At that moment, while the two were in the heat of battle, a figure quietly climbed onto the roof from the other side of the building.
Sophia!
She activated "Zetsu," suppressing her aura to the minimum, approaching like a shadow.
The moment Illumi was sent flying back by Leo's punch, she suddenly rushed out and struck Illumi's back with her palm!
The timing of this strike was perfect!
However, the alertness of a Zoldyck Family assassin far exceeds that of ordinary people.
Just an instant before Sophia's palm touched him, Illumi suddenly turned sideways, simultaneously mobilizing Nen to protect his back—
"Slap!"
Most of the palm's force was blocked by Nen, but the remaining power still made Illumi stumble.
He used the momentum to charge forward, opening up some distance, then turned to look at the suddenly appearing Sophia.
On that expressionless face, a slight ripple of emotion appeared for the first time.
"Oh, I didn't expect there to be another person."
Illumi tilted his head.
"It seems things have become a bit troublesome..."
Sophia quickly walked to Leo's side, staring warily at Illumi.
"Master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Leo looked at Sophia.
"Just in time, let's use him to experiment with your ability."
Sophia nodded.
She suddenly reached out and quickly tapped Leo's shoulder.
At the same time, an identical light blue mark appeared on her own shoulder.
Illumi frowned; although he didn't understand what Sophia was doing, his assassin's instinct told him he had to stop it immediately!
He raised his hand, and dozens of Nen Needles shot towards the two like a rainstorm!
But just the moment before the Nen Needles were about to hit—
Sophia clapped her hands.
"Ability activate—'Duel Arena'!"
The next second, all three people disappeared from the roof at the same time.
---
This was a completely enclosed space.
Rectangular, about twenty meters long, ten meters wide, and five meters high.
The floor was made of hard black stone slabs, while the sides and top were translucent Nen barriers, through which one could see blurred, flowing lights and shadows outside.
Sophia stood at the edge of one side of the field, her clothes having changed at some point into a black-and-white referee uniform. She held a whistle in her hand, her expression serious.
Leo and Illumi appeared at opposite ends of the field, fifteen meters apart.
Illumi quickly looked around, his expressionless face rarely showing obvious surprise.
"Where... is this?"
Sophia cleared her throat and announced in a clear voice.
"This is my ability 'Duel Arena'—it constructs a Nen space arena completely independent of the outside world. The rules are as follows—"
"First, both duelists are forbidden from using Nen and must rely solely on their physical bodies to fight."
"Second, opponents cannot be killed within this arena. The battle ends when one side loses the ability to fight or voluntarily surrenders."
"Third, as the referee, both sides cannot attack me, and I cannot interfere in the battle."
"Fourth, the winner will receive a 'Champion Reward' of thirty percent of the loser's manifested Nen, which will be automatically transferred after leaving the space."
She paused and looked at the two.
"Do you both understand?"
Leo loosened his shoulders and smiled.
"Understood."
Illumi was silent for two seconds, then nodded.
He had already tried to mobilize his Nen, only to find it was indeed suppressed by some rule, making him unable to use any Nen Ability.
But basic things like physical fitness, combat techniques, and Assassination Arts were still there.
"Then—" Sophia blew the whistle.
"Let the duel begin!"
The moment the words fell, Leo moved.
Even without the enhancement of Nen, his speed was still startlingly fast!
He covered the fifteen-meter distance in just a step and a half, his fist punching straight toward Illumi's face with the sound of breaking wind!
Illumi's pupils constricted slightly as he sidestepped to dodge, simultaneously thrusting his right hand with fingers joined like a knife toward Leo's throat!
Standard Assassination Arts!
But Leo seemed to have anticipated it; he raised his left arm to block and changed the direction of his right fist, smashing it into Illumi's ribs!
"Bang!"
Illumi barely managed to block with his elbow, but the massive force still sent him sliding two meters sideways.
He felt his arm go numb and was shocked—this person's physical strength was incredibly powerful!
He couldn't fight head-on.
Illumi instantly adjusted his tactics and began to move around.
His footwork was extremely exquisite; even without Nen assistance, he was like a phantom, maneuvering within the small space to find Leo's weakness.
But Leo's combat experience was equally rich.
He pressed on relentlessly, his fists, elbows, knees, and legs like a violent storm, every strike carrying terrifying power.
Dense impact sounds echoed within the arena, and the figures of the two were almost a blur.
In thirty seconds, the two had exchanged over fifty moves!
