Chapter 19: Returning to Heaven's Arena
The sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, a faint glow spreading across the horizon.
Leo stood on the rooftop of an abandoned building opposite the unfinished structure, his expression blank as he looked down below.
The entrance to the Cleansers base was brightly lit, with uniformed logistics personnel and medical teams moving in and out. Survivors were being carried out on stretchers, while body bags were carefully transported away.
Overnight, this area had transformed from hell back into the world of the living—though still scarred and wounded.
Footsteps approached from behind, steady and rhythmic.
Mizaistom walked up beside Leo, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Sometimes I wonder," Mizaistom suddenly spoke, his voice low in the morning breeze. "If in the name of 'eradicating all breeding grounds for evil,' one could justify any means? Could one… treat human lives as mere experimental data, unbound by morality, just like them?"
Leo remained silent, offering no answer.
He knew Mizaistom didn't need one—he was merely questioning himself.
Mizaistom's gaze drifted toward the gradually brightening skyline in the distance, and he smiled self-deprecatingly.
"All these years hunting criminals, I've seen the deepest darkness of human nature… It's only by understanding how profound that darkness can be that I truly grasp the meaning of protecting the light."
He paused, then turned to Leo.
"Last night in the underground lab, I was furious, resentful, even… for a moment, I wanted to execute Iron Wall on the spot."
"But this 'unease' will constantly remind me why I fight—not to vent anger, but so that fewer people have to experience that kind of despair."
Leo lowered his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Mizaistom's words were idealistic, almost naive, but precisely because of that, they felt especially precious in this world of schemes and violence.
He took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and slowly exhaled.
"Then carry that awareness forward. We can't save everyone, but we can stand up for each person who needs help. That… is enough."
Mizaistom looked at Leo with some surprise.
He had thought this powerful, decisive young man would adhere more to the law of the jungle. He hadn't expected…
"Thank you."
Mizaistom patted Leo's shoulder, not heavily, but with a sense of acknowledgment.
"What are your plans next?"
Leo lifted his head, looking in the general direction of Heavens Arena.
"Return to Heavens Arena to finish the journey I haven't completed. My training isn't over yet."
Mizaistom nodded, pulling a plain white business card from his suit's inner pocket. It read: Private Security Company Management Lawyer.
"If you ever face a problem you can't solve, you can come to me."
Leo took it, glanced at it, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Mm." He didn't say "thank you," but Mizaistom understood—that single "mm" carried both a promise and recognition.
"I'll leave this place to you."
Leo turned and walked away, waving a hand behind him against the morning light.
"I'm off."
Mizaistom watched the figure descend the stairs and disappear into the building's shadows before turning his gaze back to the busy rescue scene below.
His expression returned to its usual seriousness as he strode toward the stairs—there was still much aftermath work that required his personal supervision.
...
Colton Manor, 10 a.m.
Goreinu received Leo in the drawing room.
The burly man with thick eyebrows looked much better; most of the bandages had been removed, leaving only a few dressings on the deeper wounds.
"The Cleansers organization's stronghold in Toto City has been destroyed. The Colton family is safe now."
Leo got straight to the point.
Goreinu nodded, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
"The Waldeck family is finished too. Last night, while their elite forces were wiped out, I led a team and raided their headquarters. Now the Colton family has taken over all their territory and assets—from now on, only the Colton family will have a say in Toto City."
He took a catalog from the coffee table drawer and slid it toward Leo.
"Vivian instructed me that if there's anything you fancy, you can take it as a token of gratitude. The Waldeck family's collection vault has quite a few good items."
Leo didn't stand on ceremony. He took the catalog and quickly flipped through it.
The first few pages listed assets like properties and corporate shares, which he skipped directly.
The middle section featured artworks and antiques, which he glanced over briefly. His finger paused.
The catalog listed over a dozen items: antique weapons, peculiar ores, gemstones, and crafts of unknown origin.
Leo's gaze settled on a gemstone with a brief description.
[Item No: T-07] Name: Red Storm
Origin: Purchased by the Waldeck family at a black market auction two years ago
Description: Contains a storm-like pattern inside. Extremely hard, cannot be cut. No radioactivity, no energy reaction.
Leo raised an eyebrow slightly.
"This one," he pointed to the entry for T-07.
"I do need it. If possible, I'll take this."
Goreinu leaned in for a look. "No problem. Anything listed here can be given to you."
He turned to the butler standing nearby and instructed, "Go to the warehouse and fetch item T-07. Have it packaged and brought here."
The butler bowed and withdrew.
Goreinu turned his attention back to Leo.
"The reward of 1.5 billion Jenny has already been transferred to the account you provided. Also..." He paused briefly.
"Vivian also mentioned that if you're interested, she'd like to hire you as the Colton family's head of security. The annual salary is negotiable, and resources are at your disposal."
Leo shook his head almost without thinking.
"Please decline on my behalf. I don't want to be tied down by any organization."
