Even before awakening Nen, Gon had been able to send a three-hundred-pound man flying dozens of meters with ease.
Now that he had awakened Nen, his physical strength had only become more formidable.
Killua was even more extraordinary.
Before learning Nen, he had already possessed enough monstrous strength to open the massive testing gates of his family estate.
Panting heavily, Gon lowered the enormous backpack and looked toward the top of the bundle, only to find that Killua had disappeared.
When he looked ahead, he finally spotted Killua strolling toward him from a distance.
As though nothing had happened, Killua smiled and waved.
“Yo, Gon.
You’re back.”
“Killua, how did you make your body heavier just now?
Tell me!”
Gon went straight to the point, completely ignoring Killua’s attempt to pretend he had only just noticed him.
“It’s simple.”
Killua placed both hands in his pockets and explained casually.
“Your ‘weight’ isn’t limited to your body mass.
It also includes the force you exert.”
“When you’re standing still, your weight is just your body weight.
But once you exert force, the strength you apply gets added to it.”
“That’s why you were able to send that three-hundred-pound man flying.”
Gon understood immediately.
He had performed similar experiments before, so he quickly grasped the key point.
“Kael, why do we need so many people?”
After understanding Killua’s explanation, Gon looked at the pirates busily working nearby and asked in confusion.
“For your training, of course.”
“Next, we won’t only be practicing Observation Haki.
We also need to establish a solid foundation in Armament Haki and Nen.”
Kael understood that defeating Hisoka in only fourteen days was practically impossible.
His true objective was to make Hisoka interested in other worlds.
Hisoka was obsessed with one-on-one battles to the death, but there was no questioning his talent or intelligence.
He was like a double-edged sword.
Kael’s ability only took effect while they were in another world.
In other words, even if Hisoka died in the Hunter world, the power Kael had already obtained from him would not disappear.
“Kael, what exactly are we supposed to do?”
Killua looked eager to begin.
“The introductory training for Observation Haki is simple.”
“Blindfold yourself and rely entirely on your perception to evade ordinary attacks.
Continue until you can avoid every single one.”
Killua found the idea interesting and immediately tied a cloth over his eyes.
Gon picked up a wooden staff with a mischievous grin.
“Killua, I’m starting!”
“Come on.”
Killua was completely confident.
Gon swung the wooden staff toward his head.
An attack created movement in the air.
With the sharp hearing he had developed as an assassin, identifying its trajectory was not difficult.
Kael was not surprised.
As a top-class assassin, Killua instinctively reacted to even the smallest changes in air currents.
He already possessed the embryonic form of Observation Haki.
Seeing Killua learn so quickly stirred Gon’s competitive spirit.
The speed of his swings suddenly increased.
The shadows of the staff merged into a continuous barrage, accompanied by sharp whistles as it tore through the air.
Despite being blindfolded, Killua moved through the storm of attacks like a leaf carried by a violent wind.
Each time, he evaded the staff by the narrowest possible margin.
As he continued dodging at high speed, a new form of perception seemed to awaken within him.
So this is Observation Haki?
It really is incredible.
One of the pirates happened to glance in their direction.
His ax fell from his hands, and his mouth opened wide enough to fit an apple.
“H-Hey!
Look at that brat!
He’s blindfolded!”
The other pirates turned toward Killua.
Every one of them stopped working, and a chorus of sharp breaths followed.
His speed and evasive ability completely surpassed their understanding.
As expected, Killua’s combat fundamentals are far superior to Gon’s.
Kael silently evaluated their progress.
“All right, Gon.
Killua has already taken his first step into Observation Haki.”
“But the main focus of these ten days will be Armament Haki.”
“How is Armament Haki different from our Ken?” Killua asked curiously.
“The principles are similar.
Both reinforce offense and defense.”
“But if we can combine them, the power of our attacks and defenses will rise to an entirely new level.”
“The first step is extreme physical conditioning and impact-resistance training, such as repeatedly slamming your body against trees.”
“The second step involves controlling your will and energy…”
Kael continued explaining how to use breathing and concentration to guide the energy inside the body toward a specific area, forming a protective layer.
As Gon listened, his eyes began spiraling and imaginary smoke seemed to rise from his head.
“W-Willpower?
Energy control?”
“Kael, can’t you explain it more simply?
Like telling me how many rocks I need to break?”
Killua, however, had already understood the general principle.
Kael looked at him and remembered that Killua had long since become capable of sleeping through the whippings administered by his older brother.
With physical conditioning and toughness like that, Killua likely already possessed the beginnings of Armament Haki.
In this world, as with Observation Haki, he only needed one final push to awaken it.
Sure enough, after a full day of intensive training, Killua’s right hand became covered in a deep black layer.
“So this is Armament Haki!”
“How powerful would it become if I layered Ken over it?”
“Kael, spar with me!”
Since Killua wanted to test the combination of Armament Haki and Ken against him, Kael naturally had no intention of holding back.
The two instantly clashed.
Their fists and legs collided repeatedly, producing deep, muffled impacts.
Their speed continued to increase as their figures crossed and intertwined.
Only after half an hour of intense combat did they finally stop, thoroughly satisfied.
“That was great!”
Killua felt a sense of fulfillment unlike anything he had experienced before.
Kael silently nodded as well.
Because he possessed the combined training gains of both Gon and Killua, his own foundation in Armament Haki was even deeper.
Gon, who had watched the entire battle from the side, was already itching to participate.
Their fight had been far too exciting.
He wanted to experience it himself.
Seeing Gon’s eagerness, Killua glanced at Kael.
“Should I fight him, or will you?”
Kael had no intention of sparring with Gon.
He smiled at Killua.
“You do it.
Just don’t hit him too hard.”
Killua grinned mischievously.
“Of course.”
Another half hour passed.
Kael looked at Gon, whose face was now bruised and swollen.
“So?
Did you manage to sense the threshold of Armament Haki?”
Gon paid no attention to his battered appearance.
Speaking unclearly through his swollen cheeks, he replied, “Almost.
I can faintly feel it now.”
Kael understood Gon’s present condition better than anyone.
His battle with Killua had not consisted solely of enduring blows.
While being struck, Gon had continuously searched for a way to focus more power into the exact part of his body receiving each impact.
Gon possessed extraordinary concentration.
Once he committed himself to something, his momentary focus allowed him to perceive its essence more easily than most people.
That was why, despite being far behind Killua in almost every fundamental skill, Gon could gradually close the distance between them.
Day after day of training passed.
The pirates finally became useful as well.
Without rest, they repeatedly swung thick pieces of timber against Gon and Killua’s bodies, assisting with their endurance training.
By the end of the tenth day, both Gon and Killua had reached the introductory stage of Armament Haki.
They could now activate it over individual parts of their bodies for brief periods.
After the tenth day, the three returned to the Hunter world.
Only four days remained before Gon’s battle with Hisoka.
(End of Chapter)