Chapter 18: Clown VS Clown Killer

When I saw the exit to the stairs that seemed to go on forever, the examinees' sweat-drenched faces were shining.

Satotz stopped at the top of the stairs; the students thought that was the goal, rushed up with their last bit of strength, and fell into despair.

No matter how you looked at it, the swampy land spreading out before them was not the goal.

On the contrary, I could only think he was saying, "From this moment on, this is for real."

"Numere Wetlands. Inhabited by—"

Ritz spoke the name of this land, as if confirming the students' anxiety.

"You must pass through here to reach the Second Exam Site. Strange animals can only be found in this swamp. Many of them are cunning and greedy creatures that will deceive humans and try to use them as food.

Please follow me carefully. If you are deceived, you will die."

Under Ritz's explanation, only a few students held their breath, as if they had made up their minds.

Most students were thinking: "This is, after all, the shallow wisdom of beasts; if I am warned that I will be deceived, I will never be deceived."

A few seconds later, no one could have imagined that it was actually they who were shallow.

A man claiming to be the "real examiner" had three Playing Cards stuck in his face and died before he even realized what had happened to him.

On the other hand, Satotz, who had been leading the students from the beginning, firmly caught the four Playing Cards thrown suddenly, without even a scratch on his fingertips.

Seeing this reaction, the one who threw them, Hisoka, revealed a satisfied smile.

With the death of his comrade, he no longer pretended to be dead to escape, throwing a card behind his head to kill him.

"This is to determine if this is the real deal."

Hisoka explained to the students who did not understand what had happened.

The examiners of the Hunter Exam are Professional Hunters and will be their seniors, so it is natural that they should be able to stop such an attack.

Without making excuses or worrying about what he had done wrong, Hisoka instead provoked the examiner, but Ritz replied coldly.

"Take that as a compliment.

However, from now on, any attack on me for any reason will be considered treason against the examiner and will result in immediate disqualification. Are you sure?"

"Hi-hi."

Even as the examiner stared at him, Hisoka still laughed happily.

For this man, being targeted by an examiner meant that his chances of fighting a strong person, even if only slightly, had increased, and he was in a very good mood because that was what he wanted.

"By the way, why did you throw them at me too!?"

To the good-mooded Hisoka, Sora threw back the four Playing Cards that had flown toward him. Of course, just like Hisoka, he had prepared "Ryu."

However, the cards, which had become sharp as knives due to the Aura coating, were easily blocked by Hisoka's Bungee Gum and restored to their original state.

"Hey, Sora, have you finally taken care of me?"

"Screw you, you perverted clown!"

Hisoka, who was already disgusting, raised his voice as if to say she was very happy, and turned to face Sora.

Sora retreated with all his might, letting out a shout as if he knew the name he didn't want anyone to know.

"Because your friend once called you kuku-ku in the Underground Tunnel and on the stairs, it's a good name; it suits your eyes perfectly."

Actually, Illumi had asked Hisoka, but Illumi stopped him, so Hisoka answered randomly.

By the way, Hisoka had actually only thrown one card at a time, wondering, "How will he react?" The last three probably came from Illumi, who said, "If you brought a few sets, please give me one."

When I was asked to hand it over, I had already anticipated it, but if I used a Needle, both Sora and Killua would discover my presence, so Illumi seemed prepared to kill her with Hisoka's playing cards if the opportunity arose.

"Sora, do you know Hisoka?"

"Tsk tsk! Are you serious!?"

"... What did you do?"

"I'm not an acquaintance, I really haven't done anything with this guy! And he even called him a bomb!!"

Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika were asked in turn, and Sora answered with a screaming voice, needless to say.

However, when he was told about the explosion, he didn't care about his words at all, saying, "That's terrifying; we don't have a relationship where we hug each other so passionately."

Killua and the students who knew about the trouble before the exam looked at Sora with sincere sympathy, but those who didn't know about the tower before the exam heard Hisoka's words in unison.

Kurapika's eyes did not change color, but instead became eerily fearful; only Leorio next to him noticed that he had taken out his own weapon, a Wooden Sword.