Illumi gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Being unable to use Nen meant he lost his best long-range Nen Needle attacks, and his close-quarters Assassination Arts were at a clear disadvantage against a physical monster like Leo.
"Bang!"
In another exchange of punches, the bones in Illumi's right fingers made a slight "crack" sound.
His expression didn't change, but his movements slowed by a fraction.
Leo followed up with a sweeping kick, which Illumi jumped to avoid, but Leo seemed to have predicted his landing point, and his other leg whipped around!
Illumi crossed his arms to block, but he was sent flying, crashing into the invisible barrier at the edge of the arena!
"Cough!" He spat out another mouthful of blood.
At least two ribs were broken.
Illumi struggled to get up, his black-hole-like eyes staring intently at Leo.
He began to truly feel it was troublesome—no, dangerous! This person's body was strong beyond human limits.
What followed was a one-sided suppression.
Leo's fists were like sledgehammers, each strike making Illumi's bones groan.
Leo's legs were like steel whips, each sweep causing his internal organs to vibrate.
By the time Sophia blew the whistle again, Illumi was lying on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, his right arm bent unnaturally, multiple rib fractures, and not even the strength to crawl up.
The three figures reappeared on the roof; less than three minutes had passed.
Leo was completely unscathed, while Illumi lay on the roof with a bruised face, multiple fractures in his right arm and ribs, clearly seriously injured.
Leo glanced at him and said to Sophia.
"Let's go."
The two walked to Owen's body, took photos to certify the achievement, and then turned to leave.
Leo did not kill Illumi.
It wasn't out of soft-heartedness, but a weighing of pros and cons.
Killing Illumi would likely invite the Zoldyck Family's frantic revenge, and besides, the Zoldyck Family had the overpowered wish-granting machine, Nanika.
He was still very wary of Nanika, who was suspected to be one of the Five Great Calamities; although Killua hated his brother, he feared that if he killed him, Killua might command Nanika to make a wish, and Killua's commands could grant wishes without cost, so he had to handle it cautiously.
Furthermore, with Leo's current strength, the chances of winning against opponents of Zeno or Maha's level were slim.
Also, on that night in Chirok City five months ago, although Sliva did it unintentionally, he did indeed draw Chrollo away, helping him out.
This favor had to be remembered.
He would let him go this time; if there was a next time, he would show no mercy.
On the roof, Illumi barely propped up his upper body, his eyes so swollen he could only open a slit, staring intently at the receding backs of Leo and Sophia.
He remembered those two faces.
Hunter Association Headquarters building.
Cold metal and marble materials reflected an efficient and solemn luster; in the vast interior space, staff members walked in a hurry.
As soon as Leo appeared in the reception hall, he immediately attracted many gazes.
This newly-promoted Hunter, known for his high efficiency in capturing wanted criminals, was already quite famous at the headquarters.
Before he could speak, a female staff member stepped forward with a smile.
"Mr. Leo, you're here for your promotion to One-Star Hunter, right? Your merit points have reached the standard, and the System has finished confirmation. Please wait a moment; someone will be with you shortly."
Soon, Leo and Sophia were guided to a simple lounge.
Steady footsteps came from the hallway outside.
The door pushed open, and in walked the Zodiac "Ushi"—Machi Komacine.
"Hi! Long time no see, Mr. Machi Komacine."
Leo stood up with a familiar smile.
Machi Komacine smiled warmly.
"Leo, long time no see. I knew you were being promoted today, and since I happened to be free, I came by to see you."
He walked up to Leo, his gaze sweeping over Sophia.
"This is Sophia, my apprentice."
Leo introduced.
Machi Komacine nodded to Sophia, and she responded politely.
Leo teased.
"Surely one of the grand Zodiacs wouldn't come specifically to preside over the promotion ceremony of a small character like me?"
"In my eyes, you are no small character."
Machi Komacine's tone was serious.
"To capture so many wanted criminals within just one year of becoming a Hunter, this report card is dazzling enough. And Ms. Sophia, her strength isn't bad either."
The two looked at each other and smiled with a tacit understanding.
Leo suggested.
"Since you're here, how about calling Kansai for a get-together after the ceremony?"
"That's a good idea."
Machi Komacine readily agreed and checked his watch.
"It's about time, let's head over."
On the fifth floor of the headquarters, in a solemn conference room.
On the podium, Satotz had his signature gentle smile, with Machi Komacine and Kansai standing solemnly on either side.
The audience was filled with Association staff and off-duty Hunters who had heard the news.
