What was initially a significant advantage quickly shifted.
However, Crawford couldn't do anything to Dominica right now.
All he could do was resort to sarcasm and verbal attacks.
Dominica, unfazed, ignored him entirely.
A countdown appeared above the arena.
Dominica needed to use this time to recover.
The Colosseum's rules were favourable to Dominica.
However, the Colosseum strictly adhered to its own rules and wouldn't favour him outright. Dominica had no choice but to make the best use of these rules to create an advantage for himself.
"Captian Crawford, what should we do?"
Cook turned to Crawford.
Crawford remained silent for a moment before replying, "We can't break the rules this thing enforces, so we'll have to play by them. But this doesn't mean we've lost our advantage. It's just diminished somewhat. The upper hand is still ours."
"This is a battle of attrition, and we'll still come out on top."
"No matter how much aura Dominica has or how strong his recovery ability is, he can't possibly win four consecutive matches."
Crawford paused briefly before continuing.
"Cook, I'll need you to go first."
Cook's expression shifted slightly.
Dominica's strength made it certain he would win the first match, regardless of who faced him.
His power was undeniable.
Otherwise, Taris wouldn't have placed such importance on him, mobilizing the entirety of Eagle Squad.
The Colosseum's rules dictated that the match wouldn't end until one combatant was dead.
This meant Cook couldn't even surrender.
Once he stepped into the ring, death was the only outcome.
Still, Cook knew he had no choice after Crawford issued the order.
He had long accepted his fate.
The Taris Kingdom's retaliation against this world was an act of revenge for their past suffering.
Everyone involved in this operation knew the likelihood of survival was slim.
Once the campaign was over, only a handful would make it out alive and tell their tale.
Cook had volunteered for this mission.
He had also prepared himself for death.
What he hadn't expected was for it to come so soon, so suddenly.
"I understand," Cook said, his expression turning serious.
"Captian Crawford, I'll do my best to force Dominica to reveal more of his abilities and exhaust him as much as I can."
"I'll contribute everything I have for our victory."
"I only regret one thing."
"Our revenge has just begun."
"And I won't get the chance to witness it."
"Captian Crawford, promise me one thing."
"Please, make sure you win! Kill Dominica and ensure the Taris Kingdom's revenge succeeds. Avenge our ancestors!"
Cook's eyes reddened as he spoke.
Crawford nodded solemnly.
"Rest assured, Cook. We will."
"All those who committed atrocities against our Taris Kingdom must pay the price—the Fiora royal family, the Hunter Association, and those ignorant commoners alike."
"In that case, I can go without regrets."
"Captian Crawford, I'll take my leave."
With that, Cook approached the edge of the arena.
Ron's gaze fell on Cook.
Judging from Cook's words alone, it was hard to see him as a villain. He seemed more like someone seeking justice for the unfair treatment he'd endured—a man fighting for revenge, no different from what the citizens of the Republic of Gorteau did against the underworld mafia.
However, according to Zeno's intelligence, Dominica's accounts, and the information Chii had gathered, the Nen users of Taris were nothing short of madmen.
Their persecution and deaths seemed justified.
These individuals didn't consider ordinary humans as equals.
They used human lives to cultivate their Death Nen seeds without remorse or guilt.
Even now, Cook spoke righteously about revenge, but what about the ordinary people they had victimized in the past?
Did those people not have the right to live?
Was it fair for them to be targeted and killed?
Determining right from wrong was a murky matter.
It was better to avoid the debate entirely and focus on one's stance and their personal best interest.
Crawford and his team disregarded the lives of ordinary people for their revenge.
In response, Dominica and his allies fighting to protect ordinary people and eliminate the Taris Nen users were equally justified.
Soon the countdown ended.
Dominica stepped forward.
"Uncle Dominica," Wendy called out instinctively as she stood up.
Dominica smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. I'll win. These pests pose no threat to me!"
Ron stood beside Wendy, observing.
Two beams of light descended, one each on Cook and Dominica.
In the next moment, both fighters were teleported onto the arena.
Ron's attention shifted to the crystal ball before him.
Soft glimmers of light appeared around it, flowing into the orb.
Dominica and Cook's battle had begun.
Ron already had a good understanding of Dominica's abilities.
However, this was his first time encountering Cook's.
He was curious to see how a Nen user from Taris would fight.
Until now, Ron had only witnessed the battles involving the monsters created by Taris Nen users:
The grotesque human-headed balloon.
But there was a clear difference between monsters and Nen users.
While the monsters were terrifying, their shortcomings were glaringly obvious.
Against someone like Dominica, they posed no real threat.
Their attacks were too weak.
And they lacked intelligence.
Ron was certain the Taris Nen users, who were taken so seriously by the Fiora royal family, were far more formidable than their creations.
A strange aura began emanating from Cook.
Ron's pupils contracted slightly.
Cook's aura wasn't just changing—it was transforming his entire body.
The aura Cook now exuded bore a resemblance to the monsters Ron had encountered previously.
But there was a distinct difference.
A bone spike burst through Cook's skin.
More followed, piercing outwards.
Cook crouched low, his form resembling a grotesque spider.
Blood dripped down the bone spikes.
Cook's aura grew increasingly menacing.
Dominica looked at him, not with surprise, but with pure disgust.
"What a revolting pest!"
"You people deserve to die!"
"You should vanish from this world!"
Ron couldn't help but ask Wendy, "Wendy, did he fuse himself with a monster?"
"You could say that," Wendy replied with a nod. "According to our Fiora royal family's records, Taris Nen users typically cultivate their monsters in two ways."
"One is a slow process that takes considerable time."
"The other is fast-tracked. The monsters we've encountered so far have all been the latter."
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