Hello everyone. I'm Gon Freecss, and I'm back at Kukuroo Mountain. We have fewer members with us this time, but in terms of total combat power, we're on a completely different level.
***
The trio arrived at the Testing Gate after a dutiful ride on the Kukuroo Mountain sightseeing bus. After witnessing the local "event" where a reckless bounty hunter became Mike's afternoon snack, they skipped the return bus and reunited with the gatekeeper, Zebro.
"Master Killua! You've returned?! And... Mr. Hisoka? And Gon... wait, is that you, Gon?!"
"That's usually the first reaction," Killua sighed.
"Hahaha! It's been a while, Zebro! I ended up like this," Gon chirped.
"Who was he again?" Hisoka mused, having zero memory of the man.
Despite the one outlier, they shared a brief, warm reunion.
"Wait... he's actually heavy?!" Zebro gasped, trying to pick Gon up. "What is this?! The mismatch between his look and his weight is insane! He's heavier than anything in the guardhouse!"
"He's over a hundred kilograms in that form," Killua noted. "It's so absurd it's actually funny."
"Would you mind not touching my Gon so much?" Hisoka whispered, his eyes narrowing.
"Ah! My apologies!"
Using the gatekeeper as a glorified doorbell, they had him notify the butlers of their arrival. Then, Mascot Gon stood before the massive stone doors. With a small "Hmph!" and a surge of aura, he placed his tiny hands on the Gates of Trial.
The heavy, grinding screech of stone that usually accompanied the opening never came. Instead, every single door swung open as smoothly as an automatic entrance at a department store.
"Are you serious...?" Killua muttered.
"It's easy even like this! Come on! Killua, Hisoka, hurry through while they're open!"
"I can't fit through that tiny crack, you moron! Did your brain shrink too?! And you—stop trying to force your way through and shaving the stone down! Stop it!!" Killua yelled at Hisoka.
To the sound of Killua's frantic screaming and the scraping of the gate's frame, the doors finally shut. Zebro returned to his post, mentally preparing to be fired for letting them in.
***
Ignoring Mike, who took one look at Gon and Hisoka and scurried away, the trio reached the open area before the main manor. There, the Zoldyck family and their butlers stood waiting.
It was a lopsided visual: Killua in front, with Hisoka behind him and a tiny Gon perched on the clown's shoulder. Facing them were eight members of the Zoldyck family (everyone except Killua and Alluka) and nearly every butler in the estate.
Despite the numbers, the tension was entirely on the Zoldyck side. Gon's group radiated a casual, almost bored confidence.
"I should start by saying 'Welcome home,'" Silva Zoldyck began, his voice low. "But Killua... is the gatekeeper's report accurate?"
"Obviously. I'm here for Alluka. If you don't get in our way, we'll leave without causing a scene."
Silva and Killua locked eyes. Most of the butlers were pale and shaking, but to the father and son, this was still just a minor spat. Silva raised a hand, and the butlers shifted into combat stances.
"I cannot permit it. This is your final warning. Either leave quietly, or—"
From behind Killua, a surge of aura erupted from Hisoka and Gon that was so intense it forced Silva to snap his mouth shut.
"I won't interfere in a family matter," Gon squeaked from Hisoka's shoulder, his presence suddenly massive. "But if you're going to involve 'outsiders' like the butlers, then I'm fair game too, right?"
"The world-renowned Zoldyck butlers... a few of them look quite appetizing. I wouldn't mind. ♠" Hisoka added, his aura roiling with malice.
"Technically, Gotoh and the others are family to me too," Killua added, sparks dancing in his eyes. "But if you're gonna play it like that, I'll play my Jokers. Let's keep this between us 'family' members, yeah?"
At that moment, more than half the butlers' knees buckled. They were effectively removed from the board. Even among the family, Milluki and Kalluto were clearly outclassed. The weight of a potential total war was starting to sink in.
"Family only, is it? We are eight against your one," Silva noted, his own killing intent rising. "You've grown quite arrogant, Killua."
The air turned frigid as the combined bloodlust of Silva, Zeno, Maha, and Illumi slammed into Killua. It was a pressure that would have caused a normal person to die of shock.
Killua didn't just endure it; he repelled it. A different kind of fighting spirit—pure and radiant—erupted from him.
"I'm not underestimating the Zoldycks. I only got this far because of you guys!"
His aura was no longer the cold, burning malice he had shown when he first left the mountain. It was a blinding, lightning-like pressure. He looked less like an assassin and more like a true Asura.
"...This is no good. We're done here, Silva," Maha suddenly spoke, retracting his presence. He turned and walked away. Zeno followed suit, deactivating his aura and rubbing his lower back.
