Chapter 153: Kyōka Suigetsu
Golden light, like substantive satin, unfurled beneath their feet, extending towards a hazy glow at the edge of their vision. Riku stepped onto this "Direct Path to the End," feeling a warm and stable sensation beneath his feet, as if walking through a galaxy.
Gon and Killua followed closely behind, the two youths' eyes incredibly bright, reflecting the radiance of this miraculous path, a mixture of infinite anticipation for the endpoint and a hint of nervousness about the unknown.
Biscuit walked last, her pink twin-tails swaying gently with each step. Her gem-like eyes sparkled with inquiry and wonder. This sight, which transcended her decades of experience as a Hunter, filled her with a deeper sense of awe for the game's designer, Ging Freecss, for the first time.
"Riku, what do you think the endpoint will be?" Gon's voice trembled with excitement, his fists involuntarily clenching.
"Who cares what it is," Killua pursed his lips, his silver hair glittering in the flowing golden light. "As long as Riku is here, we're definitely getting that clearance card! Right, Riku?"
Riku merely smiled, casting his gaze towards the core of that distant glow. He felt the power surging within him: [Monstrous Strength] Gold, [Giant Bloodline] Double Purple, [Blood Soul Card] Red... countless plundered traits shone on his attribute panel like stars. This clearance was destined to be his lavish feast.
The path of golden light beneath their feet silently shortened the distance, as if space was actively folding itself for them. In just a few minutes, the hazy glow ahead abruptly became clear and enlarged, transforming into an extremely open, circular arena.
The arena was constructed from an unknown milky-white stone, smooth as a mirror. Over a dozen gigantic stone pillars carved with profound runes stood on the periphery, exuding an ancient and heavy aura. The arena's dome was a flowing, seven-colored Nen barrier, like an upside-down aurora, constantly changing.
And the most eye-catching thing was a rhomboid crystal about the size of a fist, continuously shifting with seven-colored flowing light, hovering in the center of the arena—[Ruler's Blessing].
"Wow—!" Gon and Killua simultaneously gasped, stunned by this dreamlike sight.
"Is that... the clearance reward?" Biscuit squinted. Experience told her the Nen contained within that crystal was incomparably majestic.
However, they were not the only ones to arrive.
Almost at the exact moment the four set foot on the white floor tiles at the edge of the arena, space rippled violently like water in several locations around the periphery!
Xiuh! Xiuh! Xiuh!
Dense sounds of breaking air resounded. Figures enveloped in various colors of Nen light crashed onto the broad field like meteors, causing subtle energy ripples.
The first to appear was a well-equipped team moving with unified precision. They wore unified black combat suits, embroidered with a ferocious honeycomb emblem on the chest. The leader was a steel-hardened, bald, giant man standing over two meters tall. His exposed arms were knotted with muscles, covered in a layer of dark, iron-like chitin. The moment he landed, his cold gaze scanned the arena like a searchlight, ultimately locking tightly onto the hovering crystal, making no attempt to conceal his greed and determination to obtain it.
"Mr. Battera's 'Black Bee' mercenary group!" Biscuit whispered, recognizing them. "That iron tower is the leader 'Iron Rhino' Morton, a peak Enhancer. His defensive power and brute force are said to be capable of withstanding siege machinery."
Immediately after, from another direction landed three figures dressed in luxurious silk robes. The leader was a middle-aged man with perfectly combed hair and gold-rimmed glasses. Behind him followed a man and a woman. The man had a sinister face and wore uniquely shaped metal rings on his ten fingers. The woman smiled sweetly, yet an adder-like coldness lingered in her eyes.
"'Golden Abacus' Soros," Biscuit's voice held a trace of contempt. "A famous speculator and slave trader. Behind him are 'Finger Demon' Aaron and 'Toxic Kiss' Lilith, both notorious Nen users specializing in control and assassination."
The figures that landed afterwards were more chaotic. There were lone, fierce Hunters with eyes sharp as hawks. There were Nen user pairs whose Nen auras subtly resonated with each other. There were even a few players with relatively naive auras but similarly fiery eyes, clearly dazzled by the world announcement and final reward, wanting to fish in troubled waters.
In just a short moment, dozens of players had popped up like mushrooms after rain on the periphery of the formerly empty arena! Invisible pressure spread like a tide: greed, vigilance, killing intent... various emotions silently collided and chafed in the air. Everyone's gaze ultimately focused, either openly or secretly, on the seven-colored crystal in the center of the field, and on the four people who had arrived earliest—Riku's group.
