Chapter 40: Auren VS Kite

Auren stares at Kite, unsure what to think.This guy… I can see it beneath that friendly smile. This arrogant bastard thinks I’m a joke. I remember his Hatsu—it creates a random weapon—but this is just a spar, and considering one of his weapons, the scythe, causes a huge circle of destruction, I doubt he’ll use it.

Has he ever even revealed his sword skills? I’ve trained like hell, I’ve been taught by one of the best swordsmen in the world! I’m gonna put some dirt in your eye if you think you can beat me in a swordfight!

“FIGHT!” the referee shouts, but neither of them moves.

“So this is a joke to you?” Auren asks coldly.

“No. If my Master asks me to do something, I trust there’s a reason for it. I just don’t see what I’m supposed to learn from fighting a kid like you. A Pro Hunter at your age, a 9-0 record... show me what made my Master interested in you,” Kite responds, his face turning serious.

I… why am I so angry? I want to cut him down… at least take off an arm… I need to calm down.

“Then show me your technique!” Auren growls, drawing and gripping Eternity and rushing forward, activating Ren.

Kite also activates Ren and draws his tachi—a bit longer than Eternity—and blocks Auren’s opening strike.

His Aura’s strong… but I’ll give it everything I’ve got!

Auren doesn’t let up. He attacks with a flurry of techniques, mixing in slashes, stabs, and surprise kicks. Kite easily dodges the kick and continues to block with composed precision.

Auren chains combo after combo, pressing forward, but none of his attacks land—Kite effortlessly parries or dodges them all. Then Auren shifts his strategy and executes one of his master’s secret sword techniques: a vicious eleven-strike sequence ending with a brutal finisher aimed at the wrist.

He activates Rhythm Echo, creating multiple illusions that look like they’re attacking from all sides. With each swing and movement, new illusions shimmer into view, confusing Kite.

For the first time, Kite is caught off guard. He strikes at Auren—only to slice through an illusion that quickly disappears.

Auren’s eleventh slash—low and diagonal from below—finally lands.

Kite’s eyes narrow as he tries to avoid it, but the blade grazes his left wrist, leaving a deep cut.

Seeing blood, Auren presses his advantage.

Again!heless.

I got you now!

With Kite off balance, Auren ducks beneath his opponent’s blade and slashes at his feet.

Kite jumps and spins mid-air to dodge, but Auren follows through with a swift second strike.

Ko!

Desperate now, Kite raises his tachi to block—but the impact is brutal. The blade shatters under the force, and Kite is sent flying, crashing down on his feet—but outside the ring. His tachi is now broken in half, and a fresh, long cut is visible across his chest.

Despite everything, he laughs.

“Indeed, Master… you didn’t lie,” he says and then looks at Auren, “I shouldn’t have tested you like some idiot!” he says, laughing like nothing happened.

“Critical Hit! 5-0 Auren!” the referee calls out.

“Candidate Auren has Candidate Kite on the ropes! His weapon is destroyed, his left arm is injured, he’s five points behind—Is this fight already over?!” the moderator yells excitedly.

Still smiling, Kite reenters the Arena.

Suddenly, Kite seems to tower—Auren feels like he’s looking at someone twice his size.

What is happening?

Kite, now gripping the remains of his broken tachi, approaches again.

Auren attacks with a flurry of sword combinations—horizontal, vertical, and diagonal strikes from all angles. But Kite blocks every single one with his half-sword, almost casually.

Then his Aura surges again. He lunges forward, stabbing at Auren. Auren dodges behind him—but Kite twists and charges.

Caught off guard, Auren’s left hand is grabbed by Kite’s despite his injury. In an instant, Kite slams him to the ground and jumps on top of him, driving a knee into his stomach and pressing his foot against Auren’s mouth.

Fuck! It’s over.

“Finally landed a clean one. What a hassle,” Kite mutters, then casually steps off and begins walking away, almost reaching the edge of the ring.

“Critical Hit and Down! 5-3 Auren! Candidate Kite, why are you walking away?!” the referee calls.

Auren struggles to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth, arms, and torso. His stomach aches with every breath.

“It was a good fight, kid. You impressed me more than enough,” Kite says. He jumps down from the ring and tosses a card toward Auren, who catches it effortlessly.

Auren sees a name, number, and email address printed on it.

“I’d love to meet again. If you ever get bored or want to discover more animal species, call me. Oh—and thanks for the hint you gave my Master. We followed up and made some interesting discoveries. Message me if you’re interested.”

“CANDIDATE KITE! Return to the ring or this will be counted as a forfeiture!” the referee shouts.

Kite ignores him and walks away, exiting the Arena.

The referee raises his hands and signals to the officials.

“What just happened?! Despite having the upper hand, Candidate Kite has surrendered! In any case, Candidate Auren has won! He’s now achieved ten victories and is officially qualified to challenge a Floor Master of his choosing!”

The audience erupts into applause, though many eyes follow the exit where Kite disappeared.

Not sticking around for another interview by the moderator or one of the girls in charge of interviewing fighters, Auren immediately leaves the Arena.

Back in his room, he sits on the floor and activates Azure Restoration to heal his injuries.

Neffi, sitting behind him, places her hands on his shoulders. “Are you okay? You haven’t said a word,” she asks softly.

“I fucked up,” Auren mutters. “I got taunted… nearly died from his slash. I lost my cool… and used my Hatsu. Sure, it was only a water bullet, but still… this is bad.”

“I guess you’ve never been in a fight like that before, huh? Where your life is actually on the line, and one wrong move could kill you. It’s not surprising this happened. Next time, you’ll be better prepared and can handle the pressure. Also, I was in the audience. I saw the attack—but to most people, it could’ve just been raw Emission. I don’t think you revealed anything critical. I don’t even know much about the second Ability in the first place.”

“I’ll tell you later, and it looks like I’m lucky then if even you couldn’t see through it. Still… it was a dumb mistake. I should’ve surrendered at that point. I got pissed that he was just there to test me… I won’t make that mistake again,” Auren says firmly.

Once he finishes healing, Neffi leans in, hugging his back from behind, her tone shifting. “So, regardless of how… you won your tenth fight. Which Floor Master are you going to challenge?”

“Hehe… I thought about going against another swordsman to gain experience, but I’m done taking unnecessary risks for now. I’ll be challenging a pathetic bug. The guy’s won all his matches either because his opponents didn’t show up or by picking on newbies who don’t know anything about Nen. I’ll show you his data later,” Auren says with a smirk.

Neffi smiles. “Well… smart choice, Floor Master Auren!” She breaks into laughter.

Auren, this time, finally lets himself laugh, too, happy that he somehow managed to get through the fight without heavy injuries.