"Refine!"
Kaizen focused, bringing himself to his peak state.
He closed his eyes, gathering a massive amount of aura. Then, with a sharp inhale, he opened them again.
A series of figures materialized beside him—Raiken, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Killer Queen, and the Lantern Ghost. Four of his Nen Beasts, all except Altan, stood ready.
Silva's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Begin."
"Yes."
At Kaizen's command, Raiken bared his teeth and lunged forward.
A sinister face emerged behind Raiken's back. Even through his tight white shirt, the eerie visage was visible.
"Cockroach Dash!"
Raiken shot toward Silva in an instant. At the same time, Akutagawa Ryunosuke appeared at his flank.
"Rashomon!"
Dark red claws tore through the air as both Nen Beasts attacked in unison.
An average C-rank Nen user wouldn't stand a chance. Even a skilled B-rank Nen user would be forced on the defensive.
But Silva dodged and blocked every attack effortlessly.
Killer Queen moved behind Silva.
In terms of direct combat, it wasn't as strong as Raiken or Akutagawa Ryunosuke. But its explosive ability… Kaizen couldn't use it here.
This was a sparring match, not a battle to the death.
Injury Silva too severely, and the Zoldyck family would suffer a serious loss.
So, Killer Queen's role remained limited, only supplementing the other two's attacks.
Despite the three-on-one assault, Silva barely seemed fazed.
"Uncle Silva really is on a different level from Ito Xius."
When Kaizen had fought Ito Xius, his opponent had already been injured. But Kaizen had also seen him at full strength. Even then, Silva's performance now was on a whole other level.
"As for Dominica… with my current strength, I can't judge her yet."
Kaizen's gaze shifted to the Lantern Ghost beside him.
Silva's did as well.
"Cloudy Fog."
A thick fog billowed out from the Lantern Ghost, blanketing the area in seconds.
The murky mist not only obscured vision but also carried a mild poison.
However, against Silva, neither mattered much.
His natural resistance to toxins meant the effect would be negligible unless prolonged.
As for vision—
A trained Nen user relied on more than just sight.
Hearing, smell, aura perception—all were crucial.
Yet, this mist disrupted even aura perception.
And Kaizen's own Nen Beasts weren't affected.
Realizing the disadvantage, Silva prepared to move out of the fog.
Kaizen anticipated this.
"Hold him!"
Raiken, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, and Killer Queen threw themselves at Silva, determined to keep him inside the mist at any cost.
Meanwhile, Kaizen gathered an immense amount of aura in his hands. The energy swelled, its intensity growing by the second.
Silva noticed the buildup and his pupils contracted slightly.
"He's restraining me with his Nen Beasts while preparing a powerful attack himself."
A simple tactic.
But in battle, simplicity often worked best.
If this were a real fight, Kaizen wouldn't attack on his own.
He'd use Killer Queen's explosive ability instead.
Killer Queen's detonation had a far higher lethality.
At that moment, Silva's aura shifted.
Boom!
Killer Queen was sent flying.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out—Raiken's body had taken heavy damage.
Silva advanced through their attacks, steadily closing in on Kaizen.
He was too fast.
Even with their full strength, Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Raiken couldn't hold him back.
Kaizen fired.
At the same time, Raiken lunged, locking his arms around Silva.
Akutagawa Ryunosuke's Rashomon shifted into a cage, trapping Silva inside.
Boom!
The explosion shook the ground.
The mist was blown away by the force.
As the dust cleared—
Silva remained standing.
Not alone.
There were multiple Silvas now, surrounding Kaizen.
A suffocating killing intent filled the air.
Raiken and Akutagawa Ryunosuke had vanished.
Kaizen exhaled and raised his hands in surrender.
"Uncle Silva… I lost."
Silva nodded.
The illusions vanished, leaving only his real body. He stepped closer to Kaizen.
"Well done."
But it was more than just "well done."
Silva glanced at his clothes—torn in multiple places.
During the match, he had even entered his assassin mindset. His killing intent had surfaced involuntarily.
Most C-rank Nen users could never push him that far. Even most B-rank Nen users would struggle.
"Four Nen Beasts."
"One functions as an Enhancer."
"One acts as a Conjurer."
"One generates toxic mist, obscures vision, and disrupts aura perception."
"And the last one seems weaker… but I remember Kaizen showcasing explosive abilities before. Yet, he didn't use them here. Was it because they weren't effective enough?"
"Or is there another reason?"
"Considering everything, it's like fighting three top-tier C-rank Nen users at once."
"And their coordination was impressive."
"No, including Kaizen himself, it's more like facing four."
"His Mind Bullet posed a real threat too."
Kaizen let out a breath, still reeling from Silva's overwhelming strength.
The Mind Bullet wasn't even his trump card.
Raiken, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Killer Queen, the Mind Bullet—all of them were just stepping stones.
What he had truly wanted to use was the Lantern Ghost's third ability.
Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to complete the necessary conditions in time.
He needed four specific triggers.
He had barely set up two before Silva broke through.
Realizing he wouldn't make it, Kaizen had chosen to surrender.
There was no point in dragging it out.
"But if I had managed it…
"If I had activated the Lantern Ghost's full ability…
"Would I have stood a chance against Silva-san?"
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