The airship descended into a broad clearing, its engines kicking up spirals of dust and loose leaves. Gon pressed his face to the window with barely contained excitement. Killua leaned beside him, smirking at Gon's enthusiasm. Kurapika watched in calm silence, and Leorio looked like someone hoping the final phase wouldn't involve more running.
Ethan sat in the row behind them, hands folded loosely, eyes on the approaching ground.
Just people — skilled, dangerous, stubborn people — walking toward the last gate of the Hunter Exam.
As the airship touched down, the loudspeakers crackled.
"Candidates, exit and proceed to the marked arena for your final briefing!"
They stepped out into warm sunlight that cut away every shadow the Tower had left on them. The exam staff guided the remaining candidates toward a massive stone structure resembling an ancient coliseum carved into a natural ridge. Its walls were raw stone, veined with moss and age, yet the interior was sleek and modern.
Gon breathed in deeply.
"It feels… different here."
Killua shoved his hands in his pockets. "That's because the easy part's over."
Leorio spun on him. "Easy?! Did you forget the Tower? I still have flashbacks!"
Kurapika smiled faintly. "Regardless, we should expect a mental test now, not a physical one."
Ethan stayed silent, though he knew the truth:
This was the most dangerous part of the exam for them — and the least dangerous for him.
The group entered the coliseum's heart: a circular arena with elevated seating and a single, square platform at its center. The floor gleamed like polished stone. A faint breeze rolled through the open ceiling.
A figure waited for them.
Chairman Isaac Netero.
He stood with hands folded behind his back, posture relaxed, face glowing with grandfatherly amusement. His presence quieted the room instantly.
"Congratulations on making it this far," Netero said, voice warm but carrying easily. "You are the final candidates remaining in this year's Hunter Exam."
Gon straightened. Kurapika focused. Killua's eyes narrowed. Leorio gulped.
Ethan watched them with a calm expression, making sure — as always — to stay part of the scene but never the cause of its deviation.
Netero continued, "The final phase is simple. A tournament."
A screen descended behind him, flickering to life with the bracket layout. Familiar faces — Hisoka, Hanzo, Pokkle, Ponzu, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Gon… and Ethan's — arranged in pairs like pieces on a well-set board.
But the rules were what mattered.
"This is a non-lethal tournament," Netero said with stern emphasis. "The goal is not victory — it is to make your opponent surrender."
Leorio raised a hand. "Wait—so if you win, you continue… but if you lose…?"
Netero smiled thinly. "Lose once, and you simply move to a lower bracket. Lose twice…"
He paused for dramatic effect.
"...and you fail the exam."
The air tensed.
Killua's grin sharpened. Gon swallowed but looked determined. Kurapika remained calm as always.
Ethan exhaled quietly.
This part mattered.
This was where fates could easily shift — especially Killua's.
But Ethan had a role: to move through the exam without altering those critical moments.
The bracket updated:
First Match: Ethan vs. Pokkle
Leorio leaned forward. "Hey — good luck, man. Pokkle's fast."
Killua shrugged. "He's decent."
Gon beamed. "You can do it!"
Ethan just nodded, a small, centered smile touching his lips.
The Panel buzzed faintly beneath his sleeve — a soft reminder that he had decisions to make. But nothing visible. Nothing intrusive.
This arena wasn't a place for power.
It was a place for choices.
And Ethan would make the one that kept the story intact.
Netero clapped once, loudly.
"Candidates, prepare yourselves. The final phase begins shortly."
The candidates scattered to their designated waiting rooms, the air buzzing with nerves, tension, anticipation.
Ethan paused at the tunnel entrance leading toward the fighters' corridor.
The coliseum smelled of polished stone and old battles.
The sunlight cut across the arena in a golden diagonal.
This was the last stretch of the exam — and Ethan was stepping into it with the quiet promise he'd kept from the beginning:
No interference. No deviation. No discovery.
Just coexistence with the story he admired.
He lowered his sleeve over the hidden Panel one last time before the fight began.
The Hunter Exam's final phase had officially begun.