Hello everyone, this is Gon Freecss, who can't stop trembling with anticipation at finally facing Hyakushiki Kannon. Killua looks like he's about to die, but do we really have that little chance of winning?
Despite the numerical advantage, with Netero's Hyakushiki Kannon as the opponent, Killua—who had the most difficulty with durability among Gon's group—was already getting cold feet.
"Honestly, I don't feel like I can keep up. I'm declaring now I'm completely on long-range duty."
"Hmm, well, can't be helped, right? I haven't seen it yet either, but the power seems crazy too ♣ It'd be one thing if Killua could move at lightning speed, but that's obviously impossible ♦"
Having actually seen Hyakushiki Kannon, Killua had decided to concentrate on harassment from long range, judging that even one hit would be fatal and evasion was impossible no matter how he thought about it.
Hisoka, who hadn't directly seen Hyakushiki Kannon yet, roughly grasped the threat from Killua's judgment and the fact Gon didn't stop him, and simulated how to fight.
"I think Killua can snipe the gaps in Hyakushiki Kannon. I'll take all the attacks, but sorry if I can't defend everything."
"Nobody asked you to do that! You just charge in with your muscle-brain like always. I'll follow along. I won't fall behind, so just look forward and push on."
Killua, with a pale face but laughing fearlessly, and Gon, seeing that resolve and showing a smile.
Watching the two bump fists, Hisoka also offered his fist with love overflowing from his nose. Gon touched with a fist, and Killua, though reluctantly looking disgusted, touched with an open palm.
"~♥ I'll do things my way, but there's one thing I'm definitely planning to do, so I'll say it first ♦"
While even Gon took a step back at Hisoka's convulsing with an intense expression, a report came in that Leorio's medical team's preparations were perfect.
To immediately isolate casualties if necessary, Knov synchronized Hide and Seek with the Nen applied to the outdoor training ground, and all preparations were complete.
"I'll serve as witness again. Observe the rules: no follow-up attacks, and withdraw obediently if defeated."
Gon's group and Netero's aura rose as they took some distance. Gon also activated Muscle Is Justice, Power Is Everything and assumed his stance.
The gallery watched from as close as possible while distancing themselves to avoid getting caught up, trying to see as much as they could.
"Begin!!"
Though a three-against-one sparring match, Netero offered prayers to unleash Hyakushiki Kannon seriously for the first time outside a death match.
Right from the start, Gon charged straight at Netero with absolutely no hesitation—refreshingly tactless.
Naturally, that approach was at a speed where even mid-level ability users would struggle to react. For Netero, having a muscle mass nearly twice his size approaching at that speed was simply nothing but terror by normal thinking.
Hyakushiki Kannon: Second Hand
All of Hyakushiki Kannon's attacks were released in fixed forms. The second hand was a horizontal-vector palm strike pushing forward.
Though intended as a check and to not allow approach, it held back nothing.
"Got it!!"
Gon, feet embedded in the ground, held the Kannon's hand while being pushed back several meters.
"Ow!?"
"They say carelessness is one's greatest enemy. You're paying too much attention to Gon."
By suppressing Hyakushiki Kannon's fixed form without being shot through, Gon succeeded in prolonging the attack that should have ended at godspeed just a little.
That brief opening was far too long for Killua. Narukami struck Netero directly, causing convulsions.
"Hehe, check ♠"
Hisoka closed in during that paralysis, brandished cards, and swung his arm to slash Netero, but the moment's time wasn't enough.
Hyakushiki Kannon: Second Hand
Full-speed Hyakushiki Kannon succeeded in catching and blowing away Hisoka. Netero tried to respond to Killua next but stopped moving upon seeing the aura clinging to himself.
"Bungee Gum with properties of both rubber and gum—I'll specially connect you this time ♦"
A parting gift from Hisoka, who, though blown away greatly, had significantly reduced the damage itself with the Bungee Gum he wore.
Seeing the destination of the Bungee Gum from the sensation of being pulled forward, Netero realized he couldn't escape hand-to-hand combat with Muscle.
"Chairman Netero, let's fight!!"
The Cupid Clown's red thread of Bungee Gum drew the two Asuras to ultra-close range.
Everyone currently at the Shingen-Ryu main temple dojo had seen Hyakushiki Kannon with their own eyes at least once.
Whether in combat or training, those who'd seen it spoke in unison:
Hyakushiki Kannon is the strongest ability, and Isaac Netero is the strongest Nen user.
