The private soldiers took their orders and withdrew...
Guzman looked at the screen. The white-haired boy's fists were wrapped in fiery Nen aura. With a single punch, a majestic tiger's roar suddenly echoed out... He keenly sniffed out a trace of [Faith] from him... Even though this [Faith] was faint, it still closely connected the white-haired boy with Roy Zoldyck, who sat steadily deep within the church!
Just like him and the bishop, and the bishop and the "Great Creator of Truth," a solid and unbreakable system of belief was built through worship and reverence!
"Roar!" The tiger's roar shifted the winds and clouds!
The punch was deflected by the elasticity of Hisoka's [Bungee Gum]... Kastro pushed off the ground with both feet, following up immediately with a heavy cannon-like punch that shot forward like a cannonball!
This move combined the Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire and the Tiger Bite Fist!
Following Kastro's sharp thrust, with [Gyo] focused in his eyes, one could almost see a fierce, white-foreheaded tiger woven from flames and Nen aura enveloping Kastro. The tiger's body shuddered as it lunged right at Hisoka's face... That ferocious, scorching gale of Nen aura rushed at him, scraping his skin until it throbbed with a dull pain!
"Hehehe... That is it... That is exactly it..."
To either live in battle or die in it... Hisoka threw his head back, his face twisting into a perversely euphoric smile. The corners of his mouth stretched upward diagonally, as if refusing to ever drop, and he simply uttered, "[Ken]!"
Meeting Kastro head-on, he threw a punch right back at him!
"Bang!"
Fist against fist, [Ken] against [Ten]... Kastro, who had not yet fully mastered the Four Major Principles, was still building his foundation at this stage. Therefore, his application and understanding of Nen were inferior to Hisoka's... However, relying purely on the enhancement of his [Breathing Style], as well as the difference in aptitude between Transmutation and Enhancement, his punch met Hisoka's without falling at a disadvantage in the slightest!
"There is something strange about his breathing rhythm!" In the Kakin Empire's Royal Palace, within the First Prince's residence, the old brigade commander and a few sharp-eyed Enhancement-type private soldiers frowned. Through the screen, they could faintly discern something different in Kastro's every movement, whether walking, sitting, or resting... This difference was unlike ordinary martial artists, unlike ordinary Nen users, and even less like the popular martial arts schools on the continent, such as the Shingen-ryu or Aikido...
Instead, it looked more like a completely new school of martial arts?
A style created by this boy in front of them, who was not even fifteen years old?
Disbelief spread through their hearts, followed by... an unwillingness to believe it...
On the throne, Benjamin Hui Guo Rou watched Kastro on the screen expressionlessly, remaining silent. He tapped the armrest lightly. Flashes of sharp light occasionally flickered in his stern, majestic eyes, looking like a mix of greed and appreciation, making his thoughts completely unreadable.
Meteor City, Pale Church.
One red, one white. The two youths clashed fist to fist, knuckle to knuckle. Their power poured out simultaneously, crashing against each other... They remained in a deadlock until, finally, with a loud bang, they were blasted apart. *Step, step, step...* They each staggered back several paces, leaving deep footprints in the stone tiles paving the courtyard!
By then, the commotion of their clash had finally spread outward...
As the night was no longer silent, several heads quietly peeked out, climbing up the surrounding towering piles of garbage...
"Someone is causing trouble at the church..."
"One of them is Kastro, but who is... the other one?!"
Chrollo, leading Pakunoda and followed by a reluctant Shalnark, peeked quietly over a garbage pile at the neighboring area... Uvogin and Nobunaga, guarding Sarasa on the left and right, struggled up the garbage pile and stared wide-eyed at the Pale Church...
Silhouettes flickered on several other garbage piles. The sharp-eyed ones were immediately recognized as various spies under the command of the other elders of the Council of Elders!
Among them was the boss that Chrollo, Pakunoda, and Shalnark had "acknowledged"—one of the Ten Elders of Meteor City... [Fake Nobility] Berus!
The old man was fifty years old, his half-black, half-white hair combed back and meticulously groomed. As Roy's neighbor, separated by just one block, he stood in his own villa, silently watching the battle through a long-barreled telescope held in his hands.
Initially, when his subordinates reported that someone had come to Meteor City to preach, Berus thought the person was a fool.
Later, seeing him single-handedly suppress and kill Elijah and Bolton, who had occupied District 4, Berus was greatly shocked and entertained the thought of befriending him.
