With Chairman Netero's covert machinations, the final phase's elimination bracket was quickly posted for all to see.
When Illumi saw that he and Allen were placed in the same match-up, he immediately turned and fixed his unsettling gaze on his opponent.
It took a full minute before he returned to his usual state, seemingly lost in thought.
In contrast, Hisoka, temporarily stripped of his Nen ability, curled his lips into a disturbingly excited smile, as if witnessing something highly amusing.
Soon, at the referee's command, the first pair of competitors slowly walked to the center of the arena.
Noting that his opponent was still maintaining his disguise, Allen immediately prompted, "Are you sure you don't want to pull out all those needles from your head and show your full strength?"
"Ah! I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it."
Without a word, Illumi swiftly removed all the Nen-infused needles from his head.
In a matter of seconds, he reverted from the bizarre appearance of Gittarackur to his normal look.
The stark contrast, especially his long, straight black hair paired with a slightly androgynous face, made him look like an entirely different person.
"A-Aniki...?!"
Killua's pupils instantly dilated at the sight, his face betraying undisguised shock and fear.
"Aniki? Is he your family?" Gon asked with great curiosity.
"That's right. Illumi, the eldest son of the Zoldyck family, my older brother," Killua replied, his voice slightly trembling.
"What an incredible disguise!"
"The Zoldyck family... the strongest assassins..."
Leorio and Kurapika also showed their astonishment.
To be precise, everyone present, except for Allen and Hisoka who had seen Illumi's true face before, found it hard to believe that such an astonishing "face-changing" technique existed in the world.
"Hooo… that's much better. Honestly, I really didn't want to fight you. Your abilities are simply too bothersome and too varied," Illumi complained expressionlessly.
"I'm the complete opposite. I'm really looking forward to a match with you." Allen smiled, activating his Aura and forming an impenetrable layer of Ken around his body.
He knew clearly that the most crucial point when fighting a Manipulator was to absolutely prevent their Nen-infused needles from piercing him, or the battle would end the moment he was struck.
"Hmm? You seem to know my ability."
Seeing the layer of Ken surrounding Allen's body, which was several times more exaggerated than when he fought Hisoka previously, Illumi immediately grew suspicious.
Maintaining this level of Ken would undoubtedly consume several times the normal amount of Aura.
If Allen didn't know Illumi's ability was Manipulation, a normal Ken would have been sufficient just to defend against those needles, which were not highly lethal in themselves.
"No, I'm just being cautious. Referee, may we begin now?" Allen turned and asked the man in the suit beside them.
The referee immediately raised both hands and shouted, "The first match of the Final Phase! Begin!"
The moment the words fell…
Illumi instantly infused his Aura into his needles and threw them forcefully.
But Allen simply raised his arm and gave a slight wave, knocking all the needles to the ground.
It was evident that with the boost from his Enhancement abilities, the Nen needles tossed casually by his opponent could not pierce his defense.
"So troublesome. Hisoka was right, you indeed have an Enhancer's attributes."
Illumi increased the amount of Aura he injected into the needles while charging forward, apparently planning for close-quarters combat.
"Oh? Did you two exchange information about my abilities in private?" Allen instinctively glanced at Hisoka, who was sitting on the ground, and simultaneously activated his own ability.
[Nen Ability: Enhancement]
[Imbue Attribute to Fist: Destruction]
The next second...
A massive amount of Aura suddenly concentrated in his right hand, and he swung it out fiercely.
Boom!
Accompanied by a tremendous roar and violent tremor, a large amount of shattered rock scattered!
When the smoke cleared, a crater over twenty meters in diameter and a meter deep had appeared out of nowhere on the arena floor.
"N-No way... are you kidding me?"
Leorio's mouth hung open; he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.
"Such frightening destructive power! No wonder the Captain said before that Allen's strength gap with us was like a chasm. It wasn't an exaggeration, it was true." Kurapika was also severely impacted, his eyes unconsciously entering their fiery Scarlet Eye state.
He even began to fantasize: if he possessed such power, could he immediately seek vengeance against the Phantom Troupe?
In contrast, Killua focused his attention on his older brother.
Illumi was standing at the edge of the large pit, clutching his severely deformed arm, a rarely-seen grave expression on his face.
If he hadn't dodged in time, it wouldn't have just been one broken arm, he would have been lying on the ground, on his way to the hospital.
"As expected of the Zoldyck family's eldest son! Your judgment of the situation and perception of danger far surpass the average person!" Allen praised, glancing at the needle that had fallen at his feet.
Illumi had intended to use the close-range contact to directly stab that needle into Allen's body using Ko, and then manipulate him into voluntarily conceding.
It must be said, had Allen's Agility attribute not far exceeded his opponent's, allowing him to launch his Destruction-enhanced punch first, Illumi might have succeeded.
But regretfully, he was ultimately a step too slow.
And upon realizing the danger, he swiftly focused his Aura on his arm to form Ko, successfully blocking the attack, at least partially.
"You really do know my ability!"
Illumi quickly inserted several needles into his fractured arm, using his Manipulator Nen to temporarily restore its mobility.
Just as Allen prepared to take the offensive and force out his opponent's true full strength, the eldest son of the Zoldyck family suddenly raised his hand and said to the referee, "I concede!"
"Wha... what?"
The referee was clearly stunned, seemingly unable to believe that this duel, which had just entered its climax, would end so anticlimactically.
"I concede!"
Illumi repeated his decision once more.
"The winner! Contestant number 105, Allen!"
The referee loudly announced the result of the first match in public.
As Illumi turned to look for his beloved younger brother, Killua, Allen suddenly blocked his path and questioned, "Why concede? You haven't even used half of your strength, have you?"
"Because the outcome is already decided. I am not like certain people who enjoy the thrill and pleasure that comes from combat. I focus on the result more than the process. Based on the current rules, the environment, and our familiarity with each other, I do not believe I can win."
Illumi stated his reason for conceding without hesitation.
However, because he maintained his trademark deadpan expression, with eyes that were deep, dark, and lifeless, it was impossible to discern whether this was the truth or a lie.
"Alright, I understand. A classic assassin's mindset."
Allen sighed with a hint of regret and did not press the issue further.
From Illumi's standpoint, he was indeed correct.
After confirming that he could not achieve victory, decisively conceding and withdrawing is a necessary quality for a qualified assassin.
This point could be subtly seen in the Nen he had infused into Killua...
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]