Chapter 8: Heaven’s Arena

After his shift ended, Soren began talking with Zebro as he expressed his desire to leave Kukuroo Mountain and search for the next source of entertainment.

"Are you sure you want to leave?... There is still more training you can do here, as you can only open up to the 3rd gate": zebro

"Yeah, I'm sure… I can do weight training all day long for many years, but nothing helps you gain strength better and faster than experiencing the world… The last two years have been fun, but I think I'm starting to stagnate here… I hope you understand, but my original purpose was not to become a janitor for the Zoldyck's": soren

Upon hearing Soren's words that some might perceive as cold, Zebro released a sigh before he faced Soren with a smile and spoke.

"It was great having you here, and I'm glad I got to meet someone so talented in this life… I wish you luck in your future endeavors, and I do hope you will return one day to visit": zebro

Zebro's words were those of someone just making pleasantries, as he bade farewell to Soren, but deep down, he wanted to say more, but decided to keep it short, as he didn't want to get emotional. Although he never said it, but Zebro looked at both Soren and Machi as if they were his own children or grandchildren, he never pushed them past what they could handle as he didn't want to break them, but now these kids were leaving the nest.

"We'll definitely come back, but it might be a few years… Take care, Zebro-san": soren

After bidding farewell, Soren and Machi began heading back towards the city, and they had made it just in time to catch the bus heading towards a city called Heaven's Gate. Soren knew all about this place, but Machi was lost, and it was understandable as she didn't have the same information as Soren had, and she didn't like reading the newspaper either.

"Where are we going, Soren?": machi

"To a city known as Heaven's Gate, there is a battle arena known as Heaven's Arena and I heard strong opponents from all over the world gather there to fight for the title of world's strongest… We can fight others there until something interesting pops up": soren

"I see… Is there lots of jenny involved?": machi

"Yeah, millions… The both of us together could probably rake in around 600-800 million jenny": soren

Upon hearing the number, Machi's eyes lit up as figurative jenny signs appeared where her pupils once were, and without a second thought, Machi grabbed hold of Soren as she kissed him in excitement.

"Muwah!... I love you so much!... Haha! I'm gonna be rich!": machi

Soren only sighed as he realized just how much Machi loved money, and it was understandable, as while Soren only experienced 6 years of poverty, Machi and the other Troupe members spent their entire lives living as though every day could be their last, so even though they have both robbed and killed people to live a better life, it was undoubtedly a better feeling to earn a living through legal means.

"I love you too… Now, I think the trip will take a total of 6 hours, so let's get some sleep": soren

Machi nodded before the both of them began sleeping together with their heads on top of one another as they sat in the chairs, and after feeling the bus come to a halt, the both of them woke up and noticed they had arrived at their destination.

{We have arrived, please take your belongings and exit the bus… And thank you for riding Speedy Transport}

Both Soren and Machi got off the bus and began walking towards the towering building they could see off in the distance, and after coming closer, they realized just how big the building was, as well as noticed its unique design and shape.

"Wow!... This place is so HUGE!!... It's gotta be at least 900 meters tall": machi

"If I read correctly, this building is 991 meters tall, and it has a total of 251 floors, and the annual attendance is in the billions, meaning they have the money to blow on the participants": soren

"Wow!!": machi

Machi's eyes began to shine like stars, while Soren came up with another idea as spoke while walking towards the building.

"Betting is a big thing in the Heaven's Arena, meaning if we bet on each others matches, we can easily double our money or even triple it": soren

"Oh!... Then let's do that!... It will almost be like we're robbing them": machi

Soren let out a chuckle as he thought about how mad the other spectators would be seeing the two of them run off with all the money they had won through betting on each other's matches, as the both of them entered the front door of Heaven's Arena as they made their way to the front desk.

"Hello, I am the receptionist for the lower floors, my name is Lapis… Will you be spectating, or fighting?": lapis

Soren came forward as he began speaking for both him and Machi.

"We would both like to register to fight": soren

"Alright, then I will just need to have the both of you fill out and sign some paperwork before I can get you both your participant numbers": lapis

Both Soren and Machi were then handed a few sheets of paper that asked for personal things like their names, date of birth, blood type, and their recent medical history, while the other sheet was a release form documenting their agreeance to not hold Heaven's Arena accountable for injury or possible death. After filling out the forms and turning them back in, Lapis began typing into a tag machine as two numbers appeared before being filed with the paperwork.

"Alright, you guys are all set… Mr. Soren, your number will be 3263, and Mrs. Machi will be 3264… Remember these numbers, as that will be how they call you up to fight until you reach the 200th floor… Now seeing as this is your first time here, let me explain the rules… From the first floor all the way to the 200th floor, all weapons are prohibited from being used… During fights, participants are awarded points… You need 10 points to win the fight, this is known as a technical knockout, or a TKO, but you can receive an immediate win with a knockout, otherwise known as a KO… Points are awarded by the referee, and will be decided by him or her… Strikes known as 'Clean hits' are worth 1 point while 'Critical hits' are worth 2 points, and every time someone is 'Down' that is awarded 1 point… There are no time limits, and being thrown out of the ring won't disqualify you, though it will count as a down… Any questions?": lapis

Soren was content hearing the rules once, as it refreshed his memory enough to know what was allowed and what wasn't, from the show, but Machi seemed to be a bit confused, and before she could make Lapis repeat herself, Soren grabbed her arm as he spoke for the both of them.

