"Look over there."
Killua gestured towards the opposite side, signaling Gon and the others to look.
Under their watchful eyes, five figures gradually appeared at the edge of the cliff on the other side.
One of the prisoners, leading the group, walked forward barefoot and dramatically pulled off the blue cloak draped over his shoulders.
A bald prisoner, even cleaner-shaven than Hanzo's 173, stepped forward. His upper body was muscular, and his expression was fierce.
"We are the specially appointed examiners for this Hunter Test review committee. To pass this stage, you must compete against us five and emerge victorious!"
The bald man, who bore a striking resemblance to The Rock and was named Bendot, introduced the method to clear this stage with a powerful and resonant voice.
"The matches will be one-on-one. Each person can only compete once, and the order is up to you."
"Since you are following a majority rule, winning three out of five matches will allow you to pass this stage."
"Conversely, if you lose three matches, your journey in the Hunter Test ends here."
"You will be stuck at this cliff, unable to advance or retreat, forced to wait idly for time to pass."
"The method of competition is up to the individual's preference, with no ties allowed. As long as one side admits defeat, the other side wins that round."
"If you lose all your matches or refuse to compete, it signifies the end of your Hunter Test journey."
"Now, please decide whether to accept this challenge. Press circle to accept, cross to decline."
While explaining, Bendot continuously scrutinized Morin and the others.
"Someone more formidable than Director Lippo..."
First, he ruled out Gon and Killua.
Though appearances can be deceiving, age certainly correlates with your training. The older you are, the longer you've trained, and the stronger you become. The younger you are, the less strength you tend to have.
Bendot thought so, focusing his attention on the remaining three.
"The man with small glasses, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase, looks the oldest but seems a bit irritable."
"The blond in distinctive attire beside him is calm and composed, exuding a certain aura."
"And the last one..."
Bendot looked at Morin and was slightly taken aback.
"A normal person?!"
In his observation, Morin was as ordinary as could be. Whether it was his aura, posture, or physique, he was indistinguishable from a regular person. At most, he seemed like a trained athlete, far inferior to Bendot, a former veteran.
"A regular person mixed in with a group of third-round candidates... something feels off."
Bendot pondered secretly, increasing his attention on both Morin and Kurapika. In his view, if someone truly more powerful than Director Lippo existed, it would likely be among these two.
"You've said it like that, of course, we'll choose to accept!"
After hearing Bendot's explanation, Leorio quipped while pressing the circle button repeatedly. The others also made their choices.
Soon, the screen at the center of the arena displayed five circles.
"Very well!"
Seeing the conditions met, Bendot nodded in satisfaction.
"First, we'll decide on our combatant. Johness, you'll go first."
A hint of excitement and a cruel smile flashed in his eyes.
"As we agreed beforehand, give them a good scare from the start!"
The shackles on the prisoner called Johness were unlocked, and he removed his blue prison uniform, tossing it aside.
A tall, blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man appeared before everyone's eyes. The circle of golden facial hair and his azure eyes appeared melancholic and twisted.
His muscles bulged, exuding immense strength. Most striking were his large, heavy hands!
"That person is... Johness?!"
At the first sight of him, Leorio's expression turned grave.
"Do you know him?" Gon, sensing something unusual, couldn't help but ask Leorio.
"Yes," he nodded solemnly. "If this guy's our opponent, it's best to concede and avoid a duel."
"Is he that formidable?" Killua showed some interest.
"Yes. Even Leorio has heard of him—the Werewolf. Johness, the most vicious murderer in the criminal history of Saba City!"
His personality is bloodthirsty and violent, with an extremely twisted worldview.
---
The victims had no enmity with him, yet among them were men, women, the elderly, and children, at least 146 people who met their end at his hands, brutally dismembered.
Among those unfortunate souls was even a boy of only eleven years old. All the bodies shared one common trait: they were dismembered into more than fifty pieces. Moreover, this man performed the dismemberment barehanded.
When he was arrested, Johness offered no resistance. However, when the officer escorting him started the police car engine, he noticed something amiss with his left hand. A large chunk of flesh had been gouged out of the officer's left hand!
This man's specialty was gouging out human flesh barehanded. He could achieve this due to his extraordinary finger strength and grip!
"Crack!"
Johness slowly emerged from the cliffside, placing one hand on the wall.
Smack!!
In an instant, a large section of the wall cracked under his grip, the stone in his hand crumbling into dust.
"I haven't tried..."
He opened his palm, letting the powder fall below.
"...grabbing human flesh in a long time!"
His tone held a deep-seated yearning and urgency. This demeanor and behavior caused the prisoners behind him to instinctively take a few steps back, distancing themselves from him.
"If it were us, facing this psychotic murderer, we'd have no chance of winning. But..."
Leorio exhaled a heavy breath, "Fortunately, we have Morin."
"With your tools and strength, Morin, handling a criminal like this shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Yeah, it's not an issue, and I don't really mind myself."
Morin gestured beside him, "But clearly, someone doesn't intend to give me the chance to step in."
"Huh??"
Leorio was taken aback, then noticed Killua stretching his legs slightly.
"I'll go~ After playing dodgeball with that old chairman for so long, I've been itching for a real fight."
Having warmed up, Killua shoved his hands into his pockets, stepping forward after Leorio's lengthy explanation.
The dodgeball game with Netero, Menchi's coercion, and Morin's opportunistic actions had left Killua feeling quite stifled.
Now, he finally had a chance to vent his emotions, legally kill here without any psychological burden, and naturally, he was eager.
The barely noticeable excitement and killing intent in his tone made Leorio swallow his words of caution.
"Are you really okay with this?!"
Leorio opened his mouth, ultimately uttering this sentence.
"The Hunter Test happens every year; prioritize your life!!"
Without looking back, Killua waved his hand to show he understood, stepping onto the stone bridge.
"Can he really handle it?"
Leorio remained somewhat uneasy.
Gon was brimming with confidence, "I believe in Killua!!"
Wearing their watches and stepping onto the Path of Majority Rule, they were essentially tied together. With Angel's guidance, Gon was sure they were making the right choice.
Not opposing Killua's participation meant they were confident in winning this match!
"What are the rules of the match?"
Killua reached the stage, looking nonchalantly at Johness before him.
"A match? Don't misunderstand."
Johness's eyebrows twisted, a perverse smile in his eyes below:
"I'm not interested in tests or so-called pardons. What's about to happen is your brutal slaughter!!"
Johness, a murderer with a sentence of 968 years. Even if he exhausted the examinees' time at a five-to-one ratio, it would only reduce his sentence by 360 years. He'd still have 608 years to serve. Sentence reduction meant little to him.
"I just want to tear you apart."
He slowly extended his large, heavy hands towards Killua, "Feel free to cry out in pain!!"
In the main control room on the first floor of the Trick Tower.
"The capture of the dismemberment expert Johness was one of our director's proudest achievements!"
"Equivalent to life imprisonment, Johness, who cares nothing for sentence reduction, will surely savor this rare opportunity to destroy and tear apart people."
In front of the screen, the two aides behind Director Lippo dutifully explained.
"That kid looks about twelve or thirteen, right? You know, Bendot was sentenced for robbery and murder. This kid won't..."
"Hmm?"
Killua's response remained indifferent, "So it's a loss for the one who dies, right?"
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