As Uvogin grins ear to ear, clenching his fists in anticipation, everyone else stares at Auren in confusion.
"Boss... is this guy insane?" Uvogin asks, still grinning. "I was in the mood to find someone to spar with anyway, but my sparring partners usually explode into a gory mass of flesh. Can I expect something out of you, boy?"
Can I expect something from you? That is the question. More importantly... can you teach me something new? Can I learn something?
"My last two sparring partners were vastly superior to you, so I was in the mood to challenge someone who's not that far above me in terms of skill," Auren replies calmly.
"Buhahahahahaha!" Uvogin bursts out laughing. "Boss... he must be joking! I'll enjoy beating you to a pulp! I've been told you have a Hatsu that can heal people? Good—I don't have to hold back then! You can fix yourself up."
"I'm not quite sure what he is alluding to," Chrollo adds, clearly curious. "Though you've made me interested. Auren, mind telling me who your previous sparring partner was?"
"Netero," Auren replies. "I'm not looking down on you, Uvogin. Obviously, you're far stronger than me in both Aura and physique, but I don't think you can compare to the Chairman. The other sparring partner I fought was a monster, too. He's somewhat similar to you, Chrollo... only far more sinister and devious."
"Are you talking about Pariston?" Shalnark interjects, rubbing his chin.
Auren nods. "Yes. It was just a spar, but he's a monster. In a serious fight, he'd be a nightmare to deal with. Trust me, you wouldn't want to be his enemy... ever."
"Shal told me about him," Chrollo says calmly. "From the sound of it, he seems to be someone dangerous indeed. Anything that happened with him after Shal, Paku, and Machi left?"
"Well, you know the saying," Auren says, shrugging. "If you can't beat them, join them. He's a true monster. As smart as you, but far more sinister and ambitious—destined to take control over a large portion of the Hunter Association. He already controls most Temp Hunters, so he wields tremendous power and influence. He might as well become Chairman in the future. Thankfully, there's no real strife between us. Instead, we're helping each other out, and I have to admit, I'm glad that's the case."
"I'll agree with that point. The Troupe has no contact with him, which makes him irrelevant to us. It also doesn't seem like he's particularly interested in our business," Chrollo states.
"He'd have no qualms hiring you if it benefits him—that guy has no ethical or moral restrictions," Auren adds. "In any case, no need to worry about him. Now, Uvogin, I know you're far stronger than I am—but I still want to challenge you and hopefully learn something. The same goes for you, Nobunaga. In return, I'll owe you a small favour."
Uvogin suddenly looks a little disappointed. "Can't you go back to being all arrogant and pretend you're above me? That sounds too boring and reasonable for my taste. Learning my ass! I want to fight with someone who can give me a challenge. Nobunaga just doesn't cut it anymore, so you might as well spar with me and not with him."
"Shut up," Nobunaga cuts in. "I want to experience Lidor's teachings, so I'm more than happy to spar with him as well. Don't talk about favours, Auren! The same goes for Uvo—you don't owe this oaf anything."
"Watch who you're talking to, scrawny!" Uvogin growls, glaring at Nobunaga.
I want to spar against them... why are they acting like they're about to beat each other up?
"Uvogin... I didn't say I'll lose..." Auren says, grinning. "I might be able to surprise you."
"Now that's much more like it!" Uvogin laughs again. "Maybe I like you after all!"
"What are your other plans?" Chrollo asks. "Surely that's not the only reason for your visit."
"I want to talk to the Elders. I don't plan to strong-arm them, I simply plan to make a donation instead. Despite my bad experiences, I don't think my ties with this place are severed yet. I might as well take part in actually improving things here, at least to a degree," Auren explains, trying to choose his words carefully.
"Many have tried," Shalnark says, looking amused, yet also doubtful. "You can certainly give it your best shot. I'm rooting for you."
"More importantly," Machi cuts in, her tone serious. "Are the girls alright?"
Machi's acting rather cold... did something happen? Somehow... this feels closer to whatever I associated with her in those vague memories of mine. Did something happen that made her this way?
"Yes," Auren replies. "Feel free to visit them on the airship."
"I'll do just that," she says, rising from her seat with a swift, almost dismissive movement before walking off.
"Anyway, I'm planning to stay for a few days, maybe a week. Is that okay?" Auren asks, glancing at Chrollo. "I don't want to annoy you or overstay my welcome. In any case, our contract is still valid—even if I leave. If there's an emergency or some kind of event, I'm willing to help. I own one of the fastest airships money can buy—pilot and cook included—so it wouldn't be a problem to visit, even on short notice."
