Illumi conceded.
A stone dropped into stagnant water.
The air in the hall.
Yet it did not grow any lighter.
Instead, it grew colder.
Oppressive.
The darkness called the "Zoldyck Family" weighed heavily on everyone's heart.
Especially Killua's.
He huddled in a corner, clutching his head.
Like a puppet with its soul ripped out.
As though he were dead.
Gon wanted to comfort him, but did not know what to say.
Kurapika and Leorio exchanged a look.
Both looked helpless.
Outsiders could do nothing about something etched so deeply into his bones.
"Final exam, fourth match."
Beans's emotionless voice rang out again.
"Luo Ye versus Leorio."
Whoosh.
The light shone down.
On one side of the circle of light stood the black-haired boy who had just been watching the show.
A lazy smile hung on his face.
On the other side.
Leorio heard his name.
As though he had heard a death summons.
His face.
Was even paler than Killua's had been.
His body began to shake.
He could not stop shaking.
Make him fight that freak covered in needles.
Make him fight that perverted clown, Hisoka.
Even make him fight that bald ninja.
He would have accepted any of them.
But why?
Why did it have to be this guy?
This demon who had spent the whole journey carrying him like a sack, screwing him over as the team's dead weight, and treating him as entertainment.
I'm done for.
Leorio's mind went blank.
Only those words remained.
Is my short, miserable life going to end here, with me still up to my neck in debt?
He was already imagining whether his body would be cruelly torn apart.
Just like Hisoka's opponent.
"Hey, you're up."
Luo Ye's voice sounded beside his ear.
Leorio shuddered and nearly dropped to his knees.