Chapter 16: Heavens Arena
Ronin's injuries healed remarkably fast. Even his broken arm was projected to make a full recovery within another week.
Perhaps being an Enhancer played a role, boosting his natural regenerative capabilities. Though Ronin lamented that if his Sharingan had evolved further, unlocking A-Rank Medical Ninjutsu, he would have healed even faster.
His first match at Heavens Arena was underwhelming. His opponent was simply too weak.
With just a casual shove, Ronin sent the man flying out of the ring.
It was an effortless victory, which put him in a relaxed mood.
"Number 2025."
The referee approached him.
Ronin turned around and was informed that he had been fast-tracked directly to the 50th Floor.
On his way up, he collected the prize money for his first win: 152 Jenny.
Enough to buy a single can of juice from a vending machine.
Since he won, he was eligible for one more match today. Heavens Arena allowed fighters to compete twice a day if they consented after a victory.
This meant Ronin could reach the 60th Floor by the end of the day. Assuming he didn't stumble, reaching the 200th floor would take exactly one week.
Ronin decided to use this time to sharpen his combat experience.
The fight on the 50th floor offered no surprises either. Unfortunately, he didn't make the jump straight to the 100th floor, meaning he had to rent a room in the city.
His funds were running low.
Thankfully, the victory on the 50th floor netted him 50,000 Jenny.
Ronin didn't bother saving money. With hundreds of millions waiting for him at the higher floors, scrimping over 50,000 Jenny was pointless. He spent the next few days researching the world online and rapidly climbing the tower.
Gradually, he became a rising star in the Arena.
Within a few days, he reached the 170th Floor without a single loss. Although he stopped one-shotting opponents to extend the fights for training purposes, his victories were still clean and decisive.
As he climbed, the caliber of fighters improved.
Ronin absorbed their techniques like a sponge. At the 150th floor, he briefly considered joining a local dojo to learn martial arts properly.
However, after visiting a few, he realized the masters were just ordinary humans with no knowledge of Nen. He lost interest immediately.
One afternoon, Ronin arrived at the fighter's lounge on the 170th floor.
When he received the notification for his next match, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. His opponent was someone he "knew."
"Contestant Ronin. Contestant Killua. Please proceed to Arena A on the 173rd Floor."
Hearing the name, Ronin paused.
Killua?
At this point in the timeline, Killua should only be 8 years old.
Then Ronin recalled a conversation from the anime. When Killua returned to Heavens Arena with Gon at age 12, he mentioned that he had been here before at age 6, and it took him two years to reach the 190th floor.
The timeline matched perfectly.
As Ronin walked down the corridor toward the arena, he saw someone waiting for him.
A man in a crisp butler's suit, with a neatly trimmed goatee and triangular glasses.
Seeing Ronin approach, the butler offered a polite, practiced smile.
"Greetings, Mr. Ronin. My name is Gotoh. I am a butler for Young Master Killua's family."
Ronin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can I help you?"
"Indeed," Gotoh said, his expression remaining harmless. "For the upcoming match, I would like to request that you refrain from using Nen. As a gesture of sincerity, I offer you 10 Million Jenny as compensation."
Ronin didn't even hesitate. He nodded. "Done."
Why refuse free money?
Besides, Gotoh's presence confirmed his suspicion: the Zoldyck family was carefully managing Killua's training.
Ronin never believed that Killua could spend two years at Heavens Arena without encountering Nen. The family must have been intercepting Nen users to protect their heir from premature exposure.
Gotoh smiled with satisfaction. He produced a card from his pocket, bowed slightly, and stepped aside.
Ronin took the card as he walked past, nodding in acknowledgment.
When he stepped into the ring, Ronin looked at the pint-sized assassin opposite him. It was a strange feeling.
Eight-year-old Killua was barely over a meter tall. The moment Ronin entered the ring, the boy's hair seemed to bristle like an angry cat, dropping instantly into a combat stance.
Even though Ronin wasn't actively flaring his aura, the ambient pressure of his Ten was evidently weighing heavily on the young assassin's instincts.
Ronin had no intention of losing. Nor did he intend to break his promise.
Even without Nen, he was confident he could beat an 8-year-old Killua.
"Fight!"
The moment the referee signaled the start, Ronin exploded forward, appearing instantly behind Killua.
Killua's reaction speed was elite. The moment Ronin moved, Killua spun around, crossing his arms to block.
Thud.
Ronin's hand-chop slammed into Killua's forearms. The force sent the boy skidding backward several meters.
As Killua stabilized, his hands shifted into claws, and his eyes filled with intense killing intent.
In the next second, Killua accelerated, rushing Ronin.
Ronin saw through the attack effortlessly. He sidestepped slightly as Killua blurred past him, aiming another chop at the back of the boy's neck.
Whoosh.
He missed.
Killua had anticipated the counter. With a burst of inhuman speed, he dodged the chop and thrust his clawed hand toward Ronin's heart.
Fast.
Ronin twisted his torso, barely dodging the lethal strike.
Simultaneously, he launched a high kick, catching Killua in the ribs and launching him into the air.
Ronin didn't stop there. He jumped, intercepting Killua at the apex of his flight, and hammered a fist into the boy's back, smashing him into the canvas.
Bam!
As Killua hit the floor hard, the referee began the count.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Ronin watched as Killua twitched, struggling to get up.
He stepped back a few paces. In that instant, he felt a sharp prickling sensation on his skin.
Killing intent.
Not from Killua, but from the audience.
Ronin traced the sensation to a spectator sitting in the front row. A young man with dead eyes and a face covered in pins.
Illumi Zoldyck.
Ronin mentally noted the threat but quickly turned his attention back to Killua.
By the count of five, Killua was back on his feet. His face was twisted in frustration, and his killing intent had thickened.
His pitch-black eyes stared at Ronin without emotion, only cold calculation.
The assassin family's training is truly twisted, Ronin thought.
"Give up," Ronin said calmly as the referee resumed the match. "You're not my opponent."
Losing this match would only drop Killua to the 160th floor. With his skills, he could easily climb back up to 170 as long as he didn't run into someone like Ronin.
And losing one match meant nothing to him. Taking two years to reach floor 190 implied he had lost plenty of times along the way.
Killua stared at Ronin for a long moment before slowly retracting his aura. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to look cool.
"Fine. You're stronger than me. I forfeit."
Ronin nodded. He had no intention of befriending the kid. He turned to leave the arena.
"Hey," Killua's voice called out from behind him. "I sense a disgusting vibe coming from you. I really hate it. I'm going to challenge you again, and next time, I'll figure out what that is!"
"If you can make it up here, be my guest," Ronin waved dismissively without looking back.
With Killua's current strength, he would never make it past the 200th floor initiation.
So Ronin wasn't worried.
However, as he spoke those words, he felt the killing intent from the pin-man in the audience spike sharply.