Chapter 11: It’s Mine Now

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“Oh—! Heather boldly declares a decisive victory! Is this absolute confidence or just bluster as a psychological tactic?”
The crowd erupted in uproar. Less than a minute into the match, and this battered kid dares to boast about a complete triumph?
In the stands, Hisoka’s interest was fully piqued by the duel. Fascinating—more so than Hua Shi Dou Lang. Both fighters were like ripe, sweet fruit!
For Hisoka, “battle” was the very essence of existence.
Feeling he had discovered two new intriguing toys, Hisoka rolled his eyes and chuckled maniacally, emanating a twisted aura that made even Killua, seated several rows away, shudder and shift uncomfortably. Disgusting.
On the stage, Grandfondo sneered coldly twice. “You shameless brat—have I knocked some sense out of you? Starting to babble nonsense?”
Crack, crack! The middle-aged fighter’s clawed hands snapped sharply as his knuckles moved.
“My tiger claws will show you what true despair means!”
Grandfondo lowered his stance, spreading his claws—one forward, one back—preparing to strike, but then froze. Across from him, Heather mirrored the exact stance, tiger claws extended identically.
“Heh… is this your so-called winning edge? You think using tiger claws like mine—or rather, an inferior imitation—will defeat me? You’ve made me laugh.”
Furious, Grandfondo laughed bitterly. “Fine! I’ll tear off all your limbs with these indestructible claws! Let’s see how you imitate then!”
The diamond platform cracked beneath his feet again. Grandfondo lunged at Heather with terrifying speed, his claws slicing through the air with a sharp whistle!
But Heather’s tiger claws were faster and more ruthless!
The audience seemed to witness two humanoid tigers fiercely roaring and battling—one old and frail, the other fierce and strong!
Within three minutes, Grandfondo was forced from offense to defense, desperately parrying Heather’s increasingly savage tiger claw strikes.
Was it an illusion? No! Heather’s tiger claw technique evolved from clumsy to refined with every attack, as if Grandfondo faced a stronger, more agile, and tireless version of himself!
Damn it! This guy was stealing his tiger claw technique right here in the ring, amid life-or-death combat!
This opponent was a reinforcement-type specialist in close combat. He could no longer engage him at close range.
He had to use Nen to take him down—the Nen ability he had painstakingly developed for mid-range combat, “Five Piercing Leeches.”
After another fierce claw strike tore through the fabric and flesh of his arm, Grandfondo’s eye twitched. Risking broken ribs, he swept a whip-like leg strike, simulating a tiger’s tail lash. Heather leapt back a step, granting Grandfondo a rare moment to catch his breath.
“Train!”

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A massive surge of aura burst from Grandfondo’s body like a blazing pillar of fire! He stomped hard, shattering the solid platform beneath into a two-meter-wide crater. The depression exploded with Nen energy, sending dust and rubble skyward, obscuring everyone’s vision.
Not only the stunned host and bewildered referee but even Killua and Hisoka leaned forward, trying to see through the haze. Hisoka condensed his Nen, attempting to use “Focus” to locate the fighters inside the dust.
That Nen burst… Hisoka licked his lips excitedly. Grandfondo’s Nen reserves were nearly on par with his own, dense and solid—a battle-hardened Nen user!
But that boy, in just minutes of combat, had mastered Grandfondo’s tiger claw technique and now wielded it even more skillfully. Underestimating him was a mistake. Heh heh heh… marvelous, new toys to play with.
Visibility on the stage dropped to near zero amid the dust.
Heh heh, can’t see a thing now, kid! Anger! Confusion! Panic! Then, death!
Grandfondo’s aura, once a fierce burning torch, suddenly contracted. Most of his Nen flowed to the fingertips of his right hand, swirling fiercely there!
The rest of his aura expanded outward in a perfect circle, rapidly extending to a 10-meter radius. This was an advanced combined technique of “Bind” and “Train,” forming a circular zone centered on himself that detected all living beings within range—especially effective against Nen users. This technique was called “Circle.”
Found you.
Activating “Circle,” Grandfondo immediately sensed a life form seven meters to his front-left. Good countermeasure—once visibility was lost, he moved away to widen the distance, the best course of action… but unfortunately, you’re facing me, Grandfondo!
His right hand fingers closed into a “piercing claw” formation, thrusting fiercely toward Heather’s position from a distance.
The dust warped as five enormous, translucent spider-like limbs materialized, piercing the air with explosive sonic booms, moving almost instantaneously!
This time, “Circle” had locked his target firmly—no escape, even if he moved early. Die obediently, kid!
“Five Piercing Leeches!”
Death—? The five translucent limbs halted just before piercing the target, dissipating back into Nen energy.
Grandfondo slowly lowered his head. His dark-red traditional tribal robes were soaked with blood; several holes appeared at his wrist joints, his arms hanging weakly, blood spurting.
How could this be?
Pain coursed through his arms for the first time. As the dust cleared, he realized the “life form” he had locked onto was none other than the stunned referee!
A mocking voice sounded behind him:
“I told you before, Snape, your Nen ability has already been decoded by me.”
Grandfondo turned to see the dark-haired youth standing fifteen meters behind him. Sharp, translucent, spear-like Nen projections adorned the tips of his right fingers—now slowly dissipating.

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“…You learned my Nen?”
The middle-aged fighter with a sinister gaze gritted his teeth against the pain and forced out, “You had your eye on me long ago, didn’t you? How long did you study my Nen ability to mimic it so perfectly…”
“What are you talking about, old man? We’re meeting for the first time.”
Grandfondo’s words were cut off by Heather: “Your Nen is pretty simple and offensive. Take one hit, and I can almost copy it perfectly.”
Simple? Grandfondo’s eyebrows twitched. This was a Nen ability he had spent a year refining, perfectly suited for combat! Being able to learn an opponent’s Nen from a single attack—that was pure fantasy, utterly impossible…
Heather eagerly counted off on his fingers:
“You’re an emission type, right? Your ability requires being in dust, maybe rain or thick fog counts too. It consumes little Nen, but has a cooldown period, which you can halve by doubling Nen expenditure. Also, your attack speed is too slow. I think with practice, your Nen could approach pseudo-teleportation speed. Hey, are you even listening to me?”
With every word Heather spoke, Grandfondo’s face grew paler.
Everything was correct—plus improvements.
He collapsed onto the stage floor, arms drooping weakly. “I… surrender.”
———
Name: Grandfondo Zakare
Title: Rain Tiger
Occupation: Treasure Hunter (271st Generation)
Style: Tiger Claw Fist
Attribute: Emission Type
Nen Ability: “Five Piercing Leeches”—
An emission-type ability requiring the user to be within “dust,” “thick fog,” or “rain” battle zones. Cannot be released consecutively; cooldown approximately 30 to 45 seconds; moderate Nen consumption. Extends Nen along the five fingers to significantly enhance attack power with “impact,” “piercing,” and “slashing” effects. The denser the environment, the faster the activation. Can be combined with “Circle,” and when mastered can reach near-instant strike speed.