Chapter 31

The air crackled around us, charged with a raw, primal energy that seemed to vibrate deep within our bones. Our chi, amplified by the enchanted wristbands and guided by the unwavering focus of our minds, surged through our meridians, a torrent of power seeking its final destination.Sweat beaded on my forehead as I pushed past the final bottleneck, the barrier between Houtian and Xiantian, the realm where chi manipulation transcended the limitations of the physical world, allowing the bypassing of physics to a small degree.Beside me, Rem gasped, her body radiating with a soft, blue glow that pulsed in rhythm with my own emerald green aura.Then, it happened.The chi coalesced within our dantians, a swirling vortex of energy that anchored our newfound power. We had broken through. We were in the Xiantian realm.A wave of exhilaration washed over me, a sense of liberation and limitless potential. The world seemed to sharpen, colors becoming more vibrant, sounds crisper, every sensation amplified to an almost overwhelming degree.I glanced at Rem, her eyes shining with a similar exscacy. "We did it," she exclaimed, her voice full of awe at the feeling of strength.I grinned, unable to contain my own excitement. "We did it, my sweet love," I echoed, pulling her into a tight embrace and kssing her passionately.But the celebration was short-lived. We still had to make sure we were actually strong enough."Sixteen hours left," I said, checking the clock on the wall. "Let's spend two hours getting used to our new abilities, then check the simulator for our progress."We spent the next two hours pushing our limits, exploring the newfound depths of our power. Our movements would be a blur to anyone observing, our strength amplified beyond anything we had imagined. We could overdrive our chi, channeling it into our Nen with as if were were creating a feedback loop that boosted our speed and strength to twenty times our base level.It was intoxicating, the sheer power coursing through our veins."Hisoka doesn't stand a chance!" Rem declared, her voice brimming with confidence. She grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the holographic combat simulator. "Come on, let's test it out."This time, Rem took control of the interface, her fingers were slow, but I could tell she learned alot from my demonstration from before."Same parameters as before," she said, her eyes gleaming and her mouth fixed in an excited grin, "but let's max out the speed. See how we handle something even faster than Hisoka."She activated the simulation, and the world dissolved into a familiar scene of chaos. But this time, it was different. The projectiles, the mock Hisoka's movements, everything seemed to move in slow motion despite being much faster.Our enhanced perception, a byproduct of our Xiantian breakthrough even at the first level, allowed us to see the world with a clarity and precision we had never experienced before.We danced through the onslaught with effortless ease, dodging, weaving, and countering with a speed that defied the limitations of our previous selves. It was too easy.The simulated Hisoka, overwhelmed by our speed and precision, fell in a matter of seconds, its holographic form dissolving into a shower of sparks.The simulation ended abruptly, an error message flashing on the control panel as the machine emitted a thin plume of smoke.We stared at the malfunctioning simulator with concern as it popped and sparked.We had pushed the machine to its limits, and it had broken.It even started to spark so much that a fire started."Shit," I muttered, my eyes widening in alarm. "That thing probably cost more than a billion Jenny. Let's get out of here before someone notices."We fled the training room, leaving behind the smoking simulator and the echoes of our impossible victory. The echoes being the sound of the anti-fire systems activating and white foam filling the room.—Two hours until Hisoka would be scheduled for execution if we didn't stop him. 12 hours have passed since we started this ridiculous search for that bastard to at least follow him and hopefully stop him from murdering people.We couldn't wait passively with our thumbs up our asses, people's lives were at stake. We had to act, to intervene, to at least try to prevent the deaths of innocents..We sprinted through the labyrinthine corridors of the airship, our Xiantian-enhanced speed turning the metal hallways into a blur. We checked every deck, every room, our senses straining to detect Hisoka's Nen, but it was like searching for a phantom.Just as frustration threatened to overwhelm me, a wave of powerful, murderous intent washed over us.It came from a hallway up ahead.We rounded the corner and stopped dead in our tracks.Netero stood there, his wizened face a mask of barely contained fury, his aura crackling with a power that made the air itself tremble in a rhythm that even surpassed our current maximum strength.At his feet lay two figures, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, their life force extinguished.Menchi.Buhara.Hisoka, battered but alive, struggled against the heavy chains that bound him, a defiant smirk still twisting his lips.Netero's gaze met ours as he shoved him into a coffin shaped containment unit, his eyes filled with a grim understanding. He knew we had seen this before, that we carried the weight of this knowledge in our hearts."It seems," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "that some individuals are determined to test the limits of our patience. Rest assured, justice will be served or my name isn't Isaac Netero."With a final, chilling glare at the captured sadistic bastard, Netero dragged him away, leaving us standing amidst the lingering echoes of violence and despair.We reached our usual table in the mess hall, my heart still pounding from the encounter with Netero. The image of Menchi and Buhara's broken bodies seared into my mind, a grim reminder of the stakes.Sukina, oblivious to the tragedy that had unfolded just moments ago, bounced in her seat, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes."What'll it be today, guys?" she asked, already flagging down a waiter. "I think I'm feeling adventurous. I'm gonna try that Ridgerider Quail. It sounds exotic!"A wave of apprehension washed over me. I knew exactly how this would play out."Sukina," I said, my voice tight with a warning she wouldn't understand, "maybe you should reconsider.""Why?