According to Leorio later, "Just after Hisoka said that, the temperature around him dropped by at least 3 degrees."

"You're the one who suddenly pulled me in and bound me, right?!"

What is Jump Moon Memory Operation!? Seriously, just go die now, don't come back again! Kiss my ass!!"

Of course, Sora completely denied Hisoka's nonsense while rubbing the goosebumps that made her whole body tear up.

The students who burst into denial were all convinced: "That's right." Kurapika's expression softened a little, making Leorio breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Sora."

"Even I don't want to react! I want to ignore it!"

Killua tried to soothe Sora, but Sora grabbed Killua and Gon with a strength that made Killua and Gon cry.

Just as Killua said, Hisoka said, "I'm bored," but she still laughed happily, exuding a disgusting bloodlust. No matter how you looked at it, his mood was better than his reaction to Satotz earlier.

Not only Sora, who was hit by the murderous intent, but all the students were thinking, "I'm disgusted!" They probably didn't notice it because of Illumi's murderous intent.

"……I would like you to try not to fight with other students. That is not the purpose of the exam."

Not knowing if it was Hisoka's fault or Sora's fault, Ritz managed to reorganize the place that had started to become chaotic, and 311 students began the marathon through the Numere Wetlands.

While climbing the stairs, the students felt despair at the wetlands spreading out before them, but thanks to the Human-faced Monkey, Hisoka, and Sora (?), they were able to rest for a long time, so they all regained their composure. They walked through the thick mud.

However, within minutes of running, the first thing to attack the examinees was not a cunning beast like the Human-faced Monkey, but a natural phenomenon called Dense Fog.

Killua talked to Gon and Sora, who had had enough of the fog; they could only see the silhouettes of people running a few dozen centimeters in front of them.

"Hmm, Sora. Let's move forward."

"Ah... that's better."

"Yes. We must ignore the Examiner."

They agreed with what Killua said, but Gon replied that Killua and Sora had said the same thing at the same time.

"Rather than that, it's better to stay away from Hisoka."

The longer lines matched perfectly, and the two looked at each other after finishing.

Killua glared at Sora with disinterest, but Sora waved his hand, "Go."

"What do you mean?" Gon asked innocently, younger than his age, so even though I didn't think it was funny, Killua said, "He really wants to kill, so I'm going to take advantage of the thick fog." "killed many people," I explained.

Gon saw Killua's answer and looked at him without saying a word.

"Why are you pretending you know?"

Killua smiled at Gon, an example of Gon's face looking like his eyes were speaking. And with a smile that seemed to be plotting a prank suitable for his age, he answered the question in a way that threatened Gon.

"Because I belong to the same category. You can tell from the smell."

"Similar? Like him? You're not like that."

Hearing Killua's answer, Gon was startled and twitched his nose slightly to sniff.

As for the "smell," it was a metaphorical expression, but for Gon, who had a dog-like sense of smell, it was not strange to smell the blood or the scent of death that had truly seeped into his body, and Killua did not smell that scent either. Gon's reaction made Killua laugh even harder.

This time, it was a somewhat ferocious smile, disproportionate to his age.

The smile was similar to a cat abusing its prey, but Killua answered with a smile more sadistic than that.

"That's because I'm wearing a cat, you'll know later."

"Hmm."

Even though Killua said he was a murderer, there was no awe or contempt in Gon's eyes.

Killua was angry for a moment and said, "I don't trust you, guy." But the next moment, he couldn't help but lean weakly in a natural diagonal direction different from Sora.

"Leorio!! Kurapika!! Killua and Sora go first!!"

"What an idiot! If you could go, I would have already done it!!"

"Ahahahahahaha!! Gon! You're amazing!"

Leorio yelled at Gon's serious and correct but unreasonable suggestion, and Sora laughed while running.

However, Gon seemed serious, and seeing him still saying, "Do your best," Killua and Sora both thought with a hint of a reluctant smile.

"Nature is amazing," he said.

"They aren't nervous."

"I don't know what to say, but yes. Oh, and Killua."

To the surprised, muttering Killua, Sora added as if he had just remembered after saying "Don't say that," even though he knew it.

"I don't know."

