Chapter 42: Reaching the Azure

I want to protect.

Only one person, no blood relation, empty talk.

Even the worlds they were born into are different; a "Magic"-like "Miracle" and a "Fate"-like "Coincidence" overlap and meet.

And because of the wish to "become a family," it is "unavoidable," a hopeless awkwardness and ambiguity, in the end, just a fake... rice field.

This is just Sora's one-sided opinion, but most importantly, he wants to protect his beloved younger brother; he is the meaning of life.

But this is not enough.

Everything is lacking.

My weapon gems have run out.

The Gander Power shot by Sora can only serve as a restraint.

Even the "Instant Death Evil Eye," which he trusts as his main line, is nothing more than an Obstacle that will not disappear from his line of sight unless Sora directly hits the "line" or "point."

I do not have enough power.

Even so, Sora did not give up.

If he gave up, if he died, then he, his brother, and Kurapika would all be in despair.

Immediately after, those scarlet eyes of his, like hellfire, carved with anger and despair, were gouged out, killed.

I just don't like it.

I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die; I met him at the end of my struggle, precisely because I anticipated that the end might no longer be terrifying, I would be desperately carved into Kurapika like that, and Kurapika would die like that, living in his memories, living in his heart, it's too disgusting.

So I struggled again.

Taking away everything from Kurapika, the despairing disguise that took away most of Kurapika's heart.

Facing a Fake disguised as the Phantom Troupe and a group just as evil, Sora tried hard to protect what he decided not to let go of, even if some of his important things were destroyed.

I struggle because I don't want to die, because I want to live.

And then obtain.

Everything requires a price.

It looks like you are creating something from nothing, but you always pay as much as you get elsewhere.

Truly creating from nothing... "Void Negation" is the miracle magic "Area."

So Sora paid the price.

There are some people I want to protect.

The enemy is not within the range of Direct Death.

Long-term unresistible wounds.

Even with these Obstacles, I cannot give up.

So I paid those "Obstacles" as a "tip."

And still paying.

To obtain a fake and a real miracle.

In order not to let go of what I want to protect.

——Sora did not know that the meaning of the life he wanted to protect was now reaching onto his back, shouting.

"Fiction Works kishuazelretch Replica of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch!!"

Sora projects and swings the embodied Gem Sword, the Mana releasing its own light.

A miraculous strike that would not normally give Sora more power than the "Death Eye."

Whether it is the Magic system or the Nen Ability system, the trick of using the Magic Aura to turn that thing into something else and materialize it is not impossible for Sora, but it is quite incompatible and requires a considerable amount of time to master.

However, there are "exceptions" to everything.

The "Justice Alliance" that projects this "Sword" is a typical example.

Because the origin and Magic Attribute of the Sword have already been obtained, Sora, like it, has become an "exception," specializing in magic-level Magic that can change the world.

That day, when the twisted and filthy Holy Grail fell from the great cavity that enshrined it into the "", it melted along with his own body, and then the foreign object mixed into the body he had forcibly reconstructed.

Even if it is completely dissolved and can no longer be identified as a foreign object, it has no meaning, but the fact that it is a "Sword" will not be lost.

It is precisely because Sora's Magic Attribute is the "impossible but embodied" "impossible but existing thing," an "exception" born from the "fictional element void" that he takes as a part of himself. To be precise, this is neither Projection Magic nor the power of the Incarnation System.

It is nothing more than digging out a part of a person's bones, blood, and flesh, regenerating the function and shape of a weapon, and then using it, so even if you haven't learned Projection Magic, you can use it just in case. Even if it is the Enhancement System, which is far from the Incarnation System, this alone is an "exception" that can only be formed by "Emiya Shirou's projected Gem Sword."

... However, this is a story that includes the premise that proper Training should be accepted.

As long as you follow the correct procedure for Training, even if you are a user of Gem Magic, even if you are a user of Gem Magic, you can reach 100% accuracy on the "Gem Sword," just like the orthodox realization system and Emiya Shirou. Freely realizing and using it will become an "exception."

However, three years ago, he could not pay such a price to Sora.

It is meaningless to use power at the cost of time to protect Kurapika from a group of thugs disguised as the Phantom Troupe.

So Sora got what he should have gotten years later by paying for other things.

'If you can protect the person you want to protect, that's enough! Don't use anything for yourself!'

