By the time the gathering ended, the sky had completely darkened.
The lights at the villa's entrance cast a warm yellow glow over everyone as they walked out in small groups, their faces still showing lingering excitement.
Wing was the first to leave, taking the three youngsters with him.
Chiharu followed obediently behind him, while Gon and Killua walked side-by-side, still arguing over who won or lost the sudden Burst match earlier.
"I clearly arrived first!"
Gon gestured indignantly.
"You call that arriving first? Your Burst only stabilized by the third lap."
Killua had his hands in his pockets, his tone lazy.
"That's still better than you! Your Burst dissipated halfway through!"
"That's because I wasn't being serious."
"Liar!"
Wing walked ahead, listening to the bickering behind him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He didn't look back, his steps light as he walked into the night.
The three of them couldn't drink and hadn't, but Gon and Killua's faces were flushed red, as excited as if they had been drinking.
Goreinu stood at the villa entrance, looking up toward the Heavens Arena.
The giant tower was lit with countless lights in the night sky, like a burning torch.
"I plan to participate in the matches."
Kastro and Nico both looked at him.
"I've fallen behind too much."
Goreinu's voice was calm.
"I need to retrain my Nen. Heavens Arena is a good choice."
Kastro nodded.
"Alright. I'll take you up to register."
Nico also came over.
"I'll come too. I also want to make it to the 200th floor. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
Goreinu smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Then I'll be in your care."
Ashir stood to the side, quietly watching the scene.
He didn't speak, just lowered his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
Sophia and Shizuku also walked out of the villa.
Sophia stretched and took a deep breath of the night air.
"We'll stay for a few days before leaving too."
She looked at Leo. "My combat preparation period is almost over, so I plan to sign up for a match. I have eight wins right now; two more and I can challenge a Floor Master."
Shizuku stood beside her, adjusting her glasses without saying a word.
Leo nodded.
"Mm, good luck!"
Sophia grinned.
"Don't worry, Master."
Everyone gradually dispersed.
The light at the villa entrance remained on, casting a warm patch of light on the ground.
Leo stood there, watching as the figures disappeared one by one into the night.
Wing led Gon and the others away, the sounds of Gon and Killua's bickering still faintly audible.
Kastro and Nico led Goreinu toward the Heavens Arena, with Goreinu occasionally looking back at this unfamiliar city.
Sophia and Shizuku walked side-by-side at the back, Sophia talking while Shizuku listened quietly.
Ashir walked even further back, alone, his footsteps very light.
Soon, only Leo was left at the entrance.
He closed the door, also preparing to leave.
"Mr. Leo."
Ashir's voice came from behind him.
Leo stopped and looked back.
Ashir had returned at some point, holding a small metal disc in his hand—
—the same as the one used before to set teleportation coordinates, just one size smaller, about the size of a coin.
"This is for you."
Ashir handed the disc over.
"When you need to travel quickly, contact me, and I will open a portal."
Leo took the disc and weighed it in his hand.
It was very light, with fine patterns etched onto the metal surface, shimmering faintly under the light.
Ashir continued.
"I've left a medium at both the Heavens Arena and the Hunter Association. You can use this medium, and then I will open a portal for you to travel quickly between different places."
He paused.
"This will reduce your travel time."
Leo looked at the disc in his hand, then at Ashir.
"Thank you for your hard work."
He put the disc away.
"I have high expectations for you. Keep it up."
Ashir was stunned for a moment.
A complex expression appeared on his face.
"I am very grateful."
His voice was somewhat low.
"That you spared my life and allowed me to do something meaningful."
Leo shook his head.
"If you want to atone, words aren't enough. You need actual action."
He patted Ashir's shoulder.
"Go on."
Ashir nodded and turned to leave.
His figure soon disappeared into the night, his pace slightly lighter than when he arrived.
Leo stood in place, looking in that direction, silent for a moment.
Then, he also followed.
Time flew by.
Leo began his journey of hunting down criminals once again.
He put Nico in charge of gathering intelligence while he utilized Ashir's teleportation ability to travel quickly back and forth between various locations.
Often, he would be on the Ejin Continent one day and appear on the other side of the Yorbian Continent the next.
His efficiency was several times faster than before.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
The June sun was already somewhat scorching, leaving a slight sting on the skin.
