A booming sound rang out.
Ron felt his consciousness pulled away at incredible speed.
Before long, he opened his eyes.
With a single thought, a figure appeared before him.
He had spiky red hair.
His upper body was clad in a short brown jacket, and on his lower half he wore white training pants.
Around his neck was a scarf.
"Fire Dragon Slayer!"
"The demon that Zeref created, using his deceased younger brother as the core."
Ron looked to Natsu's side.
One after another, more figures appeared:
Akutagawa Ryuunosuke,
and adding Natsu, there were four in total.
Given the same amount of aura, Ron could clearly sense the difference in their presences.
Hanma Baki and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke were noticeably weaker, one having absorbed the traits of Heavens Arena, the other the Underworld Mafia.
Killer Queen felt a bit stronger.
"That shows how even though the Zoldyck estate has far fewer people, they surpass the enormous numbers of Heavens Arena and the Underworld Mafia.
Quality over quantity.
And that's after Baki and Akutagawa both received extra enhancements—Baki's position swapping, the synergy of two beasts through the Scale of Gravity."
Ron turned his gaze to Natsu.
"Natsu's aura is stronger than Killer Queen's.
That's actually expected.
Great-Grandfather is powerful, but Grandfather Zeno and Uncle Silva are definitely not weak, either. Within the same tier, they must be top-class.
Still, the Zoldyck estate has too few people, while Fiora is an entire kingdom—one of the V5, housing the Dragon Dojo, the Star Dojo, and the Beast Dojo with many formidable fighters."
He recalled Achilles's display.
The enemy who killed Gonte was caught by Achilles in such a short time, which spoke volumes about Achilles's strength.
"The Fiora Kingdom has too many Nen users, and it's likely there's someone who's reached S-rank. People talk about the 'Five Great Nen Users' on the human continent, but it's not that there are only five S-rankers in total.
Great-Grandfather once said: that publicly acknowledged S-rank Nen users are extremely rare, only a handful.
So far, I only know of Netero, Ging Freecss, and Great-Grandfather himself.
Being part of the V5, it's not impossible for Fiora to have one as well."
"With Natsu around, Hanma Baki and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke are eclipsed in pure head-on combat. Natsu outperforms both. And Natsu also has a key trait: like Lampent, he's immune to fire damage. He can consume flames to replenish aura.
He can even devour other elemental energies to launch fusion-type attacks. The only drawback is he gets motion sickness from vehicles. But that's also a form of limitation and vow. Without it, Natsu's power would be weaker than it appears now."
With another thought, Ron dismissed his beasts. Then he returned to his seat and closed his eyes, considering his future combat style.
"Natsu's arrival is a huge boost. I also got another feedback bump to my aura. But mainly, this new Nen beast is crucial. Going forward, I can let Natsu handle straight-up fights. Akutagawa and Baki still have value, but they're more like utility pieces now. Lampent could combine well with Natsu—both are immune to fire. Lampent can produce Smog, giving Natsu a better battle environment. And Pain Split drains nearly half the opponent's aura, which is extremely useful. Natsu's might can create openings for Lampent to pull that off."
Ron pictured another battle with Eli in his mind.
"If I ran into him again, even without Wendy, I could beat him. Natsu's abilities counter that flame transformation to an extent."
"My trip to the Fiora Kingdom paid off. Once I'm back at Heavens Arena, I'll rest and train my main body, catching up on whatever's behind. That'll bring me even closer to B-rank.
As for the next place to absorb traits…"
Several possibilities crossed his mind: the Mingbo Republic, the Sahelta Federation…
"The Hunter Exam, Greed Island, Kakin—if I want maximum gain, I have to wait for the right moment. Then the resulting beast will be stronger. As for the Mingbo Republic, war with Fiora might be brewing. That could complicate matters. The Sahelta Federation—well, Mizaistom might go there to investigate Hongterang. If I join him, that might be convenient. If there's an even better option, I can choose differently."
Ron and Miste disembarked.
He raised his hand, and a cab pulled up right away.
The driver, a young man, kept glancing at Ron in the mirror.
Ron frowned. Finally, the man spoke:
"Excuse me… are you Ron? The fighter on the 200th floor of Heavens Arena?"
"Really?! I can't believe this—I'm so lucky! Ron, I'm a huge fan—been following you ever since you first reached the 200th floor. Your record just kept improving… You're amazing! Even calling you a genius doesn't do you justice—"
Chatting nonstop while driving, he left Ron a bit stiff and awkward, unsure how to respond. Ron would've preferred a fight over what this was. Though Heavens Arena wasn't far from the terminal, time dragged on with the driver's constant chatter. Every moment felt endless.
Finally, they arrived.
The driver seemed reluctant to part, but Ron breathed a sigh of relief. Taking Miste with him, he quickly got out and headed inside the arena, taking the elevator up. They didn't run into anyone familiar.
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