"Hmph, a bunch of hyenas smelling blood." Killua snorted, subtle electric arcs jumping on his fingertips.
Gon also tensed his body, ready to act: "Riku, there are so many of them..."
"Don't worry," Riku's voice was perfectly calm as his gaze swept across the arena like a monarch inspecting his territory. "The show is just beginning. The administrators should be appearing too."
As if to confirm his words, space abruptly distorted directly in front of the arena, flashing brightly! Fourteen figures were precisely printed out, as if from thin air, lining up perfectly in a row. They wore unified white uniforms bearing the "GI" emblem. Their auras were settled, their Nen profound. They were impressively the game's administrator team!
And standing right in the center was the burly, hearty-smiling yet sharp-eyed Razor! He held a sphere emanating soft white light—[Game Core: Aluka's Yearning].
"Welcome, players, who have braved dangers to reach Greed Island's final trial ground—'王冠竞技场' (Crown Arena)!" Razor's voice was resonant, clearly spreading across the arena with an unquestionable authority. "I am Administrator Razor. According to game rules and the unique condition that triggered the 'Direct Path to the End', the final stage, 'Ruler's Trial', is now open!"
He held up the white light sphere in his hand, countless intricate runes flowing across its surface. "The trial rules are as follows: First, the final reward [Ruler's Blessing] will be awarded at the end of the trial by this core based on contribution and performance! Second, the trial format—'Extreme Dodgeball'! Third, the administrator team will dispatch a fifteen-person team as guardians!"
As his words fell, powerful Nen pressure erupted from the fourteen administrators simultaneously. Different colors, different attributes, yet perfectly interwoven and fused, forming a suffocating pressure. Even more alarming was that the shadows beneath their feet writhed, and actually stood up an "影武者" (Shadow Warrior) almost identical to their original bodies, but composed entirely of flowing dark shadow! Fifteen original bodies, fifteen Shadow Warriors—thirty powerful figures instantly formed an invincible defensive line!
"Fourth," Razor's gaze swept across Riku with significant meaning, his smile unchanging yet carrying an undetectable hint of solemnity. "All players who have reached this place are the challengers' side! You can freely form teams or act alone. The goal is only one—score points against us! Or..." He paused, his voice turning cold, "defeat us!"
The entire field was in uproar! Players exchanged glances, uncertain. Thirty Nen users, at least of veteran Hunter level, as guardians? This difficulty simply drove people to despair! Especially those slightly weaker players, their faces turning pale instantly.
"What a joke! This is fundamentally unwinnable!" a lone Hunter cried out in despair.
"Are the administrators trying to eliminate us all?" someone grumbled indignantly.
Morton, the leader of the 'Black Bee' mercenary group, snorted, his voice like muffled thunder: "What are you panicking for! A bunch of rabble! Listen to my command, form a defensive formation! Aaron, Lilith, prepare for crowd control!" His massive body took a step forward, his dark chitin skin instantly flashing with a metallic sheen. A heavy Enhancer-type Nen pressure spread out, actually briefly pushing back part of the pressure brought by the administrator team.
Soros, the 'Golden Abacus', pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, cunning calculation flashing in the eyes behind the lenses: "Interesting, interesting rules. Aaron, Lilith, we'll remain stationary, let 'Black Bee' and those cannon fodder test the administrators' depth first."
In the administrator team, List looked at the players below with expressions of fear, anger, or calculation, especially Riku's gaze that was so calm as to be almost indifferent. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and he whispered complaints to Dwun beside him: "Does Razor really have to play it this big? That Riku... if he again..."
Dwun smiled bitterly: "There's no other way. This is the only method that can slightly limit his breaking of balance—creating variables using rules and numbers. Hope... it works."
At this tense, explosive moment, Riku suddenly laughed. That laughter was light, yet strangely penetrated all the noise, clearly falling into everyone's ears.
"A fifteen-person team? A decent lineup." He tilted his head slightly, his gaze landing on the warm, jade-like figure behind him. "Aizen, play with them a bit."
"Yes, my Lord." Sosuke Aizen nodded with a smile, taking a step forward. His movements were leisurely and elegant, as if he were not about to step into battle, but attending a refined tea party.
As that step was taken, a sudden transformation occurred!
Buzz—!
