HxH: Noah’s Heart

"Seeing that you're so young but have already mastered Nen, with a bit more practice, you could become even stronger. You wouldn't want to die at this moment, would you?"

"I can give you a chance. I'll pretend that what just happened didn't happen. You can leave, and I'll continue running, because I really don't want to kill a talented Nen user."

Cain deliberately spoke in the slowest tone, buying himself enough time for his right arm to slowly recover.

Of course, I don't want to fight you either; I'm being forced into this.

Noah, who still hadn't realized Cain's intentions, muttered in his mind.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Watching Noah shake his head, Cain understood his meaning.

In fact, what Cain said wasn't entirely a stall tactic. If possible, he really didn't want to engage with Noah. It wasn't because he regretted Noah's talent; it was because he believed that a teenager who could master Nen at such a young age must have a powerful Nen user guiding them. If he could, Cain didn't want to provoke such a person.

"Such a shame."

Since the other party wasn't planning to back down, Cain was by no means a soft-hearted person.

His eyes narrowed, and by now, his right arm had mostly recovered. A powerful aura surged from him, enveloping his body.

"Then you'll have to die."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cain moved. He stomped his feet, leaving behind an explosive airflow at his original spot. In an instant, Cain pounced on Noah.

With ample combat experience, Cain had already seen that Noah was a rookie.

The only thing that made him cautious was Noah's silent movement technique.

So, he chose to take the initiative, intending to close the distance, restrain Noah, and set his own rhythm to kill him. This was his usual combat style.

Facing Cain's sudden attack, Noah clearly lacked the experience to respond adequately.

He instinctively took a step back, crossing his arms in front of him, but he was still knocked back by Cain's punch.

Cain sent Noah staggering back with a punch. Without any hesitation, Cain stomped his foot and quickly closed the distance, launching a series of punches.

Although Noah had been in this world for some time, fundamentally, he was just an ordinary person from modern society.

Even though he had learned the mysterious art of "Qi refining" in his previous life, he didn't have much experience in physical combat, let alone formal combat.

Fortunately, Noah's body was from the Meteor City, and he relied on the instincts buried deep within his bones to barely withstand Cain's onslaught.

However, all he could manage was to barely withstand it.

In combat, once you entered the opponent's rhythm and were suppressed, unless you found an opening to counterattack, you would remain in a passive state.

So, at this moment, Noah was like a human sandbag, getting battered by Cain's punches left and right.

His only option was to cross his arms in front of him and continuously adjust the intensity of the aura covering his body, hoping that Cain's punches wouldn't shatter his bones.

Seeing Noah in this passive state, Illumi, hidden in the shadows, was clearly caught off guard.

Originally, Illumi had believed that while Noah might not be stronger than Cain, he definitely wouldn't be as weak as what he was witnessing now.

In Illumi's view, Noah didn't understand combat at all, and the reality confirmed this.

The situation had developed to this point, and even Illumi felt a sense of panic.

He couldn't possibly intervene at this moment; Cain was clearly in his element. If he acted now, he would only be walking into a trap.

"How did it come to this?"

And it wasn't just Illumi; Cain himself was also filled with confusion.

Originally, Cain thought that anyone who would attack him at a time and place like this must have formidable strength.

However, after a few punches, Cain immediately realized that things weren't as he had expected. The young man before him had no understanding of combat.

Except for the surprising move that had appeared behind him at the beginning, Noah's performance left Cain quite surprised.

A roundhouse kick sent Noah flying from the side, and Cain stopped his attack. He watched as Noah rolled on the ground for a moment and then stood up again. Cain frowned.

"What a disappointment. You're like a baby holding a gun, with a decent level of Nen ability cultivation, but you can't use it effectively. Someone who can't even fight like you can't possibly be my opponent."

Cain was indeed disappointed. Initially, when faced with this sudden enemy, Cain felt a mixture of caution and excitement.

After all, he was a fighter who enjoyed combat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared in the Heaven's Arena, known as the sacred ground for fighters.

But now, he had lost his desire for battle.

He had initially thought that Noah was just a rookie, but he had come to realize that Noah wasn't even on the level of a rookie.

Even though Noah was a Nen user, in Cain's eyes, he was no different from an ordinary person, just a bit more durable.

Fighting someone who couldn't even fight was an insult to himself.

Meanwhile, Noah finally had the opportunity to lower his arms that had been protecting him. He took a deep breath and looked up at Cain.

After the beating he had just endured, Noah deeply understood that he and the man before him had no comparison.

The opponent's attacks were fast and precise. In this situation, even keeping himself alive was a challenging task.

Was this the difference between himself and a true Nen user? Noah had mastered various Nen abilities like Gyo, Ren, Hatsu, Ten, Zetsu, Ken, and Ryu. In terms of fundamentals, Noah believed he was not lacking. However, just like Cain had said, he was like a baby holding a gun who couldn't unleash these powers.

At this moment, Noah finally recognized his biggest weakness.

No amount of training and practice could replace real combat experience.

"You can't win against me, and I don't want to fight you. Step aside," Cain said, his aura subsiding.

Noah looked down at his arms. Despite enduring Cain's continuous attacks earlier, his well-trained body, combined with strong defenses, had left his arms nearly unscathed.

Hearing Cain's words, Noah slowly raised his head and flashed a brilliant smile.

"I'm not down yet. If you want to pass, you'll have to knock me down."

At this moment, Noah had forgotten why he had come here in the first place.

The only thought in his mind now was this: Since he lacked real combat experience and had a perfect sparring partner right in front of him, what reason did he have to let this opportunity slip away?