Ron chose the elite route for his Nen beasts: any that couldn't keep up would be "eliminated."
A venomous snake slithered up behind Ponzu, jaws wide, ready to bite her ankle. One strike would cause excruciating pain—maybe worse, because its fangs held venom that could easily incapacitate Ponzu if it entered her bloodstream.
But just before it could land the bite, a bee swooped down.
Its stinger plunged precisely into the snake's eye.
Hissing in pain, the snake thrashed violently, but the bee clung tightly to the edges of its eye socket, refusing to be shaken off. The snake ended up violently whipping its own head into the ground, bleeding heavily, its whole body twitching as though wracked by convulsions.
Hearing the commotion, Ponzu spun around and brought her staff down hard.
With a dull smack, she crushed the snake's skull.
That scene neatly summed up Ponzu's duel with Bourbon. Their strength wasn't so different—each had a real chance of winning. Factors like environment and quick decisions could easily tip the balance either way.
But their mindsets diverged.
Ponzu already felt that she stood on solid ground, because she had Ron behind her. If she really got in trouble, she knew Ron would step in.
Meanwhile, Bapeng believed his snakes surrounded Ron and Gittarackur completely. Even if he started losing to Ponzu, he assumed he could threaten the other two as hostages and force Ponzu to hand over her tag.
They both felt confident, albeit for very different reasons. One was correct; the other was based on a grave misunderstanding.
Down below, Hanzo and Killua were still locked in combat. Illumi cast a glance at Ron.
"Ron, once this exam is finished, any plans?"
"I have something to handle for Chairman Netero first. Shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks."
"Perfect," Illumi said. "I've taken on a job that'll be tough for me to handle by myself. If you're free, I'd like you to join me. The pay's pretty good."
Ron hesitated momentarily.
"Mind if I ask what the job involves?"
"I can't say yet—I don't even know myself. But I can tell you who it's for."
"Who?"
"The Phantom Troupe."
Ron raised an eyebrow. He was familiar with that name, though his personal encounters with them were limited. Kurapika wanted revenge on them; Hisoka had infiltrated them; and apparently, they'd taken an interest in Ron.
In the original story, the Troupe's only known arrangement with Illumi was the one in which Illumi and Mahha Zoldyck were hired to kill the Ten Dons.
But in this world, Ron knew from his time undercover in the Underworld Mafia that it wasn't just about the Dons being strong—there were special Nen creatures in play, something serious enough to require Mahha Zoldyck's involvement.
Without them, Illumi alone could have wiped out the Ten Dons, especially with the Shadow Beasts having already been handled by the Troupe.
Ron thought it over and nodded.
"Alright."
He was still curious about the Troupe's interest in him, and he wanted to see any Nen beast potent enough to make Mahha Zoldyck enter the fray.
"Great. I'll contact you afterward."
"Deal."
At last, the battle between Hanzo and Killua was drawing to a close. Killua was on the losing side, largely due to his mindset.
Hanzo drove a fierce punch into Killua's gut.
Killua flew backward, crashing into a tree and breaking it in half.
Hanzo strode over and looked down at him, but he didn't strike again.
"Killua, you're strong. Reaching this level at your age is amazing. So what are you running from? With this attitude, you'll never live up to your potential, whether you want to be a Hunter, a ninja, or a martial artist. It's a waste.
"Honestly, I'm disappointed. When I took this job, I thought it would be easy—but once we started fighting, I realized your true power. I was sure we'd have a real battle on our hands. I was looking forward to it.
None of the earlier matches forced me to go all out. But it turns out you're all talk. This ends here."
Hanzo flicked his wrist, tossing a tag near Killua, embedding it into the broken tree trunk with a sharp thunk.
Killua stared blankly, fists clenching on reflex.
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