'Since I cannot use death directly, I want another kind of power!'

'If you are going to waste my blood in a place like this, do something at the cost of my life! I want power no matter what!!'

I want the power to break through that desperate situation.

That is why I paid the despair, the "Obstacles" as a "tip."

If it were a fair compensation for "years" and "Training," it should have been possible to handle it freely at any time after payment, but by adding some conditions and even more detailed restrictions, it can be exercised in a limited way. Magic and clothing.

That is, Imaginary Uro a miracle fragment by

Fiction Works kishuazelretch Replica of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch

A ray of light was released.

It even severed a strike that was more contradictory than the Aura Sora consumed.

That should be the case; this killing blow had no sense of incongruity. Sora's Magic Aura is the incarnation of the Gem Sword and one of the sword's abilities, used to "pierce through the very small 'holes' connecting adjacent Parallel Worlds."

The Aura wrapping the blade and the slashing light emitted are not Sora's, but are brought from the atmosphere of that "adjacent Parallel World." Mana.

Drawing inexhaustible Mana from another world and releasing it as beams of light is simple and easy.

Depending on the user, if it were a Magician who created the real object, they could prevent the Star Spirit itself from falling onto the moon by overwhelming the moon with mass and destroying it.

Therefore, it could be said that Hisoka is lucky.

No matter how much Mana is drawn infinitely from another world, the amount drawn depends on the user.

If a Wizard can draw an amount comparable to the sea at once, if Sora's quantity is at most as large as a cup, and if the Magician's slashing ability is an anti-aircraft missile, then Sora's strike is nothing more than a toy water gun. None.

... Of course, that is only in comparison to a Wizard.

With an earthquake-like impact, the diagonal line opened a large hole in the Wall.

The reason the building itself did not collapse was that the power of that slash was so sharp that it cut through the wall like paper; it was not a hole, but closed up in the form of a straight vertical crack, looking as if a piece of paper had been pierced by a knife.

Everyone was stunned by its power... even Netero, who had been watching every match with sleepy eyes, stared at the hole with wide eyes.

Only two people were not paying attention.

"... Cough, cough, hahahahahaha!!"

Accompanied by a burst of laughter, Hisoka ran while waving a Playing Card filled with Aura.

Hisoka's left arm, which seemed to be touched lightly while dodging, was imbued with "Ken" instead of "Hard," but the slash still penetrated Hisoka's Aura; the left shoulder and right shoulder were in the same position, as if hit by a trick tower, and I suffered a stinging wound, cut with extreme sharpness.

However, Hisoka felt absolutely no threat from the power that even penetrated his own "Hard" armor; while screaming, he emitted fresh blood, madness, and killing intent.

"Hahahahahaha!! Sora! You are truly, truly, truly amazing!!"

It's starting! Show me more! Your 'Magic'!!"

Facing Hisoka's frenzied laughter, Sora replied calmly.

"--Kill"

A madness different from Hisoka's, the azure eyes declared.

And to execute the declaration, she also ran to commit "slaughter."

"!?" Sora!!"

I did not hear the voice behind me. I did not even know my own name.

Because I want to protect it, because I want to protect it at all costs, because I want to protect it, even if I lose the important things I want to protect.

This is why a broken heart cannot recognize, and even forgets, the very thing it wants to protect—a terrible contradiction.

Without even noticing who reached out to touch her blood-stained back, and even being pierced by a playing card, Sora began to run.

The Aura wrapping the blade made Hisoka feel a stinging pain in his spine, as if he were about to reach a climax, but Hisoka increased the distance.

However, this time Sora did not allow Hisoka to get close. While running, she kept a certain distance from Hisoka and swung the Sword.

"Pierce the world!"

Shouting, swinging, and slashing.

The slash appeared in the trajectory of the Sword's swing and shot out directly, so even if it weren't Hisoka, it was actually not that hard to dodge.

However, the size of the diagonal line easily exceeded Hisoka's height. A single strike with enough power to pierce the "Hardness" of a high-level Nen user caused the Venue to fall into screams once again.

Moreover, until recently, Hisoka seemed to have been taking it easy, perhaps because if he somehow killed other students in the process, the match would end right then.

Hisoka and Sora had completely forgotten that this was a Hunter Exam, and there was no safe place in the arena where they were fighting to the death.

