The Commission Ends, Return to Heaven's Arena

The eastern sky began to pale, and the morning light was faint.

Leo stood on the rooftop of an abandoned building opposite the unfinished structure, looking down without expression.

The entrance to the Cleaners' stronghold was brightly lit. Uniformed logistics staff and medical teams hurried in and out, survivors were carried away on stretchers, and body bags were carefully transported outside.

Overnight, this place had gone from hell back to the human world—though it was scarred beyond recognition.

Footsteps sounded behind him, steady and rhythmic.

Mizai Istom walked to Leo's side and stood beside him.

"Sometimes, I wonder."

Mizai Istom suddenly spoke, his voice low in the morning breeze.

"If it is in the name of 'eliminating every breeding ground of evil,' does that mean we can use any means necessary? Does it... mean we can treat human lives as experimental data like they did, unrestrained by morality?"

Leo remained silent and did not answer.

He knew Mizai Istom did not need an answer. He was merely questioning himself.

Mizai Istom looked toward the gradually brightening horizon and gave a self-mocking smile.

"Over the years, hunting criminals, I've seen too much of the darkest depths of human nature... Only then did I understand that precisely because I know how deep that darkness can be, I understand even more clearly what it means to protect the light."

He paused and turned to Leo.

"In that underground laboratory last night, I was furious, unwilling to accept it, and even... for a moment, I wanted to execute Iron Wall on the spot."

"But this pain will constantly remind me what I'm fighting for—not to vent my anger, but so that more people will never have to experience that kind of despair."

Leo lowered his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Mizai Istom's words were idealistic to the point of naivety, but that was precisely why they seemed especially precious in this world full of schemes and violence.

He drew in a breath of cool morning air and slowly let it out.

"Then carry that resolve and keep moving forward. We can't save everyone, but we can stand up for every person who needs help. That is enough."

Mizai Istom looked at Leo with some surprise.

He had assumed this young man, so powerful and decisive in his methods, would believe more in the law of the jungle. Yet...

"Thank you."

Mizai Istom patted Leo on the shoulder. The gesture was light, but it carried approval.

"What are you planning to do next?"

Leo raised his head and looked in the general direction of Heaven's Arena.

"Return to Heaven's Arena and finish the journey I left unfinished. My training isn't over yet."

Mizai Istom nodded and took a plain white business card from the inner pocket of his suit. It read: Attorney for a Private Security Company.

"If you run into a problem you can't solve, come find me."

Leo accepted it, glanced at it, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Mm." He did not say thank you, but Mizai Istom understood that this simple sound already contained both a promise and approval.

"I'll leave this place to you."

Leo turned around and waved without looking back at the dawn.

"I'm leaving."

Mizai Istom watched that figure descend the stairs and vanish into the building's shadows. Then he withdrew his gaze and looked down once more at the bustling rescue operation below.

His expression returned to its usual sternness as he headed for the stairs—there was still much cleanup work that required his personal supervision.

Colton Manor, 10:00 a.m.

Goreinu received Leo in the drawing room.

The burly man with thick eyebrows looked much better. Most of his bandages had been removed, leaving only a few deeper wounds still wrapped.

"The Cleaners' stronghold in Toth City has already been destroyed. The Colton Family is safe."

Leo got straight to the point.

Goreinu nodded, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"The Waldeck Family is completely finished too. Last night, while their elite forces were wiped out, I led people straight to their headquarters. The Colton Family has now absorbed all their territory and assets—there will only be one voice in Toth City from now on: the Colton Family."

He took a catalog from the coffee table drawer and pushed it toward Leo.

"Vivian told me that if there's anything you like, you can take it as a thank-you gift. The Waldeck Family's collection has quite a few good things."

Leo did not stand on ceremony. He took the catalog and quickly flipped through it.

The first few pages listed assets such as real estate and company shares, which he skipped over.

The middle section contained artworks and antiques. He gave them a cursory glance, then his fingers stopped.

More than a dozen items were listed in the catalog: antique weapons, strange 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

Source: Acquired by the Waldeck Family at a black-market auction two years ago

Description: Contains patterns resembling a storm. Extremely hard and cannot be cut. No radiation or energy reaction.

Leo raised an eyebrow slightly.

"This one." He pointed to the T-07 listing.

"I do need it. If possible, I'll take it."

Goreinu leaned closer to take a look. "No problem. Anything in there can be yours."

He turned to the butler standing nearby and instructed him, "Go to the warehouse and retrieve item T-07. Package it and bring it here."

The butler bowed and withdrew.

Goreinu looked back at Leo.

"The 1.5 billion Jenny payment has already been transferred to the account you provided. Also..." He paused.

