Hisoka wanted to experience Razor's full power.
Therefore, his throw targeting the Nen Beast was fast, ruthless, and precise, leaving no room for error.
But he underestimated Razor's level of focus.
Due to Morrow's intervention and the strength he displayed, Razor was taking this match more seriously and naturally wouldn't let his guard down.
If it had been the Razor from their first match, Hisoka might have succeeded once.
The ball returned to Razor's possession.
Holding the ball in one hand, his slightly narrowed eyes slowly scanned the opposing court.
Feeling Razor's gaze upon them, everyone except Morrow and Hisoka felt as if facing a great enemy.
Especially Gon, who had directly withstood Razor's serve.
Although he used a Nen Technique to neutralize the power at the last moment, the physical sensation didn't lie.
The power behind Razor's serve was such that the slightest misstep could result in severe injury or instant death.
Just then, the No. 0 Nen Beast referee declared, "When a player is too severely injured to continue the match, they must withdraw. Based on the outcome, Player No. 2 cannot return to the court."
Razor's expression remained unchanged at the No. 0 Nen Beast referee's announcement, clearly having anticipated this result.
But Killua, Tsezguerra, and Goreinu all had shifts in their eyes, unable to hide their surprise.
They had thought that under the 'rebound rule,' since Razor caught the ball, he could redistribute his aura and re-conjure the No. 2 Nen Beast.
They hadn't expected there to be a rule about withdrawal due to severe injury...
But upon reflection, it made some sense.
After all, being severely injured or killed on the spot would indeed prevent continuing the match.
The problem was, Razor's side consisted entirely of Nen Beasts.
If this rule hadn't been established...
Razor could have naturally re-conjured the Nen Beast without issue.
In other words, this rule was disadvantageous to Razor.
Yet Razor still enforced this rule fairly.
It gave the impression that he was saying,
See, these are the rules. So if you get smashed to death or crippled by the ball, you can only blame your own lack of strength.
"..."
Therefore, the withdrawal of the No. 2 Nen Beast was far from an unexpected boon; instead, it served as a warning bell in the minds of Tsezguerra and the others.
From this perspective, the risk of catching the ball was clearly higher than dodging it.
Moreover, even if they could dodge Razor's serve, as long as the ball landed out of bounds, possession would keep returning to Razor.
This also meant that if they didn't confront it head-on, it would be no different from a slow death.
"Whether we can gain possession depends on who Razor targets next," Tsezguerra said.
"On our side, in terms of Nen strength and technique... Morrow is undoubtedly the strongest among us. Since Razor's duty is to guard this stage, to ensure his win rate, he likely won't target Morrow," Goreinu analyzed.
"Then, who will he focus on this time?" Tsezguerra wondered.
With Godspeed, dodging the ball isn't hard, but catching it... Can I do it? Killua thought to himself.
"Will he still fixate on Gon, or choose to avoid the strong and attack the weak..." Kess pondered.
If the target is me, can I dodge it? Goreinu questioned himself.
Facing Razor's palpable pressure, Killua, Goreinu, Tsezguerra, and Kess instinctively tensed up, their minds racing.
While Killua was calculating whether he could catch the ball, the others were more concerned about dodging it safely.
Razor didn't give them much time to think.
As the referee signaled the game to resume, Razor swung his arm violently once more.
This time, however, his throwing motion wasn't an overhand toss but an arcing underhand swing, as if scooping the moon from the sea, before hurling the volleyball infused with powerful Nen.
Instantly, the ball wrapped in intense aura shot toward Hisoka like a meteor.
Even with the bright Nen enveloping it, the terrifying spin was visible.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the volleyball flying toward him, Hisoka quickly gathered his aura, preparing to block it head-on and reclaim possession.
Yet, just before hitting Hisoka, the ball abruptly curved mid-air, swerving past him and veering toward the nearby Killua.
The target is me...!
Killua's pupils contracted sharply. Fortunately, he was prepared to react at any moment, and arcs of electricity instantly crackled across his body.
