At 1:50 PM, Kurapika arrived at the arena on the 215th floor of Heavens Arena right on schedule. The crowd here dwarfed anything he'd seen below the 200th floor. A sea of bodies packed the stands, the noise already building to a dull roar.
He'd arrived late enough that he had to pay a premium at the door. Worth it, he told himself. He needed to see what a real Nen fight looked like.
Inside, the auditorium was packed shoulder to shoulder. Down in the ring, Liam and another contestant were preparing to take the stage. Kurapika spotted Shizuku and Wing standing in the aisle on the opposite side, already positioned to watch.
The referee was working the crowd into a frenzy, his voice booming through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen who've come to witness greatness! Today's match is one for the history books! On one side, we have the rising star who's crushed two opponents every single day on his way to the 200th floor—the newcomer, John Smith!"
Polite applause. Some jeers.
"And on the other side, we have the undefeated legend, the martial arts prodigy who's won eight consecutive matches without dropping a single round—Tetsuro!"
The crowd erupted. Clearly, this arena had its favorites.
"Will the newcomer shock the world? Or will Tetsuro extend his perfect record to nine? Let's find out!"
"What's there to find out?" someone shouted from the stands.
The audience was loaded with Tetsuro fans. Kurapika could see it in their faces—the smug confidence, the way they leaned forward like they were watching a public execution. Several other 200th floor fighters sat scattered through the crowd. Some had already lost to Tetsuro. Others hadn't faced him yet but clearly feared the prospect.
They all shared one thing in common: they respected his strength.
"Tetsuro never loses," one defeated fighter muttered, half to himself. "That kid's about to get wrecked. He has no idea what he's walking into."
"This is the 200th floor," another agreed. "It's a different world from those clowns below."
Among the crowd, the person most desperate to see Liam humiliated was Tetsuo. The martial artist who'd been demolished by Liam before. Tetsuro's older brother.
Tetsuo glared down at the ring where his brother and Liam were taking their positions. "Let's see you act smug now, you little bastard. Let's see you hide your strength on this stage. You disrespectful piece of—"
He cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, "Tetsuro-aniki! Teach him a lesson!"
The match hadn't even started, and Tetsuo's voice cut through the ambient noise like a foghorn.
Compared to Tetsuo's enthusiasm, Liam's corner looked downright subdued.
Shizuku only asked questions when something genuinely confused her. Right now, she just watched the ring with her usual blank expression, waiting to see what would happen.
Wing couldn't find much to say. Normally he'd chat with Liam between rounds, but Liam was the one on stage this time. He glanced at Kurapika as the blonde approached.
Wing blinked in surprise. Wait. This kid awakened Nen already?
He could see it in the way Kurapika's aura moved. The boy was maintaining Ten constantly, circulating his aura even while standing still. That kind of discipline after only a few days? Impressive.
Wing opened his mouth to comment, but Kurapika wasn't here for small talk. The kid acknowledged Wing's gaze with a brief nod, then took up position beside Shizuku and focused on the ring below.
Let me see what a real Nen battle looks like, Kurapika thought.
Wing chuckled to himself and turned his attention back to the match. It was about to begin.
From the atmosphere in the arena, it was painfully obvious that almost nobody expected Liam to win.
Wing wasn't particularly optimistic either, if he was being honest.
Most fighters on the 200th floor weren't exactly world-class. But in the world of Nen users, nothing was guaranteed. Every fight could go sideways. No matter how weak someone seemed on the surface, you never knew what kind of bizarre ability they were hiding.
Tetsuro had won eight matches in a row without a single loss. That meant something. Nobody got that far by accident.
Down in the ring, Liam stood across from Tetsuro. The martial artist had a perfectly sculpted physique, the kind of body you got from a lifetime of training. He wore a traditional martial arts uniform, and his stance radiated confidence.
The referee stepped between them. "There's no time limit for matches on this floor. The scoring system applies. The first fighter to score ten points wins by decision, or you can win by knockout if your opponent can't continue. Clear?"
Liam nodded. Tetsuro gave a slight smile.
"Then—" The referee raised his hand. "Let the match begin!"
The crowd's cheers surged to a new level.
Surrounded by that wall of noise, Tetsuro pointed at Liam and grinned. "You know what, Liam? I've already won."
Liam turned to the referee with exaggerated innocence. "Ref, he's being a dick. Shouldn't you deduct points for that?"
The referee suppressed a smile. Based on Tetsuro's track record, the statement wasn't exactly wrong. But he couldn't say that out loud. "Both fighters, please compete fairly."
Tetsuro ignored the interruption. He kept his eyes locked on Liam. "Let me ask you something. When you first awakened Nen, what was the very first thought that went through your head?"
Liam tilted his head. "Why am I a five-year-old in a mass grave?"
"My first thought," Tetsuro continued as if Liam hadn't spoken, "was: This is bullshit."
