HxH: Noah’s Heart

As time passed, Cain began to notice that the young boy in front of him seemed to be getting stronger. From initially being on the defensive, he was now able to fend off Cain's attacks and counterattack at the right moments.

Evading the sudden appearance of claws behind him, Cain chose to distance himself from Noah. He leaped backward like a spring and stopped on the opposite side, glaring coldly at Noah.

Seeing Cain on the other side, Noah retracted his empty claws and took a breath. A smile of excitement appeared at the corner of his mouth.

It had only been twenty minutes since the start of the battle, and Noah hadn't even reached half of his limit.

Yet, he was growing more excited with each exchange, almost becoming intoxicated by the tension of the fight.

It was at this moment that Noah realized there was a fighting fanaticism deep within him.

"What's wrong? Giving up already? If you don't come at me, I might just come to you," Noah taunted, taking a step forward toward Cain.

"You little brat, you're actually using me as your Stepping Stone," Cain couldn't help but notice Noah's intentions by now.

However, because of this, Cain's evaluation of Noah was continually rising. Despite his verbal insults, the smile on Cain's face grew thicker. His murderous intent towards Noah gradually faded.

After all, in the recent battle, Cain had not held back at all. All of his attacks had been lethal, and any slight mistake from Noah could have resulted in his death.

Yet, Noah showed no fear. Instead, he turned it into pressure and motivation, rapidly improving his combat skills. Cain couldn't help but admire him.

Nevertheless, even though you have the potential to become a powerful Nen user in the future, you haven't developed your abilities yet. You are no match for me. Since you see me as your sparring partner, I'll let you know that you still have a long way to go!

"Hey, kid, you're good, really good. I've enjoyed this battle, so I won't kill you. However, it's time to stop. I have things to do tomorrow, and I can't keep sparring with you. It's time to determine the winner," Cain shouted towards Noah.

At this point, Cain no longer had any intention of killing Noah. Indeed, as he had said, he genuinely enjoyed the fight. Even though he had been used as a sparring partner, encountering such an interesting kid like Noah made it all worth it.

Winner?

Hearing Cain's words, Noah finally remembered why he was here and his purpose. However, before he could think further, Cain's low shout once again drew Noah's attention.

"Let me show you my ability, kid. I am an Enhancement-type Nen user. Speaking of which, I envy you. You've mastered Ryu at such a young age, which puts you ahead of me by a mile."

"But even though I can't use Ryu, my ability is nothing to sneeze at."

With that, Cain extended his right arm, and then Noah saw it. The aura on Cain's right arm expanded outward, then contracted suddenly, forming a white light that enveloped his entire arm.

"This is my ability, the Weapon of the Dominator!"

"I can instantly increase the aura's strength in a specific part of my body, similar to Ryu, but without the need to shift the aura from other parts. Plus, it's much more powerful. In essence, it's like an upgraded version of Ken, if you will." Cain grinned, swinging his arm, which emitted a brilliant light.

Ryu? Enhancement-type? Abilities?

Hidden in the shadows, Illumi heard Cain's words clearly. His eyes blinked, and then he revealed a shallow smile.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?"

In the arena, Cain called out again.

Noah hadn't expected Cain to ask for his name. At first, he was taken aback, then he replied, "Noah, my name is Noah."

"Hahaha, Noah, I remember you now. I'm Cain. Although I don't know why you've come to challenge me, your skills aren't quite there yet. Come back another day. I'll be waiting for you at the Heaven's Arena. We'll settle this score then," Cain said, pointing to the towering Heaven's Arena nearby.

No, I really don't know your name.

Following Cain's pointing finger, Noah glanced at Heaven's Arena, then turned back to look at Cain, feeling somewhat complicated.

Although he didn't know where Illumi was, Noah was certain that the kid was nearby, waiting for Cain to reveal an opening. When that happened, Illumi would appear like a ghost and take Cain's life. Noah was well aware that as soon as Illumi showed up, Cain would undoubtedly be doomed.

But right now, Noah didn't want Cain to die, yet there was nothing he could do.

It seemed that Cain still had plenty of aura. Since he had already used his ability, Noah decided to pretend to be defeated in a moment. As long as Cain had enough aura left, that guy Illumi wouldn't be able to make a move.

Determined, Noah straightened up and shouted at Cain, "Then, bring it on!"

"Haha, come at me!"

Cain laughed heartily, took a step forward, and his right fist, brighter than a high-powered incandescent lamp, rushed towards Noah like a hurricane.

So strong!

As they got closer, Noah immediately felt the power in Cain's fist. He couldn't afford to be careless. He extended both arms forward, channeling all of his aura into his arms, ready to meet Cain's strike.

"Ken!"

At that moment, Noah used the strongest Defensive application technique of his Nen ability: Ken.

Bang!

Cain's fist struck Noah's arms, and the tremendous force sent Noah flying. He soared straight into the nearby park, breaking several trees in succession before coming to a halt.

"Huh, now you won't be able to stand up for a while, kid," Cain sighed with relief, retracting his aura.

To finish off Noah with a single move and prevent him from continuing to pester him, Cain had used about eighty percent of his strength.

Now he had very little aura left.

To ensure he wouldn't affect tomorrow's arena battle, Cain instinctively entered a state of Zetsu, hoping to quickly recover his strength.

"You really are an extraordinary kid. I look forward to meeting you at the Heaven's Arena," Cain said as he turned around, intending to head straight back to the Heaven's Arena.

But just after he turned around, he suddenly realized that there was another figure behind him, appearing out of nowhere.

It was a child who looked only five or six years old, and he was gazing up at Cain with a pair of pitch-black pupils.