It's well-known fact it possesses that much speed, power, and consecutive strike capability—in simple combat, it has unmatched strength.
Yet Netero was clearly being pressed, despite it being three against one.
While engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Gon, who wouldn't leave ultra-close range due to Bungee Gum, he intercepted the attacking Hisoka with Hyakushiki Kannon and handled Killua's lightning strikes and hidden weapons.
Netero's struggle, undoubtedly extraordinary technique, but injuries visibly increased on his body.
Bruises appeared on limbs trading blows with Gon, and Hisoka's cards that Hyakushiki Kannon couldn't reach in time sliced his body.
The biggest reason the two could pleasantly go on the offensive was Killua, who was gradually becoming able to insert attacks between Hyakushiki Kannon's technique connections.
Killua, reacting to and shooting through Hyakushiki Kannon's infinitesimal intervals with Godspeed.
Gon, continuing to attack without flinching at Hyakushiki Kannon's attacks, and even if hit, suppressing them and attacking again.
Hisoka, perfectly matching and moving with Gon and Killua despite having done no coordination training.
Because the three meshed—Gon who could fight head-on, Killua who could accurately check from outside range, and Hisoka who could fill their gaps—they cornered Netero.
While the gallery was wrapped in surprise and slight sadness, anticipating the strongest's fall, the God of War at the center fought with the greatest smile despite being wounded and toyed with.
(Well done, well done refining yourselves this far. Especially Killua—this one should have been a fledgling who hadn't even broken his shell!)
There wasn't much surprise that Gon and Hisoka, originally strong, could do this much. But Killua hadn't even been two years since learning Nen.
Considering his age, though his foundation had been trained to the limit, his Nen sense had reached a level Netero had never seen before.
(That I can't react and get hit means he's releasing the electric strike simultaneously with completing the prayer. To match timing this perfectly—like Leorio, he seems to see even what can't be seen.)
Netero's guess was correct. Killua was constructing a new ability here.
Godspeed: Demon's Mirror
A radar that senses electrical signals flowing through the opponent's body, realized through meticulous aura control that didn't even allow electricity to leak to surroundings.
Normally, reacting is impossible even if sensed, but Killua's Whirlwind made that impossibility possible.
Killua, faintly glowing from being charged without leaking electricity—those eyes emitted strong bluish-white light as they gazed at Netero.
(And Hisoka—this one isn't putting out his full power at all. He thoroughly devotes himself to support, his purpose being to witness Gon and Killua's growth from closest range. Being treated as such an afterthought—this guy seriously doesn't have me in his sights at all.)
The three-against-one sparring that wasn't Hisoka's policy of one-on-one drastically reduced his motivation and desire for victory.
However, by thoroughly devoting himself to supporting Gon and Killua who were growing right now, he found enjoyment in witnessing brief cooperation and growth from an ally's perspective.
Despite devoting most of his consciousness to Gon and Killua, the combat itself was flawless. Though basically assigned to receive Hyakushiki Kannon, he showed no notable damage.
There was adaptation from being exposed to Gon's out-of-spec destructive power, and masterful technique fully utilizing Bungee Gum's overwhelming advantage against strikes.
The usage shown even in sparring with Gon—varying the strength of Bungee Gum's elasticity.
Changing elasticity so he didn't receive impact, and furthermore deflecting the attack itself by shifting the hard core.
It was a countermeasure that could be called having conquered Hyakushiki Kannon, taking advantage of Netero who could discern the striking method that would damage opponents most.
(The ability speed and thinking power to realize this fighting style—unless it's my imagination, isn't he stronger than Biscuit?)
Without Gon-like out-of-spec destructive power or Killua-like out-of-spec reaction speed—overwhelmingly high combat power in total balance.
Among the worthy rivals Netero had met, he was truly a peak-class strong fighter.
(And Gon—isn't this guy really insane? Why hasn't his body exploded at this output? He's still in his early teens—what will he become in the future?)
Gon's physical ability and aura output, evolved through the death match with Uvogin.
Despite being shocked plenty during the Hunter Exam, he'd become an incarnation of violence that made those days look cute.
The possibility of an unacceptable situation—martial arts' defeat to violence—that Biscuit, whom he'd spoken with briefly, was concerned about.
(I acknowledge it. I cannot stop you by force. Even using technique would be difficult.)
Netero rallied his numb limbs, saw through that the Bungee Gum connecting to Gon was near its limit, and blew him away with Hyakushiki Kannon like Hisoka.
