withdrawing his arm after expending the necessary mental energy, "officially begins now."

The ground beneath them began to shake violently, like an earthquake. The spatial gap created by the black hole stretched and distorted, accompanied by the grinding sound of space being compressed and expanded.

Under Sato's intent gaze, two enormous shadows emerged in sequence from the black hole. Even with the portal's expansion, it seemed barely large enough to accommodate these massive forms.

The first was a towering tree monster with crimson bark and an impossibly vast crown. The second, a terrifying stone golem covered in pulsing blue sigils. These weren't ordinary summons, their size and presence existed in an entirely different class from the previous creatures.

Sato had to crane his neck back completely to take in their full height. Each stood nearly twenty meters tall, the Crimson Mark Tree Monster and Blue Glyph Golem, known in gaming terms as red and blue buff.

Next to these colossal beings, both Oboro and Sato appeared insignificant.

"You can't run away," Oboro stated, standing before his titanic summons.

In the next instant, both monsters released deafening roars. The combined sound waves generated hurricane-force winds that whipped through the area. The golem raised its massive arms, casting a shadow that seemed to darken half the arena.

Sato's mind raced as he analyzed the incoming attack. The range was too wide, the speed too great for his current position.

"A guaranteed hit?" he muttered, momentarily frozen.

The golem's fists crashed down with devastating force. The impact shattered the ground, sending chunks of debris flying in all directions as shockwaves rippled through the earth. The true battle had only just begun.