Tusk in HXH

As the adrenaline from my fight with the bald guy fades, I wheel myself back to the group, resting my hands on the armrests. Kurapika, Leorio, Killua, and Gon are watching me with a mix of awe and unease, and I can tell they're still processing what they just saw. Killua leans casually against the wall, smirking slightly, but even he's unusually quiet.

I glance back at the bald man's decapitated body, lying crumpled in the middle of the arena. For a second, I think no one will notice, but then the mechanical voice echoes through the room.

"Winner: Candidate 406."

Everyone's attention shifts back to me.

"Oh, right," I say sheepishly. "Uh… I guess I should probably… move that."

Leorio snorts. "You think?"

I roll back to the center of the arena, muttering under my breath. As I reach the body, I grab the guy by the collar and the head with another hand, dragging him awkwardly toward the edge of the platform. My wheelchair struggles slightly with the weight but the spin makes it no problem, and I make a mental note to figure out a better system for situations like this.

"Sorry about this," I mumble, more to myself than anyone else. With a grunt, I heave the man's body over the edge, watching as it disappears into the abyss below. Then I toss the head in.

When I turn back around, Leorio is giving me a look. "You could've just left him there, you know. It's not like anyone's grading us on cleanup."

"Yeah, but it felt weird just leaving him lying there," I reply, rolling back to my spot. "Like littering, but worse."

Killua chuckles. "You're a strange guy, Johnny."

Before I can respond, the next prisoner steps forward. He's a short, scrawny guy with a sly grin and shifty eyes, the kind of person you wouldn't trust to hold your drink, let alone fight fair.

"My name's Sedokan," he says, his voice oily and smooth. "I don't like fighting, so how about we settle this with a game instead?"

Gon immediately steps forward, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. "I'll take this one!"

Sedokan grins wider. "Excellent. The game is simple: we'll each take a candle. Whoever's candle burns the longest wins."

I narrow my eyes, watching as Sedokan pulls out two candles from behind his back, one long and thin, the other short and stubby. He holds them up for Gon to see, but I notice something odd. His other hand is clutching something behind his back, just out of sight.

The others start whispering among themselves.

"We should pick the shorter candle." Leorio says, crossing his arms. "Hes obviously trying to trick us to choosing the longer one, the long ones tampered with."

"But what if it's a trick?" Kurapika counters. "He expects us to go for the shorter one and didnt tamper with any of the candles. Banking on the fact that as hes a criminal, we would assume he tampered with one."

Killua shrugs. "Honestly, it doesn't matter. Gon's going to win either way."

They keep debating, but I lean forward and shout "Pick which ever one you want, Gon, Trust me, it doesn't make a difference."

Gon glances at me, tilting his head in confusion, but he nods. "Okay. I'll take the longer one. Because it will burn faster."

As Sedokan hands over the candle, I catch a glimpse of his sly grin. He's definitely up to something, and I know what it is.

The match begins, and Sedokan immediately lights his candle with a small match. Gon does the same, holding his candle steady as the flames flicker. At first, everything seems normal.

But then Gon's candle starts to burn faster, much faster than it should. Sedokan cackles, pointing at the rapidly shrinking candle in Gon's hand.

"Looks like I win!" he gloats. "You didn't notice, did you? This candle is soaked in oil! It burns twice as fast as a regular one!"

I look in intruige, I forgot if he explained the 4 candles thing in the anime or if he only thought about it. So what happens next will be a suprise.

Gon, however, doesn't panic. He stares at his candle thoughtfully, noticing how the flame flickers wildly but doesn't go out. Then, his eyes light up with an idea.

Without saying a word, Gon sets his candle down on the ground and sprints toward Sedokan.

"W-What are you doing?!" Sedokan shouts, clutching his candle protectively.

Gon stops just short of him, takes a deep breath, and blows with all his might. The gust of air snuffs out Sedokan's flame instantly.

The room goes silent for a moment, and then the voice announces, "Winner: Candidate 405."

Sedokan's jaw drops. "That's not fair! He cheated!"

"You're the one who cheated first," Killua says with a smirk.

Leorio claps Gon on the back, laughing. "That was awesome, kid!"

Gon grins, picking up his candle and blowing it out. "Thanks!"

The next prisoner steps forward a tall bulky blue skinned man with a wild look in his eyes and a messed up face. He smirks, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm Majtani," he says. "And I challenge you to a deathmatch. No weapons. The match ends when one of us dies or surrenders."

Kurapika steps forward without hesitation. "I'll take this one."

Majtani grins, flexing his muscles. "You sure, kid? You don't look like much."

Kurapika doesn't respond. He simply takes his place in the arena, his expression calm and unreadable.

