Chapter 204: Chapter 204
"I'm sorry," the disheveled man said softly, his vision failing, yet he could still sense Eugene and Tracy by his side.
"I failed you both."
"If I hadn't gone out that night, this wouldn't have happened."
"If I'd been more careful, you'd still be here."
"I'm so sorry…"
Eugene interrupted him.
"Father, it's okay. It was just an accident. It wasn't your fault. You've always been the father we love and respect, and that hasn't changed."
"That's right, Father," Tracy added. "We've never blamed you."
"Father, do you remember the game we used to play together?" Tracy asked.
"Let's play it one last time, okay?"
In the next moment, Eugene and Tracy's forms disappeared.
But unlike before, this time, they entered the disheveled man's body.
A surge of immense power erupted from him, a dense black aura swirling around his figure.
Ron couldn't help but think of a scene from the original story, where Gon, driven by vengeance for Kite, pushed his life force to the brink to achieve his transformation and kill Neferpitou.
The disheveled man's current outburst far exceeded his normal limits.
*Boom!*
With a single palm strike, the disheveled man hit Shusuke Ito squarely in the chest, sending him staggering back.
"Again!"
"Father, my turn now!"
The disheveled man's figure flashed behind Shusuke Ito.
*Boom!*
Another palm strike.
"Father, my turn now!" a female voice echoed.
Shusuke Ito's eyes widened as he tried to speak, but the disheveled man gave him no chance.
A relentless barrage of attacks followed—one after another.
One hit.
Two hits.
Three hits...
Finally, the disheveled man stopped.
"Father, it's time for us to go."
"We're happy today."
"Father, let's go together."
*Boom!*
A massive explosion rang out, and the disheveled man's body shattered.
But instead of blood and flesh, his body dissolved into light and dust, disappearing completely from the arena.
The battle was over.
Shusuke Ito had secured victory.
But he felt no joy from the outcome.
When Shusuke Ito returned to the contestant area, his body was in shambles.
His form was battered, riddled with wounds; his flesh torn and his aura unstable. His chest had caved in, multiple ribs were broken, and one of his arms was fractured.
He was gravely injured.
Nen users possess abilities that far surpass ordinary humans in all aspects, including recovery.
In the original story, after Kurapika's arm was broken by Uvogin's punch, Kurapika used his abilities to heal himself almost instantly.
Though Shusuke Ito didn't have healing abilities, his Nen level was far higher than Kurapika's at that time.
However, the damage he sustained during the battle with the disheveled man was also far more severe.
Especially those final attacks.
The earlier strikes had only worn down Shusuke Ito's aura.
But the last few dealt real, lasting damage, making recovery far more difficult.
"Dominica-senpai, if Shusuke Ito is the next opponent, let me handle him," Ron said.
"You, Ron?" Dominica's pupils contracted.
"Are you confident?"
"Yes," Ron nodded.
"If Shusuke Ito were in his prime, I wouldn't stand a chance. But after the injuries he sustained in the last fight, I have an opportunity."
"Additionally, a lot of his abilities have been revealed," Ron continued confidently.
"If that's the case, I'm certain I can handle it."
Previously, Dominica might not have believed Ron's confidence. But after Ron defeated the B-rank beast, earning Dominica's recognition, her perspective had shifted. Furthermore, Ron was a member of the Zoldyck family, renowned assassins who excel not just in killing, but in evaluating whether a target can be eliminated. Only targets deemed killable would be pursued by the Zoldycks.
Shusuke Ito's ability, the Invisible Hand, had been revealed. It bore some similarity to the ability used by Zeno Zoldyck to assassinate Chrollo in the original storyline, known as the "Unseen Left Hand." However, while Zeno's ability was invisible only to those unskilled in Nen, Shusuke's Invisible Hand remained unseen even to those proficient in Nen, akin to Ron's Crystal Ball.
Shusuke's power could be seen as an advanced form of Zeno's, but Ron had already devised a strategy to counter it.
Ron had two main reasons for proposing to take on Shusuke himself. Firstly, Dominica hadn't fully recovered, and engaging Shusuke could deplete her further, potentially leading to a loss against Crawford. If Dominica were defeated, both Ron and Wendy would be in grave danger, with Wendy likely facing certain death. Although Ron, with his abilities from Hanma Baki, could attempt an escape, how far he could get remained uncertain.
Secondly, Ron truly believed he could defeat Shusuke. Shusuke's current state was dire. Unlike a typical C-rank Nen user, Ron possessed a wealth of skills:
- Basic Nen techniques: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
- Zoldyck family assassination techniques.
- Hanma Baki's combat skills.
- Mid-range control like Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.
- Close-combat skills from Hanma Baki.
- High explosive abilities from the Killer Queen.
- And Ron's own weapon, the Corrupted Blade.
Facing an already severely injured Shusuke, Ron was confident in his ability to secure a victory. Shusuke had very little intelligence on Ron—far less than was needed to prepare for this fight.
The thirty-minute rest period soon came to an end.
The countdown concluded.
Shusuke rose to his feet.
Ron also stood up.
At the sight of Ron standing, Shusuke was enraged. The disheveled man's prior challenge had already irked him; Shusuke felt underestimated, insulted that such a "trash" dared to challenge him.
Shusuke had intended to make the disheveled man suffer a painful death. However, the unexpected outburst from the disheveled man not only exhausted a significant amount of Shusuke's physical and Nen energy but also inflicted serious injuries.
Now, even Ron was stepping up to fight.
Did he appear so weak?
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