His head snapped to the right, blood sprayed from his mouth, and he collapsed sideways.
In the space where Jin'ō had been standing, Illumi descended slowly from mid-air, a faint smile playing on his lips.
In that split second, Illumi moved with impossible speed, appearing beneath Jin'ō, then leaping up to deliver a flying kick aimed precisely at his jaw.
"Cough... cough..."
The fallen Jin'ō scrambled to his feet, shaking his head in pain.
With a wet plop, he spat out a bloodied front tooth.
"Do you understand now?" Illumi asked, his lips curling into a slight smile as he looked down at his opponent. "Between you and me, who is the stronger one?"
Jin'ō roared toward the sky, ignoring Illumi's words, and charged at him.
"So enraged you've lost your mind?" Illumi mused. "Just as I planned."
As Jin'ō's fist hurtled toward him, his face contorted with fury, Illumi raised his right hand and moved faster than the blow.
Snap!
His small palm landed on Jin'ō's massive right arm.
Illumi's fingers dug into the muscular flesh, gripping tightly as he yanked the arm toward him.
Crack!
The sound of a dislocated joint echoed through the air.
Jin'ō screamed in agony, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
His forearm bent backward at a ninety-degree angle, the elbow torn open, revealing glimpses of bone.
"Not done yet," Illumi murmured, his youthful voice carrying a sinister undertone.
Jin'ō watched in horror as Illumi's hand moved from his broken forearm to his upper arm in an instant, repeating the motion.
Crack!
With another sickening pop, Jin'ō's shoulder slumped limply.
"Aaaaaah~!!!"
Jin'ō let out a piercing scream.
His right leg suddenly buckled, forcing him to kneel on one knee.
His right elbow and shoulder were swollen and red, his entire arm hanging limply at his side.
"A clean dislocation," Illumi said, stepping out from behind Jin'ō. He looked down at him with a faint smile.
"I... I'm not... done yet..." Jin'ō gasped, his voice ragged as he looked up at Illumi.
"Not done yet?"
Illumi's smile vanished, replaced by an icy glare.
Bang!
Illumi's foot slammed into Jin'ō's nose, the crack of breaking bone echoing through the air.
"Ugh..."
Jin'ō's head snapped back, blood gushing from his nostrils as he choked in agony.
The searing pain left him unable to think.
"Is that right?"
Illumi's expression remained cold.
Jin'ō's body could no longer support itself, and he slowly collapsed forward, kneeling before Illumi.
"You..."
Illumi's eyes narrowed.
Before Jin'ō could fall, a thunderous kick to the jaw sent his body flying backward.
"It's over!"
But Illumi's assault wasn't over.
He raised his right leg high and moved it so fast it left a series of afterimages as he kicked at Jin'ō's upper body.
Bang! Bang!
Bang!
"KO~!!!"
"Jin'ō has fallen under Illumi's sudden, relentless assault!"
In the commentary booth, the commentator leaped to her feet, announcing Illumi's victory as the audience erupted into another fervent roar.
"With this win, Illumi has maintained his unbroken streak of victories since the start of the week!"
"An unscathed eleven consecutive wins!"
"Having secured victory in this match, Illumi will advance to the 160th floor!"
"The prodigious young talent, Illumi!"
"Just how far will this unstoppable momentum carry him?"
"And who will finally halt his advance?"
"Spectators, please continue to follow his matches closely!"
Illumi's match concluded as the day's main event, and the audience began to disperse.
As Illumi climbed higher through the floors, the caliber of his opponents steadily increased.
Yet even among these elite fighters, none could score a single point against him.
"The prize money from your last match has already been transferred to your designated bank account."
Illumi stood at the registration window on the 150th floor, accepting the receipt from the clerk.
"120 million Jenny," he murmured, gazing at the number.
With his hands in his pockets, Illumi walked down the corridor toward the elevators.
Just a week ago, he had been penniless.
Today, he was a billionaire.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Illumi's brow furrowed.
He turned to glance behind him, but the corridor was empty except for himself.
"No one there?" he murmured, feigning confusion.
But this was merely a ruse to mislead others.
In his eyes, two figures shrouded in thick black smoke were hiding behind a wall in the corridor.
The dark smoke radiated malice and evil.
"Finally, someone's
Despite his small frame and with his back to them, he radiated the presence of an insurmountable mountain.
"Let me give you some advice."
"Do you know what the name Zoldyck represents?"
The trio seemed unable to comprehend Illumi's cryptic warning.
They drew their weapons, threatening him.
"Whether you're a Zoldyck or not..."
"In any case, you'd better forfeit the next match!"
Illumi slowly turned, meeting their gazes with eyes as cold as if he were looking at three corpses.
"Looks like you're tired of living and deliberately seeking death, aren't you?"
The three men were about to retort when a crushing pressure descended upon them, instantly making their hair stand on end and their breath catch in their throats.
They felt a primal suppression like a rabbit facing a tiger, utterly incapable of resisting.
They could not fight back; their bodies were paralyzed by fear.
Even if all three of them attacked together, they stood no chance against this child.
"Y-you... what exactly are you?"
Fear filled their eyes as their teeth chattered and their bodies trembled.
The balding man in the middle stammered, his voice shaking.
"Y-you can't... kill us..."
"Oh? Why not?" Illumi asked coldly, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"B-because... behind us..."
The balding man seemed to remember the figure standing behind them, a flicker of courage returning to his voice as he spoke more smoothly.
"It's Lord Fox, who has already reached the 200th floor," the balding man said.
The other two seemed to lose some of their fear of Illumi upon hearing the name, their faces breaking into smug smiles.
"That's right. If you kill us,"
"Lord Fox will definitely avenge us. No matter how talented you are, you can't defeat someone from the 200th floor."
"Fox?"
Illumi's eyes narrowed, a flicker of recognition crossing his face.
He seemed to recall hearing the name somewhere before.
His mind raced, and suddenly a glint appeared in his eyes.
The phrase "Fox the Fighter defeats Riman the Fighter for his third consecutive win" flashed through his memory.
"So that's where I heard it," Illumi murmured to himself.
When he had first arrived at Heaven's Arena, he had seen a live broadcast of this man achieving three consecutive wins in the 200th-floor tier.
Achieving three consecutive wins at the 200th-floor level meant the man's strength was considerable.
"Well? Do you remember who Lord Fox is now?"