Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

This was the aura Killua sensed from the stoic man the moment he saw him.

They were both assassins.

Setting aside his relationship with Zane, Killua felt no sense of professional camaraderie; after all, there was no such thing as 'kindred spirits' in the business of killing.

In the face of Zane's words, the stoic man did not remain silent.

Instead, seeing Zane completely unharmed by his ultimate move, he took a deep breath and rapidly tapped several points on his body.

Finger force transparency.

With these rapid strikes, the stoic man actually mutilated himself, puncturing several bloody holes in his own body, including the area over his heart.

"Huh?!" Killua's initial confusion at the man's behavior quickly turned into a look of shock.

Hearing Killua's voice, Zane glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back to the stoic man.

Boom!!!

Sure enough.

Killua's shock was not without reason.

Just as the puncture over the heart appeared, the stoic man underwent a violent transformation.

Surging, feral Nen aura erupted from his body.

The powerful Nen impact formed visible airwaves that swept across the surroundings, even shattering the ground beneath the man's feet.

Bang!!!

The already cracked ground exploded into a crater.

The stoic man shot forward at a speed significantly faster than before, slashing fiercely at Zane.

Not only was his movement speed faster, but so was his strike.

Both speed and power had clearly undergone a massive boost.

Interesting.

Zane's eyebrows shot up. He immediately realized the man was using a burst technique similar to 'Swift as the Wind'.

The slash arrived.

Though it was faster and stronger...

Still...

Zane's left hand rose, appearing slow yet moving with incredible speed.

His fingers curled.

The blade came to a grinding halt, firmly caught between Zane's fingers with just one hand.

He thrust his right palm forward.

A precision strike slammed into the man's chin.

Pshhh!!!

The surging, feral Nen was crushed by an even greater force.

Blood mixed with broken teeth sprayed into the air.

Zane transitioned his palm into a hand blade, lightly chopping the man's exposed throat.

Crack!!!

His control over the force was perfect.

While he crushed the man's windpipe, he didn't let him stop breathing.

He didn't kill the stoic man outright.

This wasn't because Zane was soft-hearted or wanted to interrogate him for information.

He wasn't interested in the assassination attempt itself; in fact, he felt these kinds of attempts should happen more often.

If every assassin was at this man's level, it would save him the trouble of hunting for prey everywhere.

Leaving the man with a single breath was simply to avoid losing a high-quality catch.

"Wait for me a second, I'll finish this up!"

Looking at the collapsed man, Zane seemed to think of something and spoke to Killua, who was standing nearby.

"Huh?!" Killua was about to walk over, seeing that Zane had finished the fight.

Now, hearing Zane's instruction, he couldn't help but blink in confusion.

Swish!

Before Killua could react.

Zane and the stoic man suddenly vanished from the spot.

Startled, Killua rushed forward to investigate.

He looked left and right.

Just as Killua was about to start searching for Zane's trail, a figure flashed, and Zane reappeared beside him.

"You scared me! What's with that Nen ability of yours?"

Zane's sudden appearance made Killua jump aside like a startled cat with its fur standing on end.

Once he saw it was Zane, he let out a sigh of relief and approached with a bit of a complaint.

"I can tell you're a rookie. A Nen ability is the most vital secret for any Nen user. Once it's exposed, others might use that information against you," Zane scolded.

Information is a crucial part of combat.

Especially in the world of Hunters, where wits and courage are tested, information accounts for a massive proportion of any battle.

Killua was incredibly talented, but as far as Nen users went, he was just starting out.

Zane seemed to be scolding him, but in reality, he was offering guidance.

"Uh... fine, pretend I didn't ask!" Killua said with dead fish eyes.

He wasn't actually angry.

He could tell Zane was pointing him in the right direction.

What bothered him was that he had practically handed Zane the chance to lecture him.

Even though Zane's performance was more impressive every time they met, Killua had never given up on the idea of surpassing him.

'Fine... the worst that happens is I'll wait until I grow up and Zane gets old, then we'll see who's stronger.'

"By the way, did you recognize that burst technique the guy used?" Zane asked, remembering Killua's reaction.

The dead fish eyes immediately turned into fox-like eyes as Killua teased, "What, are you curious about the move he used?"

Zane replied frankly, "A little."

"Heh, it's not like I can't tell you, but shouldn't you show a little appreciation?" Killua said with a grin, rubbing his fingers together.

His chance to get back at Zane for the lecture had arrived.

"I didn't realize you were so mercenary," Zane said, feigning shock.

Then he sighed dramatically. "But I guess you've found a soft target. Here, take it!"

With a generous flourish, Zane pulled a briefcase out of his Munch-Munch Space and tossed it to him.

Killua caught it with a puzzled expression, but the moment he saw what was inside, his eyes lit up.

"Whoa! Did you strike it rich?"

The briefcase was stuffed with stacks of Jenny, leaving Killua in awe.

As the next heir of the Zoldyck family, a mere briefcase of cash wouldn't normally make a rich kid like Killua lose his cool.

What amazed him was that Zane could give away a briefcase of Jenny so casually, as if he were just leaving a tip for a waiter after a meal.

It's one thing to see a friend struggle, but quite another to see them strike it rich.

The runaway 'fake' rich kid Killua felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of bitterness after his initial amazement.

"It's nothing!" Zane said nonchalantly.

To him, a single briefcase of Jenny really was just tip money.

To make things easier, he had stored a mountain of these briefcases in his Munch-Munch Space.

He couldn't help it.

He really had struck it rich.

As a noble interdimensional merchant.

His wealth was valid in both worlds.

Despite having received the money, Killua sounded rather listless when he started explaining.

Zane simply acted as if he hadn't noticed.

Why should a prestigious first-generation tycoon like him care about the feelings of a down-and-out rich kid?

Soon, through Killua's explanation, Zane learned what kind of technique the stoic man had used, and even unexpectedly discovered his origin.

"So that guy is likely a member of the world's second-ranked assassin organization?" Zane remarked.

Killua replied wearily, "Yeah. That 'Seven Star Life-Pointing Art' he used is one of the assassination techniques passed down in that organization."

Seven Star Life-Pointing Art.

This was the burst technique the stoic man had used at the very end.

According to Killua, this assassination art could drastically increase one's power by squeezing the user's very life force.

[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!

Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]