The Examinees looked around, wanting to escape the Venue, but as soon as they took a step, cards and light slashes flew in the direction they wanted to escape; in the end, they could only watch the two people's battle closely on the spot. If you look away, it is because you will not be able to handle the consequences of the attack when it hits you.

"Chairman! What are you doing!?"

"Hmm... I would like to do that too, but so far, neither of them has violated the rules. Even Hisoka's previous attack was an attack received by the opponent, Sora."

"It's only a matter of time before someone dies!"

"I mean, this place will collapse before anyone dies!!"

Almost all the Examiners cried out to Netero because they could not handle it.

Although they were all Professional Hunters possessing Nen Ability, their abilities were insignificant. Netero, the strongest in the Hunter Association, was undoubtedly the only one capable of breaking into the deadly battle between two fighters with extremely high precision to force a ceasefire, but he did not actually stop it himself. He did not seem to mind.

I don't know if it was because Netero lacked the courage to intervene in this deadly battle, or because he seemed unable to suppress his own fighting instinct for the first time in a long while.

I don't know, but for some reason, he is the head of the Association.

Netero stroked his beard and muttered calmly.

"Well, it won't take long to be resolved... or rather, that's impossible."

As if to confirm Netero's words, Hisoka threw a deck of cards at Sora with his usual incredible tension, asking a question while bouncing fragments connected to bungee gum from Sora's blind spot.

"What's wrong, Sora? The pace of your Aura doesn't allow you to make mistakes. I haven't come yet, it's not fair to go first."

"If you want to go, then go; show me more at the end! The 'Death God' you dragged out, it keeps piercing your brain and making you upset!!"

Sora, who usually felt frustrated by Hisoka's overly dangerous remarks, shrugged at the azure that looked both cold and scorching. However, as Sora ignored it, her breathing was a bit heavy, as if affirming Hisoka's words.

Naturally. The few playing cards stuck in her back fell out during the battle with Hisoka, making her bleed more.

Not only that, the Gem Sword's slash is also a Parallel World. Mana, however, requires the Gem Sword to be Materialized to drill a "hole" leading to the Parallel World. The Magic Aura is Sora's own.

Perhaps because it was not properly trained, this was also the day three years ago; I don't know if the Constraint rules were created as a sword, but Sora's incarnation, the Gem Sword, is of course an original, and even compared to Shirou's Projection, it is a degraded product with many flaws.

Perhaps because it was designed to be as powerful as the real thing, originally if one first drilled a "hole," one could absorb Mana from the Parallel World through it to restore the consumed Mana and then use it without limit, but Sora's Gem Sword uses all the Mana absorbed from the "hole" for the light slash.

Therefore, whether it is continuing to Materialize the Sword or drilling a "hole," it must be covered by her own Spiritual Power.

After all, unlike Shirou's Gem Sword, the original has the side effect of tearing a muscle fiber with every swing, but this is magnified by Sora's Gem Sword; it is hard to say if it is just one muscle fiber every time she swings. The pain pierces through me.

Although the attack location is powerful and unpredictable, it cannot function unless Sora, who has captured the "Death God," makes a move. Disadvantage.

Therefore, Sora's judgment was not wrong; she chose long-range projectiles, but this is a battle where she has no spare time.

Sora understands more than Hisoka or Netero.

"……Not enough."

This was the first sentence Sora said after announcing "kill."

Sora was silent, and as if to throw it away, he muttered in an inorganic voice and took it out from the pocket of his jumpsuit.

A small Butterfly Knife.

Seeing this, Illumi's expression changed slightly, and Hisoka, who always remained calm in battle, also noticed this, although he was in high spirits. However, I don't know why I was skeptical about Sora taking out a knife.

Illumi herself did not quite understand why she was so suspicious of an ordinary knife, but looking back, because her profession was an Assassin, she rarely fought the same opponent four times. She noticed a sense of incongruity.

On all these occasions, Sora remembered that he had never used a knife as a weapon.

As if to show off, or perhaps as a Constraint, Sora, who had always used not a knife but a blade to cut through human bodies, steel bars, and even Nen Ability itself, wondered for a moment if he really possessed the knife he had taken out. I thought, but the problem would soon be solved.

I held the Sword in my right hand and the handle of the Butterfly Knife in my left, taking the blade out of the handle.

And just as I crossed my hands, the Butterfly Knife fell to the floor.

I didn't throw it; I dropped it.

