Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

In order to return the number plate Hisoka had once 'gifted' him, Gon had undergone rigorous training and was preparing to challenge Hisoka once again.

This was the reason he hadn't gone with Killua to watch the match today.

For one, he wanted to seize every moment to train.

Furthermore, he was afraid that watching Hisoka fight might cause him to lose his nerve.

Clearly, Gon still possessed a degree of self-awareness.

He never truly expected to win against Hisoka; he simply wanted to prove he was qualified to return the number plate.

Back to the present.

Killua and Gon were quite curious about Zane's title as the 'Crime Buster.'

"I actually heard about it by chance. Later, out of curiosity, I looked up his information on the Hunter Association's internal network. According to the records, the Crime Buster's name is Zane, and he is a Hunter from the same batch as you."

A certain figure—someone who appeared to be a little girl but was actually a terrifying presence—flashed through Wing's mind. He quickly shook his head to dispel the thought and explained the situation to the three of them.

"Then it really is Zane. I didn't expect him to do so much in this short time, even making a name for himself as the Crime Buster."

While having the same name was possible, being in the same batch with the same name was clearly impossible. After confirming the so-called Crime Buster was indeed Zane, Killua spoke with a sense of wonder.

Gon also nodded repeatedly. "Zane is very strong. If it's him, he definitely has the ability to eliminate so many criminals."

Suddenly, Gon looked at Killua. "By the way, why didn't Zane come with you? Did he have something else to handle?"

Killua nodded slightly. "He said he had some matters to attend to, so he'll be arriving a bit later."

"That's good. I thought he wasn't coming." Gon breathed a sigh of relief, a happy expression appearing on his face.

Wing watched the two of them, seeing how close they were with Zane, and seemed to hesitate.

He actually wanted to mention that while Zane had eliminated many criminals, his methods were rumored to be extremely cruel. So far, none of the criminals he dealt with had left behind a single trace of their remains.

After a moment's thought, however, Wing ultimately remained silent.

After all, his targets were high-level criminals; such methods weren't necessarily a bad thing.

Night blanketed the city.

Zane leisurely ate some barbecue he had bought on the street as he walked toward the location of Wing's home, which Killua had provided before they parted.

He finished the barbecue quickly, leaving only the skewers in his hand.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

A series of thin silhouettes suddenly flew out from a dark alley nearby, shooting rapidly toward Zane.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The same sound of breaking air rang out.

Zane seemed to have known all along. With a flick of his hand, he sent the skewers flying toward the incoming silhouettes.

In an instant of intersection...

All the thin silhouettes were pierced through by the skewers, revealing their true forms.

The thin objects were actually playing cards.

Furthermore, after piercing the cards, the skewers did not lose their momentum; they continued with unabated force into the alley where the cards had appeared.

Step, step, step...

The skewers vanished into the alley. a breath later, a figure walked out from the darkness.

"How dangerous! I was almost killed!"

Walking out with an incredibly flamboyant sway, Hisoka looked at Zane with a smile, his right hand holding the bundle of skewers in mid-air.

Zane, who had already turned toward the alley, appraised the man.

The Nen in his eyes allowed him to see that the skewers, which appeared to be suspended in mid-air, were actually wrapped in a mass of gum-like Nen.

"I thought you were going to keep tailing me without showing yourself." Zane's gaze paused briefly on the gum-like Nen before he looked at the man with a faint smile.

"Not at all. I was just looking for the right opportunity to say hello." Hisoka stood with one hand on his hip and blew a kiss.

It was as eyesore-inducing as ever.

Zane sighed. "Let's get straight to the point. What do you want with me?"

"A life-and-death duel, of course!" Hisoka immediately dropped the flamboyance and spoke without hesitation.

Zane thought to himself that it was indeed as he expected.

He knew that with Hisoka's personality, the only reason he would seek him out was for a fight.

"Hmm... a duel is fine, but I'd like to add some stakes." Zane didn't refuse but made a request instead.

"Stakes?" Hisoka tilted his head.

Zane said naturally, "That's right. My time is very valuable. If you win or even kill me, I'll obviously have nothing to say. But if I win, I don't want to fight you for nothing."

"I see. You seem quite confident in yourself!" A dangerous glint appeared in Hisoka's eyes.

Zane replied calmly, "Why wouldn't I be? I think you're the one who truly deserves to be called confident."

"True enough. So, what kind of stakes do you want?"

"I became a Crime Hunter after getting my license. If I win, I'll designate ten criminals for you. You need to capture them alive and hand them over to me."

Halfway through, Zane chuckled. "Furthermore, if you're not satisfied with your loss, as long as you complete the task I give you, I can continue to accept your challenges."

While Hisoka's visit was unexpected, it wasn't without value.

He could completely turn the man into his tool to catch high-quality prey for him.

"The more you talk, the more confident you get. Fine, I agree to your stakes, provided you can stay alive." Hisoka appraised Zane with interest.

He would have to test whether the man truly had the strength to justify such confidence or if he was just overly arrogant.

If it were the former, he would only be excited even if he truly lost.

But if it were the latter, he would be even angrier than when he dealt with Kastro.

The outskirts of the city.

Everywhere was overgrown with messy grass and trees.

Having reached an agreement, Zane and Hisoka arrived at this location.

Now, the two of them stood on the grass, facing each other about five or six meters apart.

"Are you sure about this place? Your Nen ability should be more suited to environments that are more complex than this." Zane scanned the surroundings before looking at Hisoka opposite him.

Hisoka took a casual stance. "How can a real battle always have an environment that favors you? I yearn for a life-and-death struggle anytime, anywhere."

He completely ignored the fact that Zane seemed to know all about his Nen ability.

Or rather, he was confident that even if Zane knew his Nen ability, he could still achieve victory in this battle.

'He really is a guy overflowing with confidence.'

Seeing Hisoka's blatant confidence, Zane shook his head inwardly.

No wonder this man lost to Chrollo in the original story.

A huge factor was that he was far too overconfident.

He was confident enough to give Chrollo plenty of time to prepare.

One had to realize that for someone like Chrollo—whether it was his Nen ability, Skill Hunter, or his fighting style—he was the type who gained a greater advantage the more time he had to prepare.

By giving Chrollo enough time to prepare, Hisoka hadn't just given up an edge; he had basically handed the referee's whistle over to the other man.

Under those circumstances, it would have been strange if Hisoka hadn't lost.

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