Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

The black-haired boy was none other than Illumi, who acted at the right time.

The commission he received was to kill Barney Garfield, so the heart that was dug out was naturally Barney's.

Illumi had watched the entire scene unfold in the rain, calmly observing the drama. When the climax approached, he revealed himself and effortlessly completed his commission.

Barney was stunned, wondering why his chest was hurting. His consciousness gradually became blurred and he collapsed to the ground powerlessly.

Blood quietly spread from under his body and turned into countless crimson serpents in the rainwater.

Ellie stared at Barney who fell in front of her, her light blue eyes gradually filled with the sight of his blood.

The memory of an event she had long tried to suppress overlapped with the current scene.

Her thoughts were suddenly twisted and torn apart as though by invisible hands, leaving her mind fragmented.

Her shattered thoughts made her eyes look a little empty. She just stood there blankly, her body rigid, and the bone-chilling cold seeped into every corner of her being.

Barney had died before her eyes, and Kenda's fate remained uncertain.

Illumi had only thought about completing the commission and had no regard for Ellie's emotions. Even if he had twisted Barney's head off in front of her, it would have been nothing more than a trivial matter to him.

Two young men with black hair and black eyes, of similar age, stood facing each other in the rain-soaked alley, each holding a still-beating heart in their hands.

The heart in Law's hand maintained its beating rhythm, while the heart in Illumi's hand was stained with blood and its beating began to become extremely weak.

Illumi noticed this difference, and a hint of doubt flashed across his dark eyes. Thinking about the cause of Kuri's death just now, plus the book that suddenly appeared, he deduced it had to be related to Nen.

"Your employer is dead."

Illumi threw the heart in his hand casually. It was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but the discarded heart rolled a few times on the ground before stopping at Ellie's feet.

Law's shrunken pupils slowly expanded and his heartbeat involuntarily quickened, because Ellie was not far behind Illumi. If Illumi attacked her, Law knew he would be powerless to intervene.

Moreover, he couldn't even see clearly the whole process of Illumi digging out Barney's heart.

This boy, who appeared to be about ten years old, was the same boy Law saw in the hotel lobby that day.

In silence, Law conjured a book and sealed Vogt's heart within the pages.

He hadn't killed Vogt because Vogt still had some value. With the sudden emergence of this unknown figure, Law knew there was a high possibility of a fight, so freeing his hands by sealing the heart was a necessary precaution.

Illumi quietly watched this unfold, finding it very interesting.

Since his commission had been completed, he had no reason to stay any longer. However, he was very curious about Law, so he did not leave immediately.

When Law sealed Vogt's heart into the book, the nerve-wracking pain Vogt felt finally dissipated.

Rising shakily from the ground, Vogt was consumed by despair. His only thought was to escape this place.

Law didn't glance back at Vogt, but continued to star at Illumi. He didn't dare shift his gaze, not even to check on Ellie.

"Stay where you are and don't move." Law suddenly said in a deep voice.

Though his eyes were locked on Illumi, these words weren't directed at him.

The moment the words left his mouth, Vogt screamed in vain and fell to the ground in a pitiful heap. The excruciating pain coursed through his nerves once again.

After a few moments, the pain subsided.

This time, Vogt didn't dare move rashly. He shrank against the wall and stayed there quietly, his entire being consumed by a bone-chilling fear.

The brief but overwhelming agony just now was like a hammer that woke him up and made him clearly aware of his situation.

As long as Law wanted to, Vogt could be subjected to this endless torment, and his life and death depended on Law's thoughts.

The scene happening before his eyes made Illumi even more interested.

'Seizing a heart and sealing it in a book, he can kill someone with a thought, or cause someone excruciating pain. He can also use this to coerce and control others. What an interesting idea.'

Illumi can also use Nen. Not only does he have a solid foundation in physical aspects, but he also has a solid foundation in the Aura Control. However, he has not yet developed his own Nen Ability, and he is not in a hurry about this.

Illumi had always known that if he wanted to, he could develop a Nen Ability at any time. And the core of his potential Nen Ability would undoubtedly be centered around control.

Now that he had seen Law's Nen Ability, his fascination with the concept of control deepened.

"Your Nen Ability is very interesting." Illumi remarked as he took a step back, closer to Ellie.

Seeing Illumi's deliberate movement, Law's expression turned cold. His body instinctively tensed, but he forced himself to remain still, for fear that even the slightest action might provoke Illumi into harming Ellie.

The main reason was that Illumi's speed when extracting hearts was too fast that Law doubted he could intervene in time to save Ellie.

Illumi smiled and took another step back, as if deliberately provoking Law.

When Illumi took a second step back, Law did not make any obvious moves and his emotions gradually calmed down.

Seeing Law's rather cold reaction, Illumi decided to stop playing, and looked at Law and said calmly: "I'll tell you some good news."

Law's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes cold.

"The commission I received was to take Barney Garfiel's life. As for his daughter's life, it was not included in the commission." Illumi stared at Law with his emotionless dark eyes and said, "Does that make you happy?"

With Illumi so close to Ellie, how could Law be happy? However, upon hearing Illumi's words, the tension in his furrowed brow eased slightly, as this suggested there was room for negotiation.

"What is your goal?"

Law maintained a steady output of Aura, ready to react to any sudden movements. If Illumi's goal was money, that would be easy to handle.

Upon hearing this, Illumi stroked his chin and thought about how to respond.

After a moment, he stared at Law with a deathly still gaze and said flatly: "I don't have a goal, really. But there is something I'd like to try."

"What is it?" Law remained highly alert.

Without warning, Illumi took another step back. He stretched out his small and slender right hand, and twisted it. In the blink of an eye, his five fingers changed, the joints became slightly protruding, and the nails became long and sharp.

He pressed his long nails against Ellie's neck, emitting a cold and ruthless killing intent, and said seriously: "For example, after killing her, what will be your reaction?"

Law's eyelids slowly lifted up, then lowered again, and the amount of Aura floating on the surface of his body increased at a slow rate.

Precisely because of its slow speed, it has a strong presence.

The transformation of Illumi's hand reminded Law of Killua, and combining this with the boy's demeanor, Law thought of Illumi's identity, and the answer was obvious.

"If you lay a single finger on Ellie, I promise you, even if you flee back to Kukuroo Mountain, I will end your life." Law stared at Illumi with calm but cold gaze.

This look is very similar to Illumi's, but also fundamentally different.

When saying this, Law's tone did not fluctuate at all, nor did it carry any killing intent, but it carried an unshakable authority.

This absolute certainty in his power to decide life and death, coupled with the oppressive presence emanating from him, created a suffocating momentum that pressed against Illumi.

The sound caused by the heavy rain in the alley seemed to disappear. At this moment, unknown to anyone, the two people stared at each other in silence.

Meeting Law's gaze, a solemn look slowly appeared on Illumi's little face. For a brief instant, he saw the shadow of his grandfather in Law.

Dominance. Certainty. Unquestionable authority... built upon the foundation of taking lives.

It seems like... he had gone too far.

"Hmm, just kidding."

Illumi decisively withdrew his right hand. He also retracted the killing intent he had been projecting, and shrugged nonchalantly.

Illumi wasn't entirely confident he could defeat Law. Besides, killing Ellie or Law would yield no tangible benefit.

And the fact that Law mentioned Kukuroo Mountain meant one thing, he had been recognized.