Chapter 23: Use Your Body as Bait, Set Up Traps!

This is the advantage of a Beast-type Specialist's Nen: overwhelming numbers.

Kaizen and Killer Queen were both on the battlefield at once, forcing the opponent into a disadvantageous fight against two enemies at the same time.

According to a rough assessment of Nen, both Kaizen and the young man facing him ranked around D-level.

But Kaizen's aura capacity surpassed what was typical for someone at that level.

Firstly, Kaizen had undergone grueling training since childhood, making both his physical and mental stamina exceptional. After all, he was trained personally by Maha Zoldyck.

Secondly, the Observer's Will had rewarded Kaizen for creating Killer Queen—a powerful Nen beast—boosting his aura in the process.

Even though Kaizen had to split his aura in two—half sustaining Killer Queen and half powering himself—it didn't leave either of them at a disadvantage compared to their opponent.

Boom!

To avoid Kaizen's aura bullet, the young man shifted his movement mid-dash. The sudden change gave Killer Queen an opening.

In a blur, Killer Queen appeared behind the young man and drove a punch toward his back.

Even though the man had enveloped himself in a defensive aura shield—Killer Queen's punch sent him staggering. It wasn't just a normal punch, it was the strike of a speed-and-power-type Nen beast.

The young man lurched forward but quickly retaliated by hurling his axe through the air.

"Position Exchange!"

In an instant, the man vanished, and the axe took his place. A heartbeat later, he reappeared where the axe had landed.

Kaizen narrowed his eyes.

"Now that's an interesting ability," he muttered.

Most would assume that a materialized axe's primary traits were sharpness or brute strength. But this one allowed for position-swapping.

Kaizen recalled Goreinu, a Manipulator from Greed Island, who also had a position-switching ability. However, unlike this man—who swapped places with his axe—Goreinu's ability relied on a Nen beast.

"Using this kind of trick with an axe... Unexpected."

Kaizen thought it through quickly.

"It's hard to predict the first time you see it. If an opponent doesn't know what to expect, it can easily catch them off guard. But once exposed, the trick loses its edge."

Kaizen glanced toward Killer Queen. "Attack relentlessly!"

The young man's position-swapping ability was clearly auxiliary. Kaizen knew he had to press the assault before his opponent could regroup. Killer Queen charged forward, and Kaizen fired another aura bullet.

The young man's eyes gleamed. In one swift move, he swung his axe at Killer Queen.

Clang!

The impact echoed as the axe met Killer Queen's arm. Using the recoil from the strike, the young man propelled himself toward Kaizen.

It was a textbook strategy when facing a Beast-type Nen user: ignore the beast and target the main body.

From the brief exchange, the young man had already realized he couldn't match Killer Queen in close combat. Not only was the beast physically superior, but it also fought with greater skill.

Boom!

Kaizen's bullet hit the young man, but he didn't dodge. Instead, he powered through the pain, determined to get close to Kaizen.

Kaizen gave him a subtle nod, impressed by the resolve. "Smart move. This really is your best shot."

It was the right strategy. The longer the fight dragged on, the slimmer the young man's chances of winning became. He knew that once his abilities were fully revealed, it would only get harder to catch Kaizen off guard.

But there was a problem.

The young man had exposed his hand, revealing how his ability worked. Meanwhile, Kaizen's abilities were still largely a mystery to him.

Outside the Arena

Shinji shifted nervously as he watched the fight.

Gotoh, standing beside him, gave him a sharp glance. "Focus, Shinji. Pay close attention to Master Kaizen and the other guy. Did you already forget what I taught you?"

Shinji clenched his fists. "Right. Sorry."

Gotoh could tell Kaizen's Nen wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. The young butler watching alongside him clearly hadn't realized that Kaizen was holding back.

Back inside the arena, the young man was rushing Kaizen, determined to close the distance.

Kaizen stood still, showing no intention of dodging.

Boom!

Just before the young man reached Kaizen, his foot landed on a seemingly ordinary patch of ground.

That was the trigger Killer Queen had been waiting for.

The first bomb detonated.

The blast erupted with force, knocking the young man off his feet. His pupils shrank as he realized—too late—that he had walked right into a trap.

Everyone knew the golden rule when fighting a Beast-type Nen user: attack the Nen user, not the beast.

Kaizen had used that very expectation to bait the young man into stepping on the bomb's trigger.

Boom!

The explosion hurled the young man into the air.

Shinji's eyes widened in disbelief. "Master Kaizen's a Specialist... So why does it feel like that explosion was an Emission attack?"

Gotoh raised an eyebrow. "He's only been practicing Nen for a month. How has he developed such complex abilities so quickly?"

Kaizen kept his expression calm as he raised a hand toward the falling opponent.

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