But before he could take any action, he heard that Guzman's group wanted to take advantage of Elijah and Bolton's purge to "distribute powder" in District 4. Knowing their background and madness all too well, Berus chose to observe out of caution... This observation lasted until today, leaving him both worried and eager, wavering between befriending Roy and cautiously keeping his distance, hesitating endlessly... After all,
The other party had consecutively killed several elders with real power in Meteor City, including Bolton, Elijah, and Guzman, which had invisibly angered the Council of Elders, as well as the various backers supporting each faction.
Berus had the mind to borrow Roy's prestige to expand his scrap business to other districts, changing Meteor City in his own way, but he was also terrified of being dragged into the vortex... In contrast, he wasn't as relaxed as Chrollo and those kids who freely went in and out of the Pale Church.
"We are different from the boss; we are here to collect relief supplies..."
The young Spiders could always find some excuses, but... as someone who had been through it all, an old man who was also born and raised in Meteor City, Berus keenly noticed... the "Spiders'" hearts were faster and more resolute than his. They were even leaning toward the Pale Church without realizing it themselves.
The reality presented was—
Chrollo, Shalnark, Pakunoda, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Sarasa, and the others had imperceptibly appeared on Roy's [Believer Panel], becoming his potential reserve believers!
"Praise the Sun," the young priest said, his back turned to the two deadlocked figures in the courtyard. Gently stroking the wooden box in his arms, he spoke leisurely to Kastro, "Kastro, look at the back of your hand."
In the courtyard, the two who had separated upon impact moved again before Roy could even finish his sentence!
"Hehehe... Father, please follow the rules of the game. This is a one-on-one duel, not... a group beating."
Hisoka's eyes curved into crescent moons. He cast a sudden glance at the prayer hall and abruptly yanked his right hand. Before Kastro could heed Roy's words and use [Gyo] to look at the back of his hand, he stumbled and was pulled straight toward Hisoka!
[Bungee Gum]: Can turn aura into a chewing gum-like substance, sticking it to the enemy to restrict their movements. The longer the aura is stretched, the greater the force when it retracts. However, if the aura leaves Hisoka's body and is stretched beyond ten meters, it will break.
In other words, this Nen ability of Hisoka's possessed both [Elasticity] and [Stickiness].
Once touched by him, a wad of transparent "Nen chewing gum" would be stuck to the point of contact, forcing the victim to become an object he could manipulate and pull!
*Whoosh!* Kastro flew forward, pulled by Hisoka. The magician suddenly pulled a playing card from his pocket like a magic trick, preemptively coating its surface with [Ken] to make it harder and sharper than a dagger.
He was just waiting for Kastro to deliver himself to his doorstep, ready to plunge the card into his chest and shred his heart!
However, having been suddenly reminded by Roy's words beforehand, even if his reaction was half a beat too slow and he was already being pulled toward Hisoka, Kastro, with the bright moon at his back, simply decided to beat him at his own game and raised his fist to smash down!
*Bang, bang... bang, bang...*
In an instant, he unleashed dozens of Nen-infused punches wrapped in flames, blasting them toward Hisoka!
He aimed to force Hisoka to either remove the "Nen chewing gum" attached to his fist or retreat, forcing him to widen the distance between them once again.
It had to be said that Kastro, who in the original story could fight back and forth with Hisoka in the Heavens Arena, even forcing Hisoka to sever his own arm and resort to his second ability—
[Texture Surprise], using it to deceive his eyes and causing him to lose his life in a moment of carelessness—was proof enough... Kastro's innate talent was not poor. It was just that in the original story, he had no one to guide him and put his efforts in the wrong direction...
*Boom...* Dozens of Nen punches wrapped in flames cleaved through the moonlight, descending from the sky and lunging straight for Hisoka's face!
The red-haired youth with slicked-back hair narrowed his eyes at the sky, calculating the distance between himself and Kastro. His left hand suddenly shifted. The playing card split from one into two, two into four, four into eight, and eight into sixteen. In the blink of an eye, they turned into sixteen "playing card throwing knives." With an upward flick of his wrist, he sent them flying... soaring straight toward the "Nen punches"!
*Puff, puff, puff...* Over a dozen consecutive explosions rang out!
Amidst the shockwaves of Nen aura,
A figure could be seen being pulled and pushed by Hisoka. A high roundhouse kick wrapped in [Ken] struck his chin, sending him flying backward!
"Kastro!" On the garbage pile outside the church, seeing clearly who had been sent flying, Uvogin and Nobunaga's pupils shrank. They hadn't expected the white-haired boy, who had effortlessly subdued the two of them with casual ease in the past, to be kicked flying by a red-haired boy who looked somewhat like a circus clown... The hot-tempered Uvogin was about to stand up right then and there, but was forcefully held down halfway by Nobunaga.
