The next day.
Afternoon.
Killua's match was about to begin.
Wing and Zushi were already there.
Kaizen walked into the audience seating area.
Instead of heading to the Floor Master's exclusive seats, he casually picked an ordinary one and sat down.
To his left sat a woman.
To his right, a middle-aged man.
The woman glanced at Kaizen, eyes flickering slightly with curiosity.
She didn't recognize him right away, but the moment she took in his features, her cheeks flushed faintly.
Just as she seemed about to greet him—
A sudden chill filled the air.
She looked up instinctively.
A red-haired young man in flamboyant, eccentric clothing was approaching Kaizen's row, eyes locked on the middle-aged man to Kaizen's right.
"Mind switching seats?"
The middle-aged man scowled at first, annoyed by the interruption.
But the moment he recognized Hisoka's face, his expression changed completely. He froze, then trembled.
"Of course! No problem, please, take it!"
He didn't even finish the sentence before scrambling to his feet.
...
"Hisoka, what brings you here to watch this match?" Kaizen asked.
"Both of the contestants have caught my interest," Hisoka said, arms crossed with a gleam in his eye.
"You say that so casually in front of me?"
"Why not?"
Hisoka shot him a sideways glance.
"Illumi has known this for a while."
He said it nonchalantly, but something about Kaizen's question gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.
Back during the Hunter Exam, Hisoka had taken a strong interest in Killua. Illumi's response was—at best—ambiguous.
Then later, Hisoka grew interested in Kaizen, and Illumi's reaction was eerily similar.
Now, Kaizen was the one expressing concern.
"These family types... so fussy," Hisoka thought to himself, vaguely annoyed.
"So that Kastro—he's got something to do with you, too?"
"He's got talent," Kaizen replied. "But here in Heavens Arena? If he ends up like the rest of the rookie killers, that talent would be wasted."
"Thinking of adding him to your team?" Hisoka asked, tilting his head.
"I thought about it before. But not anymore."
Kaizen leaned back in his seat.
"Kastro has solid potential, but he started too late. He won't be able to keep up."
He had someone better in mind.
Tessia.
Kaizen had known about her talent from the start. The only issue was, he still didn't know her aura type or what kind of ability she'd eventually develop.
Kastro was a straightforward Enhancer.
Once Tessia's abilities manifested, she could handle the front line just fine.
Kaizen's team operated in two main setups.
One—when he was present.
Two—when he wasn't.
When Kaizen wasn't around, any opponents his team encountered wouldn't be exceptionally strong. Tessia alone could manage the front.
But if another frontliner were added, Nina, Ponzu, and Sally wouldn't be able to keep up.
When Kaizen was present, fighters like Natsu, Uchiha Sasuke, and Tessia were enough to handle both frontline and backline combat.
Kastro might eventually reach B-rank, maybe even A-rank—but that would take time.
Years, even.
Too long.
...
"So what's the plan for him now?" Hisoka asked, eyes drifting toward the ring where Kastro was warming up.
Before Kaizen could respond, Hisoka chuckled.
"You're not planning to pair him up with your little cousin, are you? Illumi isn't going to like that."
Kaizen smirked. "Who knows what'll happen in the future?"
Hisoka dropped the subject and leaned in slightly.
"How are you doing, Kaizen?"
"You mean, am I ready to fight you?"
"Exactly. I've been looking forward to it. Don't let me down… or I might just lose control and kill you in the ring."
Hisoka's tone grew excited, his grin widening.
Kaizen shot him a flat look.
"You won't be able to."
Back during the Hunter Exam, Kaizen wouldn't have dared to say that.
At the time, his body was only B-rank. His overall strength might've reached A-rank, but he had never fought Hisoka directly. All he had was scattered intel—nothing about Hisoka's aura capacity, abilities, speed, strength, or technique.
But now?
Things were different.
Kaizen had a much better grasp on Hisoka's capabilities.
And more importantly, he'd grown stronger himself.
His current body—A-rank.
Natsu—A-rank.
Uchiha Sasuke—A-rank.
Killer Queen—B-rank.
Chitong—B-rank.
Lantern Ghost—B-rank.
Sumas.
Kaizen couldn't imagine a scenario where Hisoka could kill him.
Instead of being offended, Hisoka grew even more aroused.
"...Good," he said, licking his lips with his trademark tongue-flick.
Kaizen just shook his head.
Beside him, the woman who had almost struck up a conversation earlier was now practically shrinking into her seat. She'd overheard the conversation—and after realizing the kind of people she was sitting next to, she froze up completely.
She didn't even dare to breathe too loud.
...
The host's voice boomed across the arena, beginning introductions.
"Our first contestant—he's a rookie who just made it to the 200th floor!"
"But don't be fooled by the term rookie."
"He qualified for the 200th floor four years ago!"
"He's back now, and hasn't lost a single match on his climb!"
"Only thirteen years old!"
"Let's see what Killua brings to today's match!"
There was some polite applause and scattered cheers.
Not much enthusiasm.
It was clear most of the crowd hadn't come for Killua.
...
"Our second contestant—someone I'm sure many of you already know!"
"A standout player on the 200th floor!"
"Except for one loss in his debut match, he's been on a winning streak!"
"Nine wins in a row!"
"One more win today, and he'll qualify to challenge the Floor Master!"
"It's been a long time since we've had a Floor Master challenge, folks! I know we're all excited!"
"Let's see if Kastro earns that right today!"
This time, the cheers were louder. Much louder.
The arena buzzed with energy.
It was obvious who the majority of the audience came to see.
------------
Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)