The frog host chuckled. "Haha, I actually picked this up from an analysis I saw on the forum earlier."
The frog host scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Squeak~," he muttered softly.
Just then, the waiting room door quietly creaked open, revealing a figure cloaked in black standing in the doorway. Jed's sharp, eagle-like eyes scanned the hosts one by one, his expression falling with disappointment. Despite their strange appearances, their strength was underwhelming.
To Jed, their fate was already sealed, they would be injected with a syringe containing On and turned into controlled puppets.
On was the opposite of Nen. If Nen represented the breath of life, then On was the death aura, an ability born only from extreme circumstances.
While the powers of Nen and On were fundamentally opposed, On required a strict restriction and oath, a task that had to be completed. This task became the source of one's power. Unlike Nen, which operated under six major systems, On grew stronger the tougher the self-imposed task was.
Essentially, On was the restriction and oath within the Nen ability. By setting a binding task, one could tap into a powerful On ability tailored to themselves. For Jed and his group, that task was naturally revenge against the Hunter Association.
Meanwhile, in the contestants' channel, a man with a fleshy face, shouted at Gaki blocking his way. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? Move!" He clenched his fists, ready to teach Gaki a lesson.
Unfortunately, his fate were already sealed. Few people knew that besides Larry, the only other Sky Arena floor master left was Zushi.
Up on the 230th floor in the central control room, Shura stood with a grim expression. Around him, staff members were sprawled across the floor, lying motionless in all directions.
This was the central hub of the entire Sky Arena, responsible for managing the power supply, monitoring systems, and controlling access throughout the building. Shura sneered,. "Mechanical Devourer!" he declared.
Facing the machine, Shura suddenly spread his hands wide, and countless strands of his On surged toward the control console. These strands, dark and terrifying unlike the usual white or transparent aura, twisted like tentacles attaching themselves to each piece of machinery. Ordinary people would be overwhelmed, even killed, just by coming close to such a force.
This was Shura's unique ability, his On could coat machines, allowing him to manipulate them with extreme precision and even create powerful combat robots. Thanks to this ability, the Sky Arena's firewall was as fragile as paper, easily breached.
In an instant, countless screens lit up in red, signaling a breach. Shura was fully focused on controlling the machines, unaware that every move he made was being watched by someone else.
Meanwhile, the commentators' voices rang out, "Let's welcome the players! The first match: Rengo versus Zushi! This is a super heavyweight and heavyweight bout."
The crowd applauded as the game began. Taking advantage of the moment, Gaki lifted his cloak, revealing his imposing figure to the public for the first time. His hair was sharp and blade-like, colored blue and white, with a fierce expression etched on his rugged face. His thick hands made him look like Popeye from the cartoons at first glance.
"Wait, isn't Rengo supposed to be the one here?"
"Who is this guy?"
Even the commentators were puzzled. They had expected Rengo, so who was this newcomer?
"Is this the famous Sky Arena?" Gaki murmured. "It actually looks pretty impressive."
With a twisted grin, Gaki's On surged violently, distorting the air around him like a suffocating miasma. He move forward, his fist bursting with malevolent aura.
The sheer pressure of the attack felt like an icy wave crashing down, Zushi's breath hitched as his limbs stiffened, his instincts screaming. He barely managed to shift aside, the punch grazing past and splitting the floor behind him.
Biscuit's expression shifted from casual to serious. Her gaze fixed on Gaki, tangled in layers of dark On.
Memories stirred within her. Biscuit, a seasoned Hunter and veteran of countless missions, knew more about the Association's past than most.
Long ago, before the current structure of the Association had fully solidified, Jed led a secret faction known as Shadow, a group of Hunters tasked with handling the Association's darkest jobs. They worked in the shadows, executing missions the public could never know about.
Back then, Jed and Chairman Netero were close allies. But as time passed, Jed and his followers became radicalized, consumed by hatred and a twisted belief in a new form of justice. Eventually, they turned against the very system they once served.
Netero had no choice, he confronted Jed himself. The conflict ended with Shadow's defeat and Jed's apparent death. The use of On, the corrupted counterpart to Nen, was banned and believed to have been eradicated.
So why was it resurfacing now?
A flicker of unease passed through Biscuit's sharp crimson eyes as she tried to piece it together.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the arena. The crowd looked around in alarm, only to find themselves surrounded by heavily armed robots.
"Something's definitely happening," Biscuit said, eyeing both Gaki and the robotic brigades. Even the ordinary spectators began to react, the Sky Arena was under attack.
Meanwhile, at the central control console, Shura stared at multiple screens, frowning deeply. Orders had been clear: block access to the Sky Arena and control the crowd and the monitors with the robots.
So why hadn't the last robot moved? And a strange force resisted his attempts to control the machines. No matter how much On he poured into it, he couldn't override the interference.
Then, suddenly, gunshots rang out, bang! bang bang!, signaling that chaos had truly broken loose.
While Biscuit was lost in thought, the one-sided fight between Gaki and Zushi finally came to an end. Throughout the battle, Zushi had been thoroughly beaten, barely making any progress except for one lucky strike to Gaki's nose.
"Tsk, you're really stubborn!" Gaki muttered, his face darkening as he looked at Zushi, a small kid covered in scars who stubbornly tried to get back up.
There was a terrible On radiating from Gaki, like a demon emerging from the depths of hell. Gathering all his anger into a single fist, he prepared to deliver the final blow.
Biscuit and the others on stage exchanged worried glances. Biscuit had even planned to transform into a muscular woman and rush in to save Zushi.
While injuries were expected, this last punch could be fatal. According to the original story, Zushi was badly hurt but not in mortal danger, so Biscuit had only planned to go with Wing to rescue him without transforming. But now, with Gaki furious and ready to kill his disciple, Biscuit put aside his concern for appearances.