Using this momentary boost in physical capability, Killua narrowly dodged the ball by leaping backward at the critical instant.
But as he successfully evaded, Killua glimpsed the ball's trajectory from the corner of his eye.
It was headed straight for Kess.
No...
Tsezguerra was also in the same path!
As longtime partners, they habitually positioned themselves close together.
This practice was usually meant to allow quick mutual support in emergencies.
But in this match, it gave Razor an opening to target multiple players in one strike.
Confronted with the powerful, curving volleyball, Kess instinctively sidestepped under an overwhelming sense of danger.
Silent Worker.
This was the early-warning Conjuration ability Kess had developed, capable of detecting sources of danger on a radar-like screen.
The very fact he created such an ability demonstrated Kess's high sensitivity to peril.
Forewarned by this sense of crisis, Kess's timely sidestep barely pulled him back from the brink of death.
Whoosh!
The ball grazed past Kess, continuing unabated toward Tsezguerra.
I need to use Ko... no, it's too late...!
Unlike Kess, Tsezguerra lacked such a warning ability. Though he was the farthest from the ball and had some reaction time, his years of meticulous, risk-averse tactics had dulled the combat intuition honed only through crises.
Being a step slow in rhythm could be fatal!
Unable to buy more time, Tsezguerra could only muster as much aura as possible for defense.
Thump!
The volleyball struck Tsezguerra's arm with immense force.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone echoed across the court.
Tsezguerra's features twisted slightly, his eyes trembling as he stared at his injured arm. He could feel a drilling impact wildly rotating on his arm, continuing to push the fractured limb forward until it slammed violently into his ribs.
D-damn it...
The moment Tsezguerra recognized the nature of that impact, a thought flashed through his mind, even if it meant severe injury, he should directly block the volleyball with his body.
But reason extinguished this impulse at its inception.
Through excruciating pain, he mustered his final strength to disperse the aura he'd gathered to resist the volleyball's force.
The next instant, Tsezguerra's body fell like a dropped weight, crashing heavily onto the ground at an angle.
Meanwhile, the volleyball flew sideways out of bounds.
"Chirp."
Nen Beast No. 1, positioned in the outer court, was already in place and ready to receive the ball.
"Tsezguerra!"
Kess's face dramatically changed as he witnessed Tsezguerra being severely injured by the volleyball.
Tsezguerra lay prone on the ground as if all strength had left him. Hearing Kess's shout, his first reaction was to endure the agony and warn: "W-watch the ball..."
"Huh?"
Kess abruptly looked up toward the sideline and saw Nen Beast No. 1 had already caught the ball and was throwing it back with force.
Can't dodge this... If it's this ball, I should...
Kess widened his eyes and raised both hands to meet the volleyball.
Smack!
The rapidly spinning volleyball drilled straight between Kess's palms.
What!? Even the Nen Beast's serve is this powerful... No, it's because Razor's aura remains on the ball...
When Kess's hands made contact with the ferocious force transmitted through the volleyball, he immediately sensed danger.
The tremendous power tore through Kess's defense like a wild beast's claws.
Thump!
The volleyball smashed through his hands and crashed violently into Kess's face, sinking deep like a shot put.
Receiving this heavy blow, Kess immediately lost consciousness, his body flying backward.
The volleyball that knocked him out bounced off and flew back toward Nen Beast No. 1 in the outer court.
"Chirp chirp."
Nen Beast No. 1's cries seemed to carry a hint of mockery.
But at that moment, Morrow's figure blinked into existence before Nen Beast No. 1.
"Chirp?!"
Nen Beast No. 1 tilted its small head slightly.
With his back to the creature, Morrow reached out and intercepted the volleyball that should have flown into Nen Beast No. 1's hands.
Off the court.
Nen Beast referee No. 0, seeing Morrow steadily catch the ball, immediately announced: "Player Tsezguerra is out."
Since the volleyball that hit Tsezguerra had been caught by Nen Beast No. 1 in the outer court, Tsezguerra was eliminated from that moment and could only retreat to the outer court.
