Heavens Arena.
The six-year-old Killua instantly captured everyone's attention the moment he stepped onto the stage, including the experienced referee, who couldn't help but feel surprised upon seeing Killua enter the ring.
Although Heavens Arena had no age restrictions for registration, it was exceedingly rare for a child this young to participate.
Law sat in the audience seats, listening to the surrounding fighters discussing Killua, their words dripping with malice.
The lower-floor matches served as the first round of elimination, with participants of wildly varying skill levels. Killua's luck was poor this time, as he was matched against a well-built adult man who had trained his physique to a formidable degree.
The two opponents standing in the ring looked like a bear and a child in stark contrast.
The referee glanced at Killua's assigned opponent and felt a chill. While fatalities on the arena were controllable, they couldn't be entirely avoided.
However, given Killua's young age, if he were to die in the ring, it would be an especially grim outcome.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and start the match!"
The bear-like man growled, cracking his neck with a cold smirk.
Killua stared at his opponent calmly, his expression composed.
The needle Illumi had implanted in Killua's head forced him to avoid opponents he couldn't defeat. The fact that Killua appeared so calm now suggested he was confident in his ability to win.
The referee waved his hand to signal the start of the match, and the battle began in an instant. The bear-like man had no concept of mercy toward children, and he lunged forward, throwing a heavy punch toward Killua's small frame.
The audience seats were filled with fighters awaiting their own matches, all watching this clash between two opponents with such a stark difference in size and age.
The punch came with a sharp gust of wind.
Killua shifted his footing, nimbly dodging the strike, then swiftly circled behind his opponent. Leaping up, he formed his hand into a blade and delivered a powerful chop to the back of the bear-like man's neck.
With a dull thud of flesh striking flesh, the man let out a pained grunt, stumbling forward several steps before regaining his balance.
Killua was surprised that his opponent hadn't lost consciousness. He had assumed that a solid strike like that would have decided the match.
The bear-like man clutched his throbbing neck, whirling around with fury etched across his face. His momentary carelessness had brought him an unbearable sense of humiliation.
His eyes tinged red with rage, and he roared, "I'll tear you apart!"
"Hmm~?" Killua tilted his head slightly, looking up with a serious expression, "Mister, if I'd had a knife just now, you'd already be dead, you know."
The man froze for a second before his anger flared even hotter. His muscular body suddenly burst forward with explosive speed as he charged at Killua.
Killua reacted by attempting the same maneuver, dodging and counterattacking. However, the man, who is now fully alert, wasn't about to let Killua catch him off guard again.
Mid-movement, he abruptly shifted his arm, sweeping it sideways with enough force to stir the air.
That critical adjustment threw Killua's rhythm into disarray.
A flicker of tension crossed Killua's mind as he halted his steps and leaned back, narrowly avoiding the man's swing.
'The same trick won't work twice.'
Killua retreated several more steps before beginning to circle his opponent at a deliberately irregular pace, leaving behind a series of afterimages.
"Afterimages?!"
The bear-like man stared at the phantom trails left by Killua's movements, realizing that this wasn't just an ordinary child. Beads of sweat began to form on his furious face.
Rhythm Echo… one of the Zoldyck Family's assassination techniques. Built upon the foundation of Silent Gaits, this move incorporated unpredictable variations in speed within a specific footwork pattern, creating visual illusions to deceive the opponent. The goal was to exploit this confusion for a single decisive strike.
Killua wanted to end the fight quickly so Law would take him out for a feast. So without hesitation, he activated Rhythm Echo.
His body generated a continuous stream of afterimages, thoroughly disorienting the bear-like man's vision. Instead of attacking immediately, Killua calmly maintained the technique.
If the afterimages were a physical form of deception, then the next level, applying psychological pressure to force the opponent into making a fatal mistake, was the true essence of Rhythm Echo.
The bear-like man, unnerved by Killua's composed demeanor, finally lost his patience and attacked.
Predictably, his strikes only hit afterimages. Seizing the opening, Killua delivered two more precise chops to the back of his neck.
This time, the man couldn't withstand the blows, so he collapsed, unconscious.
"You're so thick-skinned."
Killua stuck out his tongue in annoyance. It had taken three precise chops to the same spot to finally knock the man out.
The referee looked stunned, but his professionalism kicked in as he promptly announced the result and assigned Killua to the 20th floor.
The fighters in the audience seats fell into a hushed silence, staring at Killua on the ring with disbelief.
Killua grabbed the slip of paper, hopped off the ring without a backward glance, and dashed straight to Law, excitement sparkling in his eyes, "Law, I'm starving!"
"Hmm, it is getting late. Let's go eat." Law glanced up at the large digital clock hanging in the arena… it was already past 5 p.m..
"Yeah!" Killua stuffed the paper into his pocket.
Law stood up and led Killua toward the exit.
The players sitting near Law all stared blankly at the two figures, one big and one small, who were leaving.
"That man…?" Someone muttered in shock.
"Isn't that Law? The Floor Master of Heavens Arena!"
"Yes, I recognized him. He's the Floor Master who hasn't been challenged in years! The one who skipped multiple Battle Olympia but still kept his title."
"Why is he here? What's his connection to that terrifying brat?"
Many recognized Law's identity, their surprise growing as they speculated about the relationship between him and Killua.
Every fighter here aimed to reach the Floor Master level, and among all the Floor Masters, Law was the most unique.
In the past six years, he had only stepped onto the ring twice, and each time, he effortlessly crushed his ten-win challengers in the blink of an eye.
Since then, no one had dared to challenge him for the past three or four years.
Despite his long absence from the Heavens Arena, Law's popularity never faded… likely thanks to his striking looks.
Law first took Killua to collect his 20th-floor prize money, then headed for the elevator, planning to treat him to the best restaurant in the city.
At that thought, he suddenly remembered Buhara and couldn't help but chuckle.
Back in his Heavens Arena days, he and Buhara had scoured the city for good restaurants. Now, Law knew exactly which ones were worth visiting.
These days, Buhara was occupied with an important mission, which is helping Salin hunt down rare books, while the Phantom Troupe had also become an infamous group.
…
Night fell.
After their feast, Law and Killua wandered through the bustling streets. It was nearly midnight when Killua, still buzzing with energy, reluctantly agreed to head back, only after Law insisted.
Instead of staying at Heaven's Arena, they checked into a nearby hotel.
Over the next week, Killua fought his way up to the 50th floor… just as Law received a challenge.