Contestant Bernard has not appeared! According to the rules of Heaven's Arena, this match is declared a win by default for Rimo!"
On the stage, the referee glanced at his pocket watch. The second hand crossed twelve, and he immediately raised both hands to announce the result.
The moment those words fell
The entire audience exploded.
"Hey! What kind of joke is this?!"
"We paid to watch a fight!!"
"That ticket cost over a hundred thousand Jenny!"
"Refund!! Give us our money back!!"
The uproar spread like wildfire.
After all, Rimo's matches were already priced higher than ordinary fights, and many people had even bought scalped tickets at several times the original cost. They had come here not just to see him but to watch his overwhelming, clean victories.
Even if every match ended in a single strike within seconds, no one minded.
But today?
There wasn't even a fight.
Naturally, no one could accept that.
In a corner of the audience, the crippled man Lawrence sat with an extremely ugly expression.
He didn't care about the ticket money.
What angered him was something else entirely.
"That useless trash…" he muttered coldly.
Bernard had run away.
Lawrence's entire plan had been carefully built the previous night.
From his perspective, Rimo had displayed only two overwhelming traits so far speed and striking power. But no one could be perfect.
If offense and speed were that strong… then defense must be the weakness.
And he had noticed something else.
A habit.
Like many fighters, Rimo preferred to circle behind his opponent before attacking.
That meant if he predicted that moment, and attacked the instant Rimo "disappeared," then Rimo would essentially walk straight into his counterattack.
A perfect trap.
A flawless plan.
And yet
Bernard had ruined it.
"Worthless fool," Lawrence muttered again, his expression dark.
On the stage, the commentator hurriedly tried to calm the furious crowd.
"Everyone, please calm down! We've just received confirmation that Bernard suddenly suffered acute gastroenteritis before the match and had to be taken to the infirmary!"
"Please trust in the fighting spirit of Heaven's Arena contestants this is just an unfortunate accident!"
Whether it was true or not didn't matter.
Right now, the only priority was to stabilize the audience.
Unlike Sadaso who fled the arena entirely after being intimidated by Killua Zoldyck Bernard hadn't been directly threatened.
Rimo had never killed any opponent publicly.
But both Child Asa and Moore Jim were still unconscious in the infirmary.
No one could guarantee there wouldn't be lasting damage.
Bernard wasn't willing to take that risk.
Losing one match was acceptable he still had chances remaining under the 200th-floor rules. Preserving his condition was far more important than facing an opponent he had almost no chance of defeating.
As the crowd continued to boil, Lawrence quietly stood and left.
From his point of view, Bernard's retreat was inevitable but his own analysis remained sound.
"No one is flawless," he murmured as he pushed open the exit door. "If speed and offense are his strengths, then defense must be his weakness."
"Since Bernard failed… I'll test it myself."
"I don't believe my reasoning is wrong."
Meanwhile, Rimo had already left the arena long before the announcement.
"Master, Master, why didn't you fight today?" Nion asked curiously, looking up at him. "Did that person get scared and run away?"
Rimo casually rubbed her hair.
"That's normal," he said lightly. "Two people in a row were taken down in one move. Anyone would hesitate."
"Come on. I'll take you to eat something good."
As he spoke, he took her hand and walked away.
Behind them, the dissatisfied crowd was still making noise but Rimo didn't care in the slightest. Heaven's Arena would deal with it.
"Yay! I want flaming chicken again today!" Nion's eyes lit up, practically sparkling.
The next day.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Today is the final match of Rimo's four consecutive battles after reaching the 200th floor!"
"To avoid yesterday's incident, we've confirmed multiple times that both contestants are in perfect condition!"
"Will Rimo achieve four consecutive victories on the 200th floor? Let's find out!"
The commentator's energy was noticeably higher today.
"Boom !"
With a soft burst of air pressure, the platform rose.
Rimo appeared.
"As expected, Rimo looks completely calm and confident!"
"Ahhh! Husband! I love you!!"
The crowd erupted again.
In the VIP section, Nion pouted angrily.
"Shameless…" she muttered, glaring at the screaming fans.
"Next, contestant Lawrence!"
Compared to Rimo's overwhelming cheers, Lawrence was met with scattered boos.
Still, he stepped onto the stage.
Standing before Rimo, he stared at him, trying to mask the unease in his heart.
"Don't think I didn't notice," he said. "You've been hiding your Nen. I've watched every one of your matches."
"Your speed and strength are impressive but that means your defense must be weak."
"I've already figured it out. This match is mine."
He turned and walked back to his position.
In truth, he wasn't confident at all.
This was just a probe he wanted to see if Rimo would react.
But Rimo simply looked at him, confused.
…What was this guy even talking about?
"The tension is rising!" the commentator shouted. "Lawrence seems extremely confident today!"
"Idiot! Stay away from my husband!" fans screamed.
The referee ignored everything.
"Match start!"
Lawrence immediately focused.
He would follow the plan.
Wait. Predict. Counter.
Rimo glanced at him, slightly puzzled.
Why did these people all think they could win just by waiting?
"…Whatever."
"Whoosh !"
In an instant, Rimo vanished.
Now!
Lawrence's eyes sharpened.
[Heaven Stump]!
Aura surged from his crippled leg, forming a massive construct of Nen. He twisted his body and kicked backward with full force
But
Nothing.
He hit empty air.
Rimo stood quietly beside him.
"I'm curious," Rimo said flatly. "What exactly are you doing?"
"…?!"
Lawrence's pupils shrank in shock.
"Why are you here?! You should've been behind me!"
His balance collapsed instantly.
He fell to the ground in panic.
At that moment, the once-confident strategist looked no different from a clown.
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