Just as Lin Yan set off for Light Nostrade's study...
Atop an abandoned clock tower in Yorknew City.
Hisoka sat on a gargoyle statue, idly tossing and catching a playing card.
He gazed down at the bustling city below, his face wearing that familiar, inscrutable, eerie smile.
Suddenly, he stopped tossing the card.
His narrow eyes squinted slightly, and he whipped his head toward a spot on the city's outskirts, like a fox that had spotted its prey.
"Mmm~♥"
He let out a delighted moan and licked his lips.
"This feeling... there's no mistaking it."
"My Little Apple is finally ripe, and... it seems he's become an entirely new variety~♦"
In that instant, he had sensed an aura both familiar and unfamiliar.
Like a stone dropped into a still lake, it sent an unmistakably clear ripple through Yorknew City's chaotic jumble of auras.
At its core, the aura still belonged to the young man in white he knew.
But its underlying quality had undergone a staggering transformation.
During their encounter on the rooftop of Heavens Arena, Lin Yan's aura had felt like an unparalleled sword drawn from its sheath, sharp beyond compare.
Now, however, that aura had become more restrained, more profound.
That ultimate sharpness was wrapped in a dense, vast aura brimming with vitality.
It was like... a divine sword resting in a jade scabbard.
Its edge remained hidden, yet its very existence was enough to eclipse everything around it.
"From 'pure slaughter' to 'Life and Death at Will'?"
The excitement on Hisoka's face grew ever more intense.
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! This is the opponent I wanted! ♣"
He had worried that two months was too short-that even if Lin Yan improved, his progress would be limited.
But now, it seemed the other man's growth had far exceeded anything