HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

Watching Maro's fight with his opponent, Cyr had only one thought—

What is this? Did the two of you come straight out of a "brawling basics" drama troupe?

Is brute-force fistfighting all they know?

The Heaven's Arena doesn't even restrict the use of weapons, right? Even using a simple weapon would make the match far more entertaining than this mess.

It was so ugly to watch that Cyr felt an impulse to turn away.

Still…

"Come to think of it, there are quite a lot of people in the audience," Cyr murmured, raising an eyebrow and smiling with a hint of mischief.

A crowd full of unlucky souls, huh?

Might as well draw a card.

Currently, Cyr was standing alone in one of the arena's corridors. The match had already started, and the spectators were all seated inside. There wasn't anyone like him, leisurely arriving late.

"Wheel of Law," he whispered.

A glowing wheel of deep blue light appeared, hovering in the air before him.

Reaching forward, Cyr drew three cards.

---

[Reversed Strength]

Effect: All abilities are weakened to a certain degree.

[Reversed Wheel of Fortune]

Effect: Causes bad luck. How unlucky? Well, that depends on fate.

[Upright Empress]

Effect 1: When fighting male opponents, attacks gain a bonus and are more likely to deal critical hits.

---

The Empress card… well, that's suitably regal.

Now, let's see what the fourth card has to offer.

The wheel spun briefly in the air and spat out a new card. Cyr caught it in his hand and flipped it over.

[Upright High Priestess]

Effect 1: Restores a certain amount of energy.

Effect 2: Provides a "sanity shield."

"Energy recovery? That's actually pretty useful," Cyr mused. As for the second effect… it felt like something that would be handy when dealing with eldritch horrors.

A sanity shield, huh? Does that mean I won't lose sanity so easily? Less chance of going mad?

Now for the fifth card—what to choose?

He looked at the wheel. This time, the cards had stopped spinning, their faces clearly visible, awaiting his selection.

"Let's go with… this one." Cyr reached out and grabbed a card.

---

[Upright Chariot]

Effect 1: Allows the creation of any vehicle.

---

"Really? Any vehicle? Can I manifest that golden hero king's throne too?" Cyr chuckled to himself, thinking about the possibilities.

Guess I'll have to test it out.

"So the five cards only take effect after being used on people…" Cyr muttered as he stepped out of the hallway with five cards in hand. He found a seat near the edge of the arena, close to the action.

Maro was still locked in a grueling back-and-forth fight with his opponent. Watching it made Cyr involuntarily frown.

"Here, a little gift." Cyr casually shoved two of the reversed debuff cards onto a random person in the crowd.

The cards vanished the moment they made contact.

The man stared blankly at his now-empty hands, blinking in confusion.

Huh? What did that white-haired kid give me? There's clearly nothing there…

"Hey, Maro!" Cyr called out toward the ring.

Maro instinctively turned his head, only to get punched squarely in the face by his opponent. Wincing, he quickly pulled back to create distance, but his gaze remained fixed on Cyr below the stage.

"Catch." Cyr tossed three cards in Marlo's direction.

Even mid-battle, Maro chose to endure his opponent's attacks, reaching out to catch the items thrown at him.

The moment the cards touched his hands, they vanished.

"Let's see how this plays out…" Cyr said with a bright grin as he threw the remaining three buff cards onto Marlo.

---

[Upright Empress]

[Upright High Priestess]

[Upright Chariot]

---

The effects were immediate. The clothes Marlo was wearing transformed into an elegant white silk gown—off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved, and trailing dramatically on the ground.

Apparently, either the High Priestess card or the Empress card included a wardrobe change as part of its effects.

"Pfft…" Cyr lifted a hand to cover his mouth, unable to hold back his laughter.

Thank goodness I didn't use those cards on myself, or I'd be the one in a dress right now.

The entire audience, along with the commentator, stared in stunned silence, jaws hanging open.

"O-O-OHHH!!! Maro has somehow managed a quick costume change right in the middle of the match! How did he do it? And what purpose could this transformation possibly serve?! Let's wait and see!" The commentator recovered quickly, maintaining professionalism as he narrated the bizarre turn of events.

Across the ring, Marlo's opponent burst into hysterical laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Hahahahaha! Do you think that by dressing up as a little girl, I'll go easy on you or something?" the opponent sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

Maro, now clad in a gown, stood frozen as he awkwardly touched the fabric of his skirt.

It was high-quality material, exquisitely crafted, and surprisingly comfortable to wear. But… it was still a dress.

Is this punishment? he wondered, his expression dazed. Did I do something wrong? Or… is this just a prank?

If it was a prank…

Then maybe it means Lord Cyr considers me one of his own?

Yes, that must be it!

A faint blush crept onto Maro's cheeks as this realization dawned on him. Lord Cyr only pulls pranks on people he considers his own.

It has to be a sign!

Seeing this, Maro was filled with renewed determination. Grabbing the hem of his dress to keep from tripping, he fought his opponent with just one hand.

Unexpectedly, the fight became noticeably easier.

When he landed a punch squarely on his opponent's face, watching the man spin 360 degrees in place and spit out three teeth, Marlo stared at his own hand in disbelief.

'Did I… just do that?' Impossible. He knew his own strength perfectly well.

Then… this change seemed to happen only after Cyr showed up.

Did Cyr help me?

It must be! Cyr had finally accepted him as his subordinate! He needed to work even harder now!

---

"After Marlo switched into women's clothing, his combat strength suddenly skyrocketed! Could this be some kind of new enhancement method? Or is it Maro's special technique?!" The commentator's voice was full of shocked disbelief.

"Let's congratulate Maro on his victory!" The crowd erupted into cheers.

---

"So this is the Empress card's critical hit against males…" Cyr muttered, watching the opponent spit out blood and teeth after Maro's single punch.

The male-targeted damage boost and the stacked effects of the three buff cards amplified Maro's otherwise average strike into something formidable.

If used on someone stronger, the buffs would yield even more remarkable results.

Speaking of which… there was also that unlucky guy.

Cyr shifted his gaze behind him.

The man he had given two debuff cards to was now covered in instant noodle soup, with stray noodles draped over his head like limp, soggy curls. The man's entire demeanor radiated pure despair, as if a dark cloud hovered above him.

Looks like he's had a string of bad luck.

Just as Cyr was observing this with amusement, another man appeared from behind the unfortunate soul. Seemingly oblivious, the newcomer walked straight into him.

"Hey! Are you blind?!" The unlucky man, already fed up with his misfortunes, grabbed the newcomer by the collar and shouted angrily.

"Who told you to have such a weak presence? If you want to be noticed, try being more noticeable!" the newcomer shot back, slapping the unlucky man's hand away. His voice was sharp and menacing.

"What did you say?!" The unlucky man puffed out his chest and rammed it against the other.

"I said you should try having more presence!" The other man stood his ground, chest bumping him right back.

In an instant, the two men were brawling.

---

"Ahh, conflict born of misfortune…" Cyr watched the chaos unfold as if it were a spectator sport, showing no guilt for orchestrating the entire scene.

The unlucky man, of course, was still under the effects of the all-around debuff card. There was no way he could win.

Cyr watched as the other man pummeled the unlucky fellow before walking off with smug satisfaction.

Cyr couldn't help but clutch his stomach, laughing uncontrollably. "Too tragic… too tragic. My ability really is a lot of fun."

°°°

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