That heartbeat didn't shake the air.
Thump—
Despite being an auditory hallucination caused by Gon's heavy aura pulsing, everyone present perceived the same sound.
Thump—
It was a message from his muscles announcing his resurrection—a harmony of muscle and aura united as one through Perfect Communication, where it was impossible to tell which came first.
THUMP!!—
A miraculous body that had not only healed its wounds but evolved even further was being born on Greed Island.
Razor watched Gon with full alertness, more than anyone else, his eyes fixed on the figure still standing with closed eyes in deep concentration.
The aura that suddenly erupted like a bursting dam was alarming enough, but even more than that, the atmosphere Gon exuded rang alarm bells that allowed for no complacency whatsoever.
"Back..."
Slowly opening his eyes and quietly announcing his return to the infield, Gon remained in Razor's unwavering gaze—he swore to God he hadn't blinked even once.
As if that small body had expanded, before anyone realized it, Gon was leaping over Razor without changing his posture at all.
"—!??"
The jump using only ankle strength with absolutely no preparatory movement carried Gon from the outfield to his own court. Everyone stared in disbelief at this physically impossible motion.
Then, landing quietly on the court, Gon gradually increased his height while keeping his back turned to Razor.
He surpassed Killua's height, then Goreinu's height, growing until he matched Razor's own stature.
Gon's body, which had stretched vertically into a slender appearance, then began increasing in thickness with each pulse of his aura.
This time it was no metaphor—his body truly expanded from within. Unable to withstand the growth, his highly elastic tank top and shorts burst apart spectacularly.
While the sole surviving boxer briefs stretched to their limit, transforming into a thong as they desperately defended the last bastion, an unprecedented masterpiece of art revealed itself on the court.
Despite being clad only in underwear, not a single person thought he looked vulnerable.
Even Biscuit and Razor had to acknowledge this as a body from another dimension—muscles that inspired a sense of defense more solid than any armor and offense more powerful than any weapon.
Eventually, Gon slowly raised his right hand as if to confirm something, quietly gazing at the palm held before his face.
Then, curling his fingers one by one starting from the pinky, he locked them with his thumb and gripped the completed fist with powerful force.
Each simple motion captured and held the viewers' attention like a scene from a movie.
"...Sorry, mind if I put some clothes on?"
"...Go ahead."
The scales of battle that had been tilting toward Razor were forcibly shoved back to Gon's side through sheer power.
Biscuit, who should have had an eye for handsome men and magnificent physiques, couldn't muster even a hint of interest.
(This has gone beyond the realm of being shocked or amazed. I finally understand what the old man and Wing praised so wholeheartedly.)
The pride of Biscuit, who had continuously updated her physical prime and boasted the best physical capabilities she'd ever known—surpassing even Netero—shattered into pieces.
Her gem-like muscles, polished over half a century, were being matched in brilliance by a raw, unrefined kid barely into his teens.
(More than anything, Gon's physical characteristics have too high an affinity with his Hatsu! The composition is as if he knew the destination from the very beginning. What exactly does that child see!?)
Realizing she could actually lose in a serious fight, the fact that she still held the advantage in overall combat power offered no comfort whatsoever.
The reason Wing declared with certainty that Gon would surpass both Netero and Biscuit, the reason for Netero's absurdly abnormal rejuvenation, the presumptuous evaluation that he would stand at the pinnacle of martial arts in the near future—
At this rate, he wouldn't just stand at the pinnacle of martial arts. What awaited was simple domination through violence, trampling over the summit.
(I can't afford to polish my skills leisurely anymore. As contracted, I need to join forces with the old man and corner him. Losing to Gon as he is now would be tantamount to the defeat of martial arts itself!)
Perhaps someday Gon would master martial arts and create something that could be called the Gon Style.
But the current Gon couldn't be said to have mastered martial arts, not by any stretch.
