In the ordinary world, where could he find such a strong opponent?
That's why Aoki treasured the Catgirl.
He carefully controlled his strength, afraid that if he struck too fiercely, he might kill her in one blow.
He still needed her to refine his mastery of aura.
'Ten, Ren, Zetsu, Hatsu—these are the foundational techniques, also known as the Four Major Principles.'
'Except for [Hatsu], which requires infusing will and emotion to form a unique Nen ability, the other three are as instinctive as breathing.'
'Any Nen user can learn them.'
Aoki silently contemplated.
In the Gene Lock state, even the Four Major Principles barely qualified as techniques.
'The advanced forms of the Four Major Principles are En, In, and Gyo—all equally simple,' he mused.
En reinforced objects with aura, In concealed and diluted aura, and Gyo concentrated it in a specific area.
'Beyond those, there's En, Ken, Ko, and Ryu.'
'These are the advanced techniques of aura.'
'A normal Nen user would need years to master them, but I don't.'
The Gene Lock system naturally adapted to all supernatural systems.
No grueling training was necessary—just unlocking, unlocking, and unlocking!
Until reaching the fourth stage, where even the slightest refinement allowed complete mastery of all supernatural powers.
Aoki was only at the first stage of Gene Lock.
But for something as basic as C-tier Nen abilities, a little experimentation was all it took to grasp every advanced technique.
...
Yet, in Kite's eyes, the situation was different.
"Ran out of stamina?"
His expression turned grave as the Death Scythe in his hand reshaped into Crazy Slots.
The slot machine spun, landing on number 3—a peculiar magic wand materialized.
"Understandable," Kite muttered, gripping the wand. "Even if it was just a minute, fighting at that intensity would drain anyone."
"Newcomer, you've done enough."
"Leave the rest to me!"
With a solemn expression, Kite stepped forward—only to be ignored by both Neferpitou and Aoki.
The awkwardness was palpable.
...
In the distance.
"Big bro, did he really run out of strength?" Gon scratched his head, puzzled by Kite's words.
It didn't feel that way to him.
If anything, Aoki's presence had only grown more threatening!
"Actually… it feels like he's getting stronger, not weaker," Gon murmured, still scratching his head.
...
...
"Ha! Die!"
Convinced she had read Aoki correctly, the Neferpitou lunged again.
But this time, he didn't evade.
Instead, he raised his fist—and struck.
Ten + Zetsu + Ren + Hatsu + Gyo…
[Ken]!
Every ounce of his aura condensed into his fist in an instant.
"N-no… impossible!"
Fear flashed across Neferpitou's face.
But suspended mid-air, she could neither evade nor change direction.
She could only watch helplessly as the fist struck her chest.
BOOM!!
An explosive surge of aura erupted from Aoki's fist.
Like a cannon blast, it instantly tore through the protective aura surrounding Neferpitou's body, pulverizing her chest and shattering her heart.
Neferpitou was sent flying backward.
Scorching blood rained down through the air.
Aoki remained expressionless, manipulating his aura with the [Flow] technique and activating it in [Ren] form to deflect all the falling blood.
Thud! Thud! Thud...
Ahead, Neferpitou crashed through several thick tree trunks before finally coming to a stop.
She lay on the ground, her upper body a mangled, unrecognizable mess.
"Ko?!"
Kite's pupils constricted sharply as he exclaimed in shock.
His gaze toward Aoki was filled with disbelief as he muttered, "An advanced Nen technique?!"
"You've got to be kidding me... Who taught him that?"
"Don't tell me he figured it out himself again?"
Kite murmured, instinctively looking toward the fallen Neferpitou.
Through the lens of [Gyo], he saw Neferpitou's aura rapidly dissipating, vanishing completely within moments.
Neferpitou was dead.
This terrifying self-proclaimed Royal Guard of the Chimera Ant King had been killed by a rookie's single punch.
"You were actually serious about that warm-up?!" Kite turned back, staring at Aoki in astonishment.
"Wait... was she just your whetstone?"
A sudden realization dawned on Kite, his expression turning incredulous.
"You were using her to hone your aura techniques?"
He couldn't believe his own speculation.
Yet his intuition told him it might be true.
For this rookie, the terrifying Neferpitou hadn't been a threat at all—she'd been nourishment for his growth!
"So that's called Ko, huh?"
Aoki didn't deny it, instead feigning ignorance. "It didn't seem particularly difficult. At its core, it's just concentrating your aura."
Kite's jaw dropped, momentarily speechless.
He wanted to say this was an advanced Nen technique!
Only elite Nen users could master it.
But considering this rookie had awakened his Nen from scratch and independently developed [Ko], Kite found himself at a loss for words.
'Is this what the world of geniuses looks like?'
Kite thought to himself, 'Where everything difficult seems simple.'
...
In the distance.
Gon was equally shocked, his mouth hanging open as he muttered, "Was that Ko?"
"Such perfect Ko... instantly gathering 100% of his aura, then immediately redistributing it after the attack with almost no opening..."
"Even Bisky couldn't execute it that smoothly."
At this point, Gon couldn't help but recall his own training experience.
On Greed Island, it had taken him considerable effort to learn advanced Nen techniques.
And he still wasn't completely proficient.
"To think newbie Big Brother figured it out on his own," Gon marveled. "And here I was called a genius."
"This big brother must be a genius among geniuses."
"Bisky would probably pop her eyes out in surprise if she saw this!"
Gon chuckled at the mental image.
...
...
"My name's Kite," the hunter introduced himself. "Two-Star Hunter with the Hunter Association."
"And you are?"
"My name is Aoki Hiroshi," he said casually as he took a seat. "As for my background, identity, or why I'm here—don't ask. Even if you do, I won't answer."
Kite was instantly speechless.
The questions he'd been about to ask stuck in his throat, forcing him to swallow them back.
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