As the match begins, Majtani starts taunting him. "You know how many people I've killed? I lost count after a hundred. See these tattoos?" He points to the hearts inked on his arms. "Each one's for someone I've killed. Think you'll be my next one?"

Kurapika just stared at him with a serious expression, Majitani hesitates before lunging at him and aiming at very slow telegraphed punch at Kurapika.

Kurapika jumps away dodging as the punch easily creates a hole in the concrete floor.

Majinati smiles wildly. "MWAHAHAAA! SCARED OF MY UNMATCHED POWER? IM ABLE TO CLEAVE THROUGH CONCRETE WITH EASE!!"

Majitani stares at Kurapika expecting her to be trembling in fear. But she just stands there ... menacin- I mean unbothered.

Majtani hesitates for a bit befote turning around, and I see his back. a massive tattoo of a spider, its legs curling menacingly around his shoulders.

Kurapika's eyes widen, and for the first time, his calm demeanor cracks. His irises turn a vivid, burning red, and I can feel the intensity radiating from him even from where I'm sitting.

Majtani doesn't seem to notice. He keeps taunting, but before he can finish his next sentence, Kurapika moves.

It's almost too fast to see. One moment, he's standing still. The next, his fist is connecting with Majtani's jaw in a devastating punch. The force of the blow sends Majtani sprawling across the arena floor, unconscious.

The voice announces, "Winner: Candidate 404."

Kurapika stands over Majtani's limp body, his scarlet eyes glowing with fury. He leans down and speaks in a low, dangerous voice.

"Remember three things," he says. "First, a genuine Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number inscribed on the spider's back. Second, they've killed so many people that it would be impossible to count. And third…" He pauses, his voice dropping even lower. "Never mention the Phantom Troupe to me again. If you do, I'll kill you."

The room is silent. Even the prisoners, who had been grinning and jeering earlier, are now watching Kurapika with a mix of fear and respect.

Kurapika steps back, his eyes slowly fading back to their normal color. He walks to the corner of the room and sits down, his back against the wall.

The rest of us exchange uneasy glances.

"What was that all about?" Leorio whispers.

Killua shrugs. "Guess he doesn't like spiders."

I glance at Kurapika, my mind racing. I know exactly why he reacted that way, but I can't say anything. Not yet.

"Let's just focus on the next match," I say, trying to break the tension.

The prisoners huddle together, whispering among themselves, and I can't help but wonder what their next move will be.

The announcer's voice crackles to life over the loudspeaker. "The match isn't over," says the examiners voice echoing through the chamber. "Majtani is still alive. The condition of the match was death or surrender, and neither has occurred."

I sit up straighter in my wheelchair, gripping the armrests. Great, I think. Here we go again.

Kurapika stands near the unconscious Majtani, his expression resolute but conflicted. He doesn't move, and I can tell he's already decided not to finish the job.

"Are you going to kill him or not?" Killua asks, his tone nonchalant, but his eyes glint with a kind of sharp interest.

"No," Kurapika replies firmly.

Killua shrugs and steps forward, smirking. "I'll do it for you. It's not like I care either way."

Kurapika raises a hand to stop him. "That won't be necessary."

Leorio throws up his hands in frustration. "Then what are we supposed to do? Just stand here while this guy takes a nap?"

Before anyone can respond, the next convict, a short, pink-haired woman with a sly smile steps forward. Her expression is calm, calculating, and I instantly don't trust her.

"You can't move on to the next match until this one is resolved," she says, her voice smooth and almost taunting. "He's still alive, after all. The match isn't over."

Leorio glares at her. "What are you, the referee now?"

She chuckles, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'm just stating the rules. This was a deathmatch, wasn't it? You're the ones who decided not to finish it. Besides you heard the examiner."

Kurapika's jaw tightens, but he doesn't say anything.

Killua smirks. "So, what? We're supposed to stand around until he wakes up?"

"Exactly," she replies, her smile widening. "Sorry, nothing you can do about it.

Leorio groans loudly, pacing back and forth. "This is ridiculous! Kurapika, this is your fault! If you'd just finished him off, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Kurapika glares at him. "I told you, I'm not killing him."

The two of them start arguing, their voices rising with every sentence. I let out a sigh, rolling myself between them.

"Guys, calm down," I say, raising my hands. "Look, you're both right in your own way. Kurapika, I get why you don't want to kill him. And Leorio, you're right that this situation is inconvenient. But standing here yelling at each other isn't going to solve anything."

They both pause, glaring at me, but at least they stop shouting.

I look at Leorio and offer him a reassuring smile. "Leorio, you've got good instincts. If you've got an idea, I say we trust you on this."

