The jungle lay deathly silent.
Only the center of the battlefield seethed.
The dull thuds of fists striking flesh, the shrill whistles of playing cards slicing through the air, and the hum of clashing Nen wove together into a wild symphony.
In the distant undergrowth, Killua stood like a stone statue, suppressing his presence to the absolute limit.
His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, remained fixed on the battle without blinking.
His mind raced faster than a supercomputer, analyzing every detail.
Hisoka's movements.
Elegant. Deadly.
Every move he made resembled a step in a waltz, light and full of rhythm.
But the playing cards in his hands became merciless scythes of death, each swipe aimed precisely at Luo Ye's vital points.
Throat, heart, temples.
Luo Ye's response, meanwhile, was as brutal as a charging rhinoceros.
No dodging. No evasion.
Or rather, he couldn't be bothered.
Hisoka's attacks were lightning-fast, but Luo Ye's evolved dynamic vision could still track them.
He could have dodged them easily.
But he didn't.
Because taking a beating made him stronger.
Clang!
Another Nen-infused playing card struck Luo Ye squarely in the neck.
The expected sight of his head flying off never materialized.
Only a shower of sparks erupted.
The razor-sharp card's edge curled on impact.
Luo Ye rolled his neck, his joints cracking sharply.
"Not good enough, Mr. Hisoka."
He even had the leisure to taunt him.
"You're hitting softer again. Didn't get enough to eat? Want me to treat you to an egg? My new pet just laid one. It's still warm."
The feverish gleam in Hisoka's crimson eyes grew brighter.
He didn't answer.
Every ounce of his attention was consumed by the unprecedented experience this "toy," Luo Ye, offered him.
Tough.
Far too tough.
Only a few short minutes had passed since the fight began.
Yet this boy's physical toughness had increased at least threefold.
At first, his playing cards could still cut the boy's skin.
Now, striking him felt like chopping at a steel plate covered in cowhide.
Not only could he inflict no meaningful damage, but the tremendous recoil also left his wrist numb.
Even more frighteningly, the boy's reaction speed and strength were increasing visibly as well.
At the beginning, Luo Ye's fists had barely kept pace with his movements.
Now, every counterattack Luo Ye threw carried such crushing force that Hisoka had to give it his all.
This boy was like a sponge.
No, he was more terrifying than a sponge.
He was like a black hole.
He ravenously absorbed every attack Hisoka dealt, then converted it into nourishment for his own growth.
"Wonderful..."
"You're truly wonderful! Luo Ye! ♥"
Hisoka sighed in satisfaction, utterly immersed in this hunting game.
All his attention, all his senses, were firmly locked onto Luo Ye.
He wanted to see just how ripe this unripe fruit could become before his eyes.
He had already completely forgotten.
This "game" had begun with Luo Ye's foolish, arrogant declaration.
"I'll hold you off for him. He'll go get it."
He had forgotten that another little fruit was waiting in the shadows for an opportunity.
This was exactly what Killua wanted.
Now... No, not enough yet...
Fine beads of sweat formed on Killua's forehead.
His palms were ice-cold.
As a top-class assassin, he understood better than anyone that there would be only one chance.
Against a monster of Hisoka's caliber, failure meant there would be no second attempt.
So he had to wait.
Wait for a truly absolute, foolproof opening.
He watched as Hisoka's Bungee Gum stuck to Luo Ye like a punching bag, turning him into a flail and smashing him into the ground and rocks again and again.
Boom!
Luo Ye's back slammed into a slab of granite as tall as a man.
Weblike cracks instantly spread across the rock.
Gon's heart clenched with it.
"Luo Ye..."
His grip on his fishing rod tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Don't rush."
Killua's voice was as cool as ice.
"Trust him. Look at his expression."
At that, Gon immediately focused his gaze.
Luo Ye, embedded in the rock, showed not the slightest pain. Instead, he looked... blissed out of his mind?
He even had his eyes closed, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.
Gon: "..."
He began to suspect that Luo Ye might have some peculiar tastes.
At the center of the battlefield.
Oh... That feels good...
A grand party was taking place inside Luo Ye's mind.
The searing pain of every impact felt like a stream of pure energy pouring into every part of his body.
How was this taking a beating?
This was a top-tier VIP massage! The kind that cleared every meridian and strengthened your bones, too!
Hisoka's actually a pretty nice guy.
Luo Ye thought happily.
I volunteered for this beating just to give Gon an opening. What a great friend I am.
He couldn't help marveling at himself.
All right, massage time's over. Time to get some real work done.
Luo Ye's eyes snapped open, a sharp gleam flashing through them.
He couldn't keep enjoying himself like this.
If he dragged things out any longer, Gon would worry himself into a heart attack.
He had to turn up the pressure on Hisoka.
Roar!
Luo Ye let out a low roar, every muscle in his body tensing instantly.
Hisoka was just about to yank him toward another large tree.
This time, however, he felt an unprecedented, mountain-heavy force from the other end of his Nen thread.
He actually... couldn't budge him?
"What?"
Hisoka's pupils contracted.
Luo Ye's feet were firmly planted in the ground. No matter how hard Hisoka pulled, his body didn't move an inch.
"The warm-up's over, Hisoka."
Luo Ye lifted his head and grinned.
"Now it's my turn!"
Before his words had even faded.
He grabbed the Nen thread stuck to his body, seized control, and gave it a vicious yank.
Hisoka instantly lost his balance and was dragged helplessly toward Luo Ye.
An opening!
In the distance, Killua's gaze sharpened.
But he still didn't give the signal.
Not enough!
Though Hisoka had been forced onto the defensive, he could still divide his attention.
