Simon's head was gone. Blood geysered into the air. A life had ended. The sight was nothing short of horrific.
To call this a penalty game... this was a death that should never have been dismissed with such a word.
The culprit who had committed this deed, Captain Trail, revealed his true identity before us. Simon's head was gripped in his hand. With a careless motion, he tossed it aside as if throwing away trash.
"Too baaaaad! Your deduction was right up until the middle! You should have read one step further!"
The figure was Rock. One of the three members of the Silver Team. Had his sickly appearance from the poison been an act? No, Rock actually looked like he was suffering from drug withdrawal symptoms. I couldn't imagine Simon missing such a change in someone's aura.
In other words, while there was acting involved, he had actually been using drugs. Not the red crystals, but likely some other narcotic or stimulant.
Now that I knew Rock was the culprit, I understood why the wristbands of the other two companions hadn't been poisoned.
"Huh? No, no, I just met these guys at the venue. We just called each other by random anime nicknames."
The reason Rock had distributed non-poisoned wristbands to the other two was simple: he didn't want to keep mentally unstable people near him for his own selfish reasons. That fact was revealed from the mouth of the greatest madman of all.
"Honestly, Simon, if you're going to answer a quiz, you should follow the rules. I said it, didn't I? 'Kill the person you believe to be me.' You have to finish the job properly!"
Rock slowly turned toward Pejpa and Caesar, whom Simon had only knocked unconscious. I could guess the reality of what he was about to do, though I didn't want to understand it. Actions that held no meaning. Actions detached from ethical restraint or cost-benefit calculations, far removed from anything human.
"Stop it!"
It was Noah who stopped him. His ability activated, and the surrounding area was covered by the disease space. Everyone crouched on the spot, expressing intense pain. It was hardly the best move, but I thought it would at least seal the actions of Rock—now Trail.
"Annoying..."
However, within Noah's space ruled by disease, Trail stood up nonchalantly. In his hands, he held the severed heads of Pejpa and Caesar.
It had been the same with Simon. I hadn't understood what trick he used to snatch away a human head in an instant. But here, I was finally able to see the truth.
It wasn't a trick. Trail had grabbed the targets' necks with his hands and ripped them off. At a speed our eyes couldn't perceive.
I understood when I saw the aura emitted from Trail's body. The aura that had seemed like that of a normal person until a moment ago had become a gargantuan amount of manifested energy. It was incomparable to any Nen user I had seen before.
I couldn't believe this was the life energy residing within a single organism. Differences in Nen technique, category, compatibility, observation, or combat sense—all of it felt meaningless before this overwhelming difference in dimension.
Noah's ability deactivated. He must have realized it too. Disease was no hindrance to Trail.
We couldn't win. It wouldn't even be a fight. Even if Trail stepped in and grabbed my neck, I would probably only recognize the fact after my head was already gone. That was the extent of the gap.
It wasn't as if we were being intimidated. Trail was just standing there. That alone was enough to keep everyone on the spot, unable to move a single inch.
"Hyaha... Hyahahaha!! I love that expression! It's sooooo goooooooood!! It's about to begin—Captain Trail's Slaughter Game! The 'absolute strong' will trample, torment, ravish, and kill the 'strong'! The ultimate game where I indulge every desire!"
I witnessed the figure of a human filled with such bone-chilling malice. I wanted to say it was wrong for a person to be this way. But at the same time, I thought:
Is this the true face of a human who has obtained overwhelming power? The primordial state reached by someone who no longer needs to restrain themselves. The final result of high-level thought mixed with a creature's fundamental desires. An utterly hideous beast of a human.
Before that malice and violence, no one could resist. Except for one man who stood up beside me.
Blade Max stepped forward. That step was less of a 'stride' and more of a 'plunge.' It was a recklessness that could only be achieved through a lack of judgment, like losing one's footing before a sheer cliff. How was he able to move?
"Noah, what are you doing? Weren't you going to protect Six?"
"Heh, no, well..."
Noah, who had collapsed in shock, hurriedly stood up. His footing was as shaky as a newborn fawn, but he managed to stand nonetheless.
"Grandfather of the Galaxy, with your ability and your persuasive speech, you should be able to lead everyone here and escape."
"...You're right. This life that died once—I shall make it useful to you all."
The Grandfather of the Galaxy materialized his robe and began distributing it to the general passengers. Trail didn't stop the action. He just watched with a sickening, slimy grin.
"Six."
I trembled at the call. Why can they move? Why can everyone act in this situation? If Trail's mood shifts even slightly, they'll be killed in an instant. They must know that.
"It's alright. Your resolve was more noble than anyone's. As long as you have that heart, your companions will always remain by your side."
Blade took one, then two steps, closing the distance with Trail. I didn't know what to do. But I knew I couldn't let Blade go like this. I stood up to stop him.
However, as I tried to walk, someone caught my hand. Looking back, Pomerni was gripping my arm.
"Hey, brother!"
Then, Pomerni called out to Blade while raising a hand. In his usual cheerful voice, in a relaxed tone that lacked any sense of tension.
"I'm leaving it to you, Blade."
Only the tears streaming down his face from beneath his sunglasses were unlike him.
"Yeah... Leave it to me!"
A massive amount of aura surged from Blade's body. His physical form changed with an audible sound. Muscles swelled like balloons, and a giant figure that required looking up at was completed.
This technique was his ability, Complete Muscle Armament (Last Max). But Blade had said that once he activated this technique, it couldn't be reused for 24 hours. Was that a lie?
An ability that, even temporarily, pulled up the aura reinforcement rate by five times. It was a powerful move that could allow for a comeback from a cornered state. I had thought he had to set a long cooldown as a self-imposed restriction to draw out that power. It was too convenient for it to be usable without limits.
Then I realized a possibility. The 24-hour reuse limit wasn't a 'Restriction,' but a 'Vow.' A restriction is a rule in the ability's design, but a vow is a promise to keep a rule. If it's a vow, it's possible to intentionally break the rule.
Nen increases in power through resolve. By making a strict vow to oneself and keeping it, it becomes stronger. But in proportion, the price incurred when breaking that vow is also greater.
"Go! Leave this to me!"
The strength of the blowing aura was not inferior to Trail's. But I realized that the brilliant shine of that aura was power obtained by burning something that could never be replaced.