Lindon sent his perception to scan at his enemy. It was maybe a little bit rude but just at first glance he felt his killing intentions directed at him and he had to prepare himself.

Wherever he was right now the people here didn't advance in the same way they did in his world. He felt a great influx of power but couldn't be sure as to the level of his opponent. He couldn't feel any kind of formal advancement.

"The battle will begin shortly, please get ready and be patient. This is an experiment and we are not so sure how it will go." The small eyeball-shape construct spoke between them.

Lindon straightened and cycled his pure madra core to relax.

The strange clown man in front of him smiled at this while he looked at him in a strange position. Maybe he too had been sort of abducted by the abidan for this strange test, only one way to figure it out.

"Apologies, my name is Lindon, what's yours?" He started trying to sound amicable.

The lean palid man changed his pose and began stretching. A pack of cards appeared in his hands out of nowhere and he began to play with them. Had he a soul space too? That would put him at least at lord level, so Lindon should be careful.

"Hisoka." The man said while searching him for some kind of recognition.

But Lindon didn't know him even if for some reason he reminded him of Eithan. Lindon was about to scan the cards to see if they were a sacred weapon of some sort when Hisoka interrupted him.

"Are you the strongest one of your kind?"

The image of Yerin followed by Northstrider, Fury and Malice strode through Lindon's mind in an instant.

"I still have a long way to go."

This appeared to be the exact right answer Hisoka was looking for as his grin became almost grotesquely big. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy myself in this."

"The cross iterations tournament is about to begin. The fights will start as soon as I stop talking. After a series of combats we will decide who is fit to join our ranks and the winners will be compensated with a one in a kind Abidan treasure. You will receive points based on your performance, at the end of the tournament the top participants will be chosen as the ascenders.

"To even out the fields and incompatibility between iterations some restrictions have been enforced here. Authority over reality has been nullified during combats as well as bows and restrictions eased as to use your powers on anyone if it applies.

"The combats are to the death or surrender. The safety of the combatants is ensured by the authority of Razael, the wolf, and we, their followers. Everyone will return safely and healed to their rooms after each encounter. You may begin the fighting now."

Hisoka barely heard what the machine had to say. His eyes were focused on Lindon. He was young but radiated a strong aura around him and even though he acted very shy and concerned his eyes shone with a quiet determination.

Hisoka liked that. Those eyes were good ones. They were alive and strong and he couldn't wait to break them piece by piece.

He didn't care about the test. If this was an opportunity to fight someone truly strong, he wouldn't pass it.

When the words finished he waited. It was only graceous to let his enemy attack first. What kind of danger could he wait from this kid?

Lindon's eyes turned suddenly from soft blue to dark ponds engulfed by red flames. His body covered himself in flames the same tone and Hisoka was suddenly fighting a strange demon that looked like some descriptions of the beasts in the dark continent.

The excitement in his body almost made him quiver with anticipation as Lindon's fist connected directly with his face sending him flying through the empty room in a swirl of blood and hurt.

He was strong, so STRONG. This could be maybe too much fun. His technique was fast and relayed in overwhelming power. Maybe he was an enforcer kind of person? Those were always much fun to play around with.

Hisoka got up from the floor where he had been lying for who cared how long. He felt his face go numb and saw that Lindon was looking at him as a beast stalked their prey, ready to kill in one wild blow. But he wasn't attacking him and he could sense a kind of worry behind those dangerous flames. Was he containing himself?

A giggle escaped his mouth without any control. And his body finally catched up to his mind. Time to play.

Hisoka launched himself into Lindon's face and sent a barrage of punches and kicks which Lindon dodged or blocked without even breaking a sweat.

They broke and separated to regain their breath, though neither of them needed it.

"I- admire your velocity but you should probably resign." Lindon said and Hisoka had to hold back from laughing. Was he saying it out of confidence or worry?

"I'll give you a challenge." Hisoka mused with a smile in his words. "Try to avoid my next punch the same way as before."