Leo stood on a cliff, watching the sea of clouds churning beneath him.
His phone vibrated; it was a message from Nico—another lead.
He looked down at the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Rank: 77 (25%)].
In these past two months, he had dealt with nine wanted criminals.
Five of them were A-Rank.
One was an Enhancer who worked alone but had committed over a dozen massacres.
When Leo found him, he was drinking in a tavern in a small town.
Seeing Leo, he tried to resist, throwing a punch imbued with Nen, which Leo casually blocked before shattering his sternum with a single punch.
There was also an Emitter who roamed around committing crimes with two subordinates.
Caught by Leo at an auction, he ignored their Nen Bullet attacks and sent all three to meet God with a single kick.
The other three were A-rank Wanted Criminal groups.
One was called the Rick Armed Group, a team of twenty led by five Nen Users, with the rest being ordinary people.
They committed robbery, murder, looting—every evil imaginable.
When Leo found the valley where they were hiding, they were in the middle of dividing their loot.
He jumped down from above the valley, the impact of his landing shattering the rocks beneath his feet.
All twenty people were down in less than three minutes.
Another was the Yuri Bandit Group, consisting of thirteen people; the leader's strength was average, but he had several experts skilled in tracking and counter-tracking.
It took Nico a full week to pin down their whereabouts.
When Leo found them, they were resting in an abandoned mine.
He walked in, and the thirteen of them were wiped out before they could even react.
There was also a group specializing in online scams, tricking young girls who dreamed of becoming stars; after luring them to a location, they would extort money, then rape and murder them.
After Leo found their hideout, he took them out with a single Super Destruction Fist.
There were also four B-rank Wanted Criminals: two lone wolves and two working in teams.
One lone wolf was hiding in a city's underground black market working as security; Leo found him and killed him with a single finger.
The other happened to appear at an airport; Leo spotted him right after getting off an Airship and dealt with him easily.
A three-person theft ring specialized in stealing cultural relics and jewelry, killing people along the way.
A five-person scam group had swindled over a dozen families of their savings and sold people into the black market.
To Leo, current wanted criminals were just walking experience points; none of them could pressure him.
With every bounty received, Leo's bank balance jumped significantly.
Between the five A-Rank and four B-Rank criminals, plus his previous savings, his deposits once again achieved a Breakthrough of ten billion.
During this period, Gon and Hisoka set a date for their match.
Wing was the one who told Leo the news.
"July 10th."
Wing said over the phone.
"That kid Gon insists on having a match with Hisoka."
Leo smiled.
"He decided it himself?"
"He decided it himself. Killua tried to talk him out of it, but it was no use."
Wing paused.
"What do you think?"
He knew very well that there was a promise between Gon and Hisoka.
"Let him fight."
Leo said.
Wing didn't ask further.
"Alright."
The call ended.
Leo stood by the window, looking at the distant skyline.
He wasn't worried about Gon and Hisoka's match.
Hisoka wouldn't kill Gon—that "green apple" wasn't ripe yet, and he couldn't bear to.
He knew that everyone had their own path to walk, and he wouldn't interfere with their choices.
Gon's path was his own to walk.
The June sunlight was pleasant.
In the Heavens Arena, Goreinu had already made it to the 200th floor; with the boost from Nen, it was effortless.
His progress was rapid; though he had fallen behind for a while, his foundation was solid, and with Kastro and Nico as sparring partners, his strength recovered much faster than expected.
Kastro was still pushing for the position of Floor Master.
His record was steadily improving, only one win away from the ten victories needed.
Nico was also improving; while not as fast as Kastro, every step he took was steady.
The three-person team of Sophia, Shizuku, and Ashir specialized in dealing with C-Rank and B-rank Wanted Criminals.
Sophia was responsible for frontal assaults, Shizuku for control and cleanup, and Ashir for teleportation and support.
Their coordination grew more seamless, and their efficiency continued to rise.
Most of the bounty money Ashir earned was donated to charity.
That was what Ashir said himself.
"Atonement."
Sophia didn't object, and neither did Shizuku.
When Leo found out, he didn't say anything; he just nodded, knowing everyone had their own path.
And as for himself—he still had a long way to go.