"At the moment, there's nothing," Chrollo says simply, reaching for a book on the table. "But I'll definitely call if your ability is needed. Just knowing I have access to it lets me change plans and take more risks."
"Enough talking!" Uvogin suddenly roars, his fists clenched and Aura leaking out. "Don't make me wait—I'm getting bored!"
Chrollo shrugs and flips open his book. "Do it outside. I'm not looking for a new base just because you can't control yourself... again. I rather enjoy this one."
"Follow me!" Uvogin laughs wildly, stomping toward the exit, making a loud sound with each step that echoes through the empty warehouse.
Auren, along with Nobunaga, Shalnark, and curious-looking Shizuku, follows behind him.
Uvogin leads them behind the warehouse, exiting on the side facing away from Meteor City, where the area is quiet and completely undisturbed.
Auren, currently not conjuring Eternity, cracks his knuckles.
"I'm ready," he says, staring up at his towering opponent.
Despite my experience, I haven't fought someone like him—someone who relies almost entirely on raw physique and sheer Aura quantity. This will make the fight way different than the one I had with Netero. No need to mention someone like the Witch or Pariston who rely on complicated Hatsus and Techniques.
This isn't about winning either... but I want to try regardless, but I want to beat him at his best. Uvogin has a few glaring weaknesses. While he's absurdly tough and his Aura is insanely strong, he always starts slow. He underestimates people. I could aim to knock him out before he takes me seriously, but I don't want to do that. This is not about flexing my ego or bragging. I seriously want to learn.
He's also not particularly fast—and he actually enjoys taking hits. I remember even someone like Kurapika was able to dodge and avoid his attacks. My speed should easily outclass his. Those muscles come at a price, and his Aura seems to be focused solely on raw Quantity. A smooth shifting of his Aura and using it for agile, nimble movements is obviously not his forte. While I am also an enhancer, I focus as much on Agility and Technique as I do on raw power. I'd like to think my body and how I use Nen are perfectly balanced. That should give me an opening to attack him.
With a grin stretching across his face, Uvogin activates Ren, and a flood of Aura explodes around him, making him look even larger, his power almost radiating off his skin.
But Auren just stares at him, unimpressed.
This... is maybe a quarter of his maximum output. Why is this guy so arrogant? In a real fight, he'd be ridiculously vulnerable to sneak attacks. This is just for show. This is nothing... His Aura is not even properly focused—it's all leaking into the air. It's a bluff, it's a pathetic display of his power. With a Ren like this, he can easily destroy the environment, and his attacks carry Aura, but that only works if the user has a vast quantity of Aura. Uvogin fits the bill, but not if he holds back and uses only a quarter of his strength. This is almost insulting.
Auren begins walking forward—slowly, but with complete confidence—causing Uvogin to raise an eyebrow, both amused and surprised.
Delighted by Auren's boldness, Uvogin throws a heavy punch.
But Auren, already braced, instantly activates Ren—unleashing the maximum amount of Aura he can produce without restraint.
Auren catches Uvogin's fist easily, stopping it, then he pulls on it, using the sudden force to throw him off balance. As Uvogin stumbles forward, Auren leaps into the air, spinning mid-flight. With a quick use of Ryu, he shifts almost all of his Aura into his leg—finally focusing it into his foot—as he slams a kick straight into Uvogin's face.
The moment his foot connects and he feels Uvogin's skull give way under the pressure, Auren shifts his Aura again—skillfully redistributing his Aura evenly across his body in a fluid transition.
This is almost the same as what Pariston did. Rapid shift in Aura, then a quick return—leaving the opponent guessing. Of course, I left out the Gyo part... but if it's someone like Uvogin, he won't bother analyzing me or using Gyo. I need to be able to shift my Aura even faster and smoother. Once I reach that level, I can start adding the step of using Gyo to read my opponent's Aura in return. For now, however... this shall suffice.
As Auren's kick crashes into Uvogin's face, the giant gets blasted backward.
Blood spills from his nose as he stumbles, visibly dazed—his massive frame struggling to find its footing, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and awe.
"I held back a little," Auren says arrogantly. "It wouldn't benefit me at all if I went all out and instantly knocked you unconscious... even though you deserved it for insulting me with that pathetic show."
He narrows his eyes.
"Stop holding back."
Uvogin spits out a mouthful of blood and snickers... before his eyes turn crazed and he unleashes twice the amount of Aura.
"I hope you don't regret it!" He yells as he confidently walks forward.
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