The flames vanished.
The sticky web spun by Bungee Gum dissolved into nothing.
The arena was left charred and scorched—blackened from end to end, like the aftermath of a natural disaster.
Only one area stood untouched by the devastation.
The spot where Kaizen remained standing was clean, unmarred.
Crack.
A chunk of rubble broke loose and fell.
From the wreckage, Hisoka emerged—barely.
His clothes were torn, singed, and riddled with burn marks. His hair was frizzled, and his body covered in cuts and abrasions. His breathing was ragged. The once-overwhelming aura around him had diminished greatly.
Kaizen stood still, watching him.
Hisoka looked back, the manic spark in his eyes replaced by something else.
Seriousness.
Caution.
He now understood—Kaizen hadn't revealed all his abilities. Even if Kaizen had more cards up his sleeve, Hisoka knew he couldn't force him to show them.
So all he could think about now... was himself.
And the one last trick he hadn't used yet.
Kaizen turned his back and started walking away from the ring.
Hisoka narrowed his eyes.
"It's not over yet..."
With a flick of his wrist, a brand-new deck of cards appeared in his hand—no one saw where he pulled it from.
Infused with aura, the cards emitted a faint, sinister glow.
Whoosh!
They launched in different arcs, flying from all directions—but each one was headed for the same target:
Kaizen.
...
But just then, a figure appeared behind Hisoka.
Under normal circumstances, Hisoka would have sensed it. But after the brutal fight, he was too battered to react.
"Chidori Stream!"
A surge of lightning burst forth.
The electric shriek of birds echoed across the ring.
A hand touched Hisoka's shoulder.
Sasuke's lightning storm exploded, hitting Hisoka directly.
His body convulsed as light surged through him.
His cards dropped midair, falling harmlessly to the ground.
Boom!
Hisoka collapsed.
A puff of black smoke rose from his body.
The scent of burnt flesh lingered in the air.
Kaizen didn't even glance back as he walked off the stage.
...
It wasn't until then that the referee finally snapped out of his daze.
"Winner... Kaizen!"
"Floor Master Challenge—Challenger Hisoka, officially defeated!"
At the sound of the referee's voice, every eye in the audience turned toward the figure leaving the ring.
Only a few still looked at Hisoka.
"So it's over...?"
"Yeah. Looks like the winner's been decided. But still... why does it feel so unfinished?"
It was supposed to be the ultimate clash—Hisoka's sprawling aura web covered the entire arena, while Kaizen's fire had scorched it clean.
It looked like both fighters had gone all-out.
Both had used large-scale Nen techniques—destructive and aura-consuming.
It should've been a satisfying finale.
Like two final bosses going at it with their ultimate moves.
But despite that, the audience couldn't shake a strange feeling.
"Kaizen was too calm. Like... he wasn't even taking it seriously."
"No," someone corrected, "it's more like, from start to finish, the fight didn't feel like Kaizen's top priority."
"That's why the whole thing feels off."
Wing spoke up from the stands.
...
Gon blinked. "Wing-san, are you saying Kaizen is much stronger than Hisoka?"
Wing paused for a moment.
"This time, there's no doubt Kaizen won."
"And yes, it's highly likely his overall ability surpasses Hisoka's."
"But battles between Nen users are never that simple. There are too many variables."
"Next time they fight, the outcome might be completely different."
"And the same goes for all of you."
"Never get careless just because you've won once. Your opponent might discover a way to counter your abilities and turn the tables."
...
Elsewhere, Nina and the others were cheering.
So were Kaizen's fans.
But the loudest celebrations came from the gamblers who had bet on him—they stood to earn big.
The host began setting the tone for post-match coverage.
By the rules of the Floor Master challenge, there should've been a winner's interview next.
But Kaizen had already left.
And no one in Heavens Arena—not even the officials—had the authority to drag him back.
Floor Masters were a different class entirely.
...
Machi watched Kaizen's back as he walked away, then looked down at Hisoka's motionless body.
A small medical team rushed onto the ring and carefully placed Hisoka onto a stretcher.
Though he had been seriously injured, Kaizen hadn't killed him.
Which meant Heavens Arena still had an obligation to treat him.
Even in defeat, Hisoka was still an officially registered fighter.
...
"Kaizen!"
"Kaizen!"
"Team leader!"
"Wow!"
"Congratulations!"
"Congrats on the win!"
Kaizen waved casually. "It's nothing. Just another match. Tessia, Sally, Shizuku—how's the packing going?"
"Almost done," said Shizuku.
"Good. We'll head out tonight," Kaizen replied. "I'll step out around noon."
He took out his phone and dialed Killua.
...
"Cousin Kaizen, congrats!"
"Killua, let's grab lunch. I'm leaving for a while, not sure when I'll be back."
Killua paused for a second.
"Okay."
"Bring Gon too."
"Got it."
...
A short time later, Kaizen arrived at the restaurant. Killua and Gon were already seated and waving him over.
"Kaizen, over here!"
"Order whatever you want," Kaizen said, handing them the menu.
He'd already tasted nearly every dish at Heavens Arena.
And for someone with his "gourmet cells," eating the same ingredients repeatedly had little to no effect.
He was bored with it all.
...
The food came quickly.
As they started eating, Killua leaned forward.
"Cousin Kaizen... can I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"During the fight with Hisoka... did you hold back?"
"What did Wing tell you?"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)