Chapter 272 Now You Do

At the beginning, Netero's first serve had gone to Law's right. But after the stakes were set, the next two serves were straight at him.

On the other hand, Law's first serve had been straight, and his second serve not only included a feint, but also wasn't aimed directly at Netero.

This was the change brought about by the stakes. Whether it was their positions or their perspectives, neither of them wanted to lose… or rather, both wanted to win.

Leaving aside why Netero's serves exploded upon being received, Law's feint-filled serve had utilized a very smooth application of Ryu.

That serve was all about 'going with the flow'!

If Law's right hand, which had been poised to strike the ball, wasn't just a feint but had suddenly changed direction to hit the ball the other way, such a counterintuitive move wouldn't have allowed the ball's power to be fully unleashed.

Therefore, if he wanted to go with the flow, Law can only hit the ball with his left hand after the feint.

That's exactly what Law did, and his Ryu provided ample support for the serve. Unfortunately, he was facing an old monster, so the serve didn't achieve the desired effect.

But although it failed, it still revealed a highlight that Netero noticed.

After Biscuit and the others entered the martial arts room, they saw that both Law and Netero were maintaining their Ken, and they could vaguely sense the tension in the air.

'Something doesn't seem right...'

'This was no longer just a casual post-dinner game. It was clear that both Law and Chairman were fiercely competitive.'

They didn't know about the stakes involved in the game, so they were surprised by what they saw. They quietly moved to the side and tried not to disturb the atmosphere in the venue.

The room was now filled with people, but Law seemed oblivious to Biscuit and the others' presences. At this moment, all his focus was on winning.

To win, he needed to achieve two things: receive the ball and break through Netero's defense with his serves. Between the two, receiving the ball was more important.

'As long as I could reliably receive the ball, I would always have a chance to attack!'

'However, the rule is to prevent the opponent from receiving the ball, so I don't necessarily have to receive the ball with both hands. I could also focus entirely on my Domain, stopping the ball in mid-air and then taking it calmly.'

Thinking of this, Law took a deep breath, focused his mind, and adjusted his state to his best.

He tosses the ball and serves!

This time, he infused more of his Aura into the volleyball itself rather than concentrating it in his hand to increase power and speed.

His motivation for doing this was twofold: first, he hoped the ball would explode upon reaching Netero's hands, and second, he wanted to observe how Netero's Aura operated when he received the ball.

Bang!

Whether Netero had sensed Law's intentions or not, this time he didn't catch the ball. Instead, he struck it back, giving Law no chance to observe.

Upon seeing this, Law immediately deployed his Domain at full strength, trying to stop the powerful ball in front of him.

His will to stop the ball was unwavering, and his Aura responded accordingly.

When the volleyball came close, it stopped half a meter in front of Law. To be precise, it did not stop completely, because the volleyball indeed stopped in the air, but its rotation did not stop.

This is a very bizarre sight. A volleyball hovering in mid-air in front of Law, yet its spin showed no signs of slowing.

Looking at this scene, Law frowned deeply. Before he had time to think about it, he saw that the volleyball had broken through the constraints of his Domain and was heading straight towards him.

Law was startled, but he still stretched out his hands in time to catch the volleyball.

However, he had almost entirely focused his Aura on the Domain, so when he caught the ball, there wasn't much Aura left in his hands. In an instant, his hands were injured.

Fortunately, the ball's force had been significantly weakened by his Domain. Even though Law did not have much Aura in his hands, the spinning ball didn't break his fingers.

This time, the ball didn't explode immediately. It remained in Law's hands for over ten seconds before finally exploding.

Law had failed again, and the score was now three to zero.

"Third point."

Netero quickly fetched another new volleyball, his expression calm and composed.

Compared to a well-prepared serve, striking the ball back with a high-speed spin on the fly was much more difficult. But for Netero, it seemed effortless.

Netero tossed the volleyball to Law, but the latter did not serve immediately after catching the ball.

Three more points… that was how close he was to losing.

'So that's how it is…'

Law pondered the differences between the previous serve and the first two, then slowly raised his head and smiled.

"It seemed you've noticed." Netero looked unmoved.