Killua and Gon, who had been unreasonably persuading Leorio and the others to step forward, were startled by Sora's sudden words, but the person who said them didn't even look at Killua, muttering as he continued to rummage through the porch at his waist.

"You and that pervert are not the same thing. They are completely different things."

"What you did is murder. What he did is 'murder'. Don't put them together."

"... What is that? Is there a difference? Is it the number of people killed?"

Killua was once again uninterested in Sora's words, but whether Sora realized it or not, he denied it with a serious face.

"It's not irrelevant, it's different. I could explain, but I can't right now. Let's talk later."

Before Killua could even complain, Sora said to Killua, "Killua. Take this." And then he threw it over.

"Huh!?... What is this?"

"Wow, amazing! Sora, is this a gemstone!?"

Seeing what Killua threw to him, Killua was puzzled and looked at him suspiciously.

The thing Sora threw to Killua was a loose fragment the size of a pinky fingernail. A gemstone that had been polished and cut, but not attached to the base of a Ring or necklace.

"Yes. And Killua, this is a good luck Amulet. Stay safe."

While answering Gon's question and explaining the role it played to Killua, Killua's face twisted in disgust, glaring at Sora.

"I don't need your help! Not just for this exam, but for other exams too!"

"It's not for you, it's an Amulet for me."

Sora yelled at him, thinking he was offering some unnecessary help, and Sora immediately denied it with a slightly uneasy expression, while Killua didn't know what he should say.

"It's a landmark, so I know where you are. Think of it as an Emission, carry it with you."

"I'll go to Kurapika and Leorio for a while."

Before Gon could ask the obvious Sora, Killua widened his eyes and immediately expressed his opposition.

"!? You idiot! Did you forget what you just said? Or rather, you are the most dangerous one! I almost cried when that pervert was staring at me. Where are you from!!"

"It's me."

"Just as Gon said, if those two can walk in front of me, then I can only go."

However, Sora retorted to Killua's words in a very annoying way.

Killua didn't know what was wrong. Killua didn't understand why Sora had to go.

But to Sora, it was so natural that it didn't need explanation.

Just like you need to breathe to live, you don't need a reason.

Killua couldn't do anything but tell himself that.

I can't ask.

Killua didn't have the courage to ask: "Is that 'younger brother' more important?"

So he could only bite his lip and shut his mouth, but Sora placed his hand on Killua's head.

"Then, I'm going now. Killua, you must have it; if you have it, you can come back."

I'm counting on you."

Lifting Killua's silver hair, Sora smiled, turned from behind Killua and Gon, and ran backward through the gaps between the Examinees.

Pale hair, fair skin; Sora's figure was easily erased by the Dense Fog and disappeared from sight.

The two watched Sora running in the opposite direction for a while, and upon discovering that the fog was getting thicker, they hurriedly headed forward and continued running.

Gon said to Killua, who could barely see him, while running.

"... Sora is amazing. Kurapika and I are really like siblings, but I trust Killua very much; no matter what they look like, it's hard to believe they aren't blood-related."

"............ is just a very busy person."

Killua reacted sharply to Gon's words.

Only this time, I was grateful that the Dense Fog made it so hazy that I couldn't see the front, let alone the left and right sides. It was convenient for cooling down and hiding my flushed face.

A few minutes after Sora left Killua and Gon, screams were heard coming from a completely different direction.

The two couldn't tell if Hisoka had done something wrong or if they had been tricked by Swamp beasts, but a few minutes after the first scream, it definitely reached Gon's ears; it was clear to everyone who this wild child was.

"Hey!!!"

"! Leorio!!"

"Go!!"

Killua called out his own name to stop him, but Gon ran without hesitation, running backward just like Sora.

Killua stopped, hesitated for a moment, but turned away from Gon and continued running.

Because you said you could rely on me.

That was what the woman who entrusted the "Talisman" to Killua had said, believing that Killua would not be led astray by these Swamp tricksters and mistakenly enter the Examiner.

It was impossible for Killua to go in the same direction as Gon and Sora.

"... If you don't come back, I'll kill you."

Killua told the two, who were no longer by his side or behind him, that he believed they would definitely return, and he continued running forward.

