Chapter 63: Speed is Truth x A Flurry of Stabs
They were all speechless.
Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu. These were the absolute basics.
Admittedly, not every Nen user gets the chance to systematically learn the Four Major Principles. But any powerful Nen user would certainly know them. In fact, just knowing them wasn't enough; they had to be mastered.
Harrison had earned his Hunter License a decade ago. As was customary for the Association, he had been assigned a teacher of the same Nen type to instruct him. He had learned the fundamentals thoroughly and in detail, which was how he had forged his current body of steel, tempered by ten years of Nen.
And now, he was being told that the opponent he had chosen was a complete rookie who hadn't even learned Ren?
Harrison didn't know if Roy was just an idiot who hadn't bothered to research his opponents, or if he was so arrogant that he thought simply opening his aura nodes was enough to master Nen.
"Fine. Either way, now that you've run into me, death is inevitable." Harrison cracked his knuckles and began to walk forward.
In the stands, Biscuit's expression was grave. She looked at Gotoh seriously. "This is no joke. Has little Roy actually developed his own Nen ability or not?"
Biscuit didn't believe for a second that a Zoldyck would be 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. Without Hatsu, you couldn't develop your own Nen ability. Unless—
—Roy was a natural prodigy, one whose Nen ability had passively awakened the very moment he opened his aura nodes and first touched the realm of Nen. Such cases weren't just rare; they were practically unheard of.
"It has been less than a month since the Young Master opened his aura nodes."
"Foolishness!" Wing, having put the pieces together, looked at Gotoh angrily. "As his butler, why didn't you stop him?"
"Facing a seasoned Nen user without even having mastered the Four Principles... do you have any idea what that means?"
"Shut up!" The Heavens Arena was full of self-taught Nen users; it was perfectly normal for them not to know the Four Principles. Biscuit slapped Wing on the back of the head, making the young man flinch. She then looked deeply at Roy on the stage. Thinking back to how his aura quantity had surged overnight, an answer began to form in her mind.
Little Roy is the latter. His Nen ability was heaven-sent!
Incredible. I have to see it for myself. Like someone who had just discovered a glittering, uncut gem, Biscuit's eyes locked onto Roy. She unconsciously licked her lips, the lollipop in her mouth suddenly losing its sweetness.
One step, two steps, three. Harrison swaggered forward, stopping three meters from Roy.
Roy's sword tip pointed diagonally downwards. He looked at him, his expression as calm as still water. "Why did you stop?"
"I'm thinking about how I'm going to torture you," Harrison said calmly.
"What a coincidence. So am I."
A gust of wind blew past. The eyes of both fighters sharpened, and they moved at the same instant.
Harrison charged with a shoulder tackle. Roy raised his hand and unleashed a flying slash!
Screee! The crescent-shaped slash, launched second but arriving first, tore through the air with a shriek that set one's teeth on edge as it flew toward Harrison.
Harrison was shocked. "You cunning little bastard!" he roared. "And you said you didn't know Ren!"
How can you use Hatsu without Ren?
"A Nen bullet?" Wing was also confused. That's right... how can he use Hatsu without Ren? The boy instinctively looked at Biscuit. Did Master know something all along? Is that why she told me to shut up?
No, that's not it. It doesn't have the feel of Nen. The "maiden" frowned, staring intently at the slash. It was clearly an air slash, formed when the wind from a blade was so sharp it sliced the air itself. It was just like how, when she reverted to her true form, she could throw a punch so powerful the pressure wave would form an air bullet to bombard her enemies. It meant Roy's swordsmanship was just that sharp!
"I've also been training with a sword recently. I just had a small epiphany..." The boy's words echoed in her ears, a deafening revelation!
Harrison finally realized something was wrong. He slammed on the brakes, forcefully twisting his body to dodge Roy's strike.
"Something's not right. Why did he dodge?"
"We've all been fooled! This Elo guy isn't some half-baked amateur... he's a true swordsman!"
Gotoh suddenly felt a chill on his neck. Behind him, Guy and Kikuta were staring daggers at him.
Ten days? Was he playing them for fools?
"A loyal dog indeed. The master is on stage, and the servant is still setting off smoke bombs down here. Impressive... very impressive."
Screee! The slash grazed past Harrison's side, carving a thin, straight line in the stage floor before finally dissipating a meter behind him.
In a dark corner, Kastro witnessed it all. He had to admit that Roy had been right yesterday. Ignorance is bliss, and he had been nothing but a frog in a well.
That was close... just barely... Harrison secretly swallowed, his guard now raised to its absolute highest.
This is weird. The slash had no Nen attached, so he couldn't track it with Gyo. Thank god the kid doesn't know Shu, he thought. If the slash had been imbued with Aura, Harrison didn't dare to imagine how powerful it would be. It might have actually been able to break through his defenses!
"Is this what you're relying on? It's nothing special," Harrison said, trying to bolster his own courage.
Then why did you dodge?
Roy recalled something his father, Silva, had once said: the moment a person subconsciously feels fear and chooses to evade, that is the beginning of their defeat.
The boy switched from a one-handed to a two-handed grip. He was done wasting words on small fry. With a step of his mastered 'Shadow Step', he vanished with a whoosh.
When he reappeared, he was right next to Harrison. He thrust his sword into his opponent's eye!
In the world of martial arts, speed is truth. Even if you have a body of steel, your eyeballs won't be made of iron.
"AAAAARGH—!" A bloodcurdling scream erupted!
The audience was instantly in an uproar. "He broke through! He actually broke through the defense! What a reversal, ladies and gentlemen!"
"The invincible Harrison's eye has been pierced by 'Piercing Hand' Elo!" the announcer screamed into the microphone, and the arena exploded.
Some cheered for Roy, some gasped in shock, but most were cursing Harrison, screaming at him to fight back before their sure thing turned into a total bust.
"Fast... so fast... His 'Shadow Step' has improved again," Wing noted. Roy didn't stop at one strike. He stabbed Harrison again, then a third time, a fourth. Relying on his unparalleled speed and agility, he circled Harrison, stabbing him relentlessly. Soon...
Blood splattered everywhere. "The Meat Grinder" lost all power and collapsed heavily on the ground.
"As ruthless as ever. Good thing I wasn't up there," "The Divine Shot" Guy and "The Ninja" Kikuta exchanged a look of mutual relief.
In reality...
This Harrison wasn't weak. He had already consciously tried to cover his eyes, but... little Roy was just too fast. He found the weak point and hammered it without giving him a single chance. Biscuit saw it more clearly than anyone. Noticing Gotoh shoot her a look, she looked down and began fiddling with the hem of her dress, pretending to be very busy.
Below the stage, the crowd's reactions were varied. On the stage, Roy sheathed his sword. He ignored Harrison's pleading eyes and waited in silence.
As Harrison's breathing faded, a lovely female figure and three or four other blurry shadows began to drift out from his body.
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