Chapter 8: Fourth test!

Of the week limit, an entire day had already passed.

Except the chirping of birds and the casual sound of the wind moving the trees' frond, nothing else could be heard, especially not the noise of human activity.

'Where the hell is everyone…?'

At that moment, Enma was crouching in a field of tall grass.

He didn't encounter a single soul from the beginning of the test.

He tried his plan to remain hidden from the start, but now decided to move around a little, seeing the little succes.

'This is not good. I'm too exposed here. I need to find another place as soon as possible.'

The grass rustling and the sound of a voice few meters ahead caught his attention.

Pikkle was there, in a standoff kind of situation against Kyu, his target.

'Would you look at that. This is exactly like in the anime…but how? Such a coincidence… or is it?

Despite my presence, people still have their personalities and behavior patterns. Given a certain situation, they would react the same way, regardless my participation in the story or not, especially since I have been rather inconspicuous till now.

Both of them, once on the island, made the same choices and took the same routes as in the anime and eventually ended up right here, to repeat the same canonic events.'

Soon the situation escalated and an arrow pierced Kyu's shoulder. Because of the venom on its tip, he fell on the ground seemingly half dead.

"Ahah, don't worry, you will not die! Even if you are not my target, I'll keep your plate as compensation."

'That is mine!'

Enma advanced as close as possible, drawing his sword in the meantime.

When he was only a couple of meters behind the man, he emerged from hiding and, with enough speed, he was able to point his sword at Pikkle's neck, before he had the chance to react.

"Bad luck shorty… Throw your bow on the ground. Slowly!…yeah like that. Now on your knees."

"I can give you my tag! Don't kill me please!" trembled a scared Pikkle.

"I will not kill you dumbass!"

While saying that, Enma carefully extracted an arrow from Pikkle's quiver and stabbed it in the latter shoulder.

"There you go! That is karma for you!"

After that, he took the 2 people's tags and fled the scene… with a new bow around his shoulder.

…

'Now I only need to stay hidden till the end of the test.'

Sadly for him, a storm was coming his way.

…

A day later, few kilometers from Enma hiding spot, Hisoka was happily strolling around in search of another prey.

'Haaa! Grow up well Gon! I can't wait…Huuu…I want to eat you as soon as possible!'.

He had 3 points.

He lost his tag to Gon.

He stole the guy who ambushed the green haired kid's tag, exchanged another tag with Leorio and Kurapika and finally he killed a guy with a monkey.

He didn't care for his real target, he could easily accumulate the 3 points he needed in the remaining time.

"Found youuuu ! fufufu!"

Time's limited and so he resorted to use nen to found the other examinees on the island.

He didn't want to initially, seeing as it would have made the 'game' far too easy for his tastes.

Still, he had to in the end, he couldn't afford to be eliminated.

So he was now frantically searching for every person who entered his En range…

…

Enma was currently lying down at the base of a big tree, completely covered with vegetations.

Hisoka entered his field of view, a little distance in front of him.

'Hisssss! It's that maniac! Luckily I'm hidden very well. No chance he can find me. I only hope he goes away quickly.'

What he didn't count for was for Hisoka to precisely turn his head in his direction.

"…!?"

"Come out little worm! I know you are there"

'How…! Nen!! Fucking cheater!'

"Come out now! I can't contain myself anymore!"

Biting his lips, Enma didn't have any choice but to forgo his hiding spot and go in the open.

Sword in hand he observed Hisoka.

'Shit! No way I can escape from him… Maybe I can make a deal to save my life…'

Hisoka was beaming with joy.

"Fufufu! N° 1! Lucky me! The one I was looking for…"

"Hisoka! I'm your target?? I can give you my plate."

"No no"

He moved his index finger left and right.

"We can't have that! I prefer a battle to the death. You see, I'm rather excited at the moment!"

Hisoka didn't want to talk any more than that, and abruptly sprung forward with incredible speed, sporting a sadistic expression.

'Piece of shit! Itto shura!!'

Everything slowed down. Enma heart started pumping triple his normal speed. Every ounce of strength was squeezed out of every cell in his body.

'It's not enough! More!'

The fear of death made him overload the technique to the maximum.

'I have a single slash'

The world became white and grey and he started bleeding from every orifice. Every single blood cell was desperately exchanging all the oxygen available.

He moved forward for a single upwards slash.

All the accumulated power on his body traveled down his legs and out of his foot from the single point of contact with the ground.

The ground exploded from sheer force and an incredible acceleration was imprinted to the teen 's body.

Hisoka didn't expect that at all.

In the last moment he activated his nen and a purple energy, invisible to the naked eye, surrounded his body. It was only thanks to his immeasurable fighting experience that he was able to react that fast, but it wasn't enough.

When the 2 made contact, Hisoka was flung dozens of meter away with such a force that he destroyed all the trees on his trajectory.

"Haaaa huff Haaa Ugh!!"

Enma gave a heart wrenching scream, clutched his heart and started vomiting blood on the ground.

50% of his muscles tore apart and several minor blood vessels had exploded.

That, in contrast, resulted in a 50 times increase in power and speed for a single second.

'My attack was parried... That bastard used nen, I'm certain of it. Shit! I'm dead. I can't even move a step.'

Hisoka slowly got up. Instantly, Enma felt like he was in a glacier, and an invisible force slammed him on the ground.