This time Lindon seemed prepared even before he launched his attack. Hisoka made a mock of a punch in what their senses would feel like slow motion and Lindon moved out of the way ready to throw his own. Hisoka's fist suddenly connected with Lindon's chick with as much force as his first attack and sent him flying to the other end in an instant.

Lindon opened his eyes wide as he lurched himself up once again. He had avoided the attack thoroughly and had planned his next set of moves even without Dross's help in his mind. He had decided he didn't need it even if he missed him.

Hisoka was no real threat to him at least by what he had shown. But then his fist had suddenly changed course as if it had known exactly where his face was. Like a strange magic trick. Maybe the strange clown had used a veil to hide his power?

Lindon studied the last seconds of combat in his mind and realized his head had been tugged at by some invisible force the moment before getting punched. Hisoka's hidden power probably had something to do with that. He opened his overlord senses once again and could finally see a strange line of strange…madra…connecting directly from Hisoka's finger to his face.

The man was smiling through bloodied teeth.

"I call it bungee gum." He said almost childishly. Even his eyes were smiling.

Even when Lindon closed his senses the line kept visible in the air painted in pink. Hisoka pulled from it, making Lindon's nerves spike at the force.

"When did it happen?"

"Hmm? When you punched me, I knew exactly where you were aiming. You should not be so predictable." Hisoka followed that by swaying his finger in a mocking negative manner that pulled some more at his face.

"How did you know where I aimed?" He wasn't proud of having to ask all of these questions, but while Hisoka was willing to answer he could collect all the information he needed.

"You all aim to the same place, no? Couldn't guess why."

Hisoka's strange madra rose visibly from his body in tinged pinks and his face became serious. Lindon was done restraining himself too.

He switched from his black flame core to his pure core and activated the hollow domain for only a second. He wouldn't be controlled like a marionette by anyone.

Hisoka saw Lindon's eyes go from black to blue once more and a sphere of blue energy covered him, dispersing his nen in the process.

Was he a specialist maybe? His eyes changed as that kurta boy that traveled with Gon. He had been a specialist too. Maybe there were more of them out there in other words. That's as far as he let his mind wander. If he continued down that path he could get too excited and he wouldn't be able to precisely match his opponent. And he would enjoy this match even if it killed him.

With that he let his bungee gum that he had attached right besides Lindon throw him directly to him once more. Lindon reacted, covering himself in flames once more and jumping with explosive force to the side. As Hisoka flew past him he launched six enforced cards directly at the boys back. Like he could see the future Lindon turned around and launched a stream of black fire that destroyed them in the air and in a moment he was in front of him ready to strike.

Hisoka had to rely on his heightened senses and all the different bungee gum he had attached to walls and ceilings to fling himself from one side to the other avoiding the sudden income of attacks from the monstrous boy.

As he was forced to be in the defense he had to recognize that in terms of sheer power Lindon was stronger than him. In a straight face to face match he didn't hold a chance. But that only pushed him to try even harder to break him. Lindon didn't seem like he was enjoying himself, at least she should look like he was struggling or suffering, those were better faces.

Lindon glowed blue once more, and the sphere covered a lot more room than before. Almost all the bungee gum disappeared and Hisoka knew that the battle was coming to an end.

He launched himself faster than he ever had at him and Lindon didn't react in time. Hisoka covered both his hands in bungee gum and grabbed the boy's face engulfing his head completely and then he stretched his nen trying to suffocate or crush Lindons head as fast as he could.

When he looked down at the boy's face he almost pulsed with giddiness at the absolute terror of not being able to breath. He added that face to his collection because as soon as he saw it it disappeared and the hunter was back on his trail.

Instead of trying to escape or disappearing his nen, Lindon readied his palm like some kind of martial artist and drove it directly into Hisoka's stomach. He covered the spot with nen but as soon as his hand made contact with him all his body suddenly jerked with an electric spasm. Hisoka felt as if suddenly he was stripped of his own skin and his muscles wouldn't answer him nor his nen.

The bungee gum suddenly dissolved and Hisoka smiled one last smile when blackflame rained from the sky filling him with the most extatic of pains.

If this was how it felt to die, he should repeat it sooner or later.