"Quite the commotion~"
Hisoka glanced around, observing his playing cards embedded in various instruments within the control room. His gaze lingered on Shura, who was now pinned to the large display screen, lifeless. Then, in his usual nonchalant manner, he turned away.
"It's different from Nen—powerful but far too extreme. Doesn't suit my style~"
With that, he strolled toward the exit, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The dimly lit main control room fell into eerie silence, save for the rhythmic dripping of blood pooling beneath Shura's body. The large screen flickered with static, emitting a distorted hum that added to the unsettling atmosphere.
Hisoka had completely wrecked the control room, eliminating Shura, who had been operating the equipment. As a result, the battle between Ronnel and Jed, which had been displayed on the screens across Heavens Arena, was abruptly cut off once again.
Almost immediately, frustration erupted worldwide as spectators reacted to the sudden blackout.
...
Atop the Tower
"The screens are out?"
Ronnel frowned, glancing at the darkened monitors on the surrounding buildings. The ongoing battle, once clearly projected, had been replaced by static.
"Not sure what happened, but this actually works in my favor. Seems like a lot has changed in Heavens Arena~"
Naturally, if Ronnel noticed the anomaly, so did Jed.
"What's going on? Did something happen to Shura?"
Jed scowled, checking his communicator. A burst of static greeted him, deepening his unease.
"Tch. Forget it. I'll deal with that later. First, I need to finish things here."
His expression hardened just as the sound of approaching airships filled the night sky.
Several vessels bearing the V5 insignia emerged from the clouds, descending toward the battlefield.
"V5 reinforcement? And not a single Nen user among them?"
The moment the airships entered Ronnel's En range, he let out a scoff.
"Sending in a bunch of regular soldiers with no Nen… That's basically handing them over as live bait."
"Fools."
Jed sneered and wasted no time commanding Rakshasa to attack.
Before the airships could react, the monstrous Rakshasa lunged forward, its razor-sharp claws slicing through metal as if it were paper.
CRACK!BOOM!
The aircraft were shredded effortlessly. Within moments, the wreckage and its unfortunate passengers were consumed by roaring flames, illuminating the night sky in bursts of crimson and gold.
"Not bad."
Watching Rakshasa's display of destruction, Ronnel analyzed the situation calmly.
The sheer malice radiating from the entity was overwhelming—but he had ways to deal with it.
"When it comes to difficulty… I won't back down either!"
With the surveillance systems down, he could fight freely without holding back.
If it truly came down to life and death, avoiding a direct clash was an option. However, in this situation, he had several methods to ensure a swift and decisive victory.
Enhancers were formidable, but also the easiest opponents to handle under the right circumstances.
With a powerful leap, Ronnel shot toward Jed, closing the distance in an instant.
"Think you can dodge Rakshasa's attacks just by getting close to me? Naïve!"
Jed clapped his hands together.
Above them, the enormous Rakshasa reacted instantly, swinging its massive claws downward at breakneck speed.
But Ronnel didn't falter. He charged ahead, completely ignoring the incoming attack.
With a sickening squelch, Rakshasa's claws pierced straight through his chest!
"?!"
Rather than feeling relieved, Jed's eyes narrowed. His intuition screamed at him that something was off.
The next second, his eyes widened in shock.
A second Ronnel—identical in every way—suddenly emerged just ahead of the impaled figure.
With his feet erupting in a burst of aura, the real Ronnel lunged forward at an even greater speed!
"A trick?! Is this your Nen ability?!"
Jed's voice rose with surprise, and in response, an immense surge of malice burst from his body.
"You dare rely on a mere decoy as your trump card? You underestimate me, kid!"
His dark golden eyes gleamed as his body became engulfed in writhing resentment.
From above, streams of malevolent energy poured from Rakshasa like a cascading waterfall, merging with Jed's form. His arms twisted unnaturally, preparing for an attack of terrifying magnitude.
But Ronnel didn't slow down.
The two warriors prepared for a collision reminiscent of their first clash—but this time, they were wielding their full strength.
Like an incantation from the underworld, Jed's fists became wreathed in shadowy figures, their sorrowful wails blending with distant echoes of despair. The sight was nightmarish.
Gathering the full force of his malicious aura, Jed struck forward with all his might!
To anyone watching, it seemed inevitable that their fists would collide in a cataclysmic impact.
Even Netero would have thought so.
Even Jed himself thought so.
And yet—
A sudden smile flickered across Ronnel's face.
"?!"
Jed's heart skipped a beat. His instincts screamed.
At the last moment, Ronnel subtly adjusted his angle, shifting just enough to evade the direct clash!
—And the real battle began.
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