The Old Magician's Curtain Call × Stitched Reality

There are two kinds of evil: one is innate, and the other is cultivated...

Molitonio belonged to the former group. He chose magic shows because he enjoyed the astonished expressions of the audience. But magic shows eventually come to an end, the astonishment fades, leaving only emptiness. Molitonio would then seek even greater astonishment, until... he could no longer glean even a trace of emotional value from the astonished expressions of his family. Molitonio knew he was bored, so he killed his sister, reaping one last wave of pleasure from her incredulous expression.

He remembered that day very clearly; he was trembling with excitement, as if he had discovered a new continent. Using the disguise of "the stitched-up reality" and the Magnetic Pressure generated by the "Iron-Dyeing Bipolarity," he constantly wandered in the darkness, enjoying the fear and despair that people showed before death. From then on, he embarked on a road of no return.

"I often feel empty after a performance,"

"To fill this void, I will constantly seek more excitement and develop more magic tricks."

He had once said this to Hisoka after a performance... But now, that girl didn't matter, and neither did Hisoka. Molitonio stared intently at Roy, just as he had that day when he chose to kill his own sister, once again experiencing that exhilarating excitement that sent shivers down his spine.

A genius! A young genius! A genius who can be harvested without any nurturing! Is there anything more pleasurable than killing him?

"Hehe... the leader seems really excited ♡."

The performance just started; it seems I arrived at the perfect time.

1

"Tap... tap..."

Two pointed Jester boots appeared out of nowhere in the darkness. Hisoka appeared on the wall, his arms resting on his knees, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield... Gotoh comforted the little girl, while keeping a high level of vigilance and subtly moving closer to Roy.

"Ignore him." The Cane Sword struggled, its tip seemingly poised to pierce, but the Sun-Earring Boy gently stroked it, silencing it.

"A swordsman's sword is above all else; as long as the sword is there, the sword is there; if the sword breaks, the sword is gone." This was the advice that Master Urokodaki Sakonji gave Roy on his very first day of handling a sword.

He had always been an obedient child, and that's what he did.

"Sing--" The Cane Sword emitted a sharp screech, annoyed at being controlled, urging Roy to hurry up and cut him down.

The Sun-Earring Boy's lips curled into a smile, and without making any visible movement, he flashed forward, unleashing his full "Shadow Step" technique, and in an instant, he was right in front of Molitonio, thrusting forward with a powerful strike!

"Sun Breathing - Sun Flower Thrust!"

The blade sparked as it rubbed against the air. As Molitonio drew closer, he felt a wave of intense heat wash over him. Startled, he summoned [Refinement] and condensed it into [Hair], which, imbued with Magnetism, compressed into refined iron, forming several Iron Shield shields in front of him.

"Crack... crack... crack..." One side shattered, two sides shattered, three sides of the shield broke, revealing the completely exposed perverted killer. To Molitonio's horrified gaze, he plunged a knife into Moritonio's shoulder blade!

"Such a fast blade..." Hisoka narrowed his eyes, "Such sharp Swordsmanship!" Ripples spread across Molitonio's bleeding shoulder, a layer of "Nen skin" peeled away, separating from the Cane Sword and revealing the wall where Roy had stabbed a large hole.

Gotoh noticed the thin, handkerchief-like "spiritual skin" and frowned. "Is it an illusion?"

The Young Master clearly aimed for the throat, but ended up stabbing the wall instead. He couldn't believe he'd missed by so much...

"Not only that... there's also Magnetism..." Having followed Molitonio for so long, Hisoka had long noticed that whenever the leader performed "aerial swimming," the audience members sitting in the front row would unconsciously move closer to him with the metal accessories around their necks, as if they were being deeply captivated by magnets.

"The knife deviates because of the pressure from the ' Magnetism ',"

Hisoka stretched out his arms and praised, "This is the captain! He can absorb it, but unfortunately, he's repelled; even refined iron can't get into his body ♡~"

"Hisoka- kun... I should have killed you sooner..." Molitonio flicked his wrist and used "Magnetism" to hook onto the lamppost behind him, swinging up and creating distance between himself and Roy.

The information was so easily disclosed, which undoubtedly put a mature Nen user at a disadvantage... This is the experience summarized by a failed Hunter Exam candidate over many years.

By the way, in that round, only one person passed the test, and his name is now known throughout the world: Botobai Gigante!

"Molitonio, you're strong, but unfortunately you met me." That year, the straightforward Chen Long gave his honest assessment of his old rival, even saying... if Molitonio had continued to participate in the Hunter Exam, he would definitely have been one of the winners in the next round.

But... I came here for thrills, not to be humiliated... Molitonio couldn't accept that the performance ended in failure, so he left the Hunter Association, chose to do a tour around the world, and then... picked up Hisoka.

The old magician, clutching his severed arm, stood on the lamppost.

Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and waved it downwards, activating "Iron-Dyeing Bipolarity," which condensed into dozens of sharp spikes in mid-air and flew rapidly toward Roy!

He took this opportunity to escape the scene and get out of his predicament.

"Heh heh... he's going to escape..." Hisoka suddenly stood up, abandoning his lazy posture, a piece of chewing gum clutched in his palm, ready to be used.

Gotoh glanced at him. "I don't need you to remind me."

Then... Roy caught up with his sword, his eyes fixed on nothing else, not even glancing at Hisoka. With each strike a sharp spike, he effortlessly leaped off the wall and soared into the sky, transforming into a large bird. He arrived above Molitonio's head, and then... unleashed a sharp, fiery sword technique!

"The True Meaning of Scorching - Sun Breathing - Fire Wheel!"

The Cane Sword gleamed, coated with a layer of blazing red light, and a circular slash swept across space, suddenly striking... Molitonio's pupils contracted. "Come on!"

"Buzz--" The Magnetic Pressure down on Roy instantly, attempting to hold the Sun-Earring Boy back. Even if it only pressed down on him for a second, it would be enough for Molitonio to escape... However, to the old magician's surprise, in addition to the "Flame Blade Technique," the Sun-Earring Boy also possessed "Flame Magic." Before the Magnetism even touched him, it emitted a soft "hissing" sound and was burned away!

Molitonio stared in disbelief, still in a daze, when a sharp pain shot through his chest. He had been cleaved in two from shoulder to waist!

"Thump... thump..." Blood rained down as Molitonio crashed to the ground, resembling his favorite "hamburger patty"—split in two, with a pile of scattered flesh in the middle...

"Wow!" Hisoka covered his mouth, putting away his "chewing gum."

Above the night sky, Roy, bathed in Moonlight, drifted about, with a full moon behind him and two suns in his eyes. He landed on a gentle breeze, the tip of his knife pointing diagonally, resting on Molitonio's throat.

"Cough... cough... Bungee Gum... the play is over..." Molitonio coughed up blood, looking weakly, "It's a pity... the audience... was a bit small... only a few children..."

Before he could finish speaking, Roy pierced his throat with a single blow. "If you're going to die, just die quickly. You don't need to say so much."

"I... you..." The knife tip twisted, ripping his throat... The deranged killer slumped, a blurry image appearing before his eyes...

"Elder brother,"