The Assassin's Way of Thinking

Under Chairman Netero's behind-the-scenes manipulation, the final test bracket was soon posted for everyone to see.

When Illumi saw that he and Allen had been placed in the same group, he immediately turned and fixed Allen with those incredibly eerie eyes.

A full minute passed before he returned to his usual appearance, as though he were pondering something.

In comparison, Hisoka, who had temporarily lost his Nen abilities, curled his lips into a perverted, excited grin, as if he had witnessed something interesting.

Soon, at the referee's command, the two contestants in the first match slowly stepped into the center of the arena.

Noticing that his opponent was still disguised, Allen immediately reminded him, "Are you sure you don't want to pull out all those needles in your head and fight at full strength?"

"Ah! I would've forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

Without another word, Illumi swiftly pulled every needle infused with Nen from his head.

In just a few seconds, he reverted from Kalluto's strange appearance to his normal self.

His long, straight black hair, paired with his somewhat androgynous face, made him look completely different from before.

"E-Eldest Brother?!"

Killua's pupils instantly dilated at the sight, and undisguised shock and fear appeared on his face.

"Eldest Brother? He's your family?" Gon asked curiously.

"That's right! Illumi, the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family—my eldest brother," Killua replied in a slightly trembling voice.

"What an amazing disguise!"

"The Zoldyck Family, the strongest family of assassins..."

Leorio and Kurapika also looked astonished.

To be precise, aside from Allen and Hisoka, who had seen Illumi's true face before, every other examinee found it hard to believe that such astounding face-changing techniques existed in the world.

"Whew—this feels much easier. Still, I really don't want to fight you. Your abilities are simply too troublesome and too versatile," Illumi complained expressionlessly.

"But I'm the exact opposite! I've been looking forward to fighting you," Allen said with a smile as he activated his aura, forming an impregnable defense around his body.

He knew very well that the most important thing when fighting a Manipulator was to never let their Nen needles hit him. The moment one struck, the battle would be over.

"Hmm? You seem to know my ability!"

When Illumi saw the "Ken" surrounding Allen's body, several times more powerful than it had been during his duel with Hisoka, suspicion immediately arose in his mind.

You must know, maintaining Ken at that level consumed several times the normal amount of aura.

If Allen did not know that Illumi's Nen ability belonged to the Manipulation type, ordinary Ken would have been more than enough to deal with needles that lacked much killing power.

"No, I'm just cautious. Referee, can we begin now?" Allen asked, turning toward the suited man beside them.

The latter immediately raised both hands and shouted, "First match of the final test! Begin!"

The instant his words fell—

Illumi immediately infused his Nen into the needles and hurled them with all his strength.

But Allen merely raised an arm and gave it a light sweep, knocking every needle to the ground.

Clearly, boosted by Enhancement-type abilities, the Nen needles casually thrown by Illumi could not pierce Allen's defense at all.

"What a hassle! Hisoka was right. You really do have traits of the Enhancement type."

As Illumi increased the amount of aura infused into the needles, he charged straight at Allen, apparently intending to engage him in close-quarters combat.

"Oh? Have you exchanged information about my abilities in private?" Allen subconsciously glanced at Hisoka, who was sitting on the ground, while activating his own ability.

Nen Ability—Enhancement

Attribute Granted to Fist—Destruction

The next second...

An enormous amount of aura suddenly gathered in his right hand, and he threw a fierce punch.

Boom!

Accompanied by a Loud Noise and violent tremors, countless fragments of stone exploded outward!

When the smoke cleared, a huge crater over twenty meters in diameter and a full meter deep had appeared in the hall floor.

"Y-You're kidding, right?"

Leorio stood with his mouth hanging open, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing.

"What terrifying Destructive Power! No wonder the Captain said before that Allen's strength was separated from ours by an insurmountable gulf. It wasn't an exaggeration—it was true." Kurapika was deeply shaken as well, his eyes unconsciously turning scarlet.

He even began to imagine whether he could immediately seek revenge against the Phantom Troupe if he possessed such power.

In comparison, Killua had focused all his attention on his eldest brother.

Illumi stood at the edge of the crater, clutching his badly deformed arm. A rare grave expression had appeared on his face.

If he had not dodged in time just now, it would not have been merely one broken arm. He would have been lying on the ground, waiting to be carried to the hospital.

"As expected of the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family! Your judgment of the situation and sense of danger far surpass ordinary people!" Allen praised, glancing at the needle that had fallen by his feet.

Illumi had intended to get close and use "Ko" to drive that needle into Allen's body, then manipulate him into surrendering voluntarily.

It has to be said, if Allen's agility had not far surpassed Illumi's, allowing him to throw his destruction-enhanced punch first, Illumi would probably have succeeded.

But unfortunately, he had been one step too slow.

And after realizing the danger, he had swiftly concentrated his aura into his arm to form "Ko," barely managing to block the strike.

"You really do know my ability!"

Illumi quickly inserted several needles into his fractured arm, using Manipulation-type Nen to temporarily restore its ability to move.

Just as Allen was preparing to take the initiative and force his opponent to reveal his true strength, the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family suddenly raised a hand and said to the referee beside them, "I surrender!"

"W-What?"

The referee was clearly stunned. He seemed unable to believe that a duel which had only just reached its climax would end so abruptly.

"I surrender!"

Illumi repeated his decision.

"The winner! Examinee Number 105, Allen!"

The referee loudly announced the result of the first match.

As Illumi turned to find his beloved younger brother Killua, Allen suddenly stopped him and demanded, "Why surrender? You haven't even used half your strength yet, have you?"

"Because the result has already been decided! I'm not like someone who enjoys the thrill and pleasure brought by fighting. Compared with the process, I value the result more. And based on the current rules, the environment, and how familiar we are with each other, I don't think I can win."

Illumi stated his reason for surrendering without hesitation.

However, because he maintained that expressionless face the entire time, with eyes that were deep, dark, and vacant, there was no way to tell whether he was speaking the truth or lying.

"Fine, I understand. Typical assassin thinking."

Allen sighed regretfully and did not press the matter further.

From Illumi's perspective, what he said was indeed correct.

Once an assassin confirmed that victory was impossible, decisively surrendering and withdrawing was a quality a qualified assassin had to possess.

This could be glimpsed from the Nen needle he had implanted in Killua...

P.S. Please bookmark and recommend the new book. Many thanks.