Chapter 18

At the moment the Killer 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 Killer Queen.

The Killer 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 Killer 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 Killer 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.

"Start!"

Ron stepped back, his eyes focused.

"Killer Queen!"

A towering, muscular figure with a pink hue emerged—a humanoid form, robust and intimidating.

"Focus!"

Ron concentrated his aura in his eyes. For any Nen user, maintaining "Gyo" during combat was essential. It wasn't just for active battles; even in potentially dangerous situations, keeping Focus was a necessity. Only in ambush situations requiring "Silent Movement" would this rule change.

Killer Queen charged at the young man. He responded by manifesting two enormous axes in his hands.

"A Conjurer?"

People from the Zoldyck Estate never made such mistakes. Ron needed to understand the properties of these axes first. For Conjurers, the items they materialized always carried unique abilities; otherwise, they'd be no different from ordinary weapons. Kurapika's chains and Kite's Crazy Slots followed the same principle.

Ron mentally communicated his commands to Killer Queen. For Emission-type Nen users, aura beasts typically came in two categories. The first required direct control by the user. The second was autonomous, thinking and fighting on its own. Killer Queen was the latter, though Ron could still communicate commands mentally. Their constant aura connection enabled this, allowing thoughts to be conveyed even faster than words.

Killer Queen dodged the youth's attack, positioning itself to the young man's side as Ron raised his hand, aiming in his direction.

"Nen Bullet!"

This was the advantage of an Emission-type aura beast user—strength in numbers. Ron and Killer Queen together created a scenario of two against one. Based on the overall rankings, both Ron and the young man were at a D-grade level. However, Ron's aura capacity surpassed most others of his level.

First, Ron's rigorous training from a young age had strengthened both his physical and mental energy—a legacy of Maha Zoldyck's personal tutelage. Second, after creating Killer Queen, Ron received a reward from the Essence of the Observer.

Thus, even with his aura split between himself and Killer Queen, neither he nor Killer Queen was at a disadvantage in combat strength compared to the young man.

"Bang!"

The young man was forced to change direction to dodge Ron's Nen Bullet, giving Killer Queen an opening. With a swift move, Killer Queen positioned itself behind the youth, raised its fist, and struck his back with immense force. Even though the youth was in "Envelop" mode, an average person would barely withstand this blow. But Killer Queen was an aura beast, focused on strength and speed.

The young man staggered under the impact, but Killer Queen's assault was relentless. Suddenly, he threw his axe into the distance.

"Position Swap!"

The young man disappeared, replaced by the axe, while he reappeared at the axe's previous location. Ron's eyebrow arched slightly.

"Interesting ability."

Most people would expect a conjured axe to focus on cutting power or impact, not on a swapping mechanism. Ron recalled a Nen user from Greed Island's storyline, known as Goreinu, an Emission-type user with a similar swapping ability. However, unlike the youth, Goreinu's swapping was with aura beasts rather than weapons.

"Using an axe for this ability is unconventional. Opponents wouldn't anticipate it unless they knew beforehand. But once revealed, it loses its edge."

Ron commanded Killer Queen.

"Attack relentlessly!"

Since the youth's ability seemed more supportive, Ron didn't need to be cautious.

Killer Queen charged at him again, with Ron's Nen Bullet following. The young man's gaze flickered as he fiercely swung an axe at Killer Queen.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed, and the young man used the recoil to propel himself closer to Ron. A general rule among Nen users was to avoid prolonged entanglement with aura beasts and aim directly for the aura user. His brief exchange with Killer Queen had already shown the young man that he wasn't a match for Killer Queen in close combat—not in strength, nor in skill.

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.