Kaizen frowned slightly.
"In that state… did you activate your aura nodes on your own?"
"Well, I suppose that counts as a natural awakening."
There are usually two ways for aura nodes to open:
Active and Passive.
Passive awakening happens when someone else's Nen forcibly opens your aura nodes. This method can be further divided into violent and non-violent types.
In the original story, Wing helped Gon and Killua open their aura nodes using a non-violent method—a gentle, guided activation that left them mostly unharmed.
But for rookie killers, it's a different story.
Their awakening is usually brutal—violent and painful. They endure excruciating torment before their aura flows. Sometimes they even lose a body part in the process.
That's why so many rookie killers from Heavens Arena end up with twisted personalities. After suffering through such inhuman experiences, it's no wonder they come out changed.
Active awakening, on the other hand, is straightforward.
When someone trains hard enough and reaches a certain level, their aura nodes open naturally.
This woman… she's one of those cases.
Driven by revenge, she's pushed her body through extreme training.
Her physical capabilities have reached astonishing levels—enough to clash with someone like Killua.
Even though she's still weaker than him overall, there's no denying the sheer intensity of her effort.
But her talent doesn't match Killua's. That much is clear.
Which means she's probably already near her physical limit.
Still, driven by powerful emotions—resentment, rage, hatred—something in her finally snapped.
BOOM!
Her aura nodes burst open.
A surge of never-before-felt energy flooded her body.
Her eyes flew open, blazing with new light.
"Wha… what is this?"
Her fading consciousness snapped awake.
She looked at her hands, trembling with newfound power.
"This… what kind of power is this?"
But when her gaze shifted to Killua's back, the thought faded.
Her hatred flared again, overwhelming everything else.
"No matter what this is..."
"I can finally kill that murderous demon!"
"If I have to go to hell to do it, so be it!"
With a burst of power, she launched herself from the ground and lunged at Killua.
Killua sensed the danger and dodged just in time.
Her strike missed—but now the tide had turned.
She was faster. Stronger. Her aura flowed freely.
Her body felt lighter, her reactions sharper.
One miss didn't stop her—she pressed the attack.
Killua found himself on the defensive, forced to evade again and again.
The tables had turned in an instant.
"You killer! DIE!"
Killua's face tensed.
"What the hell is going on?"
"What kind of power did she unlock?"
"Is someone else helping her?"
He glanced around, but saw no one. No other aura signatures.
The woman sneered.
"Looking around, murderer? Think someone's helping me? No. This is my power. And now, I'm stronger than you. Can't handle it?"
Kaizen still made no move.
He simply observed from the side, watching how Killua would respond to a newly awakened Nen user.
The gap between Nen users and non-Nen users is enormous.
But sometimes, a non-Nen user—if pushed to the brink—can become something else entirely.
Some people are born with terrifying potential. Even before learning Nen, they've nearly hit their natural limits.
And once they do awaken…
Kaizen lost interest quickly.
Because Killua's reaction was all too familiar.
It was the same as when he'd faced Hanzo in the Hunter Exam.
"Is it the needle Illumi implanted in him?"
"No… It's more than that."
"The needle is just a part of it. The bigger issue is Killua's own mindset."
"If I pull that needle out now, the results won't last."
"He has to realize it on his own… and remove it himself when he's ready."
...
After several more exchanges, Killua stopped attacking.
He shifted to pure evasion, looking for a way to retreat.
The woman saw it instantly and doubled down, her strikes wild and furious.
"Running away, murderer?"
"Why aren't you fighting back?"
"Afraid because I'm stronger now?"
"Is that how it is? You only kill those weaker than you?"
"Show me the courage you had when you murdered my father!"
Killua tried to escape—but she blocked every path.
The space was sealed off.
They were on an airship. The only way out… was down.
But with no footing and hundreds of meters between him and the ground, even he wouldn't survive the fall.
He was cornered.
"Go to hell!"
The woman charged forward, her aura surging violently.
Before, she didn't know about Nen. But now, driven by instinct, she was channeling her aura directly into her strike.
Rough, unrefined—but undeniably powerful.
Killua couldn't block it.
He clenched his teeth.
"Damn it…!"
And then—
A figure appeared.
He moved faster than sight, stepping in front of Killua.
The woman's strike landed… but didn't connect.
No sound. No impact. It was as if her attack had vanished into thin air.
Killua's eyes widened.
The woman froze, then quickly backed away, staring at the newcomer with wide eyes.
"Kaizen…?"
Killua blinked, still catching up.
"Kaizen?"
Hearing that name, the woman's face twisted with rage.
"You're that murderer's cousin? Then you're no better than him. I'll kill you too!"
She charged again.
Kaizen simply raised his hand.
A wave of overwhelming aura slammed into her like a wall.
She froze in place—not of her own will, but as if her body refused to move.
Locked down. Frozen in her own skin. Like standing in the judgment of death.
"Killua," Kaizen said calmly, eyes still on the woman.
"Do you want me to finish her off?"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)