Sora, expressionless, held the Gem Sword and threw away the knife that had cut his right wrist.

"!? "

Once again, everyone present, even Hisoka, was stunned by the sudden, violent wrist-slashing.

Of course, it wasn't a big mistake for me to take out a cool Butterfly Knife.

As soon as Sora slashed his wrist, blood gushed out; he leaned his body backward as if twitching, while amplifying his aura, and was exhausted by the time the amplification ended.

The aura wrapped around the Sword was the same as usual, contradicting the aura Sora consumed, clearly over-inflated by several times; it hurt so much.

Originally, the way Sora turned on the Magic Circuit switch before falling from " " and coming here was self-inflicted, albeit light.

This is why this Constraint is a natural Equivalent Exchange that even Sora is familiar with.

The deeper the wound and the more blood that flows, the more Mana the Sword draws from the Parallel World.

The extra Constraint chips Sora made were just a matter of paying the price for it and increasing its power.

I can no longer recognize myself.

They did not realize that their actions were killing their own lives. However, I could only think of eliminating the enemy in front of me.

I don't even remember why I was doing this, or even my anger.

Only knowing that the enemy must be killed, otherwise I cannot survive, Sora laughed.

It was not the smile of Hisoka fighting for his life, nor the rebellious smile of someone convinced of victory, but a compassionate smile.

Sora, with the smile of a Death God so beautiful it did not belong to this world and so lacking in humanity it should not exist in this world, ordered the Sword radiating poisonous light to be smeared with his own blood.

"——Pierce the world."

Hearing this declaration, Hisoka smiled ecstatically at the Death God's smile and pulled away without hesitation. A direct hit, and it would be fine if the body were cut in two; because I understood that one blow would disappear without a trace, so if I missed such a big blow, I would immediately be within range. How nostalgic; they must have calculated that if they could sneak in, they could kill this Death God.

Here, correctly knowing the risk of death, paying with one's life as a tip, in order to win the highest pleasure and the lowest possibility, the Magician became the Death God's trump card.

"Sora! What are you doing!!"

"Stop now! You don't have to say you've already gone, just run!!"

Leorio and Killua screamed.

I had been crying from the beginning.

Not because they didn't want to be involved in a deadly battle with Hisoka, but because they were only worried about Sora's safety; the wounds they caused themselves on their backs and wrists, their faces twisted in pain as if they were their own wounds.

Even so, I raised my voice and continued to scream, hoping it would reach me.

Even though she never looked at us.

"Chairman!!"

"Hmm! As expected, this is not good!"

Meanwhile, the Examiners looked at Netero as if they were clinging to him or shouting angrily, and Netero quickly lifted his heavy hips.

Do.

To stop the two of them as peacefully as possible, Netero immediately chose the method he had realized and mastered about sixty years ago, which is also one of the supreme means known as the "Magic Class" in Sora's world.

A martial art designed by Netero that no one but Netero could achieve, releasing 100 katas, not a large number, instantly creating the illusion of time compression like a spinning horse.

Hundred-Type Guanyin.

Except for the hands of zero, all his forms changed from prayer to palm attacks, meaningless extra movements needed in battle, but it was these movements that allowed Netero to reach such heights. It seems like a contradiction, but without this movement, it would be impossible to make a fast attack that feels long even for an instant.

So it was just a Coincidence.

Not exceeding the speed of Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin.

It was just that I was able to succeed because I acted long before Netero took action.

"——Novel Kishua..."

But this was definitely too early.

Compared to Sora's blow, Hisoka's attack, Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin.

Prayer, wish, hope will sound first.

"Soraaaaaa!!"

Hisoka finally lost interest, was released, and stood up with his free legs.

And shouted. No matter where I am, even if it is far away, even if I travel to the other side of the world, I shout to the place I am determined to reach.

When the hand I reached out did not reach me, when I could not reach the voice that stopped me, I felt frustrated and gave up.

After all, I can't do anything alone, I will only accelerate her madness and destroy it further. I thought so too.

I can't stop.

If you stop now, then Sora will become a victim of Hisoka's madness. In this deadly battle, I believe the sweetness of "I don't want to kill" is an act that stifles one's own life more than Sora's self-harm.

However, the moment I saw that smile, I forgot all the helplessness and frustration, and could only scream.

No matter how many excuses or reasons there are, I cannot give up; even if I feel powerless, even if I can do nothing, even if it is just a child's wishful thinking, I must struggle. Overflowing and screaming.