Because while Gon knew how to deal with martial arts, his strongest tactic was simply to charge in with nothing but raw power.
(I need to drill martial arts into him as soon as possible. Until then, defeat is not an option. ...Really, is it a Hunter's nature to get fired up by difficulty? I'll do it!)
Biscuit watched Gon borrow a shirt and pants from the overly deferential Tsezguerra, quietly stoking the flames in her heart.
It was the moment the world's greatest teacher acknowledged Gon as a worthy rival even more than as a disciple.
Despite borrowing clothes from Tsezguerra, the largest member of the challenger team, Gon returned to the court with both the top and bottom stretched tight from the thickness of his muscles.
Gon was simply walking while cloaked in his aura. Just that alone caused a bead of sweat to trickle down Razor's forehead.
(Jin, you may have given birth to something truly extraordinary.)
The overwhelming presence Gon exuded just by facing him across the court filled Razor with complex emotions—both relieved and disappointed that this wasn't actual combat.
Killua and Goreinu retreated to the very edge of the infield court, while Gon positioned himself near the center and performed Ren while facing Razor.
His aura carried physical impact, and the pressure that made the metaphor of "monster" seem cute assaulted Razor.
Gon returned Razor's ferocious smile with one of equal nature, then pulled out a spell card from his pocket—one with the same effect as the binder Gon's team possessed.
It was a card only a Game Master could use, meant for GMs to contact each other.
"GM Contact: Elena and Eta."
『Well, well, it's rare for Razor to contact us!』
『Gon seems to be there too—did something happen?』
As everyone wondered about the sudden communication, Razor made a request to Elena and Eta, who oversaw the system.
"Just for a few minutes. Remove me from the G.I.S."
『HUH!? Are you seriously saying that!?』
『Not just the system—you might not come out of this unscathed either!?』
The G.I.S.—Greed Island System—was a cooperative joint-type Nen ability created by the eleven founders of Greed Island.
Through role division among eleven Nen users and making it a base-type ability anchored to the island, they maximized benefits like conditions and limitations.
The game items that would normally be beyond human capability were realized through Jin's miraculous system balance design, which siphoned aura from both the GMs on the island and the players.
"I know. But this is a promise I made with that idiot. I want to see it through without regrets."
『...One minute—no, I'll somehow manage two minutes. But if you die, you'd better come back to the system as a lingering Nen spirit!』
『Gon! Sorry, but please humor this guy's selfishness. Thanks!』
Confirming the communication had ended, Razor concentrated his mind, and in response, Gon raised his aura.
『Abnormality detected in G.I.S. Razor has been removed from the system. Repeating: abnormality detected...』
An alarm suddenly blared through the floor where Gon's group stood, and Razor, liberated from the system, cloaked himself in massive amounts of aura.
As if begrudging even the time to savor the freedom he felt for the first time in over ten years, Razor poured aura into the ball to its limit and tossed it into the air with a volleyball spike motion.
He leapt up himself while cloaked in enormous amounts of aura, then concentrated his aura into his right hand with Ko as the finishing blow.
(This is my genuine full power, no holds barred! Take it!!)
Meteor Spike!!
That strike was truly a meteor.
If Franklin's Aura Cannon was a wide-area annihilation type, Meteor Spike was a single-point breakthrough type that had refined penetrating power and impact force to their extremes.
Since their purposes differed, comparison was meaningless, but if they were to clash, the Meteor Spike would likely break through the Aura Cannon and strike Franklin directly.
Against such a strike that even bottom-tier ability users could see was dangerous, Gon's choice—aiming for the ultimate one—remained unwavering.
First comes rock—
Lowering his hips and pulling back his arm, his overflowing aura concentrated in his right hand.
Jan, ken—
Perhaps due to the life-threatening crisis, or the influence of Gon and Razor's aura, everyone present equally perceived the instant until the ball would land.
"PAPER!!"
Everyone's eyes witnessed the vision of a giant palm catching the falling meteor.
