Madman!
Ryker had seemed like the only normal person in this group. He had even been polite earlier. But he was just as insane as the rest of them.
Ponzu felt her sanity crumbling.
How bad was my luck to end up in this group of death?
Sure, the prisoner looked scary, but did he deserve to be diced into cubes? It was a level of cruelty she couldn't comprehend.
Hisoka, on the other hand, was practically vibrating. The curve of his smile stretched wider and wider.
Yes... this fruit... so ruthless. So cold. It exceeds my expectations.
Illumi glanced at Ponzu.
She was so terrified her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor with a thud.
He stared at her for a second, then clicked his neck.
Crack. Crack.
He turned and walked slowly toward the arena.
The two remaining prisoners—the Giant Serial Killer and the Gambler Girl Leroute—were pale as ghosts. They couldn't take their eyes off the pile of minced meat on the platform.
"I... I surrender!!"
Leroute raised both hands immediately.
"I give up! You win! I'd rather rot in jail than turn into... that."
"Just go! Please, just pass! I never want to see you people again! Prison is heaven compared to being in a room with you monsters!"
She mumbled incoherently, terrified that one of them might decide to kill her just for fun even after she surrendered.
"Sigh..."
Illumi let out a rare, audible sigh of disappointment. He shrugged and walked back, his stiff movements unchanged.
Rumble.
The bridge extended fully, connecting both sides of the abyss.
"We passed! Woohoo!! Ryker-san, that sword technique earlier was amazing!!"
Hanzo cheered, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Fifty-five cuts in a split second! Incredible speed!"
"It was okay," Ryker dismissed it casually.
This team was filled with ruthless killers. None of them had the bleeding-heart morality of Gon's group. Kurapika wouldn't kill an unconscious foe.
Ryker? He'd kick a passing dog just to check for loot.
But his mood was excellent.
[Strong Luck] (Purple).
A passive luck booster that could trigger critical success on other traits? It was broken.
Hahahaha!
The group walked across the bridge.
Ponzu dragged her feet at the back. It felt like a dream. This trial should have been impossible for her, but with this Nightmare Team, the obstacles were swept away like dust.
She looked at the backs of the four monsters ahead of her.
She struggled internally, but finally, she gritted her teeth and hurried to catch up to Ryker.
Even though she watched him mince a man, he was still the safest option. Compared to the Clown, the Pin-Cushion, and the loud Ninja... Ryker was practically a saint.
The surviving prisoners pressed themselves against the wall, trembling as the group passed.
Only when the footsteps faded did the Giant Killer collapse, smashing his fist into the wall.
"Take me back to my cell! NOW!!" he screamed at the camera. "I'm done! If I stood in their way, I would have ended up just like Majtani!"
"Why is my luck so bad...?" Leroute sighed, realizing her sentence just got extended by decades.
[The Long Corridor]
They walked for what felt like hours.
Finally, they reached a large door. It slid open.
Inside stood a man with green hair and a nasty scar across his face. He held two crescent-moon blades. His aura was significantly stronger than the prisoners, but still... pathetic compared to Ryker's team.
Ryker glanced at him.
Name: Togari (Disgraced Examiner)
Traits: [Infinite Four-Blade Style] (Blue), [Bladework] (Green), [Manic] (Blue), [Vengeance] (Blue), [Dull] (Green)...
Trash.
Ryker confirmed it instantly.
"I've been waiting for you!!" Togari laughed maniacally. His beast-like eyes scanned the group before locking onto Hisoka.
"My target is him alone! The rest of you can leave if you don't want to die! I am no longer an examiner—I am an avenger! Ever since last year's exam, I have lived for one thing: to wash away my shame with your blood! Die!"
Togari spun his blades.
"My, my," Hisoka chuckled, stepping forward. "Looks like nobody wants to fight for this one?"
He glanced at Ryker. Ryker shrugged, disinterested.
This guy was a walking pile of negative traits. And despite being a former examiner, he didn't even use Nen. Just pure physical skill.
Pathetic.
Besides, killing Hisoka right now was tricky. Illumi was watching. A 2v1 against those two was bad math.
Wait until my Nen is fully mastered. Then I can take them both.
The fight was over before it began.
Togari had spent a year training his "Four-Blade Style" to defeat Hisoka.
But in front of the Grim Reaper, he was just a clown without the makeup.
Slice.
Hisoka caught the spinning blades and, in a fluid motion, severed Togari's head.
It rolled across the floor.
Ponzu flinched again.
But then, a thought struck her.
Wait...
Hisoka just cut off a head. It was clean.
Ryker... Ryker diced that prisoner into pieces.
Why?
Ryker's match was judged by heart rate. He was guaranteed to lose on a technicality if he killed him.
But by killing him so brutally, he terrified the remaining two prisoners into immediate surrender.
If he hadn't done that, maybe Illumi or I would have had to fight seriously. I might have lost. I might have died.
Did he... did he do that to force a surrender? To protect the team from further risk?
Ponzu stared at Ryker's back, her eyes wide.
He's not just a monster. He's a calculated genius.
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