In the stands, Biscuit wore a satisfied smile as she watched the battle below.
"Kevin is quite agile in combat. He's applying the techniques I taught him really well in an actual fight.
Compared to his slow physical learning ability, his mind works pretty fast."
As she spoke, Biscuit's gaze involuntarily drifted to Yun Gu.
Feeling the pressure of her stare, Yun Gu turned his head and focused intently on the match in the arena.
On the arena floor, Kevin had already scored two points—one from a successful hit and another from knocking his opponent to the ground.
But he didn't slow down. After punching his opponent away, he immediately charged forward.
Facing an enemy who had yet to regain his footing, Kevin lunged forward and smashed down with a powerful punch.
Boom!
Everyone in the audience could clearly feel the force of that punch.
The arena floor cracked open, and a cloud of dust burst into the air, partially obscuring the view.
"What happened?"
"Did Cherro just die?"
"With that much force, even if he's not dead, he's definitely KO'd."
"Did that cruel guy finally get what he deserves?!"
"Look over there!"
With the crowd's cries, everyone saw a figure flying sideways out of the cloud of smoke.
The figure floated mid-air, curved around in an odd half-circle, and landed at the furthest point from Kevin.
As the dust settled, Kevin stood in place, shaking dust and pebbles from his right hand.
Where he had struck, there was now a person-sized crater in the floor.
Kevin turned his head and saw Cherro had already gotten back up and readjusted his stance.
Cherro didn't look so good. After taking Kevin's punch head-on, his shoulder was visibly swollen—his bones were clearly cracked.
Kevin didn't charge again.
He had a rough grasp of the opponent's Nen abilities now.
Cherro's four weapons were essentially used by throwing and then controlling them mid-air.
The dagger was sharp. The flail could release shockwaves.
Once thrown, it took about three seconds before the weapon could be retracted.
Hits might speed this up, but since Kevin hadn't been hit, he couldn't confirm that.
The weapons could also be used while held, though their effects were likely reduced.
Judging by the flail's earlier attack, its power was weaker when held than when thrown.
Otherwise, even Kevin's punch wouldn't have been so effective—it might've been deflected or barely grazed him.
And the hook's ability had also been revealed—it could move the user's body quickly.
After taking Kevin's punch, Cherro hadn't had time to adjust his posture.
Had Kevin's punch connected directly at that moment, the match would've ended.
But in that critical instant, Cherro threw out the hook, and it pulled him toward his landing spot.
From Kevin's observations, the hook required long-range to function and could only adjust its arc slightly during flight. The cooldown period was unclear—possibly three seconds or longer.
Swish!
The dagger came flying again, this time along with the flail.
The two weapons attacked Kevin from different angles, aiming to restrict his dodging options.
Kevin crouched and leapt sideways like a frog to evade.
But just when he thought he had dodged, the attacks curved toward his new position.
Cherro had thrown the hook toward Kevin's evasion path, dragging his body along and adjusting the other weapons' trajectory to follow.
So they could be used like that?
It seemed he had deliberately imposed the restriction of losing control after throwing, which must be offset by reduced cooldown upon hitting the target.
Kevin realized he had no room to dodge all three—he'd have to take one.
Without hesitation, he made a quick decision.
He dodged the dagger and kicked the flail with his left leg.
Thunk!
A strange, muffled sound rang out. The shockwave erupted with more force than a direct hit.
"Huh? That powerful?"
Kevin had just begun to wonder when the answer came—despite bracing for the impact, he was still sent flying.
It didn't hurt. He wasn't seriously injured.
His shoes might not even be scratched.
So that's it—the flail's main use was to knock enemies away. Its knockback effect far exceeded its damage.
It was a support weapon designed to work with others, and its appearance was misleading.
A fight full of calculations—perfect for Kevin.
Using the momentum from the blast, Kevin twisted his body in mid-air, adjusting his stance with no leverage.
Of course, this was a technique he had "borrowed" from Killua. He silently thanked his good friend!
Once he landed, Kevin pounced at Cherro like a leopard.
Cherro didn't expect Kevin to recover so quickly after being knocked back—and to close in with even greater speed.
He summoned the flail again and hurled it toward Kevin.
It hadn't been three seconds yet.
Looks like Kevin's earlier guess was right—if a weapon hits, its cooldown disappears.
But Kevin wasn't close enough yet. As he pounced, he planted his hands on the ground and pushed off hard.
His body flipped in mid-air, dodging the flail completely.
Landing smoothly, he dashed forward.
At this point, Cherro had thrown three of his weapons—all were in cooldown.
Once Kevin got close, Cherro would have only the dagger left to resist with.
So… what about the last weapon?
When would he use it?
The answer was—now.
The steel needle at Cherro's waist vanished.
Kevin saw it!
He'd maintained Gyo throughout the fight. As soon as the needle disappeared, it was thrown at incredible speed.
It was In—and it was fast.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon him.
The needle's trait was penetration.
Kevin raised his right arm to block, and the needle pierced straight through it.
Now all four weapons' abilities were clear.
"What was that?"
"Idiot! Use Gyo!"
In the stands, Biscuit smacked Yun Gu on the back of the head.
She had to admit—the enemy's Nen ability was more refined, and his battle experience surpassed Kevin's.
"So, how will you respond?"
The needle vanished from Kevin's arm, blood slowly dripping from the wound.
Cherro had pulled back to a safe distance, with all four weapons returned to his waist.
Cherro panted heavily. The fight had pushed him hard.
With a serious expression, he said, "You're right. I've pruned too many small branches and forgotten what a real tree looks like.
I'll treat you like a great tree—prune you properly."
"Then I should thank you in advance."
Kevin replied, injecting two vials into himself.
[Strength Serum] [Healing Serum]
I'll finish this in fifteen minutes.
The score was now tied: 2–2.
patreon.com/HRT862 for 20 chaters ahead