Gon's victory was like a shot in the arm, giving the examinees' taut nerves a brief reprieve.
But everyone knew they still needed two more wins.
Kurapika calmly stepped onto the platform.
His clear brown eyes betrayed no emotion.
His opponent was a middle-aged man who looked quite refined, with gold-rimmed glasses and a gentle smile.
He even gave the examinees a slight bow.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Machiff."
He introduced himself in a mild, cultured voice.
"I'm not much of a fighter, so why don't we settle this in a more civilized way?"
He took a coin out of his pocket.
"How about guessing heads or tails?"
The suggestion left the examinees stunned.
Leorio was the first to shout, "Hey! Isn't that a bit of a joke?!"
"This is no joke."
Machiff explained with a smile, "It's a battle of wits. After all, luck is part of strength too, isn't it?"
Kurapika raised no objection.
"I accept," he said calmly.
Luo Ye leaned against the wall, watching with interest.
Oh-ho, we're playing mind games now?
His inner commentary kicked in again.
This Machiff guy looks harmless, but I could smell that phoniness from eight hundred miles away. People like him love pushing the rules to their limits. He's definitely no innocent.
This should be good.
The match began.
Machiff tossed the coin high into the air, then covered it with his hand.
"Go ahead and guess," he said with a smile.
Kurapika was silent for a moment.
"My guess is that no matter what I choose, you'll make sure I lose."
Machiff's smile stiffened briefly, but soon returned to normal.
"Why would I do that? I'm very particular about following the rules."
As he spoke, he adopted a casual, conversational tone.
"Speaking of which, my greatest passion in life is collecting beautiful things."
"Precious gems, rare works of art..."
He paused, then continued in a lilting, almost operatic voice.
"I've heard that somewhere in this world, there exists a mysterious race. When their emotions run high, their eyes turn the most beautiful scarlet in the world."
"They're called 'scarlet eyes,' one of the seven great beauties."
"I'd love to see them for myself, and then... gouge them out and make them the perfect addition to my collection."
After speaking, he even closed his eyes in rapture.
At that instant, the air froze.
Leorio erupted in fury. "You bastard!"
Killua's gaze turned cold as well.
He could feel a bone-chilling killing intent pouring from Kurapika.
Clink.
It was the sound of the coin hitting the floor.
Machiff opened his eyes, looking puzzled.
Then he saw it.
At some point, Kurapika's eyes had turned a vivid red, blazing like flames.
It was not the red of anger, but a cold red that seemed capable of freezing the soul itself.
Here it comes! Here it comes!
Luo Ye nearly jumped with excitement.
The limited-edition skin, Scarlet Eyes, is officially live! This guy's practically dancing through a minefield. A textbook case of asking to die!
"Just now, you said..."
Kurapika's voice seemed to rise from the deepest depths of hell, utterly devoid of warmth.
"You wanted to collect my eyes?"
Cold sweat instantly broke out over Machiff.
He felt it: the instinctive fear of death shared by all living things.
He tried to beg for mercy, but his throat felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around it. He could not make a sound.
Kurapika walked toward him, one step at a time.
"Then the game is over."
Under Machiff's terrified gaze, Kurapika reached out at a speed almost too fast to follow and took the real coin from the other coin Machiff had hidden in his sleeve.
Then he held the coin before Machiff's eyes.
Heads.
"I win."
Kurapika spoke coldly.
With that, he turned and walked away, his blazing red eyes gradually returning to their original color.
From beginning to end, he had not so much as touched the prisoner.
Yet Machiff collapsed to the floor as though all his strength had been drained away, a wet patch spreading across his crotch.
He had literally wet himself in terror.
The most extreme anger, and yet the coolest judgment.
Luo Ye applauded inwardly.
Elegant. Absolutely elegant. Full marks for that move.
The score was now two to one.
The examinees had reached match point.
The prisoners' earlier arrogance had vanished completely.
They stared at Kurapika's retreating back as though looking at a demon.
The first light of victory was just ahead.
"That was amazing, Kurapika!"
Leorio shouted excitedly.
"I'm up next!"
His companions' victories had fired him up completely, and he could hardly wait to claim the decisive point for the team.
He strode onto the platform.
The fourth match was about to begin.
Before you continue