Chapter 98: Headshot
"Alright, I'll take the field next," Razor announced, stepping forward. He understood that the current situation was beyond the capabilities of the half-baked prisoners who had been forcibly recruited.
Razor casually picked up a dodgeball from the basket. "Next, my event is an eight-versus-eight dodgeball match! You select your participants—I've already chosen mine." As soon as he finished speaking, seven puppets materialized behind him, each crafted from Nen ability and marked with a number from one to seven on their chests.
"Wait a minute, how will the outcome be determined under these conditions? Wasn't it agreed to be a one-win-per-person system?"
Tsezguerra keenly sensed something amiss and questioned.
Razor narrowed his eyes, a sinister smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "So, according to the rules, the side that wins this match will be credited with eight victories. Simple, right?"
From the very beginning, Razor had planned it this way: in this game, unless you could defeat him, you couldn't achieve final victory. Even if you had already secured seven wins, Razor would ultimately step forward alone to clean up the remnants.
The so-called "Razor and the Fourteen Devils" didn't refer to him and the fourteen pirates—both were Razor himself.
Tsezguerra glanced at his own team. Facing an opponent of this caliber, only four among them, including himself, had the strength to compete. Reluctantly, the remaining four slots would have to be filled by others. But there was no alternative.
On the dodgeball court, Razor began explaining the rules.
"I'll explain the rules: one player in the outer court, seven players in the inner court. When there are no players left in the inner court, the team loses."
"If a player in the inner court gets hit by a ball thrown by the opponent, they are eliminated and must move to the outer court. However, at the start of the game, including the outer court player, only one player can re-enter the inner court."
"By shouting 'back,' the player who shouts can return to the inner court at any time."
There are many rules in dodgeball, but they can be summarized in one sentence: either dodge the ball or catch it.
Razor's team had player number 1 standing in the outer court, while on Mord's side, it was one of Tsezguerra's subordinates brought in to make up the numbers.
"Alright, let the game begin."
"I am player number 0, serving as the referee. Pleased to meet you."
A Nen ability puppet with the number 0 on its chest carried the ball to the center of the court.
Mord glanced over, estimating that Razor's ability could summon fourteen devils.
"Once the ball is thrown up, the game begins!"
"Ready—"
"Start!"
The dodgeball was tossed high into the air. Killua leaped up and effortlessly tapped the ball back to his team's side of the court.
Tsezguerra reached out and caught it.
"Good, let's test their strength first."
Thinking this to himself, Tsezguerra infused the dodgeball in his hand with Nen ability and hurled it forward with force.
The devil numbered 4 on the opposing side fell to the ground instantly.
The dodgeball bounced a few times on the ground before rolling out of bounds into an unoccupied area.
"Mr. Tsezguerra, well done!"
"Great! We've taken the first point!"
Tsezguerra's subordinates cheered loudly.
The lackey standing in the outer court tossed the ball back to Tsezguerra, who repeated the same method and took down two more devils.…
Everyone was immersed in joy.
Even Tsezguerra couldn't help but wonder if he had been overthinking things.
Only Mord and Bisky maintained solemn expressions from beginning to end.
"Are you confident you can defeat him?" Mord spoke up.
Bisky remained silent for a moment before responding, "If we're just talking about this competition alone, he'd probably win eight times out of ten."
The little lolita paused before continuing.
"But if it were a fight to the death, I believe I could win."
Hah.
Mord sighed softly. It seemed he couldn't rely on Bisky—he would have to handle this himself.
On the other side, Tsezguerra threw his killer ball again, but this time his attack proved ineffective.
"What! He caught my ball with just one hand!"
Tsezguerra's face showed disbelief as he watched Razor catch his attack with a single hand.
"Alright, time for the counterattack."
Razor took several steps back, stomped hard on the floor with his left foot, and threw the ball like a cannonball with his right hand.
So powerful! So fast!
Tsezguerra instinctively dodged, and the dodgeball brushed past his body.
Boom!
One player behind him couldn't react in time. His head was directly smashed apart by Razor's ball, splattering crimson blood mixed with white unidentified fluid across the ground.
Tsezguerra looked back at his tragically killed subordinate, his face contorted with pain.
"Player Tiando eliminated!"
"Player Tsezguerra eliminated!"
"Please move to the outer court."
The zero referee announced loudly.
"Why? He clearly dodged it!" Killua questioned.
Bisky glanced over and said, "The clothing he's wearing is also considered part of his body, right?"
After hearing Bisky's words, everyone looked and indeed saw that the camouflage jacket on Tsezguerra's arm had been damaged.
Without saying a word, Tsezguerra silently picked up his dead subordinate's body and walked off the court.
"Mr. Tsezguerra, are you alright?"
"It's all my fault! I got Tiando killed!" Tsezguerra's face was full of anguish.
After achieving fame, he had begun calculating every move, always choosing battles with high chances of victory. He hadn't experienced a life-or-death struggle for who knows how many years.
That ball from Razor had made him feel the long-forgotten aura of death. Driven by survival instinct, he had instinctively chosen to dodge without noticing his companion behind him.
Normally, with his En, he should have been able to sense it.
"That feeling of completely focused combat—I had long forgotten it. Just recovering my former combat intuition would probably take months of effort."
"Dammit, if I had been training properly these past few years, this would never have happened today." Tsezguerra clenched his fists helplessly.
Razor's ball also shattered the psychological defenses of Tsezguerra's remaining subordinates.
They were actually just hunters hired by Battera, who had agreed to help in order to get the bonus money. Now that they saw the life-threatening danger, they were unwilling to continue.
They quickly forfeited one after another.
"Stop joking! If you get hit by a ball like that, can you even survive!"
Even the person originally guarding the outer court left with them.
In other words, Mord's side now only had three people left: Killua, Bisky, and himself.
"Give me the ball," Mord said, extending his hand toward Killua.
Killua picked up the dodgeball from the court and tossed it to Mord.
Mord caught it and spoke simultaneously, "Tsezguerra, now is not the time for grief. I leave the outside to you."
As soon as the words fell.
The ball in his hand transformed into a flash of lightning, shooting toward the opposite side of the court.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The lightning ball struck three opponents consecutively before finally landing in the hands of Tsezguerra, who had regained his composure outside the court...
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