Chapter 173 Charles the Fool (A)
Haze wasn't particularly interested in the fight between Kastro and Hisoka.
However, the first one Kastro was the perfect negative example to use as a warning for Charles.
"Hisoka, I want to thank you. If it weren't for your guidance, I wouldn't have reached this point. I wouldn't have become this strong."
Even after Haze announced the start of the battle, Kastro remained calm and confident.
He seemed certain he already had victory in his grasp.
In Heavens Arena, both he and Hisoka were considered the closest to becoming Floor Masters.
"Strong? Are you talking about yourself?" Hisoka mocked.
"You'll see!"
Kastro's expression turned cold, and with a roar he launched himself forward.
His explosive power was astonishing.
Haze didn't even look at the battlefield; instead, he took out his phone and read a text message from David.
The preparations in the Kakin Empire were almost complete…
They were only waiting for his arrival.
Beside him, Charles watched the two fighters intently, keeping them within his field of vision.
Huashi Tou Lang leapt into the air, appearing before his opponent. His five fingers curled into tiger claws, aiming for Hisoka's head; the Nen energy coursing through his hand radiated overwhelming power.
In response, Hisoka stepped back, seemingly trying to avoid him.
But in an instant, Huashi Tou Lang vanished mid-air and reappeared behind Hisoka… his tiger claw gripping Hisoka's arm.
"How did he do that?"
Charles exclaimed in disbelief.
He hadn't clearly seen how Huashi Tou Lang managed to shift positions in an instant.
Damn it!
Hisoka can't dodge that!
Movements like those Charles thought even someone as strong as a Lord-level fighter might struggle against them.
A smug expression appeared on Huashi Tou Lang's face.
However… to his eyes, Hisoka's body dissolved into fleeting afterimages, as if his flesh had turned to air. Huashi Tou Lang's claws passed right through him.
Hisoka moved with the grace of a dancer, creating distance effortlessly.
"This…" Charles was stunned.
If Huashi Tou Lang's attacks were unpredictable, Hisoka's positioning and technique were nothing short of divine.
Charles couldn't grasp them at all.
"Don't focus on Hisoka… you won't learn anything from him. His level is too high. Focus on Huashi Tou Lang!" Haze reminded him, still staring at his phone.
"Yes!"
Charles quickly readjusted and fixed his attention on Huashi Tou Lang.
He watched as Huashi Tou Lang recovered from his shock, swinging his hands through the air and continuing to attack Hisoka… but Hisoka's movements were so light and agile that he dodged every strike, not even letting his clothes be touched.
Even when Huashi Tou Lang suddenly appeared near Hisoka, his attacks never landed.
The two shadows moved across the battlefield until gradually… Huashi Tou Lang stopped attacking, gasping for air, sweat dripping down his face. He looked at Hisoka with unease, clearly stunned by the overwhelming difference in their abilities.
He had intended to give Hisoka a "surprise," but now he looked like a joke.
"It seems you want my arm…"
Hisoka looked at the disheveled Huashi Tou Lang, spinning a card between his fingers, and chuckled.
"No need. Since you want it… I'll give it to you."
Under Charles's baffled gaze, Hisoka raised his right arm.
"I won't dodge. Come take it."
Kastro's mind went blank. Hisoka was humiliating him!
"Argh!"
Instantly, fury overwhelmed him.
His Nen surged to its maximum output, and with both hands forming a tiger's maw, he launched his signature Tiger-Bite Fist straight at Hisoka.
"He's really not dodging?"
Charles's heart tightened at the sight of Kastro's full-power strike.
Kastro was well-known in Heavens Arena, having used this move many times before. It was rumored the Tiger-Bite Fist could split a tree so thick that several people couldn't encircle it impossible to resist head-on.
Yet even then, he had never shown such ferocity.
It was clear he was going all-out.
If Hisoka didn't dodge, his arm would be severed
He'd be gravely injured!
Bang!
Both of Kastro's tiger-shaped hands clamped onto Hisoka's arm
but they caused no damage.
A sphere of Nen hovered around Hisoka's arm, precisely covering the area being attacked.
When Kastro's hands entered that Nen, their force dissipated instantly, as though submerged in a sticky, gelatinous substance.
For a moment, he couldn't pull his hands free.
Before Charles could react, Hisoka threw an elbow into the air with his free arm.
A sharp whoosh followed.
Charles saw another Huashi Tou Lang appear behind Hisoka for a sneak attack
but Hisoka struck him directly.
The clone doubled over, spitting saliva, eyes bloodshot.
"You call that growth? A clone?"
Hisoka looked at the stunned Huashi Tou Lang and smiled eerily.
"So boring… I didn't expect much from you, but if you had managed to amuse me a bit, I might have kept you around…"
"But it seems my judgment was right you're far too lacking."
At Hisoka's blunt assessment, Huashi Tou Lang erupted in rage.
He roared, raising his leg and knee, and slammed it toward Hisoka's abdomen.