He clenched his fists slowly. "I'm a martial artist. I've spent my entire life honing my body, perfecting my technique. The thing I love most in this world is the feeling of a real fight. Blood, sweat, flesh against flesh. I was born for the arena."
His aura began to shift. Kurapika noticed it immediately. The energy around Tetsuro's body was shrinking, compressing, weakening.
"But then I learned the truth," Tetsuro said, his voice bitter. "None of it matters. All that training, all those years of discipline. As long as you have Nen, you can get any kind of weird, broken ability you want."
He looked genuinely angry now. "Martial arts became a joke. Punches and kicks became obsolete. I came to Heavens Arena to test my skills, and instead I'm forced to fight superpower users. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Liam watched as Tetsuro's aura continued to weaken. It was shrinking down to almost nothing. The effect was subtle but unmistakable.
Interesting.
In the audience, one of Tetsuro's previous opponents leaned back in his seat. "As long as he's in the ring, Tetsuro is unbeatable. That new kid doesn't stand a chance."
"After this, he'll only need one more win for ten total," another fighter murmured. "Think he'll challenge one of the Floor Masters?"
"Even a Floor Master would struggle against him."
Kurapika frowned as he watched the two fighters. Something felt off. "Didn't the boss say that in actual combat, you should keep your guard up until you know your opponent's ability?"
He activated Gyo, sharpening his vision to observe the flow of aura more clearly.
Liam wasn't defending.
In fact, Liam's aura was also shrinking. From what Kurapika could see, Liam looked even weaker than his usual baseline.
Wing's eyes widened as realization struck. "Could it be that Tetsuro is—"
Shizuku didn't react. She just kept watching the ring in silence.
"You've figured it out, haven't you?" Tetsuro raised his arms and flexed every muscle in his body. His stance shifted into a flawless martial arts form, the kind of posture that took decades to perfect. He smiled at Liam. "Yes, this is my ability. I create a level playing field. Now come on, let's fight like real warriors!"
He vanished.
One moment he was standing across the ring. The next, he'd closed the distance, his fist driving straight toward Liam's face.
There was barely any aura left on his body or his fist. Just a thin protective layer, the absolute minimum. This was pure physical power. Raw muscle and bone.
Tetsuo pumped his fist in the audience. Got him!
Down in the ring, Liam watched the incoming punch with mild interest.
Yeah. I definitely guessed right.
He sidestepped the fist with minimal effort, caught Tetsuro's extended arm, and drove a counter-punch into the martial artist's chest before Tetsuro could react.
Wing leaned forward. "Tetsuro's ability must be a Manipulation-type technique with conditions. That's how he's won eight matches in a row."
The punch sent Tetsuro skidding backward across the ring, his feet scraping against the floor.
Liam didn't wait. He closed the gap instantly and unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of punches directly into Tetsuro's face. His expression remained completely neutral.
"Haha, this is what I wanted!" Tetsuro laughed, his hands moving in a blur. He deflected each strike with practiced ease, his decades of martial training on full display.
But gradually, something changed.
Liam's attacks were getting closer.
Not only that—each punch felt heavier than the last.
This isn't right, Tetsuro thought, his confidence wavering. I suppressed his aura. We're both ordinary humans now. How is he—
Judgment on the Stage.
That was Tetsuro's Hatsu. When he competed in a sanctioned match, neither fighter could use Nen abilities. Their aura would be reduced to the level of an average person.
The conditions were strict:
1. It must be a one-on-one match recognized by both parties.
2. A third-party referee must witness the fight.
3. The effect persists for both fighters until the match concludes.
Perfect for a martial artist who believed in pure skill.
Unfortunately for Tetsuro, the Star Mark on the back of Liam's neck was hidden beneath his collar.
The moment Liam had deduced his opponent's ability was Manipulation-based, the match had been over.
This is basically garbage time, Liam thought.
Flowing Star Strike.
He deliberately adjusted the aura around his body to match Tetsuro's suppressed state. No need to make it obvious to the spectators that he wasn't affected. Better to keep that card hidden.
But inside, the Star Mark on his neck blazed to life. His body shifted into self-controlled combat mode.
Tetsuro was genuinely talented. His physical strength alone was probably enough to push open the first two or three Testing Gates at Kukuroo Mountain. His technique was flawless.
But none of that mattered.
Manipulation was a game of "first come, first served." Whoever controlled the target first held priority.
And Liam had been marked by his own Star Mark 24 hours a day since he'd first tested the ability. He was functionally immune to enemy Manipulation techniques.
In less than one minute, the fight ended.
Liam's fist connected with Tetsuro's jaw with the sound of a small explosion. The martial artist's body lifted off the ground and sailed out of the ring entirely, crashing into the barrier wall.
The referee stared.
The crowd fell silent.
In the audience, Tetsuo's mouth hung open. Several of Tetsuro's defeated opponents looked like they'd just witnessed a magic trick and couldn't figure out the sleight of hand.
Wait.
That's not right.
How—