Orleans took a deep breath, regaining his composure.
Kaizen was too agile—his attacks rarely landed cleanly. If that was the case, then a change in strategy was necessary. Instead of an aggressive offense, he'd adopt a defensive counterattack approach.
He would rely on his ultimate defensive technique.
From his perspective, Kaizen's offensive power was limited. Even in his normal state, he couldn't break through Orleans' defenses unless he aimed for a vital point. But if Orleans activated his absolute defense, Kaizen wouldn't be able to harm him at all. Meanwhile, his own counterattacks would deal significant damage.
"This is a secret technique I developed myself," Orleans said, a confident smirk on his face. "I haven't used it against anyone before."
His eyes locked onto Kaizen. "What will you do now?"
Kaizen studied Orleans carefully and suddenly recalled something.
Raiken had a technique that locked the joints and concentrated all strength into a single point. It was specifically designed to break through even the toughest defenses.
Perfect.
Kaizen stepped forward.
Crack!
His joints shifted unnaturally, his movements becoming stiff and mechanical—almost inhuman.
He threw a punch.
Orleans saw it coming and grinned. "Finally."
He was ready. Kaizen's fists wouldn't break his defenses. This was his chance—he'd endure the strike, then counter with full force.
But then—
Boom!
A massive force exploded upon impact.
Orleans' confident smirk vanished as his body was sent flying like a cannonball. He didn't even have time to react. The sheer force coursed through him, shattering his stance.
He was launched across the arena.
Boom!
In a blink, he crashed into the arena's outer wall, embedding deep into the solid structure.
The entire venue fell silent.
Moments ago, it seemed like an even match. Now, in a single instant, everything had changed.
Killua's eyes widened. "Kaizen isn't just fast, agile, and skilled... he's stronger than Orleans too."
He clenched his fists. "That was a total one-sided beatdown."
But if Kaizen had this much power from the start... why didn't he just crush Orleans immediately?
Killua frowned. If it had been him, he wouldn't have wasted any time.
"Killua, your assessment is spot on," Sadaso admitted, his expression complex. "I was way off."
He had known Killua was more talented than him, but now, he saw how much sharper his instincts were.
"Is this what true genius looks like?"
"The winner... Kaizen!"
The referee's voice rang out, breaking the stunned silence.
Medical staff rushed in, lifting the unconscious Orleans onto a stretcher. He wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
"What just happened?"
"Kaizen knocked Orleans out of the ring in one hit?!"
"That strength... it's insane!"
"They looked evenly matched before, so how did this happen?"
"Was Kaizen holding back the whole time?!"
"He's already at the level of a Floor Master!"
"He's just eleven! If he's this strong now, how far can he go? Could he reach the very top?!"
As the crowd buzzed with speculation, Kaizen simply turned and left the arena. The match was over—there was no need to linger.
Back in his room, he was greeted with cheers.
"Congrats!"
"Captain, that was amazing!"
"Captain, congratulations!"
Nina, Shizuku, and Sally rushed to greet him.
Kaizen smiled, then looked at Sally.
"Sally, are you ready?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, then let's go out for dinner tonight. Tomorrow, Sally, we set off. Nina, Shizuku, you two stay here at Heavens Arena. Train hard, don't slack off."
"Yes!"
After the match, Kaizen planned to head to Fiora Kingdom, while Sally would take the Hunter Exam.
Though the exam hadn't officially begun yet, there was still a pre-selection phase where candidates had to gather intelligence and find the true exam location. This part was often outsourced to various informants and gatekeepers.
Sally needed to handle this on her own.
Kaizen had no plans to help.
She was already a Nen user at C-rank—if she couldn't manage this much, she wasn't ready for the real challenge.
...
Meanwhile, at one of the TST bases...
Doppo watched a screen, a satisfied grin on his face.
"Looks like our TST will soon have another Floor Master. My instincts were spot on."
The figure next to him nodded, though his expression was slightly exasperated.
"You've mentioned that a lot."
"By the way, Doppo," he continued, "do you think the lower-ranked fighters might take extreme measures?"
"Extreme?" Doppo frowned. "Unlikely. Kaizen still needs three more victories before he can even challenge a Floor Master. Given his pace, that'll take at least nine months."
"Even if he does challenge, it'll only be against one person."
"With so much uncertainty, who'd be reckless enough to make a move?"
"Only a fool."
He shook his head. "I doubt anyone would be that desperate."
That evening, Kaizen and his team stepped out of the elevator and headed to a nearby hotel.
It had a famous buffet, highly recommended by many, but Kaizen had never been.
Time to try it out.
Soon, their table was overflowing with dishes.
"How's the taste?"
"Delicious!"
The only downside?
The price.
100,000 Jenny per person—enough to buy over 600 cans of soda.
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