Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

Germain and Zeno were stretching and warming up in a rugged basin, keeping a bit of distance between them.

Netero didn't show up to watch again. This time, though, it was because he got a phone call. Later, he said something urgent had come up and left on his own.

Meanwhile, Tsubone was cleaning and tidying up on the airship.

So the only one watching from the sidelines was Silva.

Leaning against a big tree, his strong arms crossed in front of his chest, Silva watched the two in the basin with a sharp, intense gaze.

Would my father be able to break through? He shouldn't struggle as much as I did.

Before long, both Germain and Zeno finished their warm-ups.

The fight began.

Zeno, hunched over as usual, suddenly placed his right hand behind his back. He raised only his left hand, gathering Nen into a blade-like form.

"Though I wasn't there yesterday, Silva told me every detail about your fight. So I already have intel on you..."

"That doesn't seem fair. How about this—I'll fight you with just one hand. Sound good?"

As Zeno spoke, he also acted. Without waiting for Germain's response, he raised only his left hand and brought it to his chest.

With a sly smile, he moved closer to Germain.

Germain, in turn, summoned the same formation of conjured weapons he had used the day before.

Bang—

Zeno suddenly sped up, springing from his position. His legs propelled him forward, turning him into a blur as he shot toward Germain.

But at the last moment, Zeno revealed a menacing grin mid-air. The right hand he had hidden behind his back suddenly struck out!

"Emission-Type: Dragon Lance!"

A purple dragon-like Nen roared out from his hand, exploding toward Germain at close range.

At the same time, Zeno let out a thunderous shout.

This was his habit in battle: using his voice to maintain his rhythm while disrupting his opponent's.

It was like two drummers trying to throw each other offbeat with their rapid, unpredictable drumlines.

Sometimes, it worked wonders.

As expected, father and son were exactly alike—always relying on surprise attacks. No, Zeno was even craftier than Silva!

If anyone naively believed Zeno's words, they'd lose right from the start!

Then again, who would trust him so easily? 

The only ones who might fall for it would be Gon or Leorio.

Prepared for this, Germain acted swiftly. His hovering, Threaded Cane shot forward with a metallic clang!

It coiled around the purple dragon's body like a serpent, tightening like a noose, trying to bind the purple dragon.

One flow of Nen disappeared as the Cleaver suddenly rose, transforming into a tall guillotine. With a sharp sound, the blade came crashing down, aiming for the dragon's head!

Zeno let out a cold chuckle. His right leg whipped up like a lash, fiercely stomping on his Threaded Cane. Using the momentum, the purple dragon in his right hand broke free from its restraints at the last possible second.

His whole body shot to the side, narrowly avoiding the guillotine's descending blade.

But before he could even fly a meter away, Zeno suddenly dropped both hands downward!

With his Nen rippling around him, his entire body paused in midair for an instant, then abruptly reversed course, charging straight at Germain!

At that moment, both his hands transformed into the heads of purple dragons, his Nen shooting out like arrows.

"Kyahahaha—!"

Zeno's lips curled into a slight grin, his eyes fierce and ruthless. Gone was his usual calm and grandfatherly demeanor—he was like a ravenous wolf!

In an instant, a short-barreled firearm appeared right in front of him, its dark muzzle aimed at his face.

Bang!

Shotgun pellets scattered like sparks, firing straight toward Zeno's face.

Zeno immediately assessed the strange nature of these bullets.

Without hesitation, he rotated his dragon-like hands, spinning and interlocking them, capturing all the pellets within. Then, with a decisive motion, he hurled them to the side!

Whoosh—

The purple dragon, now holding the bullets, flew off and exploded at a distance.

At the same time, Zeno darted into the midst of Germain's weaponry, which encircled him like a sword formation.

With explosive speed and destructive force, he tore through their encirclement.

Now, with barely any distance between him and Germain, Zeno's eyes widened, and his Nen burst out like a bomb, shattering all the conjured weapons around them!

Now there were no barriers left between them.

"Fight me hand-to-hand!"

Though Zeno said nothing aloud, Germain could hear the wild roar of his thoughts.

Germain first shielded himself from the exploding Nen. As he retreated, he noticed Zeno closing the gap once more, forcing him to counterattack.

Hiss—

Germain threw a punch toward Zeno. The punch carried a spiral force, conjuring the Threaded Cane, and shot straight at him.

But Zeno showed no fear. The dragon heads in his hands twisted and warped the air, their sharp fangs lunging toward Germain.

Boom—

Fists and palms collided, Nen exploding in the air, and both fighters froze for a moment.

Germain was stunned because he had only just realized that, unknowingly, his enhanced body had granted him the ability to go toe-to-toe with an Emitter—specifically, Zeno's Emission-Type attacks!

He hadn't been forced into a disadvantage as he had imagined. Instead, he was able to clash evenly with Zeno's "Dragon Lance," without being pushed back.

Zeno also realized this at the same moment, and a heaviness settled in his heart.

I see now... I've been the one to break one of the chains that bound him.

In the next instant, a storm-like flurry of attacks erupted from both sides, dazzling and chaotic!

With his reassessment of his own strength, Germain battled fiercely in midair against Zeno, who refused to yield.

Fists and feet flew, their movements resembling two dragons battling amidst an array of weapons and magical treasures!

Silva, unable to stay still any longer, moved away from the tree he'd been leaning on. He walked to the edge of the basin, his eyes fixed on the intense fight below.

I thought Germain yesterday was already unbelievable, but I didn't expect him to still be hiding something like this, forcing Father to take him so seriously… 

What's more terrifying is that, even with Father fighting seriously, there's still no sign of Germain being overwhelmed.

The Germain from yesterday was the real Germain. And the Germain from today is also the real Germain…

This guy… Is he gradually adapting to our combat power and retaliating in kind? 

How could that be possible…? 

But if it is…

A chill ran down Silva's spine.

He's figuring out a way to defeat us—not by killing or crippling us—but by matching our power precisely enough to overpower us.

Zeno, locked in combat with Germain, seemed to have reached the same conclusion. His eyes narrowed, and a cold smirk appeared on his face.

"You brat…"

Zeno suddenly kicked Germain's arm with a sharp strike, using the momentum to leap backward. With a swift backflip, he landed firmly on the ground.

Without hesitation, he shouted loudly, raising both arms high into the air!

A massive purple dragon surged into the sky. Midair, it transformed into a golden dragon, roaring fiercely before splitting into countless golden dragon arrows, raining down like a storm!

Dragon Dive!

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