Leorio the Shadow Monarch - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Final Phase
The atmosphere in the Final Phase venue was thick with anticipation and the metallic tang of exhaustion. The handful of remaining examinees, survivors of the island’s brutal culling, watched Chairman Netero with wary eyes. This final hurdle felt different – less about overt danger, more about judgment.
Netero, radiating cheerful authority, kicked things off. “Let the Final Phase tournament begin! Remember, impress me! Show me that Hunter spark! First match: Gon Freecss versus Hanzo!”
Leorio watched from the sidelines, leaning against a wall near Kurapika. The fight was difficult to witness. Hanzo, the skilled ninja, was clearly superior in technique, speed, and experience. Gon, however, was a force of nature, absorbing punishment that would have crippled anyone else, his eyes blazing with unwavering determination even as Hanzo methodically broke his arm. Leorio winced, impressed and horrified in equal measure. “Kid’s got guts, gotta give him that,” Leorio thought, “But he’s going to get himself killed one day if he keeps tanking hits like that.” Ultimately, Hanzo, unable to break Gon’s spirit and unwilling to kill him, conceded defeat. Gon had passed, albeit unconscious and severely injured.
The following matches were swift. Hanzo, perhaps needing to reassert his dominance, quickly and efficiently defeated Pokkle. Then Pokkle faced Killua. Leorio watched Killua move with effortless grace, completely overwhelming Pokkle without breaking a sweat, only to abruptly forfeit with a bored sigh. “Typical Killua,” Leorio mused. “All that power and talent, and he treats it like a game he can’t be bothered to finish.”
Then came the match that chilled Leorio to the bone: Killua versus Gittarackur. The transformation from the pin-cushion enigma to Illumi Zoldyck was profoundly disturbing. But worse was the palpable wave of cold, oppressive pressure that emanated from Illumi, directed solely at Killua. Leorio, having recently unlocked his own basic Nen senses, felt it like a physical weight, a suffocating blanket of killing intent woven with icy manipulation. He saw Killua, his friend, shrink under that pressure, visibly terrified, caught in the web of his older brother’s chilling words about assassins, friendship, and duty. Killua’s surrender felt less like a forfeit and more like a psychological execution. Leorio felt a surge of protective anger, impotent rage, but also cold, rational fear. He knew interfering with Illumi was suicide. His system’s `EXTREME DANGER` warning echoed in his mind.
Finally, the board flashed his matchup: `Match 5: Leorio (#403) vs. Bodoro (#199)`. Leorio straightened up, rolling his shoulders. His turn. He exchanged brief nods with Kurapika and stepped towards the designated arena space. Bodoro, the powerfully built elder martial artist, met him in the center, bowing respectfully before settling into a solid, experienced stance.
Leorio took a moment, assessing his opponent while trying to appear calm. He activated `Observe Lv2`.
—
Target: Bodoro
Level: 12
Affinity: Enhancement (Non-Nen User)
Condition: Calm, Experienced Fighter, Minor Fatigue
Threat Assessment: Low (Due to Host Stats/Abilities)
Thoughts: [Focus… Read opponent’s stance… Exploit openings…]
—
No active Nen. That simplified things considerably. Bodoro was clearly a skilled and powerful martial artist, likely at the peak of what a normal human could achieve through training, but against Leorio’s current system-boosted stats? This was a mismatch. Leorio made a conscious decision: No Nen. No `Ten` shroud, no `Ren` intimidation. He wouldn’t reveal those cards here, not with Netero, Illumi, and Hisoka watching. He would rely purely on the physical advantages his absurd levels provided. Win decisively, show overwhelming physical potential, but keep his deeper abilities hidden.
“Begin!” Netero called out.
Bodoro moved first, closing the distance with surprising speed for his age, launching a rapid series of jabs and kicks honed by decades of practice. Leorio didn’t even need `Sprint` yet. His AGI 48 allowed him to track the movements easily, weaving slightly, parrying the blows with casual ease. Bodoro’s strikes, which would likely break bones on a normal person, felt like solid thumps against Leorio’s VIT 52 enhanced durability, barely even registering through his clothes.
“Okay, my turn,” Leorio thought. He exploded forward. He didn’t use fancy techniques, just overwhelming speed and power. He threw a straight right punch, deliberately pulling it slightly but still channeling a fraction of his STR 75. Bodoro brought his arms up in a cross-block. The impact sounded like a clap of thunder. Bodoro grunted, stumbling back several steps, shock evident in his eyes. He hadn’t expected that level of raw force.
Leorio pressed the advantage, flowing forward. He wasn’t fighting like a trained martial artist; he was fighting like a freight train. He dodged Bodoro’s counter-attacks, his movements efficient, powerful. He landed another blow, a heavy kick to Bodoro’s thigh that made the old warrior wince and nearly buckle. Leorio could feel the clear difference – Bodoro was relying on technique and experience; Leorio was relying on sheer, inhuman stats. It felt almost unfair. He planned to force Bodoro into a corner, maybe land one more solid, non-lethal blow to prompt a surrender or knockout.