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Don't you think I have good taste?""It's not that," I started, then stopped, realizing there was no way to explain without revealing our knowledge of the future. "Just… trust me on this one."She waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I'm going for it. Besides," she added with a confident smirk, "how bad could it be?"The waiter arrived, and Sukina, with an air of authority that belied her youthful appearance, placed her order. "I'll have the Ridgerider Quail," she announced, "Make sure it's properly crispy on the outside."The chef, a portly man with a jovial smile, and now that I look, health violation fingernails- wash thoroughly you idiot, bustled over to our table, his eyes twinkling with what I could only assume was misplaced confidence in nonexistent skill.Now that I think of it, how the hell did he get this job?"One Ridgerider Quail, Miss Majima," he announced, beaming at Sukina. "An excellent choice! Medium-rare, coming right up!"Apparently, my warning had changed something, because it's worse than before.Sukina's smile vanished. "Medium-rare?" she echoed, her voice laced with a dangerous calm with faux confusion and real bafflement. "Did you just say medium-rare? For a quail?"The chef, oblivious to the storm brewing before him, chuckled. "Of course, Miss Majima. Perfectly pink in the middle, just the way it should be."The quail was already swiftly cooked wrongly and on the plate.Sukina's eyes narrowed, a flicker of rage igniting in their depths. "Perfectly pink?" she snarled, her voice rising in pitch. "You imbecile! You absolute culinary barbarian! You NEVER serve poultry medium-rare! It's practically salmonella on a plate! Do you want to poison me?! Well fucking congratulations because I'm immune to poison!"The chef, finally realizing the error of his ways, stammered in response. "B-but, Miss Majima," he sputtered, his jovial smile replaced by a look of panic. "It's how we always prepare it!""Always prepare it WRONG, you mean!" Sukina roared, slamming her fist onto the table, sending plates clattering. "Did you learn to cook in a sewer? Were you raised by a pack of rabid wolves who subsisted on raw meat?! Get back in the kitchen and bring me a quail that's cooked properly! Medium-well! And if you even THINK about bringing me another raw bird, I will personally turn you into quail feed!"The chef, his face now a shade of crimson that rivaled the imagined pinkness of the quail, scurried back to the kitchen, his dreams of culinary grandeur shattered by Sukina's righteous fury.Rem, beside me, stifled a laugh, her shoulders shaking with amusement. Even Killua, usually so stoic, couldn't help but crack a smile. Only Gon, oblivious to the nuances of fine dining, looked on with a bewildered expression.I sighed, rubbing my temples. This was exactly what I had hoped to avoid.It's even worse this time.Just as the chef attempted to place another quail onto a pan-The shrill blare of the alarm ripped through the mess hall, interrupting Sukina's hope for properly cooked meal.She jumped, startled by the sudden noise."What was that?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.I offered a scowl. "You'll see," I said, my voice laced with a foreboding she couldn't comprehend.It was time.—The arena buzzed with anticipation as we, along with the other examinees, filtered into the tiered seating surrounding the central platform.A wave of nervous energy rippled through the crowd, whispers and murmurs blending into a cacophony of speculation.My mind, however, was strangely calm. We had reached Xiantian, our bodies and chi honed to a level beyond anything we had previously could have acquired.Hisoka, the monster who had haunted me, the specter of death that had driven us to the brink, now seemed… insignificant.This should be easy, I thought to myself, a sense of almost detached confidence settling over me."Tereda?" Rem's voice, laced with a gentle concern, pulled me from my thoughts. "Are you alright? You seem… distant. I know we already heard this, but it feels disrespectful to just tune him out like that."I shrugged apologetically. "Yeah, sorry Rem." I then offered a reassuring smile. "Just thinking about strategy," I said, my voice deliberately light. "Don't worry, love. We've got this."She nodded, but a flicker of unease remained in her eyes.Just then, the familiar coffin-like structure descended from the rafters, chains clinking ominously as Hisoka was lowered into the arena.The air crackled with anticipation as the executioner prepared to release the restraints, the metal clasps groaning under the strain."He's all yours," Netero announced, his voice echoing through the arena, a barely perceptible hint of amusement lacing his tone. "Don't disappoint me."We stepped onto the platform, the heavy metal door clanging shut behind us, sealing us within the confines of the arena. Hanzo, his expression as stoic as ever, stood beside us, his hands already forming the intricate seals of his signature technique."Ninja at the…" Hanzo began, his voice sharp and focused.But before he could complete the name of his technique, the world erupted into a blur of motion.Rem and I, our auras blazing with a combined intensity that made the air itself shimmer, launched ourselves toward Hisoka. Our chi, amplified to its absolute limit, fueled our Nen, propelling us forward with a speed that defied normal human perception.I was sure only the 3 champions, Netero, and the two of us could perceive us moving.The world seemed to slow down, every detail of Hisoka's form, every flicker of his aura, becoming crystal clear.Rem, a whirlwind of blue energy, slammed into Hisoka's legs, her enhanced strength shattering bone and sending him crashing to the ground.His eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of disbelief replacing his previously deadpan expression.It was the only emotion he had time to register.My sword, a silver streak empowered by chi and Nen, flashed through the air, severing Hisoka's head from his body in a clean, precise stroke.Silence descended upon the arena, broken only by the soft thud of Hisoka's body finally hitting the ground after Rem broke his legs and sent him falling.The plop and clatter of his severed head rolling across the platform broke at least Netero's stupor as he started laughing.We stood there for a moment, the echoes of our impossible victory fading into the stunned silence of the audience."I knew it would be easy," Rem said, her voice laced with a strange mix of triumph and… disappointment. "But it just feels… wrong, somehow. After all that struggle, all that fear…"I nodded, understanding her sentiment. We had tasted death and despair, only to find that our power dwarfed the threat we had faced before by magnitudes. It felt anticlimactic, a victory achieved before the battle had truly begun.But as Netero's laughter echoed through the arena, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of amusement and respect, I knew that this was only the beginning."Ohohohohohohoho-!"