Precisely because he affirmed Sora's madness, this alone is unacceptable.

She herself does not want to accept it; no matter how broken she is, she wants to protect, so even if she hasn't reached it, even if her throat is cut and her voice is hoarse, she will still scream, complain, and reach out her hand.

In order to protect Sora—because Sora is Sora—Kurapika shouted loudly that he would never turn away from the world he wants to live in, and he would surely be able to grab that hand.

"Stop, Sora!! You must 'want to live'!!"

If you stop, Sora will be in even more danger. I know Sora will be killed.

I tried to prove this by telling myself I shouldn't stop, but it was impossible.

If Sora kills Hisoka in this state, Sora will never be able to come back. This barely maintained balance is irrecoverable.

There is no reason to think this way.

I just don't like that smile. I don't want to see it; I don't think it belongs to Sora.

It seems what Sora wants to do is not to kill Hisoka, but to kill Sora himself.

And so I cried.

If you "want to live," if you don't want to end up just "not dead," then I beg you to remember.

After that wish, hope, and prayer echoed, Sora began to run.

Without even looking at Kurapika, who was reaching out a hand behind Hisoka, he held the Sword and put distance between himself and his opponent, then shouted.

"Fictional work, kishuazelretch, Replica of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch!!"

Facing this reaction, Leorio, Killua, and the other students and the Examiner looked on in despair.

Not even this prayer reached that mad Death God.

But only two people noticed.

Netero quietly lowered his hands that he had once held Together.

Kurapika wiped away the tears that were about to fall and looked straight ahead.

"... What the hell"

"!?"

Because it was so clear, Sora stuck out his Tongue, and those azure eyes seemed to be deeply frozen.

At that moment, the bloodthirsty desire dissipated to a degree that could rival Hisoka. Like the Sword she wielded, it turned into a grain of light and vanished.

Sora gave Hisoka a "do it" look; he is the usual Sora, a beauty when not speaking, but if he opens his mouth, it is too embarrassing.

It was a humanized, brilliant smile.

Originally, this Gem Sword was intended to replace Direct Death with long-range reaction ability in situations where one cannot just use close-quarters Direct Death and it is useless.

As a Constraint, it can only be realized in situations where "the enemy is in a place where Direct Death cannot be used."

Therefore, the moment it entered the effective range of Direct Death, the Sword collapsed, and the slashing light on the blade was just a slash. The Magic Aura changed like this.

The Aura itself does not disappear because it is replaced.

Losing the Sword, the light slash cannot maintain its configuration, but at the same time, the restriction of "only using light slashes" is lost, and the Mana from the Parallel World can be used freely.

Not everything. Not even half, not even 1/10, but even so, Sora absorbed the Mana collected from the Parallel World, gathered most of the Aura into his right hand, and used his fist to grab the cards Hisoka was wielding, stopping him.

The disappearance of the Sword, Sora's sobriety, and Sora, who had been dodging or parrying attacks, were completely unexpected for Hisoka.

But at the same time, he did not let this opportunity slip away.

Amplifying the momentum of the grabbed fist, I kicked while sticking to the Bungee Gum.

Sora's Direct Death might be Bungee Gum, or the risk of her own arm being Bungee Gum, or her leg being kicked away. Instead, it was a move that aimed for the opening at the cost of her own limbs.

However, Hisoka's expectations fell through.

This was a calculation, because he knew that if Sora regained his sanity, he would commit to defense, but Sora himself also understood that he was known for such things.

That is why it was the only gap that could be exploited.

"!?"

Hisoka's knee kick hit Sora's swallow-tail with full force, but to his surprise, it was Hisoka who kicked him, not the bleeding Sora.

Even though Sora was kicked, he did not run away, nor did he sever Hisoka's limbs.

Hisoka's left arm.

Before attacking Kurapika, Hisoka grabbed the wound containing the "Curse," sent a burst of Aura into it, and then forcibly threw himself to the ground, screaming at the feeling of being kicked and vomiting.

"Conquer me!"

Goo! Just after Sora's shout, a bang sounded.

The sound rang out simultaneously, and everyone in the arena except Sora was shocked, their eyes wide.

In an instant, Hisoka's body was stained with blood.

Not the whole body. Fresh blood suddenly gushed out from Hisoka's body, although it was only a part.

