Heaven's Arena, 200th Floor, Main Arena.
The stands were a roaring, sold-out sea of humanity. Waves of cheers crashed against the walls.
"Chello's Cruel Art!"
"Which unlucky newcomer is about to suffer today?"
"Haha, perfect!"
"I paid a fortune for this ticket. This is what I came to see!"
The audience roared with a fervor that bordered on bloodlust, their faces alight with a fanatical glee. They were clearly devotees of one particular fighter. Scattered among them were several other Nen users, observing with more detached interest.
In the arena, the tall, gaunt, scar-faced man in his grotesque bodysuit sauntered into the center. The four weapons at his waist clinked with each step. Chello extended a bony, sharp-nailed finger and pointed directly at Kevin across from him.
"Little sapling," he shrilled, his voice like nails on slate, "I will give you a perfect pruning!"
Kevin stood silently, his gaze calm and analytical.
In the Stands.
Mori, blending into the crowd, leaned toward Bisky. "Master, can Kevin beat him?" From Mori's perspective, the malignant aura emanating from 'Chello' was more intimidating. He felt he himself currently stood little chance.
Bisky watched quietly. They'd received word the moment Kevin registered on the 200th floor and had rushed over, arriving just in time for his debut match. "Unless the disparity in power is overwhelming," she instructed, "the outcome of a battle is never easy to predict. However, that Chello already possesses a realized Nen ability. His fanbase indicates he has extensive experience fighting other Nen users here."
It had only been four months since they'd parted. Kevin was essentially a newly-graduated Nen user. While gifted, experience in Nen combat wasn't easily compensated for, and Kevin's foundational combat experience was limited.
"That said," Bisky continued, a note of pride in her voice, "he hasn't been idle. The density of his aura and his physical conditioning have progressed beyond my expectations." She couldn't help but admire a disciplined student.
In the Arena.
The fight was announced.
Both combatants stood their ground, neither making the first rash move.
Kevin watched his opponent, mentally reviewing the information gleaned from last night's video session with Mito. Chello's weapons were the four items on his belt: a serrated dagger, steel needles, a meteor hammer, and a curved hook. Each was connected to his belt by a thin, almost invisible line.
Analysis of the footage showed he used these four weapons for throwing and manipulation in every fight. Their maneuverability post-throw was superhuman, impossible without Nen enhancement.
The key question: was this Conjuration, Manipulation, or the unlikely Specialization?
If Conjuration, the weapons could likely be dismissed and re-materialized at will. Keeping them visibly on his belt might be a simple but effective bluff, a misdirection to gain a psychological edge at the clash.
If Manipulation, he was using his aura to control pre-existing weapons. That would grant terrifying flexibility—the weapons becoming extensions of his will. Poisoning them would be a logical, and for a man like him, welcome tactic.
If Conjuration, each weapon likely possessed a unique, hidden function. However, in the videos against weaker opponents or newcomers, Chello had only used one or two weapons—typically the meteor hammer or dagger. Watching a recording, Kevin couldn't fully discern their specific properties, only infer from the effects.
"Standing there like a little stick, not moving?" Chello's shrill laugh cut the tension. "Then I'll come to you!"
With a sudden, fluid motion, he drew the serrated dagger from his waist with his right hand and hurled it forward. A silver streak shot across the arena, the thin line trailing behind it like a sinister tail, the blade aimed squarely for Kevin's center of mass.
Though fast, the dagger's speed was still within Kevin's reaction threshold. He shifted his weight slightly, his left hand snapping out to the side. His fingers closed not around the blade, but around the thin, nearly invisible line trailing behind it, wrapping it swiftly around his palm.
"Hmm?" In the stands, Mori was surprised by the move and glanced at Bisky.
She nodded slowly, a flicker of something in her eyes. "His body's learning ability… has improved?" They both knew Kevin's physical learning deficit intimately. Dodging was one thing; actively intercepting a controlled weapon mid-flight was a technical maneuver of a different order.
"Has he already constructed his own Nen ability?" Bisky murmured, the possibility settling in her mind.
Across the arena, Killua rolled his eyes. Hmph. Copycat. Aside from some basic combat instincts, he wasn't picking up anything useful from Kevin. This is so unfair!
In the Arena.
Chello was mildly surprised that Kevin not only dodged but seized the connecting line. Kevin gripped the line and pulled sharply.
Such strength! Chello instantly reassessed. His free hand shot to his waist, grabbing the meteor hammer. He swung it in a wide, heavy arc toward Kevin. Compared to the dagger, it was slower, but it carried a palpable pressure, whistling through the air as it smashed downward. Simultaneously, he yanked back on the dagger line with all his might, trying to pin Kevin in place.
"Your strength is too weak. It's simply no match." Kevin used the opposing pull as a pivot, flipping over the incoming meteor hammer. Using the momentum of his flip, he pulled again, harder this time, causing Chello to stumble forward.
Just then, the dagger in Kevin's grasp instantly vanished.
"Conjuration," Kevin confirmed internally.
As the meteor hammer slammed into the ground where Kevin had been, it didn't just impact. It vibrated, sending out a visible ripple of concussive force through the air and floor.
Kevin, having landed in a crouch, braced against the shockwave. So, the meteor hammer's trait is a shockwave emission. That means the dagger's trait is most likely extreme sharpness, as I guessed. What about the other two?
Seizing the opening, Kevin pushed off the ground. The explosive force cratered the floor beneath his feet. He shot toward Chello like a loosed arrow.
As an Enhancer—the archetype with the greatest raw offensive potential—Kevin's charge was a blend of devastating speed and power.
Seeing him close in, Chello, the dagger now rematerialized in his right hand, thrust it forward in a desperate lunge.
Kevin tilted his head, letting the blade whisper past his ear. His left hand, formed into a knife-hand, shot forward in a precise, surgical strike, hitting the nerve cluster at Chello's elbow joint.
A jolt of numbness shot through Chello's arm. The dagger nearly fell from his suddenly useless fingers.
"Used to bullying the weak, have you forgotten how to fight someone strong?" Kevin taunted. His right hand was already a clenched fist, driving toward Chello's face with punishing force.
Finally, Chello's left hand, still functional, found the short handle of the meteor hammer at his waist. He swung it in a desperate, backhanded arc from the side.
But compared to Kevin's streamlined assault, the hammer was a beat too slow. However, as it swung, the shockwave preceded the physical impact.
"So that's how it works." Kevin understood, but judged the force insufficient to stop him. He barreled through the rippling air. The shockwave jolted his trajectory slightly, but his adjusted punch still landed with crushing impact—not on Chello's face, but on his shoulder.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering force was audible even over the crowd's roar. Chello was launched backward as if hit by a truck, tumbling through the air in a graceless sprawl.