BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the battlefield.
Kaizen's eyes narrowed as he stared at the middle-aged clown.
"That wasn't just a regular bomb," he muttered.
He observed the lingering sparks flickering in the air.
"There's elemental conversion in play... Lightning-type."
A bomb charged with electricity. Far more destructive than standard ammo—if it landed. But a miss was just a waste.
The clown formed another sphere in his palm, his expression unreadable.
Kaizen mirrored the motion, concentrating aura into his hands.
Another volley. The two bullets collided mid-air—
BOOM!
BANG!
A relentless back-and-forth unfolded between them, like two human cannons. Neither one used auxiliary abilities—only raw firepower. Yet the intensity rivaled any other clash on the battlefield.
Kaizen's gaze sharpened.
"As expected from a member of the Six Fiends..."
They were the elite squad under Oster's command. A tier above the Three Dogs and Four Beasts.
"If I hadn't faced this type of ability before, it'd be tricky to handle."
The clown's "Nen bombs" carried diverse elemental attributes—lightning, fire, frost, corrosion, pure explosive force…
A versatile approach. Each bomb could adapt to the terrain or opponent. The clown's flexibility was a clear advantage.
After all, the true strength of Nen lay in its possibilities. His ability had high variability—arguably more so than Kaizen's.
But Kaizen wasn't concerned with how flashy an ability looked. For him, it wasn't about how Nen flowed, but whether it worked.
Comparing strengths was fair. Comparing someone's weak point to another's specialty wasn't.
Even so, in raw En and Ren, the clown had him beat.
Frustration began to show in the clown's eyes.
Despite having stronger aura, he couldn't break through.
Kaizen's rhythm suppressed him, plain and simple.
...
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the fight between Natsu and Larkin was growing fierce.
Larkin glanced toward Kaizen, clearly looking for an opening to interfere—but Natsu's assault kept him fully occupied.
On the other side, the bunny girl had originally set her sights on Kaizen as well.
But her ally—the loli girl—was being overwhelmed, forcing the bunny girl to divert her focus.
The loli girl specialized in close-quarters combat and was trying to engage Zeno.
But Zeno didn't give her a chance.
Aura surged from Zeno's body, shaping into a dragon's head that loomed above him like a living beast.
Its mere presence crushed the girl's fighting spirit. He outpaced her completely.
His attacks came in blinding succession, giving her no chance to counter—only to dodge and defend.
A one-sided onslaught.
Kaizen took note, recalling the time Zeno had ambushed Chrollo in the original storyline.
Another airtight barrage.
But Chrollo, at the time, had Silva to worry about too. The loli girl didn't.
This meant she was clearly weaker than Chrollo had been during the Yorknew arc.
Seeing the danger, the bunny girl moved to assist.
Her ally could be killed by Zeno at any moment.
A microphone appeared in the bunny girl's hand.
She brought it to her lips, aimed it directly at Zeno—
BOOM!
A shockwave of pure sound ripped through the air toward Zeno.
The pressure was immense, drowning out every other noise on the battlefield.
"A Nen ability based on voice?"
Kaizen raised a brow.
He vaguely remembered Uvogin's roar from the Phantom Troupe—he'd once annihilated one of the Shadow Beasts with sheer vocal force.
But this wasn't the same.
Her sound waves had far more destructive force.
Then again, the Shadow Beasts weren't exactly top-tier...
Zeno raised a hand.
Aura condensed into a barrier before him, shimmering like a translucent shield.
The soundwave slammed into it.
The shield vibrated violently but held until the force dissipated.
With one hand still commanding the dragon head to suppress the loli girl, Zeno lifted the other—
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
Countless points of aura gathered above him like glowing stars, then rained toward the bunny girl like a meteor shower.
"A mini version?" Kaizen mused.
The technique resembled Zeno's Dragon Lance, but on a much smaller scale.
Still, it was more than enough.
The bunny girl didn't dare face it head-on. She danced out of the way, dodging for her life.
The real Dragon Lance could blanket an entire royal capital.
Zeno wasn't even trying.
That was the gap between them.
Even among A-rank Nen users, power levels varied wildly.
Some had just stepped into the rank—barely stronger than high B-levels.
Others had found their true path and begun to evolve.
Like the Floor Masters of Heavens Arena.
Zeno hadn't reached that stage yet.
But when Kaizen had once asked, Zeno had claimed he could kill the Arena's Floor Master.
That alone spoke volumes.
One man, two opponents—and he was still dominating.
So much for Ravik's numerical advantage.
Kaizen kept three busy.
Zeno had locked down two more.
The last two enemies were facing Silva and Hisoka... and neither was winning.
...
A sharp, killing aura rose from the swordsman as he squared off against Silva.
He gripped the hilt of his blade with one hand, prepared to draw.
Silva stood silently across from him, arms folded, expression unreadable.
Of all the duels on the battlefield, theirs was the quietest.
Neither had made a move yet.
But their states of mind were worlds apart.
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