An inexpressible, immense Spiritual Pressure that made souls tremble exploded violently! This pressure wasn't simply wild, but carried a high-and-mighty, indifferent, and profound quality of looking down on all life. The air instantly became thick and heavy. Light seemed to be distorted by an invisible force, and the brilliance of the entire arena dimmed for a moment.
All players, whether 'Black Bee's tough guys or 'Golden Abacus's cunning merchants, their faces simultaneously changed drastically! The slightly weaker ones groaned, staggering backward, feeling as if their chests had been violently struck by an invisible giant hammer, finding breathing difficult, and the flow of their Nen became incredibly sluggish! Even the administrator team, the Nen barrier composed of those thirty figures fluctuated violently like a candle flame in a gale!
"Wh... what kind of monster is this?!" Morton's flesh was twitching. His proud defensive Nen pressure, in the face of this Spiritual Pressure, was actually as fragile as paper, causing him to feel a long-lost fear originating from biological instinct.
Soros's gold-rimmed glasses slid to the tip of his nose. He stared fixedly at Aizen, his voice dry: "Impossible... this Nen pressure intensity... has already surpassed the human limit!"
Razor's smile completely vanished for the first time, replaced by unprecedented solemnity. The light sphere [Aluka's Yearning] in his hand flashed violently, emitting urgent buzzing sounds, seemingly frantically analyzing this over-specification power.
However, this was just the beginning.
Aizen still wore that gentle and harmless smile, lightly raising his right hand, index and middle fingers together, gracefully pointing towards his forehead. His voice resounded like an aria:
"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."
Ting ling...
An illusory, ethereal light sound, as if glass were shattering, rippled out deep in everyone's minds. There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling light and shadow. But the space of the entire arena, like a water surface with a stone thrown in, rippled silently and greatly!
The thirty original bodies and Shadow Warriors of the administrator team, their previously distinct Nen pressures with clear attributes, in this single instant became blurred, twisted, and fused into each other! The world in their eyes—their companions' positions, opponents' movements, even the arena's texture beneath their feet—all experienced extremely subtle yet fatal displacements! A intense, irresistible, dizziness-inducing, and absurd feeling of "cognition being manipulated," like a cold venomous snake, instantly wrapped around everyone's consciousness!
"Not good!" Razor reacted fastest, his pupils shrinking abruptly, shouting loudly, "It's super high-level hallucination control type ability! Everyone, close off your vision! Rely on perception and..."
Before his warning could be finished, Aizen's figure had already vanished. No, not vanished. It was that in everyone's "cognition," he seemed to exist in every corner of the arena simultaneously, yet seemed to not exist anywhere.
In the administrator team, a manipulation-type administrator's eyes blurred, and he discovered in horror that "seeing" his companion Morel, who should have been on the right side, actually transformed into the terrifying sight of Aizen smiling and swinging his blade! He was scared out of his wits, his Nen exploding instinctively, controlling his Shadow Warrior to blast a punch at "Aizen"!
"Morel! Watch out!" The Enhancer-type administrator beside him, 'Bomber Fist' Tonpa, "saw" in the hallucination that his Shadow Warrior was bound by invisible threads, while that sinister "Aizen" was leering and lunging at his original body! Tonpa roared, his casserole-sized fist wrapped in explosive Nen, violently smashing at the air beside him!
Pfft! Boom!
The sound of actual flesh tearing and Nen exploding resounded almost simultaneously! The full-force controlled punch from that manipulation-type administrator's Shadow Warrior squarely hit the back of unsuspecting companion 'Bomber Fist' Tonpa's Shadow Warrior! And Tonpa's heavy fist that had erupted in fury rubbed past the original body of that manipulation-type administrator's scalp and hit empty space, the wild shockwave sending another Transmuter-type administrator nearby flying wretchedly!
With just one encounter, even before Aizen's original body had truly attacked, a corner of the carefully constructed defensive line of the administrator team instantly collapsed under their own people's "internal strife" triggered by visual and cognitive confusion! The Shadow Warrior was severely injured by a companion, Tonpa's original body was affected by the shockwave, that manipulation-type administrator was still terrified, and the Transmuter-type administrator was in a wretched state. Confusion spread through the thirty-person team like a plague. Everyone was trapped in the hallucination, unique to themselves yet conflicting with others, woven by "Kyōka Suigetsu." The tacit cooperation of yesteryears no longer existed, but instead became a fatal shackle hampering each other.