What Law had realized wasn't just that the ball would explode. The phenomenon of the ball breaking through his Domain had made him aware of a danger.

In a way, Netero had used that strike to reveal a weakness in Law's Domain.

Up until now, the Domain had been able to stop bullets, even rockets, in their tracks. Many long-range attacks infused with Nen had also been stopped by the Domain. Yet, Netero's returned strike had broken through it.

The ball was the vessel, and the Aura was the driving force… that was the relationship between the two. But Netero's serve had reversed this relationship, which was why the ball had broken through the Domain and exploded upon being caught.

Generally speaking, when catching a ball steadily, one must first neutralize the assisting force. However, in Netero's hands, the ball became an assisting force.

This means that Law, following this habitual thinking to neutralize the assisting force, ended up destroying the ball instead.

And then there's the breakthrough of the Domain, which verified a principle: the decisive factor in the outcome of a Nen Battle ultimately depends on Nen.

"My turn."

Law looked at Netero, his thoughts churning until he reached a conclusion. Ignoring the minor injuries on his hands, he prepared to serve.

Toss the ball, then hit the ball!

No feints, no tricks, just a straightforward serve like Netero's.

Since he had come up with a hypothesis, the next step was to verify it!

Although there were no experimental conditions, Law still wanted to give it a try.

Bang!

The ball was wrapped in abundant Aura and flew towards Netero.

Although the operation seemed rough, Law still succeeded in one try.

Seeing this, Netero narrowed his eyes and caught the volleyball with both hands. Three seconds later, the volleyball exploded while spinning.

However, at the moment of the explosion, Netero's hands and entire body remained as steady as a mountain, unlike Law, who was pushed back by the explosion's force.

"First point."

After seeing the results, Law's smile became much brighter.

The score was now three to one.

Netero didn't say anything, but gave a thumbs up, giving Law high praise.

In fact, he could have prevented the ball from exploding, but in order to allow Law to verify his findings, he deliberately caught the ball in an ordinary way.

The consequence was as seen: the volleyball exploded, and he lost a point.

Not only Law has discovered ways to deal with the situation, he also found a method to attack, achieving both offense and defense.

"Next, I won't hold back."

Netero took a brand-new ball and kindly reminded Law.

Law didn't say anything, but the Aura flowing in his body clearly told Netero: Bring it on!

It was still a seemingly ordinary serve, but the ball flying at high speed was anything but ordinary.

This time, Law still chose to use his Domain, but this Domain was significantly different from before.

What we need to do is not to neutralize the assisting force, but to neutralize Netero's Aura!

The volleyball was once again suspended in mid-air by the Domain, and the spin didn't weaken at all. However, this time, the ball didn't break through the Domain.

'Success…!'

Just as Law was excited about overcoming his weakness, the ball exploded again, and this time, the force generated by the explosion was stronger than before, sending him flying.

Outside the court, the people watching the match were slightly startled, but didn't rush onto the court.

Law was blown back several meters, then slid a few more meters on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

He lay on the ground, with his limbs sprawled out.

"Fourth point."

Netero stroked his beard and announced that the score was about to reach match point. His attitude also changed. He felt that the next two points might not be so easy.

'Interesting, interesting!'

His blood was starting to heat up.

'Since that kid Ging refused to play with me anymore, it had been a while since I had such an experience.'

The next two points indeed wouldn't be so easy to score.

Law lay on the ground, and even when he was at a complete disadvantage, he laughed out loud.

This ball game, which he originally thought was boring, has now completely aroused his interest!

Indeed, whether something is boring or not depends on the opponent.

His opponent was Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Association, the strongest Nen User in the world half a century ago, and the founder of the Shingen-ryu Style.

Interacting with such a being, whether it was playing ball or even exchanging insults, was worth cherishing and seizing.

After a few moments, Law stopped laughing and then stood up.

His fighting spirit and interest had reached their peak.

At this time, Netero tossed the ball over.

After Law caught the ball, he asked in front of everyone, "Do you think I have a chance to win?"

Netero remained silent for a while, then said, "Now you do."

What this means is before, there was absolutely no chance of winning for Law, but now, there was.