"Vivian also said that if you're interested, she'd like to hire you as captain of the Colton Family's guard. The annual salary is negotiable, and you can use whatever resources you need."

Leo shook his head almost without thinking.

"Decline it for me. I don't want to be bound to any faction."

He added,

"But if she runs into trouble she can't handle in the future, she can call me. I can help for money, as long as she can afford the price."

Goreinu laughed.

"You really are... direct."

"It's better to be direct. Saves misunderstandings."

Leo closed the catalog and placed it back on the coffee table.

"By the way, Brother Goreinu, what are your plans? Staying here?"

Goreinu shook his head, his eyes drifting toward the window.

"Once my injuries heal, I'll be leaving too. My journey isn't over yet. I was only passing through Toth City to begin with, but I never expected to get dragged into so much..."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Leo.

"What about you? After returning to Heaven's Arena, are you going to keep fighting until you reach the 200th floor?"

"Mm." Leo nodded.

"The 200th floor is only the beginning. I need more real combat experience, and I also need... to see stronger opponents."

The two chatted for a few more minutes about recent events.

Ten minutes later, the butler returned carrying a black metal box and respectfully handed it to Leo.

The box was not large, but it felt heavy in his hands.

Leo opened it and took a glance, then closed the lid, said, "Thanks," and put the box into his backpack.

He had received what he came for, and everything that needed to be said had been said.

Leo stood up.

"Then this is goodbye, Brother Goreinu. We'll meet again if fate allows."

Goreinu rose as well, a sincere smile on his rugged face.

"Mm, goodbye. Take care on the road."

Without further pleasantries, Leo turned and left the drawing room.

Goreinu stood before the window, watching the figure carrying a simple pack cross the manor lawn and disappear beyond the wrought-iron gates.

Toth City Airport, 2:00 p.m.

Leo boarded a flight bound for the Republic of Padokea.

As the plane took off, he took one last look at the city's outline through the window.

In less than two weeks, he had gone through battles between life and death, made new friends, earned an enormous reward, and planted the seeds for continued conflict with the Cleaners.

It had been efficient, but... not efficient enough.

He needed to grow stronger faster. In this world, strength was the foundation of everything.

Two days later, Heaven's Arena.

Leo entered the familiar towering building, and the roar of the massive atrium washed over him.

The air was filled with sweat, passion, and ambition, yet it gave him a strange sense of peace—everything here was straightforward: fight, win, grow stronger.

Just as he was about to head for the elevators, the giant screen hanging ahead suddenly changed images.

It was a live highlight broadcast of a match.

On the screen, a blue-haired woman spun through the air, her long leg lashing out like a whip and striking her opponent squarely on the chin.

Her opponent crashed to the ground, and the referee raised the woman's hand.

The commentator's impassioned voice rang through the atrium.

"Miss Sophia ends the match with a perfect spinning kick! Congratulations on claiming victory on the 180th floor! This was her second battle on the 180th floor and her first victory! Let us look forward to her challenge toward higher floors!"

Sophia. Leo remembered the woman he had met only once—calm, sharp, and quite capable.

She was covered in injuries on the screen, yet her gaze remained as keen as ever.

I didn't expect to see her again after so long.

Looks like she's had a difficult climb.

That was normal. The higher one went in Heaven's Arena, the harder the fights became, and every ten floors marked a threshold.

Those who could reach the 200th floor without a single defeat were rare indeed. Most people struggled upward through repeated victories and losses.

Leo did not linger and walked toward the elevator. He pressed the button for the 185th floor.

The elevator rose steadily, and he returned to his room.

Leo placed his backpack on the table and checked his account balance first—the 1.5 billion Jenny had arrived. Combined with what he already had, he now possessed nearly 1.7 billion. He would not need to worry about money anytime soon.

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 and entered a meditative state.

Nen flowed around his body, and his Ten remained natural and stable.

He gathered his aura in his eyes, swiftly shifted it to his legs, then gathered it back in his eyes again, repeating the process over and over.

This was training in Gyo and Ryu, meant to exercise the fluidity of his aura. He was not slow, but he was still not fast enough.

The duration of his Ken also needed improvement. His last test had been nineteen minutes, still far from the passing mark of thirty.

And there was Hatsu—as an Enhancer, he had yet to develop an ability of his own.

It was not that he could not, but that he did not want to make that decision rashly.

Once a Nen ability was established, changing it later would come at an enormous cost.

I'll wait until I reach the 200th floor and enter the realm of Nen users before considering ability development.

For now, I need to build a solid foundation.

Night fell, and the lights of Heaven's 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 gave one last look at the tattoo on the back of his hand.

Level 27. Only three more levels until level 30.

And the battles above the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena would be the best place for him to rapidly accumulate experience.

Tomorrow, the battles would continue.