"Boss, something is wrong outside! Look quickly!"
Having executed Lippo's orders, the two prison guards who had released Bendot, Sedokan, and the others returned.
Standing like gatekeepers to the left and right of Lippo, they pointed at a screen and shouted.
Lippo washed down a daifuku with a cup of cola. As the Warden, he was either eating or on his way to eat, yet strangely, he never seemed to gain weight, which was quite a feat.
"Burp. I see it!"
"Isn't it just an airship?"
"Why are you making such a fuss?"
Never mind looking at it; just hearing the humming sound of the air being shredded by the propellers, Lippo knew someone had come to visit his Trick Tower.
"No, Boss!"
"Holy crap. A monkey just jumped straight down from the sky!"
"Is it a Magical Beast?"
"No... it looks like... Lord Saiyu of the Zodiacs!"
Through the surveillance camera, the heroic figure of the Monkey Zodiac smashing a flock of man-eating birds with a single strike was transmitted to the monitoring room. Lippo's fox-like eyes narrowed, and he lifted his butt to sit up straight.
"I didn't expect it to really be Lord Saiyu." Lippo smoothed back his flashy rooster-comb hair, his eyes flickering. He glanced at the screen showing Number Two, Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, and Tonpa, and gradually realized what was happening. He understood that the other party's trip here... was likely not for the Trick Tower itself, but for the man on the screen—Sean Zoldyck.
"I said so. The Association isn't foolish enough to let the game balance be destroyed."
Lippo squinted and waved his hand to signal his two subordinates, the "Hum and Ha Generals," to open the secret door and let Saiyu into the Trick Tower.
Bang. The thick stone door closed heavily. A monkey wearing a golden fillet, eyes drooping lazily, walked in with a pretentious swagger, followed by Lippo's two minions. Aside from the Ruyi Jingu Bang he held in his hand and the golden fillet on his head... anyone who didn't know better would think he was just some street punk who popped out of a corner.
That walking posture and appearance were truly hard to compliment. But he was indeed Saiyu. The Monkey of the Zodiacs. The direct superior of the Trick Tower Warden and Single-Star Bounty Hunter, Lippo.
"I'm not late, am I?"
Lippo hurriedly stood up to welcome him. Saiyu didn't stand on ceremony with him at all; he commandeered the nest, taking over Lippo's seat. He reached into the snack basket, dug out a piece of daifuku, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed loudly. Crumbs fell from the corners of his mouth everywhere; he had no table manners to speak of.
"No, the game has just begun," Lippo said respectfully, standing behind Saiyu like one of his own minions.
Saiyu bared his teeth and spat out the half-eaten daifuku with a pah. "What the hell is this? It tastes disgusting."
The corner of Lippo's mouth twitched imperceptibly, but he remained silent. Saiyu ignored him. Even if he saw that Lippo's expression wasn't great... he had no intention of apologizing to a subordinate. He shifted his gaze and looked sideways at Number Two.
The young man, who was listening to Bendot's boring explanation of the rules, heard the voice of the wind and had already noticed him. He turned his head and glanced at the camera.
Those calm eyes were reflected in Saiyu's pupils, giving the monkey a momentary illusion... as if he were facing Netero. He instantly put away his playful smile, instinctively feeling a trace of tension.
"His intuition is quite sharp." The Ruyi Jingu Bang was placed right beside him; Saiyu could grab it with a simple reach, which seemed to provide him with quite a bit of security.
"Lord Saiyu, that is Sean Zoldyck."
"I don't need you to remind me." Saiyu reclined in Lippo's chair, turning his head to glance at him. "Let me through in a bit."
"Relying on those trash you have in hand to stop him is just dreaming."
"I think we might still be able to struggle a bit." Lippo pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and glanced at Tonpa, who had fainted on the floor in the screen. "The opponent is already down a member; they have lost a match by default."
"Even if no one can beat Sean Zoldyck, it doesn't matter."
"If they encounter him, they can just surrender immediately."
"This way, it's four against three. As long as we win two matches, Number Two Zoldyck will inevitably be out and eliminated."
"The rules are correct, but are you stupid, or am I?" Saiyu looked at Lippo coldly with drooping eyes. "Do you think rules are useful against someone like Sean Zoldyck?"
"Since the Chairman has stepped in, I believe there will be some constraints on him," Lippo said uncertainly.
Saiyu sneered. "Constraints? If that stuff was useful, would Pariston have spent sixty billion?"
Huh? Sixty billion?! Lippo... and the Hum and Ha Generals behind him were speechless.
They were completely dumbfounded.
No, since when was money so worthless?
Spending sixty billion just to stop Sean Zoldyck from passing the level—wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?
Exaggerated? Saiyu curled his lips in disapproval. Anyone Netero had his eye on was a stumbling block for Lord Beyond.
To remove a future stumbling block for the Lord, it didn't matter how much money was spent.
"Alright." Saiyu waved his hand, too lazy to say more. "Watch the situation. Just open the door and let me through in a while."
"As for the rest, you don't need to worry about it."