The hobo magician was in a sorry state himself.

Hair disheveled and a huge cut from waist to shoulder. He was bleeding profusely.

The last minute effort helped him relieve the brunt force of the attack and the peculiar quality of his nen mitigated the sharpness of the blade.

Nonetheless he didn't come out unscathed from it.

It would have been completely different had he expected it.

"Amazing! Wonderful! Simply marvelous! Haaaaaay! What to do? What do I do with you?"

He licked his fingers, dirty of his own blood.

Enma heard Hisoka' s steps while he was approaching.

The boy was completely paralyzed by fear, it was like seeing death itself coming to take him.

"Haa! I'm already huu! immobilized haaa! Do what you want!"

At that point Enma tried everything to survive. He didn't have any more tricks up his sleeves and couldn't continue fighting.

"Fufufuf! Such a brave little man! Mmmmmm! Why are raw fruit so delicious??? I've decided!! Yes! I'll let you grow a little more so that I can savor you better in the future…. I'll take that however!"

Hisoka reached for Enma tag, give the raven haired boy one last look and disappeared in the vegetation.

'W..what? He let me go? I've become one of his toys?? Surviving Hisoka sure it's something I will brag about forever.'

After that, he fainted.

…

4 days later

Killua was casually skipping through the vegetation whistling,

"How boring… It was way too easy.."

He was twirling the number 16 tag in his hand.

"Mhm? What's that?"

He came across few broken trees and a familiar figure sleeping in a pool of dried blood.

"…? Enma?? What? Is he dead?"

He closed in to feel the boy's pulse.

"Weak…but still alive. Muscle tears, exploded veins and an overloaded heart… what the hell happened here? How did he get these injuries?"

"Hey Enma! Wake up! It's almost time !Come on, open your eyes!"

He slapped the teen's face a few times.

"Ugh… K-killua? Ouch!"

"You are in pretty rough shape… Do you have enough points? The test's almost over"

"Mhm? Yeah, I manage somehow…"

The boy said feeling his pockets.

"Well, I'm going"

"…"

"What"

"…"

"Argh! Fine, I'll help you get to the beach, only this time!"

"Heheh what a good kiddo..."

With a strength inimaginable for someone his age, Killua lifted Enma on his back and departed.

…

"I'll now count your points.

-Contestant 99, Killua: 6 points (3+3);

-Contestant 44, Hisoka: 6 points (3+1+1+1);

-Contestant 405, Gon: 6 points

-Contestant 404, Kurapika: 6 points (3+3)

-Contestant 403, Leorio: 6 points (3+3)

-Contestant 254, Hanzo: 6 points (3+1+1+1)

-Contestant 301, Gitarrackur: 6 points (3+3)

-Contestant 191, Bodoro: 6 points (3+3)

-Contestant 1, Enma…6 points (3+1+1+1)

"Hey Enma! Where did you take those 2 tags? 390 and 391 weren't between the people on the island…"

"These 2? Hehe, I've taken these along with me just in case. They belonged to 2 contestants I found dead on the flying ship."

Killua was surprised.

Those 2 examinees he mentioned were probably the 2 he killed.

He was secretly amazed at Enma's insight in taking their tags.

"Well, good for you."

…

Meanwhile, at the other end of the group, Gon gave a brief look at Hisoka.

'What happened to his chest?'

"Hey Gon, Leorio, Kurapika! We all managed to pass it seems!"

"Killua! We did it! Enma… you look terrible!"

"Humpf! I had to bring this guy from the other half of the island on my shoulders!"

"What!? Did he princess carry you?"

Leorio taunted.

"Shut up old man! Huff! So tired, Let's go on the ship."

…

-On the ship-

"Gon, Kurapika! Without the 2 of you I'd have been eliminated for sure. I can't thank you enough for that, I'll repay this debt in the future!"

"Don't mention it. Me and Gon did it because we wanted to. We don expect anything in return."

"Kurapika…"

"I also have a huge debt that I owe you, Killua…"

"Bah! I don't need a favor from you! More importantly, can you tell us how you ended up like that?"

"…I… I met Hisoka…"

Everyone was surprised hearing that.

"I was his target in the end. He didn't want to let me go so we clashed. Obviously I lost badly. In the end he took my tag and spared me. That's all."

"We also encountered him and he also let us go… It seems we somehow managed to arouse his interest, enough to spare us."

Gon was silent. He remembered Hisoka's huge cut on the chest.

Killua and Kurapika similarly came to the same conclusion.

'He managed to injury that monster? That's impressive, I didn't expect him to be that strong…'

Kurapika then looked at Gon, who had a downcast expression.

"Gon, did something happened in the 4th phase? You are a bit strange…"

Gon proceeded to recount the events to the other four, and at the end cried from the frustration he felt.

'So, for him everything went as in canon'

"I understand what you mean very well Gon… We are as weak as ants in front of Hisoka! He decides if we live or if we die like some kind of God.

Tch! It doesn't mean that it'll always be like that!

I see great potential in you! You snatched his tag right?? That's amazing! I doubt anyone of us could have managed that."

"Enma is right, Gon! There is still time for us ion the future to catch up to him. Also why don't you do exactly what Hisoka told you, and give the tag back to him when you are stronger??"

"En!"

Gon said, smiling after being encouraged by his friends.

…

In the end 9 examinees passed the 4th phase.

They were now heading to the next and final exam.