Killua needed a moment that would make Hisoka completely forget everything around him!
As he was dragged toward Luo Ye, Hisoka showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, his smile grew even more excited.
"Mm-hmm-hmm~♥ Finally getting serious?"
He deftly adjusted his posture in midair, scissoring his legs toward Luo Ye's neck.
Luo Ye neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his arms and crossed them to block.
Boom!
Legs collided with arms in a tremendous crash.
The ground beneath them caved in.
Then came a storm of close-quarters combat.
Fists, elbows, knees, legs...
Every part of their bodies became a deadly weapon.
Their figures blurred with speed, leaving only a string of afterimages that wildly crisscrossed the clearing.
Every collision sent out a visible ring of air.
The surrounding trees swayed and buckled under the stray bursts of Nen, while shattered stones and broken branches flew everywhere.
Gon was utterly transfixed.
A battle at this level was beyond his comprehension.
All he could see were Luo Ye and Hisoka, two inhuman monsters, locked in the most primal, savage struggle.
"So... so strong..."
That feeble exclamation was all he could manage.
"Shut up! Focus!"
Killua barked under his breath.
"Remember what I taught you. Erase your presence completely! Right now, you're a rock, a blade of grass!"
"If you want to be a proper ambusher, you have to keep your head!"
Killua's sharp words instantly brought Gon back to his senses.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the shock and fear had vanished.
In their place was a focus unlike anything he had ever felt.
His heartbeat, his breathing, his very presence were rapidly fading away.
He was becoming part of the jungle.
On the battlefield.
The fight grew fiercer.
The longer Luo Ye fought, the more excited he became. He could clearly feel his body craving greater pressure, stronger impacts.
And Hisoka finally began to show a fraction of his true skill.
He no longer simply threw his playing cards. Combined with Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise, they performed all manner of inconceivable tricks.
Sometimes they appeared from nowhere; sometimes they changed course, making them impossible to guard against.
Fine cuts finally began appearing across Luo Ye's body.
But as quickly as those cuts appeared, they healed even faster.
Often, the wounds had already scabbed over before the blood could do more than seep out.
That monstrous recovery drove Hisoka completely wild.
He decided to use the move he was proudest of.
"Luo Ye! Try taking this! ♦"
Hisoka suddenly shot backward, putting distance between himself and Luo Ye.
He spread his hands, pink Nen aura gathering in his palms and taking the form of dozens of playing cards, which hovered behind him like a peacock's spread tail.
"Machine gun!!!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
In an instant, those dozens of playing cards shot toward Luo Ye like bullets from a gun, streaks of deadly light blanketing the sky.
They cut off every possible escape route.
"Bring it on!"
Rather than alarmed, Luo Ye was delighted. Instead of retreating, he charged straight into that deadly barrage.
Now!
In the bushes, Killua's eyes suddenly lit up.
Hisoka had unleashed a wide-area attack.
To maintain each card's power and accuracy, his concentration had to be intense, with his attention distributed evenly across every card.
And Luo Ye had chosen to take it head-on.
That would give Hisoka the impression that his opponent had been cornered and had no choice but to endure the attack.
At that instant, Hisoka's entire focus would settle on one thing: how to inflict serious damage on Luo Ye with this barrage.
This was the moment when he was most confident.
And when his guard was weakest!
"Do it!"
Killua's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet it reached Gon's ears clearly.
Gon, who had long been ready, moved.
He made no sound.
He did not even stir the air.
He merely flicked his wrist gently.
The fishing rod that had accompanied him for years seemed to come alive.
Like a transparent venomous snake, the fishing line silently crossed dozens of meters.
Its target was not Hisoka's body.
It was the number badge hanging at his waist, swaying slightly with his movements.
[44]
At the center of the battlefield.
Luo Ye basked in the downpour of playing cards.
Clinks and clangs rang out without pause.
A string of sparks burst across the surface of his body.
Every card felt like a soothing scrape across his skin, so pleasant he almost cried out.
Meanwhile, Hisoka was utterly absorbed in admiring his handiwork.
As he watched Luo Ye struggle to advance through the barrage, the smile on his face twisted to an extreme.
Suddenly.
He felt a faint, barely perceptible, almost negligible... tug at his waist.
Hmm?
Was I imagining it?
Did a windblown leaf snag on my clothes?
The thought flashed through his mind for only 0.01 seconds.
Then he dismissed it.
Because all his attention was on that toy he simply could not get enough of.
He could not even be bothered to glance down.
In the shadows.
The fishing line went taut.
Gon's heart leaped into his throat.
He felt it.
The hook had caught the edge of the number badge with perfect precision.
He began slowly reeling in the line.
Little by little.
As though stealing treasure guarded by a dragon.
The number badge silently slipped free of Hisoka's waist.
Then, pulled by the fishing line, it traced a discreet arc through the air toward the bushes.
Killua clamped a hand tightly over his mouth.
His heart was pounding so fast it felt ready to leap out of his chest.
It worked!
It really worked!
Smack.
The number badge landed in Gon's hand.
Its cold touch made Gon feel as though he were holding a piece of red-hot iron.
He stared at the [44] badge in his hand, his mind utterly blank.
He had done it.
He really had stolen that monster's number badge.
With Luo Ye and Killua's help.
He had completed an impossible task.
Killua gave him a thumbs-up, his face filled with excitement and admiration he could not hide.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield.
Luo Ye sensed it too.
He smiled.
His smile was utterly radiant.
"All right, Hisoka."
He pushed through the last few playing cards and walked up to Hisoka.
"It's time to end the game."
He looked at Hisoka with the grin of someone whose prank had succeeded.
"Just a little reminder."
"Looks like you dropped something."
Before you continue