Feeling Hanzo's gaze on him, Nicolas stepped closer to the referee.
"You're the one who stole my badge during the last exam, aren't you?" Hanzo asked coldly as he approached the ring.
A slight smile slid across Nicolas' face. "Hehe, yeah, that was me. Why? Having memory problems?"
Hanzo didn't respond. As a professional ninja, he knew losing his cool would only benefit Nicolas.
Disappointed by the ninja's cold reaction, Nicolas spoke again. "In any case, I saw your fight with Gon. The result will be the same between us, neither of us will give up."
That was obviously a bluff. Nicolas would absolutely forfeit if Hanzo started torturing him. But he knew the ninja wouldn't give up either.
"To avoid that, I propose we set a rule to determine the loser. What do you think about this, first to land 10 clean hits wins?"
"I refuse," Hanzo said, turning to the referee. "Can we begin?"
Nicolas stared at him for a moment, stunned, then readied himself. He wasn't too worried, worst case, he could use Nen. That would multiply his power and secure victory.
'For now, my physical abilities are exceptional, only Killua surpasses me. It's thanks to the passive effects of Nen and these eight months of intense training.
In terms of experience, I only have sparring and a few real fights under my belt. I can't compare to Hanzo. But the psychological advantage of my win in the previous exam probably makes him overestimate me. That's something I can use.'
While Nicolas strategized, the referee in a suit and sunglasses stood between them.
"Ready?" he asked, raising his hand. "Third match, Hanzo versus Nicolas!"
Immediately, Hanzo rushed forward and launched a kick at Nicolas' face.
Swoosh!
Nicolas ducked, avoiding the attack. He countered by aiming at Hanzo's other leg, but the ninja easily dodged and stepped back.
Taking advantage of the distance, Nicolas lunged and threw a punch toward Hanzo's solar plexus. Hanzo sidestepped and landed a hit on Nicolas' face, forcing him back.
Paf!
Regaining his balance, Nicolas felt blood drip from his nose.
'He's really strong… and he's not even trying yet. For now, I'll try to create distance.'
He rose just in time to dodge another kick aimed at his left leg.
'Fine. As long as I keep dodging, I'm okay. But I can't find any opening to counter, every opportunity I see is a trap.'
This time, there would be no surprise attack or use of Zetsu to exploit the terrain. Nicolas could dodge most of Hanzo's strikes, but he lacked the experience to counterattack, any mistake would leave him open.
Physically, they were close, Nicolas might even be stronger. But in technique, the gap was undeniable.
'From Hanzo's perspective, I probably seem extremely dangerous. In our last exchange, I saw fear in his eyes. I need to exploit that inflated perception of my strength.'
Nicolas suddenly charged Hanzo. As expected, the ninja backed off, choosing to dodge instead of counter. He was analyzing Nicolas' style before striking.
Nicolas kept pressing, using basic moves, hooks, roundhouse kicks, straight punches. None of them touched the ninja.
After a few exchanges, Nicolas pretended to be slightly winded. He deliberately weakened and slowed his strikes, groaning when Hanzo dodged.
In the audience, Kurapika frowned. He knew Nicolas wasn't this weak, they had gone through many trials together.
Suddenly, Hanzo leapt back, frustration clear on his face. "You're not even trying! You won't win like that!"
He lunged, sending a powerful kick toward Nicolas' face.
'Perfect. Now's my chance.'
Instead of dodging, Nicolas stepped forward into the attack, thrusting his head into the incoming kick.
Paf!
The kick landed squarely on Nicolas' face, shocking Hanzo. But by moving forward, Nicolas had shortened the strike's range, reducing its impact and absorbing it with his forehead.
"Do you want to die?!" Hanzo shouted, stunned, pulling his leg back.
But before he could retreat, he saw Nicolas' hands gripping his leg tightly. Eyes wide, he realized too late, Nicolas yanked him forward and slammed his head into Hanzo's face.
Taking advantage of Hanzo's confusion, Nicolas delivered two more brutal headbutts, breaking the ninja's nose. Then he twisted and pulled Hanzo down, locking his head between his legs in a chokehold.
Hanzo quickly regained composure and began pummeling Nicolas' ribs with his free arm. A loud crack echoed from Nicolas' side as he coughed up blood, but he didn't let go, tightening his grip.
After about ten seconds, Hanzo's movements slowed… and eventually stopped. He passed out.
Nicolas finally released the choke, gasping. He stood slowly, clutching his ribs, face drenched in blood. He looked worse off than Hanzo.
He turned to the referee. "So? Announce my win already."
But the referee shook his head. "I can't. The match ends only when one fighter forfeits."
Nicolas groaned, a sharp headache hitting him, he had forgotten that absurd rule.
"Tss," he growled, shooting a glare at the referee, who remained unfazed.
"...Fine, I get it." Nicolas sighed.
He walked over to Hanzo's unconscious body and removed two hidden blades from his sleeves. The ninja might have more weapons, but Nicolas didn't care.
After inspecting them briefly, he strapped the blades to his wrists and swung them in the air to get a feel for them.
'Shame I'm just wearing a shirt. A hooded cloak would've been perfect.' The image of himself diving off a bell tower like an eagle flashed in his mind.
Shaking off the silly thought, he took Hanzo's red scarf, wrapped it around himself, and sat in a corner of the ring to rest.
A few minutes later, Hanzo's eyes slowly opened. Moments after, he jumped up, confused and ready to fight.
"Ohoh, that's impressive. You really are a pro ninja," Nicolas said, clapping.
Hanzo stared at him, remembering the fight. Seeing his scarf and blades on Nicolas, realization struck, he lowered his head, gritting his teeth.
Nicolas approached with a smile. "Good fight. I learned a lot. Oh, by the way, here."
He politely handed the blades back to Hanzo, who took them and strapped them on.
"Actually…" Nicolas added, "The match isn't over. I can only win if you concede. Or… do you want to keep fighting?"
Hanzo shook his head, casting a deep look at Nicolas. "No. In a real battle, I'd already be dead. I concede. It's your win."
"Perfect, perfect." Relief washed over Nicolas. He had taken Hanzo's weapons deliberately to create a psychological edge and push him to surrender.
If Hanzo had chosen to continue, Nicolas would've been forced to give up, he had no desire to keep fighting pointlessly.
"Nicolas wins! Congratulations, you've passed the final exam!" the referee announced.
A wide smile spread across Nicolas' face. The trials were over, he was officially a Hunter.