The bleeding from the back and the right wrist was particularly severe.

Fresh blood gushed out from the exact same places as Sora, and the kick to Sora's abdomen also throbbed faintly.

For a moment, Hisoka's consciousness was completely separated from Sora, and he had been waiting for that moment.

"What a rascal!!"

Sora, refreshing like a victory declaration, announced with a very beautiful smile.

"In the end, you are the loser!"

Leorio, dumbfounded, rushed in suddenly; perhaps Sora's declaration had awakened him in some sense.

Not wanting to be outdone, Sora shouted at him.

"Of course! This guy is the inverse vector of Gon, it's impossible for him to say the same thing!!"

As he spoke, Sora cut off the elastic adhesive stuck to his left hand and sat down on the spot.

As soon as Sora sat down, the two of them jumped out as if repelled, rushed over, and shouted.

"Sora!!"

"Hey! You idiot!!"

Killua rushed over with tears streaming down his face, and Kurapika, his tears nearly overflowing, screamed.

"What are you doing, you!! To be able to emit that kind of thing, from the very beginning! I mean, why did you cut off your list!? Do you not want to die, or are you trying to commit suicide?"

"Why do you always say you don't want to die, you don't want to die, yet you don't take good care of yourself when it matters!! You shouldn't have abandoned me sitting there and escaped like that!"

... No, that's not right. It's okay. Sora is okay, I know there's no problem. It's all my fault, I know. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry.

"I know you have a lot to say, but let's stop the bleeding first!!"

Killua felt a mix of laughter and tears at what Sora had done, wrapping it around his wrist or carrying him on his back.

Had Sora really reached his limit? Killua and Kurapika repeated, "Ah, sorry. Stay."

"Hmph, I'm going to use this guy's wound for a blood transfusion anyway! By then, you can postpone this guy's match!?"

"...... Hmm, player Leorio. Thank you for your help, but I will arrange it for you, so please step back."

Leorio, who aspired to be a doctor, was quite accurate during the first aid process and gave instructions to the Examiner.

Leorio finally realized he didn't have to do what others told him to do; he blushed slightly, took a step back, and while speaking, left the rest to the Examiner, grabbing the necks of the two who couldn't get rid of Sora. Tear it off.

Before that, Sora reached out his hand.

He extended his uninjured left hand and stroked Kurapika's soft blonde hair.

"Sora..."

"Kurapika. You're doing fine."

Sora said this before Kurapika could cry again and try to apologize.

Compared to usual, his face was as pale as paper.

It was not the smile of a Death God, but a veritable sunny smile.

Sora said it with the smile Kurapika wanted.

"It's not your fault. At that time, you couldn't escape, couldn't dodge, and falling wasn't Kurapika's fault either. This isn't comfort, seriously, it was Hisoka's trap."

So please don't blame yourself. It's usually because Hisoka is bad... so... um... yeah, that's it. Beat Hisoka later."

"...... I understand. I will beat you."

"Wait, I don't know."

"What do you know, you?"

As he stroked Kurapika's head, he continued; the culprit who turned Sora into this at the start was Hisoka, and Kurapika wasn't the culprit either, but in the end, Sora was confused about whether he was tired or angry at him. Kurapika was full of emotions in the way he organized things and also showed a strange honesty, and Leorio and Killua rushed in at the same time.

"Kuku, I was also scared when I was seriously injured."

Mocking this strange, skit-like exchange was Hisoka, who ignored Sora's declaration of failure, did not counterattack, and had been silently watching the four of them until now.

All four stared at Hisoka with displeased eyes, but Hisoka, who was as bloody as Sora, shrugged with a ferocious look; although it should have ended in indigestion, they seemed to have fallen into a good mood. Ask.

"Sora, just want to ask, what did you do to me?"

"I just returned my wound to you as it was... a Curse that shares the pain of death. As the name suggests, you and I are now sharing the pain."

"Don't underestimate a Magician. Curses are my specialty."

Not expecting him to reveal his hand, Sora immediately answered Hisoka's probing question, raising his middle finger, and was scolded by Kurapika: "Stop it!"

That said, he didn't expose himself to foolish honesty. In fact, that Curses are his specialty was a big lie. For Sora, Black Magic and sorcery were very weak areas.