Leorio blinks, surprised, and then grins. "Thanks, Johnny. Glad someone around here has some sense."

He holds out a fist, and I bump it with my own.

The pink-haired convict steps forward again, her smile never faltering. "If you're so eager to resolve this, how about a bet?"

"A bet?" Leorio repeats, narrowing his eyes.

She nods. "We can bet on whether Majtani is alive or not. You pick the wager. If you win, you gain hours. If I win, your time is shortened."

I immediately don't like this. Something about her confidence feels off, like she knows something we don't.

"What's the minimum bet?" Leorio asks cautiously.

"Ten hours," she replies.

Leorio glances back at the rest of us, his expression tense. Kurapika frowns, his arms crossed. "Leorio, think about this carefully. If we lose, it will cost us valuable time."

Leorio scowls. "This is your fault, Kurapika! If you'd just finished him-"

"Enough!" I interject, raising my voice slightly. "Look, we've got to make a decision, and Leorio's right that we can't just wait around forever. Let's trust him on this."

Leorio gives me a grateful nod and turns back to the convict. "Fine. I bet ten hours that he's alive."

She smirks. "Accepted."

Kurapika sighs but doesn't argue further.

Leorio strides over to Majtani's body, flipping him over with a grunt. He places two fingers against the man's neck, checking for a pulse. After a few seconds, he straightens up and turns to the rest of us.

"He's alive," Leorio announces.

The mechanical voice echoes again. "Bet resolved. Ten hours added to Candidate 403's team."

The convict doesn't seem fazed. If anything, she looks even more amused.

Killua leans against the wall, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't good," he says quietly. "If Majtani doesn't wake up, it's better for them. They'll rack up hours and shorten their sentences while we waste time."

Leorio scowls. "So, what do we do?"

The convict steps forward and smirks. "Why not bet again? This time, you can bet on whether he's really unconscious."

I watch her carefully, my mind racing. She's too confident. There's no way she'd propose this unless she had some kind of advantage. I remember that in the anime she left a note behind that majitani swallowed. So that must be it, but I can't just say that or else they'd get suspicious of me being some examiner or something.

"She signaled him," I mutter.

Killua glances at me. "What?"

"She signaled Majtani to stay unconscious," I explain. "Think about it. She's in on this. They're working together, they have the same intrests, wasting as much time as possible."

Killua's eyes widen slightly, and he thinks for a bit. "You're probably right."

Leorio steps forward, glaring at the convict. "Fine. I bet he's faking it for 20."

"Well I bet that he isnt faking for 40 hours." she replies smoothly, raising the bet as to scare leorio into folding.

"Make it fifty!" I shout, cutting in. I know if I ask for 60 then she'd decline as that would be a guaranteed loss. But a 50 she would most likely be able to rationalize.

Everyone turns to stare at me.

"What?" Leorio asks, confused.

"She's too confident," I say firmly. "If we're going to call her bluff, we might as well go all in."

The convict's smile falters for the first time, but she recovers quickly. "Fifty hours it is."

Leorio grins. "Perfect."

He grabs Majtani's limp body and drags it to the edge of the ring.

"What are you doing?" the convict asks, her voice sharper now.

"Testing your theory," Leorio replies. "If he's really unconscious, he'll fall to his death. If not, he'll wake up before he hits the bottom."

The convict looks genuinely alarmed now, but she tries to mask it. "You can't do that! The match isn't over!"

"Don't worry," Leorio says, smirking. "If he falls, we'll forfeit this match. That gives you two wins. Sound fair?"

She hesitates, clearly caught off guard. "Fine," she says finally, though her voice is less confident.

Leorio leans Majtani over the edge, loosening his grip. "Time to see the truth."

As Majtani starts to fall, his eyes fly open, and he lets out a panicked scream. "Wait! I surrender!"

Leorio pulls him back onto the platform, grinning triumphantly.

"Winner: Candidate 403. Fifty hours added to the team."

The convict glares at him, her confident facade completely shattered.

Leorio smirks. "Looks like we've got a pretty good lead. Let's finish this."

The silence in the room is deafening as the next convict steps forward. He's a hulking man with a gaunt face and sunken eyes that seem to pierce straight into your soul. His presence is oppressive, heavy, as if the very air around him is thicker.

"Johannes the Dissector," announces Lippo's voice over the loudspeaker, the name itself sending chills through the room. "Convicted of over fifty counts of first-degree murder, including the mass murder of Zarbon City. 1247 years in prison without parole."

