With Auren's new strategy, secretly using In to hide the fact that he's carefully looking at Pariston, he's confidently approaching Pariston, who looks surprised, but then laughs happily.
"Now you've got the right idea," Pariston says, amused. "But think about it. Do you really believe I couldn't see through your In? Especially if you're suspecting that I'm doing exactly the same thing as you are doing?" He then points to his eyes, which are looking normal, his Aura completely evenly distributed.
"I congratulate you for your insight at least," he says, clapping his hands.
He... stopped when he saw me gathering my Aura in my eyes. Of course... that was stupid! If he is focusing his Aura on his eyes, he can see through In, but at least that confirms it! He is a genius at reading other people's Aura, probably his strongest skill. I wonder... does he also do it in daily life?! He's probably constantly using Gyo and hiding it with In, and as soon as someone looks at him carefully, he notices the shift in Aura and immediately stops! That is how he can see through people, their emotions, and rile them up. That is Pariston... always looking, not missing a thing.
Much like Rakshala is a prodigal user of En... he is a prodigal user of Gyo and Ryu, probably, the best in the world! Damn monsters and their focus on their eyes. At least I have figured it out now. Let's see where that takes me.
Auren doesn't respond to Pariston's taunts. Instead, he charges in again and keeps attacking, half of his Aura still gathered in his eyes.
Now that his Aura is no longer properly distributed for combat, Pariston's grin grows wider. His Aura remains stable, balanced, not showing a hint of focusing it on his own eyes—he's now only using Ryu to defend and counter, distributing Aura to each strike effortlessly, batting Auren's body with perfectly common, but effective attacks.
Auren starts losing the exchanges, with half of his Aura wasted, Pariston has gained a huge advantage, making up for his lower Aura and weaker body.
One of Pariston's counters slips through his guard and lands square on his nose, breaking it with a sickening crack.
"Clean hit! 9–7! Continue!" Netero calls out, still clearly enjoying himself from the sidelines.
This bastard's doing it on purpose now. And since I've focused my Aura into my eyes, I'm weaker everywhere else. That's all the confirmation I need.
He's a genius at using Gyo and shifting his Aura mid-fight. If I fight normally, he sees through my movements; if I do shit like that, I lose as well. That's just dumb.
With his use of Gyo, it's like he can see the future. The moment I shift my Aura, he knows. He needed a few minutes to see, not through my techniques, but my Aura itself! As soon as he's adjusted to the flow of my Aura, it's as if he's watching my next move before I even make it. That explains why I had no trouble landing hits at the start. He needed time to adapt.
"Okay," Auren says now, a grin forming on his face. "I learned what I wanted to learn. And it paid off—immensely. Time to finish this. I think you won't think too badly of me for what I am about to do."
I won... I learned about Pariston's secret... maybe not his Hatsu, but this information is a large part of what makes Pariston so scary, and I figured it out.
"Will you use your Hatsu now, Auren?" Netero asks, laughing. "Or maybe draw your sword, or use that deadly claw technique you are famous for?"
"No need," Auren replies, stepping forward again, activating Ken, his Aura rapidly draining. "It's just a spar. Using that would take all the joy out of winning… wouldn't it?"
"Let's go, Pariston," Auren says. "You mentioned you have a meeting. So we should hurry up!"
"You are quite accommodating, Auren," Pariston replies. "I rather like that."
Using Ken, Auren steps forward once more, bracing himself for impact.
Pariston, just like earlier, skillfully attacks Auren. But even though he's focusing his Aura entirely on offense, Auren's superior Aura capacity and physical strength allow him to absorb the attacks without suffering too much damage.
I can't sense a thing with Ken, and my senses are dull... however, all that I have to do is simply...!
Finally, after taking several more hits, Auren seizes a chance, intentionally getting hit in the face, yet grabs Pariston's arm in response, holding tightly onto it.
"Got you..." Auren mutters, his eyes glinting, revealing a slightly crazed expression.
He seizes Pariston by the arm and hurls him to the ground, pressing his knee into his stomach as they fall.
"Someone like you..." Auren says coldly, while smoothly shifting him into an armbar, "has never grappled before."
"Fighting dirty... is not like your beautiful, refined, television martial arts!" he continues, as Pariston immediately taps the ground, saying, "I give up," still smiling.
"Pathetic," Netero comments, stepping next to Pariston. "It's over. You won, Auren."
Auren lets go instantly and stands up. "Still feels a little disappointing. I had to resort to this just to win. This feels like cheating."