"You guys!! What are you doing!!"

Facing Leorio's angry voice, the madman who walked out of the fog also smiled and responded.

"Hehehe, pretending to be an Examiner."

Vividly shuffling his Playing Cards, Hisoka continued to joyfully spit his disgusting bloodlust into the center of the Examinees who were writhing in pain because there were no corpses or fatal wounds.

"I originally wanted to stay silent until the Second Exam Site, but because the first exam was too difficult, and even though there are such pretty girls, I couldn't take it anymore. I'll help you with your homework, I'll judge you."

An Examinee sneered at Hisoka's rude remarks.

"Judge? Hehehe, you idiot! It's this fog, right? Once separated from the Examiner, it's impossible for you to find the main body whose whereabouts are unknown!!

In other words, you and we are all losers left behind!!"

The Examinee's statement was correct. This was common sense.

But common sense shouldn't apply to this clown. That is why the foolish Examinee did not understand this tragic situation, just like a human-faced monkey with a Playing Card stuck to its forehead.

"Sorry, I don't want you to be with me."

"You should take it as a souvenir from the underworld; nothing is impossible for a Magician."

He didn't care what Sora said; on the contrary, if Sora really didn't like it, he was a pervert who was happy to be disliked, but it seemed to really bother him to be treated like a punk who had no interest in him.

Nevertheless, his voice did not disappear.

I could see the confidence that I would be able to enter the Second Exam Site, ignoring the Dense Fog and the cunning beasts.

The Examinees surrounded Hisoka all at once.

"Murderer, you don't even have the qualifications of a Hunter!"

"I promise you won't be able to take the exam again...!!"

The Examinees picked up their weapons and declared: "From now on, I'm going to lynch you." But Hisoka ignored their words, took out a deck of cards, and announced.

"I see~...

Everyone, I wonder if this one is enough."

Hisoka's words angered the Examinees, and they attacked all at once, but they were just a flock of crows.

Although it was one against many, I was already used to fighting in every sense; even for a madman who didn't hesitate to kill and instead felt pleasure, I couldn't really decide to kill. The Examinees who didn't have the courage to finish him off were his opponents.

If they couldn't cooperate, in Hisoka's eyes, a brawl with many people was just an advantage with many shields and Walls to protect himself. He cut our throats, eyes, and vitals.

"Gurgle, ahahahaha."

Watching Hisoka, who had killed more than ten people in just a few dozen seconds and was still laughing wildly, the Examinees finally realized that it was better to recognize that the other party was no longer their opponent; no one could stand up to him.

Watching the screaming Examinees run away, perhaps more excited by the smell of blood, Hisoka approached them with a smile, holding a deck of cards.

"Freeze!!"

It was not Hisoka's high-pitched laughter, nor the wild and pathetic screams of the Examinees who were trying to escape.

A blue Jewel-like mineral was thrown at my feet.

After catching it, Hisoka laughed happily and jumped back.

Hisoka, who was highly sensitive in every sense, was in high spirits even without using "Hard" or "En"; I didn't need to.

The moment Hisoka flew away, the Jewel exploded, and the Aura originally filled inside released the Jewel's attributes, freezing the mud on the ground and the feet of the Examinees who were about to be attacked by Hisoka.

Whether they realized others were involved in the accident or not, their voices echoed, and the Jewel was thrown at them, regardless of the other Examinees.

A storm was whipped up with the declaration of "Blow it up!"

The declaration of "Burn it!" was because two patterns had already appeared, and the red Jewel was clamped by Hisoka's elastic glue and thrown in the direction of the sky to explode this time.

However, the other party had also read that much.

My favorite attack is the one that suits my aura system.

"She" appeared from the depths of the mist, which had been thinned by Wind-attribute Gem Magic.

"Blow away, crazy clown!"

It was Sora, not a gem, who leaped up with the momentum of a bullet.

Hisoka concentrated his aura from his upper body into his arms to defend against the jump kick to his legs, which contained an aura nearly as "Hard" as steel.

