"You won't even see where my next attack comes from!"
Partridge smirked, preparing for his next move, confident in his strategy. Kaizen's expression, however, was calm—perhaps too calm, almost amused.
"Let me open the door for you... to a whole new world."
A thunderous collision echoed through the arena.
Boom!
But in the very next instant, Partridge's face froze in disbelief.
His invisible left leg—his trump card—had been stopped cold.
"What...?"
His pupils shrank as a dreadful realization hit him.
"Don't tell me… You know how to use Nen too?"
His mind reeled, struggling to accept the possibility.
"No! That's impossible!" Partridge muttered, panic creeping into his voice. "I only awakened it after enduring that kind of pain… How do you have it? How did you get it without going through the same suffering?"
"It's not fair!" Partridge screamed internally.
Kaizen's eyes stayed locked on him, calm and unbothered. "Killer Queen... take him out."
In the blink of an eye, Killer Queen materialized, grabbing hold of Partridge's invisible left leg. Before the rookie killer could react, the Nen beast swung him with overwhelming force, sending him crashing across the arena.
Whoosh!
The fight was far from over. Killer Queen advanced relentlessly, raining down attacks with a merciless precision. Partridge was caught in a whirlwind of strikes, unable to mount any kind of defense.
Kaizen stood perfectly still, watching the fight unfold with a detached air. His attention drifted momentarily to the crystal ball hovering in front of him.
"Just as I thought," Kaizen mused. "Fighting in Heavens Arena boosts the absorption speed of my observers."
Meanwhile, the crowd in the stands was utterly stunned.
This wasn't how they had expected the match to go.
Almost everyone had placed their bets on Partridge, drawn in by the allure of his seemingly invincible technique—an invisible left leg no ordinary human could perceive. Yet here he was, utterly destroyed without Kaizen even moving an inch.
"How... how is this possible?"
"Could Kaizen be using some kind of invisibility technique too?"
One of the spectators, a middle-aged man, clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. "It's a setup! A fake match!"
His outburst drew a few skeptical glances, but most people dismissed him. The beating Partridge had taken was very real—no fake match could leave him this bruised and broken. Blood dripped onto the floor, and Partridge was barely conscious, his face swollen and his body trembling from exhaustion.
And this wasn't just any floor—it was the 200th floor of Heavens Arena, where no one survived by faking battles.
Staff members quickly intervened, calming the agitated audience. Kaizen cast a brief glance at the crowd, indifferent to their reactions, before returning his focus to the crystal ball.
"…Slowing down again," Kaizen muttered with mild frustration.
"Killer Queen," Kaizen ordered, his voice cold and resolute, "end it."
In a flash, Killer Queen appeared behind Partridge, wrapping both arms around him. With a brutal heave, the Nen beast hurled him out of the ring with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The entire arena seemed to tremble as Partridge's limp body crashed to the ground. He lay motionless, foam bubbling from his mouth, his eyes rolled back in unconsciousness.
"Winner... Kaizen!"
The referee's voice echoed through the arena, followed by the booming announcement from the host, cementing Kaizen's victory for all to hear.
News of his victory spread like wildfire through the 200th floor. Even people who weren't present at the match quickly heard the whispers.
"He's only nine years old?"
"Looks like another rising star has made it to the 200th floor. He's definitely gunning for a Floor Master title."
"The competition's going to get rough again."
For the seasoned fighters on the 200th floor, Kaizen's rise was just another challenge to overcome. But for the rookie killers, his sudden dominance sent shockwaves of fear through their ranks.
In a dimly lit room, several rookie killers huddled together, grim expressions on their faces.
"This kid... he's no ordinary rookie."
"He's already mastered Nen—and he's using it better than us."
"He must have a teacher. There's no way someone that young learned it on his own."
"We can't win against him."
Another rookie killer shook his head grimly. "From now on, we avoid him at all costs."
"Isaiah's lucky he didn't cross paths with Kaizen in the ring. With his attitude, Kaizen would've killed him for sure."
"And Partridge wasn't even as arrogant as Isaiah… and still got demolished."
They exchanged uneasy glances, the reality sinking in.
"When you see Kaizen, you run," one of them muttered. "We'll target someone else instead."
After a long silence, one of the killers hesitantly spoke. "Maybe... maybe it's time we move forward with that plan."
The others shifted uncomfortably.
"You mean… training our own rookies?"
"Yeah. If we bring up new fighters and let them climb to the 200th floor, we can rack up easy wins by defeating them ourselves. It's the fastest way to qualify for a Floor Master challenge."
"But if the arena finds out, we'll be punished."
"So what? Once we're on the 200th floor, everything's fair game. As long as we don't teach them Nen, they won't be a threat. We just need to rig the match schedules."
Back in his room, Kaizen resumed his routine as if nothing had happened.
With nearly three months until his next match, he could relax for a while. Aside from daily training, Kaizen spent most of his time studying battles on the 200th floor. Every match was a learning opportunity, and whenever something piqued his interest, Kaizen made sure to buy a ticket and watch the fight in person.
But today's match was different.
It felt... significant.
And Kaizen couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was coming.
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