The ball and hand produced a deafening roar they shouldn't have made. The shockwave was strong enough to send Killua and Goreinu tumbling. Everyone held their breath watching the impact point, invisible behind a veil of dust.
The brief silence was broken by aura that blew away the dust.
Gon stood like a guardian deity on the court, having lost the shirt borrowed from Tsezguerra, his upper body bare as he gripped the ball tightly.
(...I take my hat off to him. That strike was meant to blow away this entire building, but Gon's aura completely negated it all.)
While Meteor Spike boasted tremendous penetrating power, even more troublesome was the aura that exploded on impact.
The aura packed into the ball was released omnidirectionally upon landing, blowing away and dealing massive damage to everything in the vicinity.
Even trying to dodge, since it was struck downward from above the opponent, one would take the attack at point-blank range unless they escaped the range instantly.
Gon, who had caught Razor's full-power strike through sheer overwhelming physical ability and aura, turned his face toward Killua, who had rolled out of the court but returned.
"Killua, can I ask you again?"
"Are you kidding me!? How can I do anything after seeing that!!"
"Sorry. But I can only ask you."
"Ugh—!!"
After groaning for several seconds at Gon's request and breaking through his fear, Killua snatched the ball from Gon and questioned Razor.
"Razor! 'Breath of the Archangel' really heals any injury, right!?"
"Yeah. As long as you're alive, it'll fully heal you even if your limbs are torn off or your heart is missing."
Killua pulled out batteries from his pocket and bit into them, cloaking himself in electricity beyond his maximum capacity.
Godspeed
Killua assumed his stance with the ball and took aim, demonstrating the greatest concentration of his life.
The electricity that had been making loud sounds became small, yet spread evenly throughout his entire body with a chirping sound like birdsong.
The control that circulated massive amounts of aura and electricity evenly throughout in the finest detail possible—an aura manipulation ability that left both Razor and Biscuit speechless.
Borrowed Muscle Hell: All My Power
Pure violence that blew away even Killua's extraordinary technique displayed its true worth.
Those muscles far surpassed the Uvogin battle, and the overflowing aura broke the spirits of the bottom-tier ability users and pirates watching, bringing them to their knees.
The muscle training during the weakened state from recoil, and the harsh treatment of continuously siphoned aura during the death march.
Perfect Communication, where muscle and aura shared each other's burden, had overcome the synergistic harsh treatment through super-recovery, reaching a new stage.
"First comes rock..."
Aura concentrated in the tightly clenched right fist, compressed together with the overwhelming grip strength.
Though not invisible, the aura density had decreased to about half its volume, making it seem as though space itself was screaming.
"Jan, ken..."
As his body twisted to face forward, a demon's visage that looked like a contorted smile stared at Razor from Gon's back.
Razor, having resigned himself to death, waited in extreme concentration, raising his aura while clinging to the too-small hope that the ball wouldn't be cloaked in aura.
"ROCK!!"
Perhaps the strongest fist in all of history pierced into the ball, and the ball with its indestructible properties burst with an anticlimactic sound.
Everyone watching froze, caught off guard, and Razor, who stood in the line of fire, completely ceased functioning in both body and mind.
The thing that used to be a ball flew feebly and hit Razor's knee before falling onto the court.
『Emergency situation detected. Damage confirmed to G.I.S. Forcibly returning removed Razor to system』
With Razor reincorporated into the system, the alarm that had been blaring fell silent as if it had been a lie.
Having squeezed out all his strength and having his guard down, combined with having his reduced aura siphoned, Razor sat down on the court.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his head from looking down and, with a wry smile, addressed Gon, who had shrunk to Killua's size and wore an awkward expression.
"I give up. This match—it's your victory."
Razor's declaration of defeat was drowned out by Killua's screams—his fingers bent in unnatural directions—and Leorio's shriek, changing the atmosphere into something indescribable.