Moreover, the cat girl was an enemy even Kite found terrifying.
He wasn't confident in defeating her himself, let alone a rookie standing a chance.
'Please don't die in one hit.'
Kite silently prayed as he swung his massive scythe, chasing after the cat girl.
Behind him.
Gon wisely kept his distance—his strength wasn't enough to join this battle.
Yet, as he looked at Aoki, his expression turned puzzled.
"Why…?"
Gon murmured, "Do I feel like this guy is dangerous?"
"Even more dangerous than Neferpitou."
"That's… weird?"
...
Whoosh!
In less than a second, the cat girl closed the distance, claws flashing.
At that speed, reacting was nearly impossible.
'Hah! Let's see me slice your throat!' The cat girl didn't believe Aoki could dodge, her eyes already gleaming with bloodlust.
But the next moment.
Aoki raised his head, revealing a pair of unfocused, vacant eyes.
'What!?'
Meeting those empty eyes, the cat girl felt an inexplicable chill crawl down her spine.
For Aoki.
In the state of the First Gene Lock, his senses sharpened to the extreme. Countless combat techniques and instincts flooded his mind.
With a single glance, he saw through the cat girl's movements—force, angle, trajectory, timing—everything.
Then, his body moved.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, as if instinct alone dictated the perfect counter.
That single step brought him right into the cat girl's embrace.
At the same time, his left hand pressed against her slashing claw, giving her wrist a slight push.
Bam!
Swish!
The cat girl's chest took a brutal impact, her attack deflected into empty air.
She was sent flying backward.
The sight left Kite stunned.
"A rookie… just knocked Neferpitou away?"
He couldn't believe his eyes.
Not only had he reacted to that inhuman speed—he had countered flawlessly?
And with absolute perfection!
Not only did he neutralize Neferpitou's attack, but he also repelled her!!
"This rookie is actually a genius in combat!" Kate's gaze towards Aoki grew fervent.
In the distance.
Seeing this, Gon clenched his fist excitedly and murmured, "Just as I thought..."
His intuition hadn't been wrong.
This newbie big brother is even stronger than Neferpitou!
The fact that Neferpitou's attack was ineffective and she was instead repelled is the best proof.
...
"Ahem, what kind of joke is this!"
Neferpitou's expression turned extremely ugly as she rubbed her chest, coughing and saying, "How could a weak human possibly hurt me?"
That last strike nearly shattered her heart.
It didn't feel like a person had struck her—more like a bullet had pierced her chest.
Not just fast, but vicious!
'There wasn't even a hint of killing intent—I didn't even react in time!' Neferpitou glared coldly at Aoki, a deep wariness rising in her heart.
This human's move was clearly meant to kill her.
Yet there wasn't the slightest trace of killing intent!
Because of that, Neferpitou's instincts failed to react in time.
'If not for the basic defense provided by the aura wrapped around me, I might have been severely injured just now,' Neferpitou thought grimly.
'But I refuse to believe it!'
'How could a weak race like humans possibly be my match?'
'I mastered Nen the moment I was born!'
Neferpitou's expression twisted into a snarl.
Boom!
She stomped the ground violently, sending dirt flying.
Her entire body accelerated to supersonic speed once more as she charged at Aoki.
"Be careful, I'll help you!" Kite, seeing this, dragged his scythe forward.
But Aoki merely glanced at him and waved him off.
Kite: "?"
The next second.
Aoki's figure vanished as well.
He too stomped the ground, shattering grass and plants as he shot toward the cat girl at terrifying speed.
"Hey!?"
Kite was stunned.
Facing such a terrifying enemy, instead of evading, he was taking the fight to her?
He couldn't understand Aoki's reasoning.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
On the battlefield, two afterimages flickered back and forth, weaving and clashing.
Ten meters away...
Twenty meters away...
In the trees...
Behind rocks...
In the open field...
Within moments, the surrounding dozens of meters were filled with the blurred remnants of Aoki and the cat girl.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They collided, exchanging punches and kicks.
Drops of blood occasionally splattered across the surroundings.
Like two wild beasts locked in a desperate battle to the death.
"Hey hey hey, is this for real?" Kite's eyes widened, not daring to take a single step forward.
Cold sweat dripped down his face.
This level of combat was beyond his participation.
Their speed far exceeded his reaction limits.
If he were caught in the middle, he'd be torn to shreds in an instant.
"No wonder he waved me off..." Kite gave a bitter smile.
He truly wasn't qualified to join a battle of this caliber.
So it was better to stay put.
No need to go in and become dead weight for the newbie.
"To fight on par with a Chimera Ant stronger than me right after mastering aura... This newbie is terrifying!" Kite muttered to himself, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Such promising talent had to be recruited into the Hunter Association.
Even if he couldn't take him as his own disciple, he should introduce him to Chairman Netero.
Against the dangerous Chimera Ants, the Hunter Association desperately needed combat-specialized Nen users!
...
On a distant tree
"So strong!"
Gon's face was alight with excitement as he strained to watch Aoki and Neferpitou's battle.
Even though he couldn't see clearly, he kept trying.
"This newbie big brother is more amazing than anyone I've ever seen!" Gon murmured excitedly.
This kind of amazing wasn't just about raw strength.
Rather, at the same level, Aoki was utilizing his strength to its fullest potential.
Gon couldn't quite describe what it was.
But his innate, astonishing intuition told him that the newbie big brother was in a unique state.
In this state, the newbie big brother's techniques and awareness seemed to have undergone a transformation, surpassing everyone else.
It was a staggering lead—a complete tier above the rest!
Gon couldn't put the feeling into words, but if he had to, it was almost like Chairman Netero.
They had fully mastered their own power!
"But even in his youth, the Chairman definitely couldn't reach big brother's level," Gon muttered to himself.