A golden sea of flames engulfed both Sasuke Uchiha and Larkin.
But there was a difference.
Sasuke was Kaizen's conjured beast and a master of fire-style techniques. Thanks to his elemental affinity and the continuous infusion of Kaizen's aura, he could withstand the inferno.
Larkin, however, had reached his limit.
There was no resisting this blaze.
Within the roaring flames, his life came to an end.
BOOM!
The moment Larkin hit the ground, his body was already charred into blackened remains.
Hisoka's pupils contracted.
"This ability… wasn't used against me."
"So many of Kaizen's tricks stay hidden."
Kaizen began collecting the corpses.
An A-rank Nen user's corpse might not be of use to others—but for Kaizen, it held value.
He could throw them into Sumas as raw material for future trials.
Still, Ravik's case was different.
Parker had mentioned before that Ravik wasn't just strong—he also had some powerful tools of Nen.
Three in total.
Hisoka had already taken one: twin scimitars with triangular eye-shaped engravings that could unleash wind blades.
Two fights in a row had involved opponents wielding curved blades—making Hisoka wonder if scimitars were destined to cross his path.
He now wore one at each hip.
The second tool was the bunny girl's microphone, which amplified her sonic-based abilities.
The third tool was in the hands of a middle-aged clown: a multicolored sphere.
It could alter the aura's elemental properties.
Six types: flame, frost, lightning, corrosion, explosion, and storm.
Unlike ordinary aura-based explosives, it required much more aura to operate at the same power level—but in return, the effects were significantly more destructive.
"This thing's perfect for me."
"My aura bombs are a good medium-range technique right now, but they're too simple. If I combine them with this, I can create something much more devastating."
Kaizen studied the small orb in his hand.
"Six elemental changes... I'll call it the Hexflare Bomb."
He wasn't particular about names—anything functional would do.
...
The battle ended, and calm returned to the square.
But the battlefield bore heavy scars.
Kaizen approached the two men who'd watched from the sidelines.
"Grandpa Zeno, Silva-san."
"Kaizen," Zeno said, "that thing had nothing to do with you."
"Are you heading back to Zoldyck Manor with us?"
"Yeah. It's been a while—I want to visit home."
"Then let's go," Silva replied. "Your great-grandfather should be with Mido by now."
Mido was a beast supporting Kaizen, along with Zeno and Silva.
A dragon-like creature resembling Western dragons from Kaizen's past life—but weaker, and more specialized in speed than power.
Not particularly threatening in a one-on-one fight.
"Alright."
Neither Zeno nor Silva spared a glance at Hisoka the entire time.
But Hisoka was familiar with the Zoldyck family's aloof nature.
It was nothing out of the ordinary.
He pulled out his phone and sent Kaizen a message.
"Don't forget your promise."
Kaizen responded instantly.
"See you at Heavens Arena."
...
Soon after, Kaizen spotted Maha Zoldyck waiting atop a rocky hill.
Mido lay resting nearby, wings folded.
"Great-grandfather!"
Kaizen jogged up to him.
The Zoldycks valued blood ties—but for Kaizen, Maha was the closest of all.
He'd been raised and trained under Maha's strict guidance.
Maha eyed him with a slight smile. "You've gotten taller."
Back in the day, Maha had towered over him. But age had shortened the old man a bit, and Kaizen had grown past him.
The four climbed onto Mido's back.
With a flap of his wings, Mido soared skyward, heading toward the Zoldyck estate.
This time, they weren't in a rush.
And Mido, drained from the previous trip, wasn't flying at full speed.
His flight was bumpy—no match for an airship—but for high-level Nen users, it wasn't a problem.
Especially not for this group: three A-rank Nen users and one S-rank.
...
"Great-grandfather," Kaizen asked as wind buffeted them midair, "how's this situation going to be handled in the United States of Saherta?"
"It's not just about Saherta anymore," Maha said. "This involves the entire V5."
"The V5? What about Oster?"
"He's the man behind the scenes—the one who caused Gogus' death. The one above the attackers who came for me."
"Saherta's authorities will take control. He's not likely to appear in the public eye again."
Maha paused for a moment.
"Parasites are forbidden. They've been banned for decades."
"I only studied them briefly a long time ago."
"But… there are always people continuing research in the shadows."
"I didn't expect someone to actually produce results."
"V5 is extremely interested."
"Oster's data will be shared with the V5."
"What they choose to do with it… that's not our concern."
Kaizen nodded, piecing the puzzle together in his mind.
Oster killed Gogus' entire squad to bury the secret.
Then came Kaizen—someone who had also visited that village.
Hanzo and Siper had already left Saherta, so they were safe… for now.
But what about Ponzu?
"Oster didn't try to kill Ponzu—he wanted to capture her."
"She must have something he needs."
"Something only she has..."
"The Queen Bee."
"And that boy with the vines… he said Ponzu was the only survivor."
"Oster's been hunting her this whole time."
"And the Queen Bee said Parker isn't human—he's one of her kind."
"Parker was one of Oster's test subjects."
A theory surfaced in Kaizen's mind.
"Transformation."
"Oster… might be trying to evolve."
"To become something more than human."
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)