"We understand… Thank you": soren

"Glad to know, you can rest in the waiting room until your number is called": lapis

As Soren began pulling Machi towards the waiting rooms, she spoke up.

"Oi!... Why did you tell her we understood?... I didn't understand shit, because I was trying to remember my number!": machi

"There's no need, I can tell you, but all you have to do is just knock your opponent out and make sure not to kill them… Otherwise, if you can't knock them out, just keep putting them down until the referee declares you as the victor": soren

"Ohh!... So I just need to knock them out?... Then why did she babble on so much?": machi

When Soren heard this, he released a sigh as he decided to explain.

"Not everyone is as strong as us, so their fights can last for many minutes, so gaining points will help them win quicker… Also, make sure to adjust your strength based on how strong you feel your opponent is, as a single neck chop could take off your opponents head, and that will be bad for us here": soren

"I think I understand… Thank you for explaining it to me": machi

Machi stuck her tongue out towards Soren as she teased him, and after entering the waiting room, they were greeted with a few faces, but seeing as they weren't important, neither Soren nor Machi were interested in talking with them, and soon, another number was called.

{Number 3264, please enter stage 6}

Soren looked over to Machi, but she didn't seem to hear anything as she just sat there waiting.

'This girl said she was memorizing her number, but she didn't even manage to do that right… Hais': soren

"Machi… Go!... Number 3264 is you!": soren

Upon being called out, Machi was confused as she then realized she had gotten the numbers mixed up as she quickly ran out of the room towards stage 6.

'This girl will be the death of me': soren

After a few minutes, Soren's number was finally called as he made his way to his designated stage, and after seeing a buff dude with muscles the size of his own head, he began to chuckle to himself, as this fight would be over in a second.

"And, begin!!!": ref

Just as the referee spoke, Soren seemed to disappear as he reappeared behind the buff guy and sent a single finger into the back of the man's neck as his eyes rolled to the back of his skull as foam began to emanate from his mouth, as after that he fell to the floor unconscious. Seeing how quick the match had ended, the referee was at a loss for words, but after checking for a pulse on the buff guy, the referee determined that Soren had won by a knockout.

'This boy is a monster!!... Could it be possible that he's like that little boy from a few hours ago?... At the time, his speed was so fast that all I could see was a blur of white, but after looking over to his opponent, I could see him standing over the guy as he lay unconscious… I could have sent him to the 50th floor, but I thought it best to send him to floor 20 instead… But this guy, he's even more of a monster than that kid… I'll be sending him directly to floor 50': ref

Soon, the referee printed out a ticket that had the number 50 printed in a bold font as Soren took the ticket and left the stage while his opponent was brought away in a stretcher. Upon taking the elevator to the 50th floor, Soren saw Machi standing at the window waving a tan envelope while shouting.

"What kind of joke is this!... You expect people to fight such battles for only some pocket change!?": machi

"What the hell are you doing?": soren

When Machi heard the voice of her boyfriend come from behind her, she quickly turned around as she shouted with joy.

"Soren!... Quickly, tell this lady to hand out more money!": machi

After hearing the reason for Machi's noise, Soren chopped her on the top of her head as she crouched down grabbing her head while protesting.

"How dare you treat the love of your life like this!... Don't make me tell Chrollo when we go back!": machi

"Be quiet for a minute!... The receptionist isn't withholding any of your money, as that's the amount you get whether you win or lose, but every win after this floor should give a lot more… If I remember right, it's 50 thousand for every win up to the 100th floor, then it goes to 1 million": soren

Soren then turned in his ticket as he was then handed the tan envelope as the receptionist gave him a thankful expression, while deep down she thought to herself.

'I feel bad for this guy if he has to go home with that every day… Such a shame, he's quite cute too': receptionist

Soren then took the bit of change from the envelope and popped it into the vending machine before pressing on a button and returned with a can of grape juice.

"You might want to use that change now as you might lose it after counting all the jenny you get later": soren

Machi did as he said, as she also walked over to the vending machine and got herself some juice before returning next to Soren. And just before going to the next waiting room, the voice of a young boy was heard from behind them.

"I didn't know the gate guard was going to be here… Did my dad send you to watch over me?": ???

Soren could recognise the voice, as he had once met with him while he was returning from a mission, but he couldn't speak with him for long.

"Oh?... Killua, how are you doing?... No, your dad didn't send me here to watch you, I had left the estate because I want to find stronger people to challenge myself with": soren

Killua thought about it for a minute before he blew it off with a simple sentence.

"Oh… That's what my dad said too… He told me to fight stronger opponents here… Maybe we'll meet on the stage?": killua

"I would hope not… I wouldn't want your father to kill me because I hurt you… So, did your dad set a goal for you here?": soren