"Old man, what are you pulling me for?"
"To stop you from throwing your life away!" Sarasa's two golden pigtails fluttered behind her head, swaying in the wind as she answered Uvogin's question on Nobunaga's behalf.
Uvogin's breath hitched. He snorted, clenched his fists, and settled down... Enhancement-type Nen users were just reckless, not stupid. They simply preferred to solve problems with their fists. But to charge in knowing they were outmatched was foolish. Uvogin calmed down, forcing himself to suppress the frustration in his heart.
*'Hisoka Morow is ultimately still stronger than that boy. Whether in terms of "Nen capacity" or understanding of "Nen," he is more than a cut above the other party!'*
Kakin Empire, Royal Palace, First Prince's Residence, Main Hall.
As Kastro was struck in the chin by Hisoka's [Ken]-wrapped kick and sent flying,
The old brigade commander, Grant, narrowed his eyes to track the screen. He watched the boy crash through the wall of the Pale Church like a kite with a broken string, landing in the prayer hall with a loud thud... He spared a cold sideways glance at Guzman beside him.
The green-haired youth, who boasted of having the protection of [Truth], curled his lips into a smirk. Uttering a praise to his Lord, he pressed his palms together and said, "Truth above! Hisoka has the protection of my Lord, so naturally, he is not something ordinary trash can compare to."
Guzman cast a mocking glance over the private soldiers led by the old brigade commander. Ignoring their glaring eyes, he looked up at the throne, raised his voice, and spoke to Benjamin Hui Guo Rou again:
"May Your Highness know, Hisoka is strong, but that boy... despite clearly not having learned [Hatsu] or developed his own Nen ability, was able to fight back and forth with him."
Guzman took a deep breath and said seriously, "Just as I warned Your Highness before, this indirectly proves... that Roy Zoldyck, who is responsible for training him, is extraordinary and no ordinary person!"
As soon as these words came out, the hall immediately fell into silence... The old brigade commander, Grant, and the various private soldiers formed around Benjamin Hui Guo Rou's Nen ability, [Those Who Inherit the Stars], even if they wanted to refute it, mostly fell into deep thought. They had to admit he was right... The white-haired boy on the screen, who had crashed backward and collapsed a corner of the church, looked battered, but in reality... his foundation was solid enough. Even facing Hisoka, he was merely... lacking some time and refinement...
At the very least, that bizarre "breathing rhythm" was quite something!
*Tap... tap...* On the throne, Benjamin Hui Guo Rou rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at Meteor City. He looked at the church with its broken corner, and at Kastro buried in the rubble. At a certain moment, his eyes flashed as he saw...
That person.
The young priest, draped in a simple clerical robe and holding a scroll of scriptures. He gathered the wooden box in his arms along with the scriptures, stowing them away into his [Sumeru Mustard Seed] space like a magic trick.
He then stood up tall and turned around. His clear eyes, devoid of joy or sorrow, gazed across the void. Through the phantom owl standing quietly on Hisoka's shoulder, he locked eyes with him.
Benjamin Hui Guo Rou's lips curled up slightly, revealing an unprecedented, amused smile...
"Guzman."
"Your Highness."
"You are right." Benjamin Hui Guo Rou locked eyes with Roy across the screen, his gaze burning bright. "I have already begun to feel... that he is an extraordinary person."
The First Prince suddenly stopped tapping his fingers.
Below the throne, in the main hall, the green-haired youth smiled. Narrowing his eyes, he also stared deeply at Roy on the screen and said, "Your Highness is perceptive. Next, you will agree with my view even more."
On the screen, the young priest's gaze was calm. As his eyes swept across, he looked at Benjamin, Guzman, and the old brigade commander Grant one by one. He then withdrew his gaze, took a step forward, and cast one last indifferent glance at Hisoka. Then,
Just as the magician suddenly narrowed his eyes,
He instantly underwent "Light Transformation." In the next glance, he had crossed the prayer hall, which spanned nearly a hundred meters in depth. Stepping out from the moonlight, he slowly descended beside Kastro.
*Swoosh!* His sleeves fluttered, and the wind rose.
Roy flicked his large sleeves, generating a fierce gale. Amidst the swirling wind, the rubble was blown away, revealing Kastro beneath, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Cough, cough... Young Master, I can still fight!" The white-haired boy struggled to get up.
However, the wind did not give him the chance. With a thought from Roy, the swirling breeze gently pressed the boy back onto the ground.
"Kastro, rest."
"Leave the rest,"
"To me..."
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