After Amos finished speaking, he snorted and was too lazy to deal with the annoying Kisho who liked stabbing his friends in the back whenever he had nothing better to do.
At the same time, after the first referee announced the result of the match, he stepped back, and another one stepped forward.
"Next will be the second round of one-on-one matches within the group. First-round winners, Candidate No. 233 Kisho and Candidate No. 234 C·L, please enter the arena."
After hearing the referee's words, Kisho paused almost imperceptibly. An indescribable emotion stirred within him—he couldn't quite tell whether it was excitement or something else.
"Candidate No. 233?"
Seeing that Kisho didn't respond, the examiner called out again to remind him.
"Candidate No. 233!"
Kisho snapped back to his senses and realized that "Mr. C·L" was already standing on the other side of the arena, smiling as he watched him.
—That ill-intentioned, punchable smile!
Muttering in his heart, Kisho stood up and said helplessly to the referee while walking forward:
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Please stop calling. I don't want to hear the number 233 anymore."
The referee stared at him in confusion. Once Kisho stepped into the arena, he waved his hand and signaled:
"Then the first one-on-one match within the group will now begin!"
Although the referee had called the start, what left him speechless was that the two people in the arena didn't move at all. Instead, they began a "conversation therapy."
"Mr. C·L."
Kisho's eyes rolled slightly as he grinned. He raised his hand and rubbed his fist while speaking.
"We're old teammates after all. You know my strength pretty well. How about you just surrender directly?"
That was what he said, but it was merely a disguise so the other side wouldn't realize he had recognized him. He absolutely didn't want C·L to surrender.
He stared intently at the seemingly harmless, innocent college student across from him, while anxiously shouting in his heart:
"Don't! Don't!"
C·L looked at him with a smile. In his dark eyes flowed an unreadable emotion.
"I don't think that's possible," C·L said. "If I surrendered directly, you'd be disappointed."
Kisho's scalp tingled, but his expression didn't change at all. He raised an eyebrow.
"Mr. C·L, what are you talking about? I don't understand—since you don't want to surrender, then I'm going in!"
Before the words even finished, the white-haired boy had already vanished from where he stood.
His speed was even faster than what he had shown earlier in the two-on-two battle. In less than the blink of an eye, he had already appeared in front of C·L.
The gasps of the spectators were left behind as the boy raised his fist and swung it straight toward someone's face!
The smile faded from C·L's eyes, but the corner of his mouth slowly curved upward.
The boy's punch looked light and unremarkable, but only someone facing it directly would know that no Enhancer could ever be underestimated.
A loud boom echoed.
It was hard to imagine that the clash of fist and palm could produce a sound like two massive boulders colliding.
The seemingly harmless boy and the gentle-looking college student revealed a level of strength in that instant that made everyone present tremble.
C·L took several steps back before stabilizing himself. Slowly raising a hand, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His expression remained calm, and he even had the mood to joke.
"That was vicious. Not holding back at all."
"Who the hell would hold back against you!"
Kisho said this while shaking his arm, which felt slightly sore from using too much force.
"But your strength has improved a bit compared to when we disbanded last time."
C·L said.
He gazed at the boy who had just gained the upper hand in that exchange, and there was even a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand."
In response to C·L's words—which were practically the same as revealing his identity—Kisho raised his eyebrows and gave exactly the same answer as before.
C·L returned an ambiguous smile.
Looks like this brat had decided to pretend to the very end, using it as an excuse to retaliate freely.
Tsk. So easy to tease, and such a temper. As expected of an Enhancer.
"Why aren't you using Nen?"
After giving his answer, Kisho's expression suddenly turned serious.
He looked straight at C·L and asked his question.
"For certain special reasons," C·L said with a smile. "If you want to know, I could tell you—but it'll have to wait until after the exam."
After a pause, he continued.
"Since you asked that question, it means you already know. Then before—"
"Shut up shut up shut up!!"
Kisho angrily cut him off, furious from embarrassment.
"I said I don't understand! I don't understand!"
C·L fell silent and sighed.
"You're holding quite a grudge. Fine, if you don't understand, then you don't understand."
"...So even if I use all my strength, you still don't plan to respond with the same ability?"
Kisho was silent for a moment, his voice turning cold.
C·L shrugged and smiled.
"It's not that I don't plan to use it. I simply can't use it."
"Is that so?"
Kisho silently clenched his fist and stared at C·L.
"Even at the moment of life and death, you still can't use it?"
C·L curled his lips slightly.
"That depends on whether you can really push me to a life-and-death situation."
When he said those words, his tone and expression were still light and calm.
Yet around him, an inexplicably sharp aura seemed to spread.
Kisho let out a low laugh. Then he raised his hand toward C·L.
In his palm lay a four-cornered badge.
He stared fixedly at C·L. Then he turned his palm downward, and the badge dropped to the ground with a crisp clink.
"If you don't use the badge, it'll probably be hard for you to win."
Watching the boy's action, C·L gave his sincere advice.
"So what? If I lose, then I'll just fight again next time," Kisho said coldly. "Anyway, the grudge from before was already settled with that punch just now."
"What I want now is to defeat you fair and square."
As the boy finished speaking, the battle began again.
Two figures leapt across the arena, their movements almost impossible to track, with occasional sounds of fists and palms colliding and separating in an instant.
The other examinees watching—those who had not awakened Nen—could no longer keep up with the pace. They could only sigh that if they ever encountered these two themselves, they would probably have no choice but to surrender.
Kisho took a deep breath, sidestepped, and dodged C·L's heavy punch.
Then he watched as C·L revealed that irritating smile again and retreated to a position outside his attack range.
Even without using the body-enhancing Nen techniques Ken and Ryu, this great leader's speed and skill were still astonishing.
With neither of them using Nen abilities, Kisho still held no real advantage.
In terms of physical qualities, the boost given by being an Enhancer was significant.
But in experience and the skill of controlling the body, he was far behind.
And those things couldn't be made up simply with strength and speed.
Kisho could only barely defend against C·L's attacks, leaving him no chance to find an opening for a counterattack.
If he relaxed even slightly, C·L would seize the gap and deliver a ruthless blow.
Talking about not holding back—this guy was the one who truly showed no mercy when beating someone up.
Kisho sighed in his heart.
If he couldn't win, then he couldn't win. His skills simply weren't as good. There was nothing to say about that.
But it wouldn't always stay this way.
One day, even including Nen abilities, he would defeat him fair and square!
Kisho silently clenched his fists.
"Planning to give up?" C·L looked at him and asked.
Even though he had lost the fight, Kisho had no intention of losing the verbal battle too. At the very least, he wanted to regain some ground.
"Hmph. That punch at the start was worth the ticket price. After I go back, I can brag about it for a whole year!"
"Not bad. You've got Nobunaga's style."
C·L spoke in a praising tone, giving him an "extremely high" evaluation, instantly making Kisho's face turn dark.
"Nobunaga's style"—a phrase commonly used within the troupe, specifically referring to Enhancers seeking a sense of superiority in physical ability over Specialists.
"I! DON'T! UNDERSTAND!"
Kisho roared in frustration.
Then he glared viciously at the referee.
"I surrender!"
Kisho turned around angrily and returned to the group of examinees.
Behind him was someone's teasing gaze.
"Not bad…"
Amos walked toward him, a mysterious devilish smile appearing on his face.
"...Kisho~"
Kisho felt his scalp go numb from that smile.
Earlier he had gotten too smug and stabbed his friend twice with words.
Now it was his friend's turn to stab him back twice.