He added, "But if you ever run into trouble you can't handle in the future, you can call me. I'll help for the right price, as long as she can afford it."
Goreinu chuckled.
"You really are... straightforward."
"Being straightforward is better. It avoids misunderstandings."
Leo closed the catalog and placed it back on the coffee table.
"By the way, Goreinu, what are your plans? Staying here?"
Goreinu shook his head, his gaze drifting toward the window.
"Once my injuries heal, I'll leave too. My journey isn't over yet. I was just passing through Toto City originally—never expected to get caught up in so much trouble..."
He turned his gaze back to Leo.
"What about you? After returning to Heavens Arena, will you keep fighting until the 200th floor?"
"Yes." Leo nodded.
"The 200th floor is just the beginning. I need more real combat experience, and I also need... to face stronger opponents."
The two chatted a bit more about recent developments.
Ten minutes later, the butler returned, holding a small black metal box, and respectfully handed it to Leo.
The box wasn't large, but it felt heavy in his hands.
Leo opened the lid, took a glance, then closed it again. "Thanks," he said, tucking the box into his backpack.
With the item obtained and everything that needed to be said already spoken, Leo stood up.
"Then I'll take my leave now, Brother Goreinu. I hope we meet again someday."
Goreinu also rose to his feet, a sincere smile spreading across his rugged face.
"Mm, take care. Travel safely."
Without further pleasantries, Leo turned and left the reception room.
Goreinu stood by the window, watching the figure with a simple backpack cross the manor lawn and disappear beyond the wrought-iron gate.
...
Toto City Airport, 2:00 PM.
Leo boarded the flight bound for the Republic of Padokea.
As the airship took off, he took one last look at the city's silhouette through the window.
In less than two weeks, he had experienced life-and-death battles, made new friends, earned a massive reward, and planted the seeds for continued conflict with the Cleansers organization.
It was efficient, but... still not fast enough.
He needed to grow stronger faster. In this world, strength was the foundation of everything.
Two days later, Heavens Arena.
Leo entered the familiar towering structure, the roar of the massive atrium washing over him.
The air was thick with the mingled scents of sweat, fervor, and ambition—yet it all brought him a strange sense of reassurance. Everything here was straightforward: fight, win, grow stronger.
Just as he was about to head toward the elevator area, the giant screen hanging ahead suddenly switched scenes.
It was a live broadcast of a match highlight.
On screen, a blue-haired woman spun through the air, her long leg whipping out like a lash to strike her opponent's chin with precision.
The opponent crashed to the ground, and the referee raised the woman's hand.
The commentator's excited voice echoed through the atrium.
"Lady Sophia ends the match with a perfect spinning kick! Congratulations on her victory on the 180th floor! This is her second match and first win on the 180th floor! Let's look forward to her challenge toward higher floors!"
Sophia. Leo remembered this woman he had met only once—calm, sharp, and quite capable.
On the screen, she was covered in wounds, but her gaze remained as sharp as ever.
"Didn't expect to see her again after all this time," Leo thought to himself.
"It seems she's had a tough journey winning her way up."
That was normal. The higher you climbed in Heavens Arena, the harder it became. Every ten floors was a threshold.
Those who could reach the 200th floor with an undefeated record were exceedingly rare. Most struggled and climbed through repeated victories and defeats.
Leo didn't linger any longer and headed for the elevator. He pressed the button for the 185th floor.
The elevator ascended smoothly. Back in his room, Leo placed his backpack on the table and first checked his account balance—1.5 billion Jenny had been deposited. Combined with his previous funds, he now had nearly 1.7 billion.
Money wouldn't be a worry in the short term.
He planned to register for a match tomorrow.
Leo took a shower, changed into clean clothes, then sat cross-legged in the center of the room, entering a meditative state.
Nen Aura flowed around him, his Ten state natural and stable.
He gathered aura in his eyes, then quickly shifted it to his legs, then back to his eyes, repeating the process over and over.
This was training in Gyo and Ryu, honing the fluidity of his aura. Though not slow, it still wasn't enough.
The duration of his Ken also needed improvement. His last test was nineteen minutes, still short of the thirty-minute qualifying mark.
And then there was Hatsu—as an Enhancement Type, he still hadn't developed his own unique ability.
It wasn't that he couldn't, but he didn't want to decide hastily.
Once a Nen Ability was established, changing it would come at a great cost.
"It's not too late to consider ability development once I reach the 200th floor and enter the realm of Nen Users."
Leo thought to himself.
"For now, I'll focus on building a solid foundation."
Night fell, and the lights of Heavens Arena outside the window lit up floor by floor, like a massive pillar of light piercing the night sky.
Leo ended his meditation and lay down on the bed. Before closing his eyes, he took one last look at the tattoo on the back of his hand.
Level 27. Three more levels to go until—Level 30.
And the battles above the 200th floor of Heavens Arena would be the best place for him to rapidly accumulate experience.
Tomorrow, the fight continues.