The contrast between the wounded Netero, showing he'd engaged in intense offense and defense though briefly, and Gon's group with plenty of room left seemed to symbolize generational change.
"This is so fun, dammit! That's why I can't stop—getting stronger, fighting strong guys, getting stronger again. And crushing them at the end makes it the best!!"
Netero's aura grew sharper, his face showing a demon's joyous smile.
Gon's group, facing head-on the aura the gallery feared and trembled at, certainly felt gratitude within that aura seeming to pierce through everything.
"Hyakushiki Kannon—don't underestimate it if you think you've conquered it!!"
Netero slowly—not through thought acceleration but factually slowly—brought his hands together.
In Netero's thinking, prayer didn't matter in form or time if there was feeling.
The reason for bringing hands together in a fixed motion when striking Hyakushiki Kannon was ultimately just routine—done only because it allowed offering prayers of clear gratitude.
Still, Netero put heavy feelings into this prayer.
With super-instant reaction, Killua leaped away from that spot. Gon and Hisoka raised their aura with full power.
Hyakushiki Kannon Heavy Style: First Hand
The same gratitude as before, but prayer that took time increased in weight accordingly and manifested overlapping.
The more vivid Kannon swung down three arms, landing with incomparable power to before.
"Naruka—"
Hyakushiki Kannon Light Style: Second Hand
That strike without even prayer motions, unreliable-looking as if about to fade away yet with speed exceeding before, caught Killua.
Killua blown away and smoke rising—while everyone stood speechless, Netero, not breaking his follow-through posture, declared with conviction:
"Come, brats. I'll carve over a hundred years of refinement into your bodies."
Wounded Gon and Hisoka appeared from the smoke, and blown-away Killua returned while bleeding.
As the climax-from-the-start battle was about to reach an even greater climax, a fist from Biscuit, returned to original form, exploded on laughing Netero's crown.
"You stupid old geezer!! Consider the surrounding damage! Plus you're already in tatters yourself!! Sparring ends here! Gon's group, stop being provoked!!"
Netero with an extra-large bump on his head collapsed forward, and Leorio's medical team frantically carried his body to the tent.
Gon's group, also caught off guard, relaxed and released battle readiness. Killua, most seriously injured of the three, walked on his own feet toward the tent.
"Mmm ♥ A hundred years of refinement wasn't for show ♥ How was it, Gon? Could you compress Hyakushiki Kannon?"
"I couldn't. It seems it was an ability meant to be large after all. That's why I think he made that heavy one and fast one at the end."
After returning from the Heavens Arena bout, Netero had tried various approaches to compress Hyakushiki Kannon.
However, miniaturizing Hyakushiki Kannon, which had Dark Continent giant creatures in mind, proved extremely difficult. So instead, he shifted to increasing variations by changing prayer time.
"Hyakushiki Kannon Heavy Style," activated by increasing prayer time—could manifest a Kannon with increased power sacrificing speed, able to stack and increase hands according to time invested.
"Hyakushiki Kannon Light Style," activated by omitting prayer motions—could manifest Kannon with speed exceeding before sacrificing power, becoming an unavoidable quick attack with even fewer gaps.
Both were Netero's first time using in public, and those who knew Hyakushiki Kannon were more surprised at its evolution.
"Honestly, that brat geezer... Gon, I'm sorry for stopping at an awkward point."
"I think that was the only timing to stop. Biscuit doesn't need to worry."
As small Biscuit bowed her head to Gon, Killua, who'd recovered quickly, also returned and complained about the new Hyakushiki Kannon.
"That's seriously unfair. Even if it's power I can endure, it's too fast. Plus there's the power-focused one that's still plenty fast though slower. That old man being mellowed until recently has gotta be a joke."
"You exploiting Hyakushiki Kannon's gaps is pretty extraordinary too. Despite being three-on-one, that one-sidedness—even though I trained you, you're doing something fairly insane."
After critiquing the battle for a while, those left at loose ends by Netero's first-time knockdown came to Biscuit with questions about subsequent training.
Time-wise too early to end, and unable to dismiss those overflowing with motivation from seeing such an outrageous battle, proper training supervised by Biscuit was conducted.
The God of War's crisis and further evolution ignited and blazed even greater flames in every heart that witnessed it.
It equally affected the muscles that had become Netero's driving force, and likewise for the lightning kid and clown chasing Gon.
At the world-renowned Shingen-Ryu main temple, a ceilingless Gu poison opened its curtain—strong fighters raising strong fighters, racing to even greater heights.