However, in order to minimize the damage from the Enhancer "Hard," most of the aura had to be shifted to the upper body for defense, so if he used Bungee Gum to fix his feet to the ground, he wouldn't be able to withstand it, and it was a wetland anyway. Because of Sora's Gem Magic, he couldn't possibly stick to the ice, so Hisoka followed her request and was blown away in a flash.

Kurapika, Leorio, and the other examinees were stunned by the sight of Hisoka; Hisoka was as beautiful as a cartoon, and it wasn't just the gems causing the storm and the Explosion.

The woman who landed the rider kick on Hisoka, though about to fall into the mud, landed on the ground instead, clicked her tongue, and muttered to herself.

"Tch! I failed the Tomatenkaku. I guess I still have to properly hit 3."

The examinees who heard that whisper were completely unfamiliar with the name, and although they couldn't foresee what kind of technique it was, for some reason, they all subconsciously turned inward.

Perhaps it was his male instinct that gave this technique another name, "Polygamy Castration Fist."

Kurapika and Leorio also slipped in unknowingly, but eventually grasped the current situation and shouted.

"Sora!? Why are you here!?"

"What are you doing!? Aren't you Together with Gon and the others!?"

Of all things, Hisoka's gaze fell perfectly on him, but when that person came to attack them himself, they scolded them loudly, yet Sora was amused by the two's voices at an inappropriate time.

"Kurapika! Leorio! I'm glad you're safe... wait, Leorio, how did you attach that Number Plate!?"

"'What are you paying attention to!?'"

Just when I thought they were all relieved and happy, how did Leorio attach his examinee Number Plate while shirtless?

Only two people dared to say it out loud, but there was no doubt that all the surviving examinees thought so.

However, a woman who could read the atmosphere and finish a story so hastily was less than 1/100th the trouble for Kurapika and Killua, or for Biscuit and the charming lecturer of the Clock Tower.

"No, how on earth did you put it on!? That's a cheap Needle, isn't it!"

Kurapika was irritated by Sora's constant questioning: "You really are a miraculous idiot!"

I can't put my finger on it, but when Sora pointed it out, it must have been strange: "How is that thing Attached?"

"It's too scary, Sora, even if you came all this way, won't you be my partner?"

"Ptooey!!"

Perhaps because he was a Transmuter with abilities close to an Enhancer, or because he was just a hardcore super masochist, Hisoka didn't look too hurt when Sora blew him away, but returned with a disgusting smile on his face, and Sora made a sound of disgust.

"I'm not here to deal with you! I'm just here to retrieve Kurapika and Leorio!"

By the way, you two can run!? Run away!!"

For the moment, Sora ordered Kurapika and Leorio to go first, denying that they had come for Hisoka.

Although it took a lot of effort to blow him away and keep distance, I was a bit annoyed by the instructions of someone who wasted time worrying about irrelevant people, but I had no objection to running away, so I saved my complaints for later. Then, Leorio grabbed Kurapika's arm, and just as he was about to run to Sora, he started running.

"! What are you doing, Leorio! Let go!!"

"You idiot! No matter how you think about it, he's stronger than us! Even if we run to him, at most we'll just be a Wall of meat!"

So, you probably know better than me whether that woman is willing to use us as shields to survive!!"

Kurapika resisted, grabbing his arm, but when Leorio pointed this out, he looked like he was about to cry and bit his lip.

Although he knew he would feel as helpless and regretful as he did three years ago, he knew Leorio's words were right, so Kurapika endured it, biting his lip until it was cut, turned his back on Sora, and ran.

However, just after this, for some reason, Leorio was kicked by Sora's jump kick from behind and was blown away.

"Ogu!!"

"Leorio!? Sora! What on earth are you trying to do?"

As if the tears about to overflow flew away, he instinctively kicked Leorio away and rushed toward Sora, who was kneeling beside him, but Sora did not look at Kurapika or the Leorio he had kicked away.

The gaze rose gradually from midnight blue to bright blue, pointing straight at the murderous Magician.

"Hey, come on! What grudge do you have against me..."

"What do you mean?"

Leorio stood up to oppose Sora, but she didn't even look at him, instead asking Hisoka.