"Grandfather?! Father?!" Kikyo shrieked. "What are you doing with Killua?!"
"Don't scream, I can hear you just fine," Zeno grumbled. "It can't be helped. A hawk was born from a kite's nest. That is all."
The centuries of Zoldyck history had been a quest to create the perfect assassin. Through training, selective breeding, and near-forbidden techniques, they had sought a masterpiece. And in Killua, they had succeeded—but he had become a vessel too large for the family to hold. The "Asura mutation" was now reaching for heights they couldn't conceive.
"Stop this! Silva, you aren't actually going to acknowledge this, are you?!"
Silva ignored his wife's hysterics and Kalluto's trembling gaze. He stared at Killua as if blinded by the light his son radiated. He slowly shook his head.
"Killua is my son, but he can no longer be contained by the name Zoldyck. Killua, you are officially removed from the succession."
"Silva! Are you serious?!" Kikyo wailed.
"Father?!" Milluki stammered.
Before they could protest further, a dark, oily aura flooded the space. Illumi stepped toward Killua.
"Then I can do as I like with Kil, right? Since there's the matter of 'that thing' anyway, I'll just turn him into a puppet."
"If you call Alluka 'that' or 'it' one more time," Killua said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I'll stop thinking of you as my brother and I'll make sure you never speak again."
"Try it. I'll store your doll right next to the other one."
The air crackled. Illumi was wreathed in an ominous, stagnant aura; Killua was cloaked in a storm of righteous fury. Silva and the others backed away, giving them space but remaining close enough to intervene if necessary.
"Since it's a family spat, those two in the back won't help, right? This 'lesson' is going to require a very large needle, Kil. Try to be patient."
Illumi pulled out a needle similar to the one he had used on Gon during the Troupe battle. Hidden behind his massive aura was a specialized manipulation needle inscribed with Divine Script—a "Devil's Needle" designed to fuse with and destroy the target's brain, turning them into a permanent puppet. Illumi "loved" Killua as his greatest creation, but a Killua who surpassed the Zoldycks was a flaw that had to be corrected.
"You're an idiot," Killua sighed. "An assassin shouldn't step onto my stage."
A roar of thunder echoed through the area. In an instant of total lightning-transformation via Lightning Emperor, Killua vanished and reappeared behind Illumi. His hand was buried in his brother's chest.
"It's a brotherly quarrel, so I'm not killing you. But consider yourself warned for next time. Heartbeat Kill: Lightning."
Killua maintained the lightning transformation only in the arm piercing Illumi, sending a direct current into his heart to force his body into total paralysis. He tossed the limp body toward the gathered butlers.
"Treat him now and he'll be fine. Take him away."
The butlers looked at Silva. He nodded, and they carried Illumi off for medical attention.
"I see," Silva mused. "Illumi didn't even stand a chance."
"That was his fault," Killua countered. "He's an assassin. He shouldn't have charged me head-on."
Silva and Zeno were silent. While Illumi's rashness had cost him, the fact remained that they hadn't seen a single precursor to Killua's transformation. For a transmuted ability of that magnitude, there should have been a massive surge or a "tell." Killua's aura control—evolved during his fight with Pouf—had reached a level where he could deceive even the world's most sensitive hunters of presence.
"...Just tell me this. Alluka... does 'that thing's' requests threaten the existence of the Zoldycks?"
Recognizing that fighting Killua plus Gon and Hisoka was suicide, Silva prioritized the family's survival. He hoped Killua, as the one Alluka loved most, could manage the risk.
"Haha! You really are a Zoldyck, aren't you? I call the dark one Nanika (Something). Relax, Dad. Both Alluka and Nanika are the kindest kids you'll ever meet."
Killua laughed off the concern, grabbed Gotoh by the collar to act as their guide, and began to stroll toward the manor with Gon and Hisoka. Silva and the others returned to their posts, while Kalluto and Milluki helped the weeping Kikyo back inside.
Only Silva, Zeno, and Tsubone—the oldest and strongest of the butlers—remained.
"Father... was I wrong to judge that we would lose even with our full strength?" Silva asked.
"No. We would have suffered catastrophic losses regardless of the winner," Zeno replied. "And Alluka is a wild card whether she stays here or not. That was the best outcome."
"I see. ...It's a problem. I find myself feeling proud of his growth."
Silva smiled a father's smile. Zeno, who had already retired as head of the house, felt even more exhilarated by his grandson's evolution.
"Illumi is the only one with the strength to lead, but Milluki could handle the logistics. And there's still young Kalluto. We have time to choose a new successor."