However, given his injuries, he clearly couldn't continue the match.
After declaring Tsezguerra out, Nen Beast referee No. 0 turned its gaze to Kess lying unconscious on the ground.
"If Player Kess cannot wake up, he must be removed from the court."
The referee then shifted its focus to Morrow and the others on the right side of the court, raising one finger as it stated:
"Now you have two choices. First, no treatment, if Kess naturally regains consciousness during the match, he can decide whether to return to the game."
Then the referee raised a second finger and continued: "Second, immediate treatment, but this will be considered a severe injury withdrawal, completely disqualifying him from the match."
"We choose option two."
Morrow glanced at Kess's deeply sunken face, clearly having no choice but to accept the plan for immediate treatment.
The referee nodded upon seeing this, gesturing for the death row inmates to come and treat Kess, then turned his gaze to Tsezguerra, who was struggling to stand up.
"Player Tsezguerra is severely injured. According to the rules, if you cannot continue the match due to injury, you must withdraw."
"..."
Tsezguerra gritted his teeth and silently walked off the court without a word.
The other two members of his team, one rushed to check on Kess, while the other ran over to support Tsezguerra.
On the court, Killua, Gon, and Goreinu watched as Tsezguerra was helped off the court, then glanced at Kess, who was being treated.
"Not only do we have to be careful of Razor's serves, but we also need to pay extra attention to the Nen Beasts outside the court!"
Seeing Kess's miserable state, Goreinu broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, gaining a deeper understanding of Razor's terrifying power.
Killua looked solemnly at Razor on the opposite side of the court, then turned his gaze to Morrow, thinking to himself, Thankfully, the teacher intercepted the ball and prevented it from returning to Razor's hands.
"..."
Gon recalled the earlier scene, his face stiff with anger.
Hisoka, meanwhile, fixed his eyes on the volleyball in Morrow's hand.
It was just a momentary lapse in concentration.
Given another chance, he was sure he could destroy Razor's other Nen Beasts one by one.
Ignoring Hisoka's demanding stare, Morrow walked to the center of the inner court.
The referee confirmed that both injured players had left the court and loudly announced, "The match continues."
At this moment, the situation for both teams was as follows:
Razor's team had six players in the inner court and one in the outer court.
Gon's team had five players in the inner court and one in the outer court.
In a normal dodgeball match, players eliminated from the inner court would typically move to the opponent's outer sideline to assist in attacks.
But both sides were fully offensive.
Whether it was Razor's No. 2 Nen Beast or Tsezguerra and Kess from Gon's team, once hit by the volleyball, they immediately lost the ability to continue the match.
On the sidelines, Tsezguerra leaned against the wall with the support of his teammate, hammering the wall in frustration before turning his gaze to Morrow on the court.
It's all up to you now...
He thought to himself.
On the court, Morrow was in no hurry to serve, waiting for the cooldown of 'Astral Step' to end.
Due to the delay caused by the treatment of Kess and Tsezguerra, he didn't have to wait long.
"Gon, Killua."
Morrow called out suddenly, holding the ball with one hand.
"Huh?"
Gon and Killua immediately looked over.
Feeling the two boys' gazes, Morrow kept his eyes fixed on Razor across the court and calmly said, "Watch closely."
Before his words faded, Morrow quickly mobilized all the aura output from his body. The aura surged like a rushing river, rapidly converging onto the volleyball and glowing with a bright Nen mass.
Then, the Nen wrapped around the volleyball began to expand and grow like an inflating balloon.
Pulled by the flow of aura, visible white vortices swirled around it.
But the next moment, the expanding Nen mass began to shrink.
Or rather, it was being compressed in quality through precise control!
As the Nen mass shrank, the color of the aura suddenly shifted to a fluorescent green.
"Tsk..."
Razor's eyes slowly widened, revealing a trace of admiration.
Gon and Killua also widened their eyes, intently watching Morrow's process of controlling his aura.
Under the varied gazes of everyone present, Morrow finished gathering his aura and immediately hurled it toward Razor.
