Overly smooth sailing in one's development can hinder one's performance when facing powerful enemies in the future.
'That old fox Netero. He truly is shrewd.'
"You're distracted during a fight, Mr. Silva. Quite confident, aren't you?"
Loki's voice cut through the air.
Silva, caught off guard, narrowed his eyes. Loki's aura erupted, a volcanic explosion suddenly descending upon them.
"Rankyaku!!!"
Hiss!
Blue light enveloped Loki's feet as he unleashed a vacuum slash formed by compressed air, imbued with Nen. Using Silva's grasped fists as leverage, Loki performed a rapid backflip, aiming a Rankyaku at Silva's chest.
Clang!
The Rankyaku struck Silva's chest. Silva reacted instantly, skillfully utilizing Ryu. Before the attack landed, he broke free from Loki's grip, focusing his Nen on his chest, and activated Ko.
The Nen-imbued Rankyaku struck Silva, producing a clang like clashing swords. Silva slid back several meters, leaving trails in the ground. Loki landed steadily.
"Getting distracted during a fight isn't a good habit," Loki remarked.
Silva stopped after sliding nearly twenty meters, his brow furrowed. He examined his chest; his clothes were torn, and a shallow wound appeared. Even with his superior skill and immediate defensive reaction, Loki's compressed-air slash, enhanced by Nen, was too powerful to completely defend against.
He looked up at Loki, still shrouded in his white cloak and maintaining a faint smile.
'A remarkable attack technique,' Silva thought, his expression turning serious. 'His Nen control is exceptionally refined, far beyond what one would expect from someone who has only recently learned Nen. He fights like a veteran with fifteen or twenty years of experience.'
Observing Loki's legs, Silva mused, 'What extraordinary imagination allowed him to develop such a technique? Rankyaku is a powerful move, and combined with his unique movement techniques and the skill he displayed in defending against Killua's attack…'
Silva's eyes widened. 'Has this kid…'
'Has this kid already awakened his own Hatsu?!'
Gotoh had mentioned Loki was likely an Emission and Transmutation type. But this technique seemed more indicative of an Enhancement type. Enhancement-type Nen users typically focus on strengthening themselves. Loki's unique techniques fit this perfectly: Ken enhances speed; Rankyaku enhances leg strength for ranged attacks; and presumably, Ko enhances his defense.
'No! The Nen in that attack didn't weaken! For Enhancement types, Nen weakens after leaving the body, but his didn't weaken; it subtly increased!'
Silva raised his hands, gathering two spheres of Nen, a gust of wind emanating from his palms.
'Interesting. Could it be that this kid hasn't used his full power yet?'
The only explanation for Loki's Nen not weakening, but strengthening after leaving his body, was that Loki hadn't used his full Nen capacity in the previous exchange. This explained why the Nen's strength seemed higher after leaving his body than during close-range combat. Even Emission-type Nen users can only maintain 100% Nen power after release; they can't enhance it.
Silva decided to launch a proactive attack to uncover the truth—was Loki truly holding back?
"A proactive attack! Mr. Silva is finally getting serious!"
Loki's smile vanished, replaced by a calm, serious expression. The absence of a smile wasn't fear, but a sign that he too was now fully engaged. He couldn't afford to underestimate an opponent like Silva, even if Silva wasn't the strongest Nen user, and even if Loki didn't know Silva's Nen ability. Caution was necessary against an opponent with an unknown ability.
Killua, watching from the sidelines, was stunned by Silva's movement.
"Father's going on the offensive!"
Killua couldn't believe his father was taking the initiative against a kid his own age. Even if exceptionally strong, Loki couldn't possibly be a match for his father. The fact that his father was initiating the attack was astonishing.
"I feel an oppressive pressure from them, and it's intensifying! Do you feel it?" Kurapika said, despite not participating in the fight, she felt an indescribable pressure simply from observing. She couldn't imagine facing them directly; their aura alone might paralyze her.
Suddenly, Silva moved. The ground beneath his feet cracked, fissures spreading outward. Silva launched himself forward like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of dust and scattering debris.
His speed was astonishing, almost matching Loki's Ken. This raw speed burst was terrifying.
Loki was also surprised by the impeccable timing and power of Silva's Nen burst.
'Not a Zoldyck. Very strong.'
Loki rapidly gathered Nen on his fingertips.
"Shigan!!!"
Nen surged, the majority of his immense Nen concentrating on the index fingers of both hands, with some Nen also gathering beneath his feet.
"Ken!!!"
Simultaneously using Ken and Shigan from the Rokushiki, Loki exploded into even greater speed, colliding with Silva. Both left trails of afterimages, clashing like flashes of light. Shigan attacks erupted, sounding like bullets being fired from a gun.
Silva, frowning, slammed his right hand into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust to obscure himself. Loki was momentarily stunned; his attack was already launched and couldn't be retracted. An aura appeared behind him...
The sound from behind caused Loki to quickly turn around. Silva had gathered a massive amount of Nen in his right hand, forming a huge sphere of energy. The surging Nen violently flickered at the edges of the sphere, resembling dancing lightning. This terrifying energy fluctuation was the result of extreme Nen compression.
Looking at Silva's right hand, Loki knew that directly resisting this attack was impossible. Even using Ko and advanced Nen techniques wouldn't provide complete protection.
"Your combat experience is still lacking. If you don't use Ko quickly, you might just die," Silva said, his smile unwavering as he launched his attack without giving Loki any extra time to react.
The Nen-imbued punch created a terrifying roar, the sound intensifying as Silva's fist drew closer.
'He's still not using Ko? Does he not know how?' Silva found Loki's apparent inaction peculiar. Logically, someone who had demonstrated such skill should be able to react. Silva doubted that a kid who could use Nen with such proficiency wouldn't have learned Ko.
The attack closed in, but Loki remained motionless.
'Scared? He's just a kid after all,' Silva thought, quickly adjusting his attack trajectory to avoid killing Loki, though injury and incapacitation were inevitable. He couldn't believe that Loki, despite his astonishing performance, seemed to be paralyzed by fear in the face of an unavoidable attack.
'Even a monster is still just a child,' Silva sighed inwardly.
Silva's fist was about to connect with Loki… when Silva's expression suddenly changed drastically.
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