Chapter 30: Gaze of the Sovereign!

"Lightly brushing off the dust from his suit, Raymond's expression remained cold as he locked eyes with Hisoka, who appeared eager for a fight as he sighed.

Suddenly, Nen erupted from Raymond's body, engulfing the razed battleground around him in a terrifying aura.

His crimson eyes suddenly glowed with intensity.

"...!"

Hisoka couldn't help but feel his body tremble under the overwhelming pressure of Raymond's dominating Nen.

"Such beautiful eyes..."

Hisoka felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he locked eyes with Raymond's captivating crimson gaze.

It was as if Raymond could see right through him, stripping him of anything!

His face twisted into a strange expression as he struggled to bear the weight of the terrifying aura.

Meanwhile, Raymond looked at his surroundings with his glowing eyes and furrowed his brows in contemplation, "...Sacrificing his other arm to distract me from the clown's attack was pretty clever."

With his eyes illuminated, Raymond could see every trace of Nen around him.

He noticed that the purple aura which represented Illumi's Nen had swiftly severed. That assassin had cut off his aura node and vanished during the chaos.

This was one of Raymond's Nen abilities...

In the past, he could only unleash it instinctively when his life hung in the balance. It took years of practice until he could control it at will.

His special eyes required a strong mind to handle the strain of their usage.

They allowed him to sharpen his perception, granting him unmatched clarity and the ability to take in every detail without missing a thing.

And in recent years, when he trained his Hatsu, Raymond discovered that he could enhance his unique eyes even further by infusing his eyes with his Nen, as he called it...

...Gaze of the Sovereign!

"That's why I hate assassins. They flee the moment their lives are threatened, yet they still harbor vengeance..."

It was a characteristic Raymond despised, one that often defined the nature of assassins.

Raymond shook his head, a cunning gleam lighting up his eyes as his crimson eyes slowly dimmed, "Well, it's not like I was trying to kill him in the first place anyway..."

A chuckle escaped him, everything unfolding according to his calculated plan.

Yet, his satisfaction turned to mild annoyance as he glanced at Hisoka.

"...Forget it, a couple of surprises won't hurt."

Raymond had expected their fight to be conspicuous, given the widespread destruction in the forest.

Still, he hadn't anticipated Hisoka would go as far as using Zetsu to mask his presence and land an unexpected hit.

"..."

Hisoka's grin widened in response.

Meanwhile, not far from the battlefield, Kurapika and Leorio observed with a mix of shock and surprise.

Having just wrapped up their skirmish against Tonpa and Sommy, they were taken aback by the loud commotion echoing from the nearby forest and went there to check it out.

"...I thought I'd seen it all," Leorio muttered, swallowing nervously as he realized the battle unfolding before him far exceeded anything he had witnessed before.

It surpassed even Raymond's clash with Hisoka in the Swindler's Swamp.

Kurapika also agreed as they witnessed Hisoka's sneak attack as they all turned solemn.

From the outset of the Hunter Exam, Raymond had caught Kurapika's attention with his distinct appearance, particularly his piercing crimson eyes that made him shaken.

Yet, despite his initial curiosity, Kurapika quickly dismissed the notion that Raymond could be from the Kurta clan since he never had any acquaintance among his village that looked like Raymond, leaving Kurapika slightly disappointed.

"...!"

However, as Raymond emanating a pressure enveloping the surroundings, both of them felt shaken to his core.

Leorio stumbled backward, his heart pounding in his chest as he landed on his butt.

He was trembling with fear.

He fought to control his breathing, the urge to flee almost overwhelming.

On the side, Kurapika's eyes widened in surprise as they unconsciously began to glow, revealing his Scarlet Eyes!

In that moment, Kurapika's fear was overshadowed by the intensity of his beating heart as he felt a mixture of awe and uncertainty.

"...Is he?"

Kurapika couldn't help but notice the difference in their eyes...

His own were a brighter shade of red compared to Raymond's darker hue.

Yet, despite this distinction, a glimmer of hope stirred within him at the sight of their similar gaze.

"...Leorio, Kurapika!"

"...!"

A whisper cut through the tension, causing Leorio to jump and nearly lose his composure.

He turned towards Gon, his expression a mixture of relief and anger as he delivered a sharp smack to Gon's face.

"Don't scare me like that, you little brat!"

"Eh? I didn't mean to..."

"Don't talk back to me!"

"Gon, did you come to see what's going on too?" Kurapika inquired while Gon was rubbing the back of his head.

Gon shook his head, "No, I was just following Hisoka."

"Is Hisoka your target then?" Kurapika's eyes widened in realization.

"..."

Gon fell silent, and Kurapika sighed, "You're quite unlucky."

"Well, why not try to get other numbers instead?" Leorio suggested, shaking his head sympathetically.

"No, this might be Gon's chance to get Hisoka's number..." Kurapika interrupted, prompting Leorio to tilt his head in confusion.

Gon nodded seriously, confirming Kurapika's observation.

As they watched the impending clash unfold before them, Kurapika continued, "...If Raymond can defeat Hisoka, Gon might get a free pass."

"Wait, so we're gonna spend more time here?"

Leorio's face went pale at the prospect of staying longer on such a dangerous battlefield.

He would have preferred a quick exit since he was not quite sure of the consequences if they were caught.

"If you two want to leave, feel free. I'll try to get close and, if possible, grab his number during their fight," Gon said while shaking his head.

Kurapika frowned before saying, "I'll stick around just in case."

Feeling pressured to stay, Leorio reluctantly nodded.

"...Then, I'll stay as well." He swallowed nervously, resigned to staying with his friends despite his apprehension.

With a nod of determination between Kurapika and Gon, they slowly moved closer as Leorio clearly shook his head to refute their nod as he followed their steps.

"...Leave him to me. He's mine," Hisoka declared suddenly.

This caused Raymond to look at him with a puzzled expression before shaking his head, "You must have lost your mind to not see that the rat slipped away because of you..."

"Huh?"

As Hisoka turned to find any sight of Illumi, his expression froze...

"..."

He was too excited that he didn't realize that Illumi had used him as a distraction to escape.

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