The moment Nanika sent Saiki Kusuo, he focused hard on observing his body.
First of all, the source of Nanika's power is a mystery. Just like how inside Alluka, you can sense Nanika's presence, but not her physical form.
The power itself only appears at the moment it's used—but it needs Nanika to guide it. That guidance is the part that drains Alluka.
In just 5 seconds, a vortex formed above his head, turning from energy into something you could actually see. It swallowed up Saiki Kusuo. Within those few seconds, Alluka visibly grew tired.
So… was the Dark Continent already the limit of her power right now? Saiki Kusuo wondered as he pursed his lips.
In the next instant, he was already somewhere above the Dark Continent. Below his feet was an endless abyss, and from deep within it came the roar of some kind of beast.
[Territory… leave…]
For a moment, Kusuo, who could understand all thoughts, heard that voice.
Yare yare. So this is how the Dark Continent greets visitors?
Still, Saiki Kusuo wasn't planning to stay long. His father was watching everything and would soon contact Illumi to confirm if he'd arrived nearby. Saiki Kusuo was already using his clairvoyance to search.
Illumi was in the middle of a mission. Saiki Kusuo knew he was near Heaven's Arena, because not long ago Illumi had even called to ask if he wanted a limited edition chocolate.
Found him. Teleport!
At that moment, Illumi was handling things at Heaven's Arena.
Killua was already over three years old now, and his talent was starting to show. Illumi had talked with their parents about letting Killua come train at Heaven's Arena when he turned four. Climbing floor by floor would be a bit safer than training in Meteor City.
A big brother who loves his little brother should help pave the way early.
Too bad there are still weirdos like Hisoka hanging around. But by the time Killua is old enough to fight here, Hisoka should've lost interest.
Illumi had just pocketed his winnings from betting on Hisoka and was saying goodbye when, right as he stepped out of the elevator, Saiki Kusuo dropped from the sky.
His assassin instincts kicked in, and he quickly turned to counterattack—but when he saw it was Saiki Kusuo, he hesitated. Just for a second. But instead of catching or protecting him, he stepped out of the way.
Thud. Saiki Kusuo hit the ground.
He wasn't hurt, but seriously—what about brotherly love?
Saiki Kusuo grumbled and stood up, brushing off imaginary dust from his clothes.
"You're really Kusuo?" Illumi still had doubts. As a brother-obsessed big bro, he had already recognized that this Kusuo wasn't a fake. But still, common sense kept him from getting too close.
Saiki Kusuo didn't reply. Rather than go through a bunch of explaining, it was better to wait for their parents to call. Hm? That guy is...
Hisoka stood not far away, holding a card in his mouth and watching them. Clearly, Illumi hadn't left yet because of the sudden arrival of the pink-haired boy. Now he was curious—who was this kid?
Illumi answered his phone, while Saiki Kusuo met eyes with the blue-haired Hisoka.
"Hey, kid. Looks like fate has tied us together... So, what can I do for you? Want to sign up?" Hisoka casually threw an arm over Kusuo's shoulder.
If I start from the first floor, how many people would I have to take out? Yeah, no thanks.
"You can join once you're four. Win fights, earn money, and buy candy or chocolate too! Come on, give it a try~"
Hisoka, for whatever reason, was suddenly very curious about how strong this well-behaved looking kid really was.
Heaven's Arena must be honored to have you as its free salesman.
That said, Saiki Kusuo had no interest in joining. The guy in front of him was the infamous weirdo everyone talked about. Sure, fans loved him, but a creep was still a creep.
Gotta think of a way to get out of this. Breaking free wasn't hard, but that might trigger his competitive streak.
Luckily, Saiki Kusuo wasn't alone right now.
Illumi suddenly reached out and grabbed the arm Hisoka was using to touch Kusuo. He was still on the phone with their parents, but his hand now had claws sharp enough to kill.
...Whoa.
"What does mean "il-chan"~? All these years of our clos—"
Before Hisoka could finish, Saiki Kusuo acted fast and threw a rag in Hisoka's face, dazing him.
Why? Because the Zoldyck family has a strict rule for minors:
Assassins don't have friends.
It's only a "minor" rule because Grandpa did have a "friend" like Netero.
If anyone found out Illumi was making friends right now, he'd be in serious trouble. He'd probably get grilled with questions and end up with a butler shadowing him 24/7 for a while.
"Illumi, did I just hear someone call you 'il-chan'? What's going on over there?"
"Used a disguise technique to kill someone. They're dead now, Dad." Illumi gave Hisoka a death sentence without changing his expression.
Their father didn't ask more. He just told Illumi to look after Kusuo and bring him home quickly, then hung up.
In the manga, Illumi and Hisoka are totally friends. No doubt about it. See? He even bailed Hisoka out just now.
But Hisoka, who had just taken a rag to the face, didn't seem too happy. He puffed up his cheeks and, without hesitation, threw a handful of cards at the two of them.
[Heh~ So this is one of il-chan's family members? Then I don't need to hold back. With how the Zoldycks train their kids, each one of them is like a tasty fruit, hehe…]
Who said every Zoldyck kid is that strong anyway? Not that I'd get hurt.
Saiki Kusuo's face didn't change. He watched every card's path, then slowly took a few steps. Just before the cards reached him, he simply sidestepped and dodged every single one.
Hisoka had just thrown them randomly. No real angles or tricks.
Illumi, though, suddenly released a wave of Nen pressure. Cards he would've normally just dodged—this time he snapped each one in half with needles. His short, freshly-cut hair was blown up slightly by the force of his own aura. It gave off a very serious vibe.
"Hisoka. I warned you not to touch my little brother. If you do, I will kill you."
"Yes, yes, yes, il-chan, you're being way too cautious. If your little brother's going to fight at Heaven's Arena, you think I'm the only opponent he'll face?"
"The one going to Heaven's Arena is Killua. Kusuo's different — he's never had training, and he's really delicate." Illumi gently patted Saiki Kusuo's soft head. "Kusuo, did you get hurt when you fell?"
As the "delicate" younger brother, Saiki Kusuo could only lower his head and let him pat away.
[No, that was totally normal.]
"Hm~ Are you sure I can't fight your brother?" Hisoka was checking the playing cards on the ground. There was no way they could all have missed unless Saiki Kusuo had done something.
What answered Hisoka were nine sharp nail-like projectiles outlining a human silhouette — two shot past each side of his neck, one grazed the top of his head, two near the sides of his neck, two to his waist, and two more — one slipped between his fingers as he was throwing the cards, and the last headed straight for that one place no man wants to get hit.
Any normal person would've been injured just by flinching. But Hisoka knew exactly what Illumi would do at a time like this. He stayed completely still and avoided getting hurt.
The nails were embedded in the wall behind him with hidden force. Inside the wall, cracks had already formed, even though the surface still looked okay on the outside.
"Wow, scary stuff, il-chan. I was just joking~"
[Geez, what a terrifying big brother type.]
I agree with that part — a terrifying brother.
Saiki Kusuo thought to himself.
[This is kinda getting fun… heheh.]
Yeah, you're scary too.
Because the wall still looked intact on the surface, no one dared ask them for repair fees. But later, when the staff tried to remove the nails, they'd barely taken out a few when the entire wall collapsed with a crash.
"Hey! I told you to remove the nails — not use Nen, you idiot!"
"What? No, I didn't! I swear I—"
"We're docking the repair cost from your salary! Seriously, just go do something else for now!"
"But I really didn't! Ugh! I'm gonna go find those people, this is nuts!"
The only one who got hurt was that unlucky guy's wallet.