He feinted left, then drove forward with another powerful right aimed at Bodoro’s shoulder, intending to disarm or disable… when his SEN 48 screamed danger from the side, behind Bodoro.
Leorio’s eyes darted past Bodoro. Killua was moving with silent, terrifying speed from the sidelines, his eyes utterly blank, devoid of their usual spark. He was a silver-haired phantom gliding towards Bodoro’s unprotected back, hand extended, fingers sharpened, clearly aiming for a lethal blow. Illumi’s puppet was making its move.
There was no time for conscious thought, only reaction honed by recent near-death experience. Leorio instantly aborted his punch. `[Sprint Lv2]` flared, giving him an explosive burst of speed. He bypassed Bodoro in a blur, arriving between the old man and the attacking Killua just as Killua’s deadly hand shot forward. Leorio didn’t block, didn’t counter with force. Instead, acting on a raw, protective instinct mixed with indignant fury, he swung his open hand, connecting sharply with the side of Killua’s face.
CRACK!
The sound was unnervingly loud. Killua reeled back as if physically jolted by electricity, stumbling, the blankness in his eyes flickering, replaced by shock and dawning confusion. He touched his stinging cheek, staring at Leorio.
“Killua! What in the goddamn hell was that?!” Leorio erupted, stepping towards the stunned boy, forgetting Bodoro, forgetting the match, consumed by a mixture of anger and worry. “Are you out of your mind?! Attacking him from behind? During my fight?! That’s pathetic! That’s cowardly!” He jabbed a finger accusingly. “I don’t care what twisted training your family hammered into you! There are lines! I’ve heard stories – even your grandfather Zeno has a code, right? Doesn’t kill if it’s not a job! You can’t just lash out like some mindless drone just because your psycho brother pulled your strings! Wake up, Killua! Be better than this!”
As Leorio stood there, breathing heavily, glaring at the confused and now clearly distressed Killua, he felt it again. A cold, murderous pressure, infinitely more intense than before, slammed into him from the sidelines. Illumi’s killing intent was focused entirely on Leorio this time, sharp as a shard of ice, promising obliteration.
Leorio didn’t need `Observe` to know the source or the intent; he felt it pressing against his very soul.
Even without `Ten` active, his Nen-sensitive core recoiled violently. He instinctively tensed, his mind flashing to `Shadow Exchange`, wondering if he could react in time if Illumi moved.
But before the situation could escalate further, before Illumi could translate intent into action, Netero’s voice cut through the charged atmosphere like a knife.
“ENOUGH!”
The Chairman’s tone held absolute finality. He looked first at Killua, his expression uncharacteristically stern. “Examinee #99, Killua Zoldyck. Your actions constitute a flagrant violation of the rules and spirit of this examination. For interfering with an official match and attacking another participant with clear lethal intent, you are hereby disqualified.”
Killua visibly flinched, looking down, shame and confusion warring on his face.
Netero then surveyed the rest of them – Leorio, still tense from the killing intent; Bodoro, looking bewildered but unharmed; Kurapika, Hanzo, Pokkle, Gon (awake now and looking worriedly at Killua), and Illumi, whose expression had become utterly placid again, the terrifying pressure vanishing instantly.
A broad smile suddenly split Netero’s face. “And with young Killua’s unfortunate disqualification,” he announced jovially, “our requirement for precisely one failure in this phase has been neatly fulfilled!” He spread his arms wide. “Therefore, it is my distinct pleasure to inform the remaining seven of you – Leorio, Bodoro, Kurapika, Hanzo, Pokkle, Gon Freecss, and Gittarackur – that you have all PASSED the 287th Hunter Exam! Congratulations! Welcome to the Hunter Association!”
A beat of stunned silence, then a wave of reactions. Leorio felt his own jaw drop. Passed? Because Killua got disqualified for attacking Bodoro during Leorio’s match? It was the most anticlimactic, backdoor way to become a Hunter imaginable.
Gon rushed to Killua’s side, looking torn between congratulating his friends and comforting the disqualified Killua. Kurapika let out a slow breath, relief clear on his face. Hanzo shrugged, seeming unfazed. Pokkle looked like he’d won the lottery. Illumi remained impassive.
Bodoro approached Leorio, bowing deeply. “Leorio-san,” he said sincerely. “I am in your debt. That boy… he moved like lightning. Thank you for your intervention.”
Leorio could only manage a weak nod, still processing the whiplash of events. “Uh… yeah. No problem.” He glanced at Illumi, who met his gaze briefly, expression unreadable, before turning away. The immediate threat was gone, but the chill lingered.
He was a Hunter. Officially. He’d done it. He hadn’t even needed to finish his fight, hadn’t needed to reveal his Nen. He’d passed on a technicality caused by Zoldyck family drama. A weird, unsettling, but ultimately successful end to his Hunter Exam journey.