Satz, Caspar, and Serena sat in the front row—they were at the headquarters to submit their ruin investigation report and happened to be there.
Several other Zodiacs had also come.
The cute "Mao" Pyon was boredly fiddling with her phone; "Shin" Saiyu sat grinning a bit further back, looking at Leo as he walked toward the podium with interest.
Satotz held the documents and clearly and loudly read out Leo's various achievements and presented the promotion certificate.
Then he detailed the rights, obligations, and benefits of a One-Star Hunter.
The half-hour reading established the solemn tone of the ceremony.
After the reading, Machi Komacine stepped forward.
He took an exquisite metal box from Satotz, opened the lid, took out a brand-new hunter license embedded with a silver star, and personally handed it to Leo.
"Leo, congratulations on your promotion to One-Star Hunter. May you uphold the heart of a Hunter and continue to work hard."
Leo received the license with both hands.
The cold weight of the metal was felt through his fingertips.
Warm applause rang out from the audience.
After the ceremony, many people came forward to congratulate and chat.
Bucidola—the examiner of Leo's Hunter Exam—was also there, along with the uniquely-behaving black Hunter Retz and others.
Once the crowd thinned out, Satz, Caspar, and Serena walked up.
"Mr. Satz, Caspar, Serena, long time no see!"
Leo showed a genuine smile.
Serena walked up to him and lightly punched his shoulder.
"Good lad, I didn't expect you to be promoted to one-star so quickly. I really didn't misjudge you! Congratulations!"
Caspar laughed.
"Mr. Leo, congratulations!"
Satz smiled and nodded.
"It has indeed been a long time. We came to submit the summary report on the ruins. By the way, we've deciphered most of that hide map; if you need it, I can have Serena return it to you first."
Leo raised his hand.
"No rush, keep the map for now. I'll find you when I need it."
Satz looked at him and finally nodded.
"Since it's rare for us to be together."
Leo said.
"Why don't we all get together? I'll do the cooking. Mr. Satz, are you all free?"
Satz nodded.
"No problem."
Caspar and Serena also readily agreed.
Hearing that Leo was going to cook, Pyon, who was originally about to leave, also stayed.
In a well-equipped large multi-purpose room within the Association building.
Before long, several dishes with excellent color, aroma, and taste were served on the long table.
Leo took off his apron and greeted them with a smile.
"Thank you all for coming. It's just a small token of my appreciation, please excuse my poor cooking. If it's not to your taste, please bear with me."
Caspar and Kansai were already salivating from the aroma.
"This smell! How could it not be delicious!"
Pyon picked up a small fork and gave a light hmph.
"Hmph, if the taste isn't up to par, I'll post your 'deeds' on the Association's internal gossip board!"
Leo smiled calmly.
"Ms. Pyon, feel free to judge."
Glasses clinked, and the food was tasted.
Even the picky Serena couldn't help but nod slightly.
Caspar buried his head and ate heartily, letting out satisfied exclamations.
Satz maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, but his eating speed was not slow at all.
Kansai boldly gulped down some wine and commented loudly.
"Strong! Goes great with the wine!"
Even after Pyon tasted it, although she still maintained her tsundere attitude, the small curve at the corner of her mouth gave away her satisfaction.
Sounds of praise were heard incessantly.
During the meal, everyone enjoyed the food while easily exchanging various sights and mission anecdotes, creating a harmonious and enthusiastic atmosphere.
At the end of the gathering, Machi Komacine, Kansai, Satz, and the others took their leave first.
Pyon walked up to Leo and handed him an exquisite business card with a little bunny pattern.
"Hey, keep this safe, don't lose it."
After saying that, she turned and left coolly.
Leo looked down at the business card, smiled, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.
He walked to the window, watching the endless stream of cars outside the headquarters building, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hunter license in his pocket.
One-Star Hunter is just a beginning.
Sophia walked to his side.
"Master, what are your plans next?"
Leo looked at the scenery outside the window and slowly let out a breath.
"Continue to get stronger."
He turned and walked toward the door.
"Until... I can truly control my own destiny."
The lights in the hallway cast his shadow very long.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away on the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena, Hisoka had just finished a battle.
He stood on the arena, licking the blood off his fingertips, muttering the name "Leo," a more intense fire burning in his golden eyes.
"Soon... soon I'll be able to fight you to my heart's content~"
Laughter echoed in the empty arena area, crazy and joyful.
At this time, Uvogin, dressed in silver hair, white clothes, and a yellow robe, also stepped through the gates of the Heavens Arena.