Outside the arena, Shinji looked on with some concern about Ron's situation. Kien glanced at him calmly.
"Carefully observe Young Master Ron and his opponent's condition. Have you already forgotten what I taught you?"
Kien could sense that Ron's Nen abilities were certainly more complex than they initially appeared.
Shinji composed himself. "Understood."
As the young man charged forward, Ron stood still, showing no intention of dodging.
A loud explosion echoed.
Before the young man could reach Ron, he stepped onto the ground just in front of him—triggering the first condition of Killer Queen's explosive trap: contact.
This was a bomb Killer Queen had set in advance, waiting for the young man to come in close.
Against conjurers who rely on Nen beasts, attacking the main body is a known strategy. Ron had naturally set this as a trap.
The explosion went off.
The young man's pupils shrank in shock, unable to react in time.
"But isn't Young Master Ron a conjurer?"
"Did he develop such a completely different ability alongside his Nen beast, and all in such a short time?"
"Ron has only been learning Nen for a month, right?"
Ron had chosen the first, non-lethal explosion method, given this wasn't a life-or-death battle, and his opponent was a Zoldyck family servant. There was no need to take his life.
The explosive force sent the young man flying into the air. Ron raised his hand.
Suspended mid-air, the young man had no room to evade. Hit by two consecutive attacks, he lost the ability to continue fighting and, upon landing, was seriously injured.
Ron signaled to the arena attendants, who quickly brought in a Nen healer to treat the young man.
Ron then looked toward the other servants. "Next."
To be honest, Ron felt a bit disappointed with this fight. He had expected it to be more intense, but the gap between him and the young man was wider than he'd anticipated, even though they were both ranked as D-level Nen users.
Even without Killer Queen's explosive trap, Ron would still have emerged victorious.
"My strength is a bit beyond what I expected," he thought.
A new servant stepped into the ring. Compared to the previous one, this servant looked far more mature and was a Enhancement-type Nen user. Having observed the prior battle, he proceeded with much more caution, choosing not to charge directly at Ron.
Instead, he began fighting Killer Queen while observing and testing Ron's strategy. However, he soon realized something wasn't right.
The servant found himself outmatched by Killer Queen.
Ron displayed clear conjurer abilities: a Nen beast and explosive capabilities. People had assumed the young servant was at a disadvantage because Ron had assisted Killer Queen with his Nen Blasts, and the young servant wasn't particularly skilled at close combat.
This new servant, however, was a Enhancement-type specialist with a focus on martial arts, yet he was still losing in a direct clash with Killer Queen.
What's going on? How could a Nen beast achieve this level of power?
Two figures appeared at a high vantage point, watching the arena from afar.
"Father, what do you think?" Silva's eyes glimmered with intrigue.
"Ron has been learning Nen for barely a month," he replied. "And he's already developed three abilities: Nen Blast, Nen Beast, and Explosion."
"While Nen Blasts are common for conjurers, Killer Queen stands out. Not just for its strength and speed—this Nen beast appears to be an autonomous type with remarkable skill. Beyond our family's assassination techniques, it demonstrates proficiency in other combat styles."
"Moreover, this Nen beast fights with the experience of a seasoned warrior. Just this beast alone ranks at the level of a D-class Enhancement user."
"And the explosion ability—it's Transformation-based. Ron, as a conjurer, has developed this Transformation skill in an astonishingly short time. It's impressive. I couldn't have achieved this back in my day."
Meanwhile, the servant, finding himself in worsening condition, decided to make a desperate move. He abandoned his attempts to study Ron's explosive ability or get close to him. His new goal was simple: defeat Ron's Nen beast, if he couldn't beat Ron himself.
"Half-Step Crushing Fist!"
The servant gathered a massive amount of aura in his fist, launching an incredibly fast strike at Killer Queen, giving it no chance to evade.
A powerful punch landed squarely on Killer Queen's abdomen, creating a deep wound. But at that moment, a surge of aura flowed over Killer Queen, healing the damage rapidly.
Killer Queen, being a Nen beast and not a flesh-and-blood entity, could simply be restored as long as Ron provided enough aura.
In the next instant, Killer Queen struck back with a knee attack, sending the servant flying.
Silva observed in silence for a moment. "Ron's aura capacity is astonishing. Even the last time I saw him, his aura level was rare for someone his age. But this time, I noticed not only a remarkable amount but also a significant increase since then."
Zeno nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
"Oh, and when Ron heads to the Heaven's Arena next, I'll accompany him personally. As for family tasks, if anything important arises, feel free to email me. I'll leave things here to you in the meantime."
Silva paused, then nodded. "Understood."
A third servant entered the ring. This one was stronger and far more seasoned—a Specialist-type Nen user.
Nen users have power only limited by the potential of their abilities.