"Yes." Lippo and the Hum and Ha Generals behind him looked at each other, unable to recover from the shock for a long time.
"Uncle, what's wrong?" Sensing that Number Two had given the camera a cold look, Gon, whose dog-like nose and insight were sharp, curiously tugged at Number Two's clothes.
"Nothing, just looking at a monkey." Number Two reached out and rubbed Gon's spiky hair. The kid looked around, bewildered. "I don't see a monkey?"
Number Two smiled and didn't say much. He reached out and touched the Kusanagi Sword. Perhaps they would be eating "Monkey Brain Hotpot" today.
Damn it... the Hunter Association really had no humanity. The exam time was seventy-two hours at the drop of a hat. Three days without eating; did they think the candidates were made of iron?
No matter what, he had to get a Monkey Brain Hotpot to nourish himself.
"Hey, are you guys ready?" Across the arena, Bendot finished explaining the exam rules and shot a look directly at Majtani. Majtani, who was burly and looked like Frankenstein, ripped off the hood on his head.
With a leap, he stepped onto the arena.
He had nineteen red hearts tattooed on his chest and a tall stature, looking a head taller than the "Dismemberment Expert" Johness. But in reality, this guy was just a paper tiger. Let alone comparing him to Johness, even compared to Bendot, his strength wasn't anything special.
But in Bendot's view, sending him up to stall for time was best. If he met Number Two, he could surrender immediately.
If he didn't meet him, with Majtani's strength, he wasn't without a chance of winning against the remaining Gon, Leorio, or Kurapika.
No matter how you considered it, it wasn't a loss. It was just a pity that Majtani had tattooed something on his back that he shouldn't have—a spider.
Before Gon, Leorio, or even Number Two could speak, Kurapika lowered his head and stepped forward without a word, jumping onto the arena.
"I'll take this round. I have a reason why I must fight."
What reason? Gon and Leorio looked at each other, confused. Although Number Two knew the reason clearly, it was ultimately Kurapika's private business. Since he didn't want to say it, Number Two naturally wouldn't be bored enough to go around broadcasting the messy history between the Kurta Clan and the Phantom Troupe.
However, it was worth mentioning one thing. "A reminder for you, Kurapika," Number Two said indifferently, looking at the blond boy's back with profound meaning. "Whether it's a fake spider or a real spider, everyone imprisoned here is a felon. Every one of them has a path to death."
He emphasized the word "death" heavily. Gon and Leorio didn't understand why. However, Kurapika, standing on the ring, trembled physically, biting his lip halfway without making a sound.
Teacher Ren never spoke lightly. He had indeed seen through that the opponent was a fake spider. But to ask me to kill someone completely unrelated to the Phantom Troupe... can I really do it?
Struggle filled Kurapika's heart. Seeing this, Majtani thought, Good grief, spacing out here? Aren't you looking for death?
"Hey, hey. Let me tell you, kid, the rule of this game is—to the death!"
"If you want to win, then kill the opponent!"
So... "Who are you looking down on by spacing out here?!"
I'm going to make you taste my iron fist!
With a boom, a fist smashed toward Kurapika's head. Taking your life while you're distracted. Which guy who could become a swindler wasn't shrewd?
A heavy fist carrying a steel plate was about to smash into Kurapika. The blond boy suddenly raised his head, and his amber eyes instantly turned fiery red.
Majtani jumped in fright seeing this. His fist stopped in mid-air, and he forcibly retracted it, stumbling backward.
"Hey, hey. What do you want?"
"I'm very strong, don't come over!"
"Holy crap. You don't understand human language, do you?"
"Ugh." Behind him was the cliff; there was no retreat. Driven into a dead end, Majtani was grabbed directly by the mouth by Kurapika and punched heavily in the face, fainting on the spot.
Thud. Like throwing out trash, he tossed Majtani onto the arena floor. The battle ended far faster than everyone imagined.
But this was Kurapika after his anger. It was also the future boss of the mafia.
Whoosh.
After doing all this, the blond boy's bangs fluttered slightly in the wind. He took a deep breath and said, "Let me give you three pieces of advice."
"First, the mark of the real Phantom Troupe, besides the spider tattoo, also has a number."
"Second, they kill too many people, so they won't waste the effort counting exactly how many they've killed."
"Third, don't ever speak the words 'Phantom Troupe' again in this life."
"So... according to your meaning, does he still have a 'this life'?" A cold sneer outlined Number Two's mouth. "Is this your answer, Kurapika?"
The young man held his sword and took a step forward. The cliff seemed unable to bear Number Two's footstep and trembled violently, startling Gon and Leorio.
"Uncle... he seems angry!"
"But Kurapika is one of us!"
"Idiot, shut up!"
Leorio covered Gon's mouth. Any fool could see that Number Two was... angry.
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
Number Two looked at Kurapika across the suspension bridge and said indifferently, "I remember, he said the rule was 'to the death'."
"And I don't want to waste time here. Do you understand what I mean?"
Clang. The Kusanagi Sword flew out, nailing itself into the ground in front of Kurapika with a whoosh.
"He dies or you die. Choose one."