The Curse Sora cast on Hisoka, as the name suggests, makes the target share the feeling of pain with himself; it was a curse created by an old magician noble to prevent slaves from rebelling against their masters, but Sora was in every sense incompatible with Magic, so even though the curse in the original work would even lead to death being shared unless the curse was lifted, for Sora, the pain that could be shared was limited. The Curse would naturally be lifted. In one day, it only had a threatening effect.

Compared to Sora, although Hisoka had suffered just as many wounds, he was still so fresh; it wasn't just because, unlike Sora who kept moving around after being injured, Hisoka's blood loss still hadn't exceeded that, and Hisoka's injuries were actually quite light.

Originally, it wasn't just to have a chance to say "sorry," but after he forfeited, he didn't want to hurt himself anymore, at least for today; of course, he didn't go into more detail than that, he told him to make it look like the curse was still continuing, but Hisoka shouted "Scary, scary."

It is said that Sora's Nen type is Enhancement, so it might expose that this curse corresponding to the Manipulation System was not that strong.

However, Hisoka didn't point it out either, smiling as always and asking, "By the way, can I ask you one more thing?"

Kurapika and the Examiners ignored these words and pulled him up; Sora immediately wanted to go receive treatment, but Hisoka ignored Sora's disregard and asked back.

"Gimi, why didn't you say 'I'm dead' before casting that 'Curse'?"

Regardless of whether he intended to ignore it or was thinking about something, Sora stopped and looked back.

Although his blood volume had dropped a bit, he seemed to still be angry.

Looking at him with those eyes, Hisoka continued, feeling a chill down his spine.

"If you were going to say it, you should have said it earlier, right?"

"But you were already prepared to lose, why did you specifically announce your failure after activating this curse?"

Before answering Hisoka's question, Sora first snorted.

"You already know, don't ask specifically, it's troublesome."

The students who had been asked the same question by Hisoka deepened the mystery of Sora's answer, but Hisoka, as Sora said, "I want to check the answer from your mouth."

Sora sighed as if hearing this answer was really annoying, but he felt that if he ignored it, he would keep following him, so he answered.

"That's more interesting, isn't it?"

Answering with a question instead of an answer. However, this question was Hisoka's correct answer.

If he had just used this battle maniac and said: "Sorry, the possibility that he would ignore the declaration and attack was much higher."

That is why he completely outsmarted Hisoka, lived up to Hisoka's expectations, and showed him the most interesting thing, just to satisfy him.

I thought, "Why should I go out of my way to do this?", but I figured it would be easier than dealing with the trouble later, so I did it.

In response to so many actions, Hisoka smiled and told her with a truly satisfied expression.

"That's right, Sora, you really are the best."

"If you could really erase my existence from within you, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Compared to the cheerful Hisoka, Sora was as tense as could be and answered immediately.

"... But this is terrifying."

Sora was taken to the first-aid room, while Hisoka seemed to have stopped his own bleeding and remained in the Venue with a gloomy look on his face. It was someone else's problem.

"... Hmm, it's better not to let it collapse. Well then, let's continue to the next match."

Hearing Netero's words, the bystander Hunter announced the start of the fifth match, thinking, "Is this okay, Chairman? Let's just end it like this."

"What a pity."

As soon as it started, Killua lightly raised both hands and answered immediately.

Just like that, he smiled and said to his surprised opponent, Pokkuru.

"Sorry, I don't want to fight you."

During the interview, my nervousness subsided, and I upgraded my opponent to "an opponent I don't want to fight because it doesn't look interesting," but the match between Gon and Hanzo and the match between Sora and Hisoka further stimulated my self-esteem; for Killua, who had been watching things, passing here easily had long been an option.

Pokkuru, being licked by a child like this, wanted to retort, but he was a strong man who had remained until now and a veteran who had participated in the exam many times. I think I understood correctly.

In the end, he bit his lip in humiliation, said nothing, and realized his long-cherished wish of passing the Hunter Exam.

"... Are you okay?"

"I'm confident I can win next time. On the contrary, I feel sorry for him because I don't want to lose."

Leorio asked Killua, who had quickly returned to the edge of the hall, and the answer was calm.

To this, Leorio bluntly said he was annoyed, saying, "You're just a kid." Kurapika's expression tightened slightly, and he warned him.

"It's good to have confidence in yourself, but don't make fun of your opponent. Even if you withdraw once for this, if you win next time, Sora won't judge you."

Killua glared at Kurapika, referring to Sora. However, she didn't say anything, just clicked her tongue and turned her back to him.