I relax in my wheelchair, knowing ill get to see a show. Johannes doesn't just walk; he prowls, like a predator sizing up its prey. His eyes dart between us, and his lips curl into a sinister grin, exposing teeth stained yellow. The other prisoners visibly recoil, stepping back to the edge of their platform.

Leorio swallows hard, his face pale. "That's… Johannes the Dissector," he mutters, his voice shaking.

"What's his deal?" I ask, though I already know.

Leorio glances at me, then at the others. "He's infamous. A monster. They say he used to capture his victims alive, dissecting them bit by bit while they were still conscious. Zarbon City… he wiped out an entire neighborhood in a single night. The authorities only caught him because he let himself get caught. He said prison would be more entertaining."

A heavy silence falls over our group.

"We should forfeit," Leorio continues, his tone pleading now. "Seriously. It's not worth it. We win either way, lets just take the loss."

The tension is palpable. Even the convicts, who had been smug and confident before, look terrified. One of them mutters something under his breath, but I can't hear it over the pounding of my own heart.

Killua, however, steps forward without hesitation, his expression unreadable. "I'll fight him," he says casually, as if he's volunteering to grab a snack.

"Wait!" Leorio shouts, grabbing Killua's arm. "Are you insane? Didn't you hear what I just said? That guy's a monster!"

Killua shrugs him off, his tone cold. "So am I."

Did he really just say 'im a monster too'? Such a corny kid i wanna crush his skull in for even saying that.

Before anyone can react, Killua is already walking onto the platform. Johannes grins wider, licking his lips like a wolf about to devour a lamb. "Listen, I dont care about reducing my sentence, all i want is to hear your screams. Understand?"

Killua doesn't respond. He stops a few feet away from Johannes, his hands in his pockets, his expression bored, and he nods.

"Let the match begin," Lippo announces over the loudspeaker.

Johannes lunges forward, his massive arms swinging like wrecking balls. But before anyone can even process what's happening, Killua is behind him, his hand extended.

For a moment, everything is still.

Johannes freezes, his body rigid. He glances down at his chest, where a dark red blotch begins to spread across his shirt. His eyes widen in confusion, then in horror.

"My… heart," he gasps, his voice trembling.

Killua holds up his hand, and in it is Johannes's still-beating heart, clenched tightly in his fist. And wrapped in the cloth from Johannes's shirt.

The room erupts in shocked gasps. Even the convicts, hardened criminals, stare in disbelief.

Johannes stumbles backward, clutching at the empty cavity in his chest. "P-Please…" he begs, his voice barely a whisper. "Give it… back…"

Killua steps forward, his expression still cold and detached. He places the heart into Johannes's trembling hand.

"Here," Killua says flatly.

Johannes collapses to the ground, his body convulsing for a few seconds before going completely still.

The silence is deafening.

I watch in stunned silence, my hands gripping the armrests of my wheelchair so tightly that my knuckles are white. Gon stands calmly, his face a mixture of curiosity and understanding, but everyone else is frozen in shock.

It looks like nothing much in the anime but damn is it gnarly to see in real life.

Leorio is the first to speak, his voice shaking. "What… What the hell was that?!"

Killua walks back to us, his hands back in his pockets, as if nothing happened.

Gon turns to Leorio, his tone matter-of-fact. "Killua's from a family of assassins. The Zoldycks. They're famous."

"Assassins?" Leorio's voice cracks, and he stares at Killua as if seeing him for the first time.

Killua smirks, clearly amused by Leorio's reaction. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you."

Leorio takes a step back, his face pale. "You could've mentioned that earlier!"

I point at killua. "Did you really have to put the heart back in his hand? You could have just crushed his skull you know, nobody thinks your cool buddy."

Killua glances at me, his smirk fading slightly. "You don't look surprised," he says.

I shrug. "That thing you did was pretty neat but I've seen and done worse. So not really something shocking, although I'm a good judge of character so I didn't expect someone as kind hearted as you to do that."

Killua raises an eyebrow but doesn't respond.

Before anyone can say anything else, a loud creaking noise draws our attention to the side of the platform in the middle. A door slowly slides open, revealing a narrow hallway bathed in dim light.

Everyone exhales in relief, the tension finally breaking.

"Thank God, we are done with this part." Leorio mutters, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"I reckon the next part won't be as fun." I mutter to myself as I continue on forwards, remembering the quick flashback scene from the anime about what they did after, which involved a electric trap and a Minecart.

Well atleast I'm enjoying myself so far ... still wouldn't eat the saint's arm for a billion dollars though, I know this is gonna sound schizophrenic but the longer I have it tied to my wheelchair hanging around me without eating it the more it ... whispers to me? I don't know how to explain it but yeah it's creepy.

Well time for the next part.