Illumi's expression turned somewhat grim. He never imagined that Killua's change was because of Gon. He hadn't initially paid much attention to Killua and Gon getting too close, feeling that Killua's interest was merely a matter of curiosity stemming from their similar ages. He believed Killua would soon lose interest and might even take the initiative to kill Gon.
But now Killua says he wants to be friends with Gon. This is unacceptable to Illumi.
"That can't be!" Illumi exclaimed. "How could someone like you possibly make friends? Your judgment of people is limited to whether or not they can be killed. I won't think about anything else. That's how we raised you. For you right now, Gon is just an existence that is too dazzling for you to measure. You don't want to be friends with him."
Illumi looked at Killua and tried to bewitch him. He absolutely cannot let Killua and Gon become friends. With friends come bonds, and naturally, one cannot become a heartless killer.
"Wrong," Killua retorted, insisting he just wanted to become friends with Gon.
Illumi ignored Killua's rebuttal and continued to entice him. "Just stay by his side. You'll definitely want to kill him someday. You can't help but want to test whether you can actually kill him. No matter what, you're a born killer."
Gon glared angrily at Illumi, completely disagreeing. "Killua, aren't we friends already!" Gon looked at Killua with a serious expression and shouted. He has always considered Killua a friend.
"Gon!" Killua looked at Gon with a complicated expression. He hadn't expected that Gon had already considered him a friend. This deeply moved Killua.
Then Gon looked at Illumi and shouted angrily. "Killua would never kill me! And Killua has already said he doesn't want to be an assassin. Even though you are Killua's older brother, you don't understand Killua at all."
Gon was furious. If it weren't for the Hunter Association staff blocking him, he'd probably already rushed up and punched Illumi by now. Leorio and Kurapika, standing nearby, also glared angrily at Illumi.
Upon hearing Gon's shout, Illumi's expression turned very gloomy. She couldn't help but turn around and walk towards Gon. At that moment, Illumi had only one thought in his mind: killing Gon. If Gon dies, then Killua will naturally have no friends left.
Seeing Illumi's actions, Killua's expression changed drastically. A murderous aura involuntarily arose from his body. This made Illumi pause, but he continued walking forward.
"I'm telling you, you're really selfish!" Ryusei stood between Menchi and Buhara, looking at Illumi with disdain and shouted.
Ryusei's words caught the attention of the others. This made Illumi stop in his tracks.
"...?" Illumi looked at Ryusei with a puzzled expression. Ryusei's words were clearly somewhat incomprehensible.
Ryusei moved a little behind Buhara, but having already spoken up, he didn't intend to leave anything unsaid. Ryusei continued shouting. "You clearly have friends yourself, but you prevented Killua from making friends. You demand that Killua do what you yourself cannot do. Am I wrong to say you're selfish?"
He really disapproved of Illumi's actions. Although it was done under the guise of doing what was best for Killua, in reality, it was just to satisfy his perverse desire for control. This is understandable, though, since Illumi is a Manipulator-type Nen user.
"When did I have friends?" Illumi looked at Ryusei with a blank expression. As for Ryusei saying he was selfish, Illumi didn't see anything wrong with it. He was indeed selfish; he only wanted Killua to stay by his side forever.
"Of course it's Hisoka!" Ryusei pointed to Hisoka beside him.
This made Hisoka pause in surprise for a moment. However, Illumi looked a bit confused.
Hisoka nodded. "That's not wrong! Illumi and I are indeed friends." He had known Illumi before and also greatly admires Illumi. The two got along quite well, and he learned some efficient killing techniques from Illumi. Therefore, Ryusei said that he and Illumi are friends. It seems there really isn't a problem.
Illumi stared blankly at Hisoka, who had acknowledged that they were friends. He couldn't help but feel murderous intent towards Hisoka. However, his murderous intent was quickly suppressed, because Illumi knows very well: Killing Hisoka won't be so easy for him. Of course, Hisoka couldn't kill him either. If the two of them fight, they will only both suffer heavy losses.
Hisoka glanced at Illumi with some disappointment. The reason he admitted it just now was actually with the intention of provoking Illumi. He had originally thought that Illumi would attack him. In that case, he would be able to have an exciting battle with Illumi. Unfortunately, Illumi didn't choose to take action.
Killua looked at Illumi without saying a word. However, at this point, Killua no longer cared about what Illumi had said earlier. Even though he has friends, he doesn't want him to make friends. Hmph! How selfish.
Illumi naturally noticed Killua's change in attitude. This put Illumi in a difficult position. After a moment's thought, Illumi turned his gaze to Gon. Ignore what others say. If Gon dies, Killua will naturally give up the idea of making friends.
However, there is still another problem. "This is really a problem! If I kill Gon, I won't be able to get my Hunter License," Illumi said expressionlessly. In order to complete the next mission, he must obtain a Hunter's License. However, if he kills Gon, he won't be able to get his Hunter License.
"By the way, I can pass the exam first, and then kill Gon."
"Once I pass the exam, I'll kill everyone here."
"They won't revoke my hunter license, will they?" Illumi looked at Netero and asked.
"There's no problem with the rules," Netero answered calmly. (Of course, Netero didn't think Illumi would do that. After all, he was quite familiar with the Zoldyck family. Moreover, if Illumi were to actually make a move... He won't watch.)
After receiving a response, Illumi turned to look at Killua.
"Did you hear that, Killua?"
"If you fight me, and you don't win, you won't be able to save Gon."
"Do you have the guts to fight me for your friend?!"
"That's impossible!" Illumi continued, his voice becoming more persuasive. "No matter what, compared to friends or anything like that... What you care about more now is whether there is a way to defeat me here. Moreover, you already have the answer in your heart. With my current strength, I am no match for my elder brother. Never fight an enemy you can't win against. I think I've told you this several times already! Right!"
Illumi spoke as he slowly walked towards Killua. At the same time, he exuded an ominous and malevolent aura. This made Killua feel very panicked.