While cursing in her heart, "Who do you think I withdrew for?!"

Kurapika was the first to be protected by Sora, and only Kurapika's voice reached the out-of-control Sora, which was frustrating.

If you want to get close to me, you should make yourself closer. I concluded that sitting next to them would be fine, but I couldn't help but feel frustrated and jealous that I still couldn't reach the distance between the two of them.

I envied him for protecting me, but I hated being protected in the same way.

I don't need him to protect me; I want to be stronger than Kurapika, or rather, I want to be in a position where I can be relied upon.

This is why Killua decided to withdraw from the match with Pokkuru and fight the next opponent.

If the other party were someone else, perhaps Killua would have obediently fought Pokkuru and passed the exam easily after the pleasure of being tortured.

Sora said he was a suspicious man covered in needles who fought on the first day of the fourth exam.

If Sora hadn't heard of him, if Sora hadn't fought him and said "I don't want to fight anymore," Killua might not have chosen this option.

Such regrets came too early.

Since Sora's treatment had not yet ended, I requested to postpone it as much as possible until Bodoro finished, and then I immediately withdrew from the next match, so Killua, who was uninjured and full of stamina, and Gitarakuru from the first match agreed to take turns in order.

Then, just as the match began, Gitarakuru said.

"It's been a while. Kill."

Suddenly, he said, "Long time no see."

Killua certainly didn't recognize someone so unforgettable, unique, and even love-at-first-sight. Killua definitely didn't remember being called "Kill" or "Long time no see," but something strange lingered in his mind.

"... Is my voice that unpleasant?"

For better or worse, Killua didn't hear the other party's muttering. If I had heard it, I might have noticed.

It wasn't hard to understand. However, he might have noticed that his appearance was too different to recognize the same voice.

After waiting for a while, Killua didn't seem to notice, so Gitarakuru pulled out the needles stuck in his face one by one.

Gidrakul's face twisted and deformed with a creaking sound, and everyone except Hisoka pulled back.

Killua also retreated with all his might, but as his deformity faded... when he turned into a real face, the type of surprise changed.

"!?"

When his mohawk turned into charming black hair and fell onto his shoulders, Killua muttered, hoping from the bottom of his heart that he didn't want to believe it, that it was a lie, a hallucination, some kind of mistake.

"...... Big Brother!!"

The Curse that shares the pain of death is a Sora-style arrangement of Rin's Kurobazett from Priya, or rather, a degraded version.

In addition, more detailed restrictions regarding the Gem Sword are as follows.

Fictional work: Replica of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch.

Sora's Magic and Nen Ability were born accidentally during the battle with the Fake Phantom Troupe, which is also the reason for breaking up with Kurapika three years ago.

Three years ago, it was born long ago to fulfill the wishes of "I don't want to die," "I want to protect Kurapika," "I can't use it," and "He is injured to the point where he cannot fight for it."

However, the third point, "I am too injured to fight for long," is also self-mutilation, which is the Switch to open Sora's original Magic Circuit, so it is not a wound caused by an enemy. Self-harm is also possible.

In addition, even after activation, to achieve the unreasonable effects of "limited use of Second Magic" and "power equivalent to the original," it is necessary to "enter a situation/distance where Direct Death can be used," or use the Gem Sword. "If you let go of the Gem Sword, it will disappear." "All the Mana brought from the Parallel World will be used for the light slash. The muscle fibers for each swing are Heavy, and one swing will cut 5 or 6 fibers."

(The work says "Because it is a Projection product of Shirou, it has the side effect of cutting muscle fibers," but looking at it now, is it really a side effect of Shirou's Projection product, or does the original work also have this side effect? I don't know if Rin's slender arms, the user in the original work, are just muscle pain caused by being unable to bear the weight of the Gem Sword. In other words, it is a restriction limited to this story.)

The effect of the ability is extremely simple: the use of Second Magic is limited, drilling a very small "hole" to the Parallel World, collecting Mana from the atmosphere, and firing it in the form of a light slash, but that "light slash itself is pure and dense Magic, so to stop it, one must physically dodge, or use an equal amount of Magic Aura must be used against it."

Mana is theoretically inexhaustible because it is brought from the Parallel World, but the amount of Mana that can be extracted at one time is limited, and by applying Constraints proportional to it, the Mana can be further increased.