At least I got him to reveal quite a little bit about himself. Nobody cares about winning or losing.
"It's not your fault that your opponent is a pompous, arrogant guy with next to no experience in actual fighting," Netero replies, smiling.
"Still," he adds, his tone a little more thoughtful, "I have to say, I'm impressed that you didn't use any Hatsu. Not your sword, not that dagger I see tucked into your pocket, and not even your famous claw technique. For someone your age to hold back like that—it's rare. You took damage, sure, but I'm sure you learned something important from this fight. If you had taken the easy way, you wouldn't have gained a thing. Even if you had lost, I think this has been quite a valuable spar for you. Also, Pariston, a little workout did you good too. Considering you do absolutely nothing, you are rather crafty. I can't say I hate that part about you."
Netero grins. "But I have good news for you, Auren. When you challenge me, I will give you the opportunity to go all out. In fact, I insist on it."
"I feel a little neglected here," Pariston says, rubbing his arm, still lying on the ground, before slowly getting up.
"This escalated rather quickly, Pariston," Auren admits. "I just wanted to spar. I don't even know how things got this heated. The moment I saw you pulling your usual stunts, I just... I wanted to win."
"It's fine, Auren. I actually enjoyed this spar very much. It only proves again that I'm not meant for fighting," Pariston replies with a wild smile.
Liar. If he would just try a little bit more....
"Well, since you're in such a good mood, surely you can tell me about your Hatsu, right? It looks like you didn't want to use it during the fight," Auren asks, not missing a beat.
"Hahahaha," Pariston laughs, clapping Auren on the back. "You're such a funny guy. I'll see you soon. Before you leave, stop by and pay me a visit."
With that, he turns and slowly walks out of the room, leaving Auren alone with Netero.
"I wonder why you chose to ally yourself with a man like that," Netero says, watching Auren with a slightly puzzled expression.
For a very different reason than the one you'll choose when you select him as the next Vice Chairman... which will happen very soon.
"I'm greedy," Auren answers. "While I want to become a powerful Nen user, I also have a goal that demands I reach a high position. Pariston is... perhaps one of the most talented Hunters I've seen in a long time. Much more talented than you, that's for sure."
Netero rubs the back of his head, looking mildly annoyed. "Is that really something you should say to the Chairman of the Association?"
"Isn't it true?" Auren replies, calm and unbothered.
"What makes you think so?" Netero asks.
"You don't care about being a Hunter. You live for martial arts. You want to be the strongest martial artist in the world. That's your goal. But being a Hunter? That's just a tool to you... no not even a tool. I'd say you just have nothing better to do. Of course, every strong Hunter needs some martial arts knowledge—but you have it backwards. You only care about improving yourself and fighting strong enemies. The simple requirement is your only goal. Pariston, on the other hand... has his eyes everywhere. He wants more. Always more. His desires are hidden in plain sight."
He pauses. "So tell me, Chairman... what do you desire? What is your answer to the first Hunter bylaws?"
"A strong opponent," Netero replies simply with a wide smile.
"That's a rather weak motivation for being a Hunter, don't you think?" Auren asks. "I have lofty ambitions myself. But still, I think Pariston is ahead of me. I know what kind of person he is—and I still want to cooperate with him. We'll both get what we want. He'll get another strong, albeit temporary playpiece, and I gain a strong backer and access to many privileges. Sooner or later, that relationship will end... and I don't think I'll be the one losing out when that happens."
"You are an interesting child, no doubt about that," Netero says, scratching his ear. "I see a small resemblance to the rat, but thankfully not much. Anyway, so when will you challenge me?"
"Three days," Auren replies. "After the exorcism. You've heard about it, I assume."
"Will you recover that quickly?" Netero asks, raising an eyebrow.
"You'll see," Auren says. "If you'll excuse me. I'm heading back."
What would happen... if I plunge Eternity into his heart and drain every last drop of his Aura? If he's underestimating me... or simply too weak... he'll find out.
"Hoho," Netero laughs, "I can't wait. Maybe I should squeeze in a bit of last-minute training myself."
The moment he finishes speaking, he releases his full Aura.
The intensity of his Aura crashes through the room like a tidal wave, and without thinking, Auren immediately turns around, facing him directly—his body reacting instinctively.
The pressure is immense, Netero's Aura strong enough to resemble a man looking at the bright sun during summer, the difference between Netero and himself or someone like Pariston overwhelming.
Damn monster...!
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