The volleyball wrapped in fluorescent green aura tore through the air like a cannonball, carrying an overwhelming force as it blasted straight toward Razor!
This ball can't be taken head-on, but...
Razor's eyes sharpened, and he made a decision in an instant.
He abruptly stepped forward, sinking his stance, and clasped his hands together as aura rapidly condensed within them.
At the same time.
The larger Nen Beasts, numbers 6 and 7, rushed over as planned, bracing Razor's lower body from the left and right to provide stable support.
"BOOM!!"
The next moment, the volleyball imbued with fierce Nen collided violently with Razor's hands, which were concentrated with powerful aura.
Two surging energies clashed and shattered against each other.
In an instant, they transformed into shockwaves that erupted outward in all directions.
The terrifying impact force sent Razor flying backward, while the two Nen Beasts that had been supporting his lower body tumbled away like bowling pins.
After the force was offset, the volleyball shot straight into the air like a rocket.
This was Razor's precise timing and masterful technique, which had deflected the majority of the Nen force from the volleyball while adjusting his body's angle to ensure the ball would only fly into the air above his own court.
"Hisoka, use your ability!"
On the court, Morrow quickly called out as a reminder.
But even without Morrow's reminder, Hisoka knew what to do.
He swiftly shot a pink adhesive thread toward the volleyball in the air.
A timely reminder, but... it's useless!
Razor's body flipped twice in mid-air before landing steadily. He first glanced at the pink adhesive thread shot from Hisoka's hand, then looked up at the volleyball in the air.
Following his gaze, Nen Beasts 3, 4, and 5 from the inner court had already leaped into the air toward the volleyball.
Among them, numbers 3 and 4 intentionally blocked the angles from which Hisoka could shoot his pink adhesive thread, while number 5 lunged directly for the volleyball.
He anticipated I'd use my ability to steal the ball when he deflected the volleyball's force...
Hisoka narrowed his eyes and quickly canceled his ability.
If Bungee Gum directly hit a Nen Beast, it would be a violation.
"Having seen your ability, how could I not prepare for it?"
Seeing Hisoka interrupt his ability, Razor grinned.
In that moment, everyone on the court simultaneously turned their attention to the volleyball in the air.
This guy is really too strong, a complete monster!
Goreinu was drenched in cold sweat.
Just as Nen Beast number 5 was about to reach out and touch the volleyball, a sudden change occurred.
The residual aura on the volleyball abruptly doubled in intensity, and then, it curved back, flying diagonally toward Morrow on the opposite side of the court.
Nen Beasts 3 and 4, which had been positioned to block Hisoka's ability, were now directly in the volleyball's curved trajectory.
And so...
Thump, thump!
The volleyball knocked aside Nen Beasts 3 and 4 in succession, shooting straight toward Morrow.
Morrow extended his right hand and effortlessly caught the returning volleyball.
This was the ability of Deceptive Shooting Star.
He had infused it into the volleyball.
In truth, from the moment he threw the ball, he had anticipated Razor's countermeasures.
It was nothing more than relying on deflection techniques to ensure the volleyball remained in the inner court, then using Nen Beasts to catch it.
And his earlier deliberate warning to Hisoka to use his ability to steal the ball was merely to ensure that Razor would have his Nen Beasts guard against Hisoka's ability.
This way, there was an opportunity to use the rebound mechanism to simultaneously kick at least one Nen Beast out of the game.
The referee Nen Beast No. 0 looked at the ball in Morrow's hand, raised its hand, and declared: "Razor, No. 3, and No. 4 are out!"
"…"
Razor looked at Morrow, a few drops of cold sweat sliding down his face. Did you predict how I would respond...
Perhaps due to a tacit understanding...
Razor and Hisoka inexplicably exchanged a glance, then quickly averted their eyes.
On the field.
"Teacher is amazing!"
Gon and Killua's eyes instantly lit up as they watched the scene.
Goreinu also looked at Morrow with excitement.
Fortunately... we also have a monster of equal strength on our side!