You have to understand, Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu are the absolute basics.
Of course, not every Nen user has the opportunity to systematically learn the four major principles, but a powerful Nen user will inevitably know them. In fact, just knowing them isn't enough; they must be mastered.
Harrison had earned his Hunter License ten years ago. According to the association's custom, he was matched with a teacher of the same Nen type to instruct him. That's why his training was comprehensive and detailed, resulting in the steel-like body he had now, forged by a decade of Nen.
And now, he was being told... that the opponent he had chosen was a rookie who hadn't even learned Ren yet?
Harrison truly didn't know if Roy was too stupid to gather intelligence, or if he was just arrogant enough to believe that opening his aura nodes was all it took to enter the world of Nen.
'Oh well, no matter. Now that he's run into me, death is inevitable,' Harrison thought, cracking his knuckles as he strode forward.
Down below, Biscuit Krueger wore a solemn expression, looking at Gotoh seriously. "This is no joke... Has little Roy developed his own Nen ability or not?"
Biscuit didn't believe the Zoldycks were ignorant of the four major principles.
Since Roy said he hadn't learned Ren, it was impossible for him to have skipped that stage and gone straight to Hatsu... and without Hatsu, he couldn't develop a Nen ability suited for himself, unless—
Roy was naturally gifted, passively awakening a Nen ability the moment he opened his aura nodes and touched the realm of Nen. Such cases weren't just few; they were exceedingly rare...
"It has been less than a month since the Young Master opened his aura nodes."
"Nonsense!" Wing also came to his senses, looking at Gotoh angrily. "As his butler, why didn't you stop him?"
"Facing a seasoned Nen user without even having learned all four major principles, do you have any idea what that means?"
"Shut up!" Biscuit snapped, slapping Wing. Heavens Arena was never short on self-taught Nen users; it was perfectly normal for them not to know the four major principles.
The boy flinched and shrank back... Biscuit then looked deeply at Roy on the stage, recalling how his aura had grown by a significant amount after just one day. An answer was already forming in her mind—
Little Roy was the latter case. His Nen ability was a natural gift!
'How incredible. I really want to see it.' Biscuit felt as if she had discovered a sparkling gem. Her big eyes locked onto Roy, and she couldn't help but lick her lips. The lollipop in her mouth suddenly didn't taste so sweet.
One step, two steps, three steps... Harrison walked over brazenly, stopping three meters away from Roy.
Roy pointed the tip of his blade diagonally downward, his gaze as placid as an old well. "Why did you stop?"
"I'm thinking about how to torture you," Harrison said calmly.
"What a coincidence. So am I."
A gust of wind blew past. The two men's eyes suddenly narrowed, and they moved at the same time!
Harrison charged with a shoulder ram, while Roy raised his hand and unleashed a flying slash!
Swish!
The crescent-shaped slash, launched second but arriving first, tore through the air with a grating shriek as it shot toward Harrison.
Harrison's heart leaped in shock, and he cursed aloud, "You cunning bastard, and you said you didn't know Ren!"
Without Ren, how could there be Hatsu?
"A Nen bullet?" Wing was also bewildered. That's right... without Ren, how could there be Hatsu?
The boy subconsciously looked at Biscuit... Did his master know something already? Was that why she told him to shut up?
'No, that's not it. There's no trace of Nen.' The "girl" frowned, staring at the slash. It was clearly just a product of the sword wind being so sharp that it sliced the air, forming an air slash. It was just like how, when she reverted to her true form, a powerful punch could compress the air with its force, forming an air bullet to bombard enemies... This kid Roy's swordsmanship was just that sharp!
"I've also been practicing with the blade recently, and I've just had a bit of an insight..." The boy's words still echoed in her ears, loud and clear!
Harrison finally noticed something was wrong. He slammed on the brakes mid-charge and forcefully twisted his body to evade Roy's strike.
"Something's not right. Why did he dodge?"
"We've all been tricked. This Ilo guy isn't some amateur... he's a true swordsman!"
Gotoh suddenly felt a chill on his neck. Behind him, Guy and Kikuta Tadashi were staring at him with fury!
Ten days. Was he just playing them for fools?
"Truly a good dog. His master is on the stage, and he's still down here releasing smokescreens. Impressive... very impressive..."
Swish! The slash flew past Harrison, plowing a thin, straight line across the ring floor before stopping a meter behind him.
In a dark corner, Kastro witnessed it all and had to admit that Roy was right yesterday. Ignorance is bliss. He was the frog at the bottom of the well.
'That was close, just a hair's breadth...' Harrison secretly swallowed, his guard now raised to the highest level.
'How strange... the slash had no Nen attached to it, so I couldn't detect it with Gyo... Lucky for me this kid doesn't know Shu.'
Otherwise, if that slash had been imbued with Nen, Harrison didn't dare to imagine how powerful it would be. It might have actually been able to break through his physical defenses!
"Is this what you're relying on? It's nothing special," Harrison said to bolster his own courage.
Then why did you dodge?
Roy rather agreed with something his father, Silva, once said: the moment a person subconsciously feels fear and chooses to evade, it is the beginning of their defeat.
The boy switched from a one-handed to a two-handed grip. He couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on a scrub. He activated his perfected Rhythm Echo and with a swoosh, he vanished!
When he reappeared, he was pressed against Harrison's body, a blade plunging into his eye!
In all of martial arts, nothing can overcome absolute speed. Even if one cultivated a body of steel, their eyeballs would not truly turn into iron...
"Ah—!" A blood-curdling scream erupted!
The audience was in an uproar... "He broke through! He really broke through the defense! This is a major reversal, ladies and gentlemen..."
"The invincible Harrison has had his eye pierced by 'Piercer' Ilo!" the announcer roared into the microphone, and the venue instantly exploded!
Some cheered for Roy, some gasped in shock, but most were cursing Harrison, urging him to fight back quickly, lest their winning bets turn into losing ones.
"Fast... so fast... his Rhythm Echo has improved again," Wing noted as Roy, not stopping after the first strike, stabbed Harrison again. Then came two more stabs, three, four. Relying on his unparalleled speed and agility, he circled Harrison, stabbing him continuously. Soon...
Blood splattered. The "meat grinder" lost its power and fell heavily to the ground...
"As ruthless as ever. Good thing I didn't go up there." "Divine Spear" Guy and "Ninja" Kikuta Tadashi exchanged a look of mutual understanding, both seeing "relief" in the other's eyes.
Actually...
'This Harrison isn't weak. He was already consciously trying to cover his eyes, but unfortunately... little Roy was too fast, zeroing in on his weak point and striking relentlessly, giving him no chance at all.' Biscuit saw it more clearly than anyone. Noticing Gotoh glance her way, she looked down and fussed with the wrinkles on her skirt, pretending to be busy.
The faces in the crowd below showed a variety of expressions. On the stage, Roy sheathed his sword, ignored Harrison's pleading eyes, and waited quietly...
As Harrison's life faded away, a beautiful silhouette and three or four blurry shadows faintly drifted out from his body...