The coldness of the voice, combined with Sora's murderous eyes glaring at the Magician, left Leorio completely at a loss for what to say.

"Hehehe, don't stare at me like that, I'm going to get excited."

"What are you asking me? If you can't understand my words, shut up."

However, Sora's killing intent was nothing more than making Hisoka excited, and the even more disgusting things made Kurapika and Leorio shrink back, and Sora let out a disgusted snort.

Perhaps a little dissatisfied that he hadn't reacted as he had before the exam or before running through the wetland, Hisoka's tension eased somewhat due to Sora's reaction, and finally, he licked his Tongue and answered her question.

"I hope you don't get so angry. No matter how I approach you, you are no match for me, so if you mess with those kids you care about, you'll look at me with those eyes. I just wanted to know, isn't that right?"

Hisoka's answer sent a chill down Leorio's spine.

I don't know what Hisoka was trying to do, but Sora's jump kick was definitely what Hisoka was trying to do to himself, to counter Sora, provoke her, and realize this. It must have been Sora who kicked him away and protected Leorio.

Knowing this, Leorio's mood was neither fear of death nor relief that death could be avoided, but anger at a madman who treated life like a toy.

Kurapika must have felt the same, feeling his eyes turn red.

The other two didn't have the thought of "Since it's Sora's Obstacle, at least get out of the way and escape first."

However, the person who asked the question looked at Hisoka expressionlessly and said.

"... Come to think of it, ever since I first met you, I've been wanting to tell you, but..."

"Hmm? What do you want?"

Sora picked up a branch that had fallen beside her and stood up.

He looked at Hisoka, those eyes the same color as the sky above, covered by Dense Fog and clouds.

"Your makeup is different, isn't it, crown?"

As she spoke, she brandished the unremarkable stick she had just picked up, without even a trace of aura on her body.

I had thought Leorio, or even Kurapika, were just pretending to clear away the Spider's web, but if you are a Nen user, you would be speechless.

Hisoka's Nen Ability was attached to Sora's arm, and it flew over, intending to stick it to Leorio's back to protect him. "Bungee Gum."

As the name implies, it possesses the properties of both rubber and gum; once it sticks, it will not come off unless Hisoka cancels it, and because it has extreme elasticity, even high-level Enhancer users find it difficult to tear it apart.

The Bungee Gum, along with the aura connecting Sora's arm to my arm, was severed by an unremarkable stick.

Before the exam began, just as she had used her Finger to cut through the thing on his back to protect Killua, she stared at him with clear blue eyes, using no aura, rendering Hisoka's ability ineffective.

However, although Hisoka was surprised by this, he did not feel threatened or humiliated; his already thin, slanted eyes lifted even higher, revealing a feeling that could only be described as madness.

Kurapika and Leorio let out a short, involuntary scream: "Hey!"

Sora, expressionless as always, stared at him with eyes like the blue sky.

It was as if the crown's smile had been bleached white by eyes that captured death.

It is obvious that Hisoka's clothes and makeup make him look like a clown, but in reality, there are two types of clowns: the jester and the Pierrot.

It is easy to confuse them because there are not many detailed differences, but generally speaking, a clown painted with tears is a "Pierrot."

I remember such trivia.

I recalled the meaning of a clown's tears.

It was nothing more than trivia, but once I thought of it, I really didn't like Hisoka's makeup, so Sora pointed a stick at the man who looked very much like the clown on a card and said.

"What kind of thing are you, 'hiding your own sadness, making the audience laugh while being mocked'? A perverted bastard only interested in his own pleasure is a jester, let alone a clown, stupid, right?

You are the only one laughing at your own smugness. Masturbating in public is just a nuisance, so go look in a mirror yourself.

If you can't do anything for others, don't pretend to be a clown, you perverted clown."

Unless she thought about how interesting it was to be alive and laughed playfully, she couldn't stand it.

The battle scene is tough...

Sora's Gem Magic is based on Luvia's skills in the Fate fighting game. As expected, Miss Luvia did not use Yutian Pavilion to finish her off.

Also, just like Killua's line last time, I thought, "So he uses this kind of language, but the currently solid-character Hisoka wouldn't use that kind of language."