"Agreed. Now... what do you want, Tsubone? Why did you stay?"
Tsubone, a veteran whose stature rivaled Silva's, looked at them with a grim expression.
"I advise you that regardless of any contracts, we must never target those two behind Master Killua."
Silva and Zeno had been focused on their son. Tsubone, as a butler, had been watching the "guests."
"They are of the type that would devour even Isaac Netero himself."
Tsubone, who had served since Maha's time and possessed the ability Rider's High, had seen the world's greatest combatants. She had seen Netero near his prime and knew she couldn't even begin to fathom his depth. To her, Killua's potential was deeper than Netero's—and Gon and Hisoka were pits she couldn't even see the bottom of.
Silva sighed, taking the warning from his most trusted butler to heart.
"What a mess. How am I going to keep Illumi from getting himself killed?"
Thinking of his stubborn eldest son who loved the family too much for his own good, Silva ran a hand through his hair, realizing his tenure as head of the house was going to be much longer than he'd hoped.
***
Guided by Gotoh, the trio arrived deep beneath the manor, standing before a thick, iron door more secure than a bank vault. The isolation was absolute—no light, no human contact. It was no way to treat family.
"I can't believe I forgot they were being treated like this," Killua whispered. "I'm a failure as a brother."
"Master Killua, it was technically impossible to break Illumi's needle on your own," Gotoh said gently. "Your love for Alluka is what allowed you to do it. Don't blame yourself."
"He's right," Gon added, his tiny hand forming a fist. "If you keep looking like that, I'm just gonna punch this door down."
"Master Gon, please! I have the keys!" Gotoh cried, frantically entering codes. "Don't punch it! The door will die!"
"Aggressive Gon is so charming... ♥" Hisoka purred.
"You aren't helping!" Killua snapped.
The locks clicked open. Behind the brutal iron door was a room filled with dolls and frills—a "girly" paradise that stood in stark contrast to the cold basement outside. A girl in traditional robes sat among the toys, her expression vacant.
"...Alluka. I'm home."
Alluka didn't react to the door opening, but at the sound of Killua's voice, she jumped. The emptiness vanished, replaced by a radiant, ecstatic smile as she lunged at him.
"Big brother!! Wah! It's really you! You smell like Killua!!"
Killua caught her, letting her nuzzle against him. He smiled, though his eyes were full of apology.
"I'm late, but I'm here. And it's sudden, but we're running away together. I'm still seeing the world myself, but I want to show it to you, too."
"Really?! I'll go! Anywhere with you!!"
"Thanks. But I'm not alone. These guys are with us."
Killua introduced Gon and Hisoka, knowing he couldn't leave them behind if he wanted to reach Gon's level of strength.
"The big one is Hisoka. He's a freak, but he's harmless to you, so don't worry. And the little one is Gon. He's... my best friend."
"Nice to meet you, Alluka! I'm the same age as Killua, believe it or not! Looking forward to it!!"
Alluka, who had been too focused on Killua to notice the others, narrowed her eyes at the word "best friend." A flicker of jealousy clouded her aura. She climbed off Killua and approached the tiny Gon, looking down at him with a mischievous, almost threatening intent.
"Hmm... Nanika?"
As Alluka whispered the name, she crouched down until her face was inches from Gon's. Her eyes turned into pits of endless darkness, and her mouth curved into a chilling, non-human grin.
"Nanika?!" Killua gasped.
"Ooh... interesting. ♦" Hisoka mused.
Gon felt the weight of her gaze. He didn't flinch. He tilted his head slightly and looked straight back into those empty eyes.
"Um... nice to meet you, Nanika. I'm Gon, Killua's friend. Let's get along."
"...Kay."
Nanika stared at Gon's outstretched hand for several seconds. Then, as if satisfied by something she found there, she nodded and took it. Her grin shifted into a faint, genuine smile. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was Alluka once more.
"Fine! I'll give Gon the right to give me headpats too! You'd better work hard at it! And make sure you spoil me!!"
"?? Got it? You were such a good girl waiting for Killua. You're so patient!" Gon reached up on his tiptoes to pat her head.
"Mufufu! I know, right?!"
Killua watched his best friend and his sister with a look of stunned disbelief, then finally let out a long, relieved breath.
"Big brother! Gon-bro! You have to protect me and Nanika, okay?!"
Gotoh watched the interaction between the siblings and the "best friend," a quiet smile on his face. Finally, Killua's wish had come true.
Meanwhile, the freak who was currently being ignored by everyone—and whose aura was still leaking "love"—slowly began to crawl toward Gon, hoping for a headpat of his own.
***
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