18

At the moment the Shinigami Queen was created, Ron felt a significant increase in his Nen capacity in an instant.

With no change in his physical constitution, this boost came from his mind.

Additionally, Ron gained something else.

That was the combat skills of the Shinigami Queen.

The Shinigami Queen's ability was a bomb, but ultimately, it was a stand-type focused on close combat that emphasized strength and speed.

This Nen beast was connected to Ron's memories.

It transformed part of Ron's memories regarding the Shinigami Queen into his own skills, essentially refining and organizing them.

Furthermore, it integrated the characteristics of the Zoldyck estate.

With these skills, Ron could elevate his fighting abilities to a new level.

"Setting aside the Shinigami Queen, my own fighting strength won't be weak either."

"And if I master high-level Nen techniques, I will become even stronger."

"However, under normal circumstances, it's unnecessary."

"As a specialist leaning toward emission-type abilities, what does it matter for my physical body to engage in battle?"

"It's better to send the Nen beast instead."

"My own body should attack from a distance using Nen bullets to deal damage, restrain the enemy, and assist the Nen beast's attacks; that's the best option."

"Today, let's formally test this out."

Training Ground.

Ron arrived at the arena.

This so-called arena wasn't elevated above the ground but rather a large circle drawn on the ground.

Across from Ron stood a young butler.

Outside was Kien.

"Master Ron."

The young man looked at Ron and performed a respectful bow.

Ron nodded.

"We can start."

"Yes."

Kien's voice rang out.

"Begin!"

Ron stepped back.

"Shinigami Queen!"

A pink figure appeared—humanoid, tall, and muscular.

"Concentrate!"

Ron focused his aura in his eyes.

For Nen users, maintaining concentration during battle is fundamental; this is essential not only for combat but also in any situation where a battle may erupt. Concentration must be maintained unless a surprise attack is required using a special technique.

The Shinigami Queen charged toward the young man.

Two massive axes appeared in the young man's hands.

"A materialization-type Nen user?"

The Zoldyck estate's people would not make mistakes.

"I need to understand the capabilities of these two axes."

The items materialized by a materialization-type user definitely have certain characteristics; otherwise, they would be no different from ordinary weapons.

Kurapika's chains and Kite's Crazy Slots are both examples of this.

Ron conveyed instructions to the Shinigami Queen.

For emission-type Nen users, Nen beasts can generally be categorized into two types.

One type is the manipulation type, which requires the Nen user to control it at all times.

The other type is the autonomous type, which thinks for itself and fights on its own.

The Shinigami Queen is of the latter type.

However, Ron could also give instructions to the Shinigami Queen and communicate with her.

There's no need for spoken words; he could just think in his mind.

This is because there's a constant exchange of aura between Ron and the Nen beast.

This information can be completely conveyed through aura.

It's much faster than direct verbal communication.

The Shinigami Queen dodged the young man's attack and moved to his side.

At the same time, Ron raised his hand and aimed in the direction of the young man.

"Nen Bullet!"

This is the advantage of a Nen beast-type emission Nen user.

The advantage in numbers.

With both Ron and the Shinigami Queen present, they created a situation where it was two against one.

In a rough overall ranking of Nen users, both Ron and the young man across from him were at the D rank level.

However, Ron's aura was greater than that of an average Nen user at the same level.

One reason was the rigorous training Ron had endured since childhood, which strengthened both his physical and mental energy.

After all, he was personally trained by Maha Zoldyck.

The other reason was that the Observer's Essence had given Ron feedback after successfully creating a Nen beast.

Thus, even if Ron's aura was split in two, with half in the Shinigami Queen and half remaining with Ron, neither the Shinigami Queen nor Ron's combat power in a short time would be weaker than that of the young man.

"Bang!"

To dodge Ron's Nen bullet, the young man had to change his movement direction.

This gave the Shinigami Queen an opportunity.

In a flash, she moved to the young man's back.

Her fist raised, aimed at the young man's back.

She threw a punch.

Even though the young man was using the "Emphasis" technique, for an ordinary person, such a punch wouldn't cause much damage. However, the Shinigami Queen was a Nen beast, specifically a strength and speed-type beast.

The tremendous force made the young man stumble.

But the Shinigami Queen's attack did not stop there.

At that moment, the young man hurled one of his axes far away.

"Position swap!"

The young man in front of the Shinigami Queen suddenly disappeared.

In his place was an axe.

And the young man's figure reappeared where the axe was supposed to be.

Ron raised an eyebrow slightly.

"This ability is interesting."

Under normal circumstances, when people see a materialized axe, they usually think of elements like sharpness and strength.

But unexpectedly, this young man's axe had a unique ability: position swapping.

Ron recalled a Nen user from the original story that appeared in Greed Island.

His name was Gorou.

He was an emission-type Nen user, just like this young man, and also possessed the ability to swap positions.

However, the difference was that this young man used a materialized axe, while Gorou used a Nen beast.

"Using an axe for such an ability is quite unexpected."

"Normally, an opponent wouldn't think in this direction. If they didn't know in advance, they'd certainly be caught off guard, but once they do know, its effectiveness would be limited."

Ron issued a command to the Shinigami Queen.

"Attack aggressively!"

Since the young man's ability was of the supportive type, Ron had no need for concerns.

The Shinigami Queen charged toward the young man once more.

At the same time, Ron's Nen bullet was also en route.

The young man's gaze flickered as one of his axes came down heavily toward the Shinigami Queen.

"Clang!"

A metallic clash resonated.

The young man utilized the recoil from the impact to close in on Ron's position.

A common understanding among Nen users is that when facing a Nen beast-type emission Nen user, one shouldn't get entangled with the beast but should directly target the user's physical body.

Through battling the Shinigami Queen, the young man realized that he was not the Shinigami Queen's match in close combat.

Not only in terms of strength but also technique.

He was at a disadvantage on both fronts.

"Bang!"

Ron's Nen bullet struck the young man.

To approach Ron, the young man didn't dodge and instead took the hit to get closer to Ron.

One must admit, this decisiveness was something Ron appreciated.

"This is indeed the most correct decision."

"But you have already lost."

Now that the young man's ability was exposed, this was his best choice.

One could even say it was his only chance.

If he missed this opportunity, the longer time passed, the smaller his chances of victory would become.

However, there was a problem.

The young man's ability had been revealed.

But he was still unaware of Ron's capabilities.