Chapter 121: Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu
Even though Hisoka's name didn't officially appear on the giant billboards across from Ronin's until the morning of October 1st, the match between the "Fire God" and the "Magician" had already become the sole topic of conversation throughout Heavens Arena.
By 2:30 PM, the massive stadium on the 223rd floor was packed to the rafters.
The high-definition jumbotrons suspended over the ring displayed real-time betting odds, which flickered with every heavy wager placed.
This time, the announcer abandoned all pretense of neutrality. He worked the crowd into a fever pitch, reciting the legendary highlights of both fighters.
Although this was Hisoka's first official foray into the 200s, his absolute demolition of Kastro just days prior had already earned him a fanatical following.
Miria's marketing machine had done its work perfectly. Hisoka's flamboyant lethality and Ronin's stoic, overwhelming power were the perfect polar opposites.
The roar of the crowd was deafening as the fighters were introduced.
Ronin soaked it in. He genuinely enjoyed the applause, the spotlight, and the heavy weight of ten thousand gazes.
If he hadn't cared for the glory, he wouldn't have spent his previous life streaming and cosplaying at conventions. Transmigrating into this world had, in a twisted way, fulfilled his dream of becoming a superstar.
He wasn't just a fighter; he was a headliner.
Hisoka, conversely, seemed indifferent to the crowd. His focus was a laser beam directed solely at Ronin.
He could sense the shift in Ronin's aura. The boy was visibly stronger than he had been at the Cemetery Building. The growth was so rapid it was almost erotic. Every cell in Hisoka's body began to shiver with a thrill that bordered on ecstasy.
"Shall we make this a deathmatch?" Hisoka asked, his voice a low, melodic purr. He wanted Ronin to stop holding back. He wanted to see every hidden card.
"I'll pass," Ronin replied flatly. "I don't have much interest in killing you today."
He meant it. Hisoka was a freak, but he had a certain charismatic utility. They weren't blood enemies yet, and Ronin didn't want to waste a "ripe fruit" this entertaining so early.
Hisoka's eyes narrowed. The comment stung. It implied that Ronin believed he could end Hisoka's life whenever he chose.
"Powerful, confident, and mature... Truly a perfect fruit!" Hisoka licked his lips.
He didn't press the issue of a deathmatch. In a fight of this caliber, the "rules" were usually written in blood anyway. Whether it was a points-based TKO or a corpse on the floor would be decided by the intensity of the struggle.
The referee, seeing both men were ready, raised his hand and blew the whistle.
"FIGHT!"
The moment the sound echoed, Ronin retreated, putting distance between himself and the Magician. His hands blurred in front of his chest.
Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
A wall of white-hot fire erupted from Ronin's mouth, surging across the ring like an incoming tide.
The spectators in the front rows scrambled back in a panic as the heat wave hit the barriers, threatening to melt the reinforced glass.
But the arena floor suddenly buckled. Massive stone slabs were ripped from the foundation, rising up like shields to intercept the inferno.
Hisoka had done his homework. He knew the scale of Ronin's fire.
He looked like a demented Spider-Man. Pink threads of Bungee Gum extended from his fingers, anchoring into the floor. With a flick of his wrists, he yanked the heavy slabs into the air, using them to deflect the heat while simultaneously launching them toward Ronin.
For a moment, the stage was a chaotic storm of fire and flying stone.
Through the smoke, a blue streak of lightning tore across the ring. Ronin, in Lightning Style Chakra Mode, appeared behind Hisoka in the blink of an eye.
He thrust a Four-Finger Nukite toward Hisoka's spine.
But Hisoka's leg snapped up with impossible speed. His heel struck Ronin's elbow, parrying the thrust just enough to make the lightning-clad hand miss the mark.
The two passed each other, Ronin's momentum carrying him forward and exposing a split-second opening in his side.
Hisoka flicked a playing card. It spun through the air, aimed at Ronin's kidneys.
Poof.
Upon impact, the "Ronin" exploded into a cloud of white smoke.
Hisoka's heart skipped a beat. A clone?
Before he could reset his stance, a sphere of water plummeted from the ceiling, intending to swallow him whole.
The real Ronin had materialized exactly where the clone had dissipated.
He had accomplished this using the Flying Raijin. The clone had been carrying a kunai wrapped in a "Shinobi Love" charm. The moment the clone popped, Ronin jumped to the marker.
His eyes were locked onto Hisoka's.
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!
In that heartbeat of eye contact, Hisoka's world vanished. He wasn't in the arena anymore. He was pinned to a cross in a void, massive rusted spikes driving through his wrists and ankles.
The pain was visceral, a 1:1 simulation of physical agony.
But Hisoka didn't even flinch.
He knew immediately it was an illusion. He had seen Ronin attempt to shroud him in water; the sudden transition to a torture chamber was a logical inconsistency.
He didn't fight the pain; he enjoyed it, using the surge of adrenaline to shatter the mental cage.
But as Hisoka broke free from the Genjutsu, he found himself already encased in a sphere of high-pressure liquid.
Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu.
Those eyes... they're a problem, Hisoka thought, his lungs burning as he held his breath.
He struggled within the aquatic sphere, but Ronin stood outside the bubble, one hand maintaining the seal to keep the prison stable.
With his free hand, Ronin drew several shuriken and began throwing them in a wide arc around the prison.
The shuriken weren't aimed at Hisoka. They were aimed at the invisible threads of Bungee Gum that Hisoka had pre-attached to the arena floor before being caught.
Inside the bubble, Hisoka twitched his fingers, attempting to contract the gum and pull heavy debris into the water to burst the prison.
But Ronin's shuriken were precise. They severed the aura threads before the contraction could complete, neutralizing Hisoka's environmental traps.
Hisoka realized that breaking this prison from the inside was nearly impossible through raw strength alone.
However, Ronin noticed something. Even as his oxygen ran out, Hisoka wasn't panicking.
The Magician still had a trick up his sleeve.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you