He attempted to use pure Nen force to break through Hisoka's Nen barrier…
Meanwhile, the battered clone rose again and aimed a punch at the back of Hisoka's head, trying to buy time.
The wind from the punch howled
Hisoka seemed to recoil from the blow, releasing the Nen on his arm and leaping backward.
Kastro's hands were freed as well.
There's still a chance!
Huashi Tou Lang forced himself to calm down. After all, he had a clone this was two versus one.
Hisoka's retreat meant his Nen and attacks could still pressure him.
However…
He had barely formed that thought when, in the very next second, Hisoka who should have jumped backward suddenly appeared beside him again.
As if a playing card had sliced the air, a red line appeared across Huashi Tou Lang's face, from brow to chin
His face had been cut in half.
With a dull thud, the two Huashi Tou Langs merged back into one, and the original body collapsed lifelessly on the ground.
Just like that… dead.
Huashi Tou Lang himself hadn't seen what happened.
But Charles, watching from the side, saw everything.
When Hisoka jumped back, the direction and momentum made it clear he shouldn't have been able to return to his original position
yet his body seemed pulled back by something, like a spring.
What chilled Charles even more was that Huashi Tou Lang was an Enhancer.
Even if Hisoka countered his Nen, killing him so easily
with a single playing card should have been impossible.
Even without reacting, an Enhancer's Nen defense should offer some protection.
One minute… maybe less.
Charles's mouth went dry.
His master had been right the fight ended too quickly, without suspense.
At that moment, Haze slipped his phone into his pocket, looked at Hisoka approaching, and asked with a smile:
"Finished? Why not play a bit longer?"
"It's boring," Hisoka muttered with a pout.
"Then let's go."
Haze stood slowly, guided Charles to the arena's entrance, and opened the door.
Charles followed stiffly.
His eyes drifted toward Hisoka at his side, and a shiver ran down his spine.
But Hisoka noticed his glance and smiled warmly
…
Soon, only a corpse lay cooling on a bloodstained floor within the vast arena.
To Charles, a warrior nearly at Lord-level had died so easily…
Like a fly crushed without hesitation.
Even his death went unnoticed, stirring no waves at all.
Suddenly, Charles felt… he knew far too little about the world of Nen users.
Until now, Heavens Arena had been his entire world.
A bit… narrow-minded.
On the way back, Haze asked him:
"Tell me why did he lose?"
"Uh…" Charles stammered.
"You didn't see anything, did you?"
Haze's eyelid twitched.
Was he really this clueless?
Even an ordinary person should have some limits…
"Their… Nen seems… kind of different…"
After a long pause, Charles racked his brain and finally managed to spit out an answer.
"A long, deep explanation would be beyond your understanding, so I'll keep it short," Haze sighed.
"His attack on Hisoka was too direct his intentions were obvious. In a battle between Nen users, hiding and changing your movements is essential. If your attack pattern is too simple, once predicted, you're finished.
Understand?"
"I see…"
Charles suddenly grasped it, remembering when Hisoka raised his arm and allowed Huashi Tou Lang to attack it.
So Hisoka had predicted Huashi Tou Lang's intention based on his earlier moves.
A surface-level feint, followed by a surprise attack with a clone…
No wonder…
"And his Nen ability the clone. He's an Enhancer, but the ability he developed resembles a Conjurer's. That means he can't bring out his true combat strength he's wasting his talent."
Haze continued,
"Your Nen ability also isn't very developed… it's more of a support technique. The activation relies on faith and willpower, requiring both mental and physical strength. It fluctuates simply put, it's unstable, full of restrictions and limitations."
"But we can't change it now. Just leave it as it is."
"Another reason he lost is that Hisoka controlled him psychologically. When Hisoka let him attack and then neutralized his actions, Huashi Tou Lang panicked. Nen is influenced by willpower."
"And lastly timing. At the final moment, Hisoka released aura from his legs to entangle them, and after leaping back, he used Nen's properties to rebound forward even faster. He predicted that his opponent would change his movement for an instant, making him lose focus and that was enough to decide the match."
"I see…"
Charles couldn't help but sigh. After Haze's explanation, it was as if clouds had parted and the sun was shining.
He understood again.
Haze summarized Hisoka's victory in one sentence: absolute suppression complete dominance.
If Hisoka didn't want to waste time, the fight would always end quickly.
"In Heavens Arena, what you need to learn is experience and the various states you enter when fighting different opponents: growth, mental stability… observation, analysis, reaction, and so on."
Haze saw Charles's clueless expression and suddenly felt exhausted.
Hisoka noticed Haze's frustration and felt oddly satisfied.
There was no escaping it Haze had accepted Charles as a disciple, even if only nominally. He couldn't abandon him now.
Anyway, he would be leaving soon…
If Charles stayed under him forever, Haze felt he might kick him out of the sect eventually.
Now he understood why Bisky and Wing preferred talented disciples.
Simply for convenience.
(End of chapter)