Killer in Hunter x Hunter

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***

John Bellew

Eh, what an unusual experience after all. It's the middle of the day, the sun is at its zenith, there isn't a cloud in the sky, and the smell of the city is wafting through my nose, which is a little different this time.

Yeah... it's been a while since I've been to another city. Most of my time is spent in Yorkshin, but now we've got somewhere to go, even if it's on a mission.

Just two hours ago, our entire squad arrived in the city of Svardani. It's not much different from Yorkshin. Not only is it cleaner, but it also feels different. If Yorkshin feels like an atmospheric city in its own way, but where crime rules, where the alleys are full of all sorts of scum, then here it is present to a much lesser extent, but still present. At least you get the feeling that the police at least represent something of themselves. But I'm not the judge of that, cos I've never lived here.

Right now the guys and I are walking through the city streets, gradually moving deeper into the city. Already from here, we can already see perfectly well that in the very centre of the city is the tallest skyscraper, the headquarters of the Hunter's Association. It's a huge building with the Association's trademark of two X's connected to each other. As far as I know, this is where their chairman is usually located, as well as where the zodiacs sometimes gather. I wonder how many hunters are there now? If they know we've arrived, there must be a lot of forces there.

Oh, well, we'll see soon enough.

- It's a nice little town. - Greg said, looking around. As far as I know, he's never lived here, and he's never been on a mission, so he's surprised at the way things are. - Shit, listen, is it true that if the cops arrest you here, you can't just pay them off?

- Of course, - answered Alan, who was walking ahead of them. - We should not forget that this is not our territory. Passione's influence in Svardani is the smallest in the world, largely thanks to the Association's headquarters here. So we can't expect much help from the organisation.

- What, not at all?

- No, we have our own people here who can help with anything, like accommodation or information, but nothing more.

- Oh, bloody hell!

Alan's in the lead, as he's the only one who knows the exact location of the place we're looking for. I'm behind him, and next to me, though lazily, but not lagging behind, is Mike, who doesn't care about anything, except that he wants to start the battle as soon as possible. And behind me there's Greg, who's pacing back and forth, and Huxell, who's walking behind us so as not to annoy everyone else with the smell of cigarettes.

- Man, you can't even see a single whore around here. - Greg said to himself.

- It's daytime, what kind of whores are you seeing at this time of day?

- You can find them in Yorkshire, if you try hard enough. What do you think? - he asked Huxell, poking him in the side. - Why don't we get you a room tonight? You're looking a little sluggish and tired. You could use some relaxation in the arms of a woman.

Judging by the expression on Huxell's face, he is really tired, but most likely this tiredness is because of Greg, who likes to annoy him lately.

Sighing heavily, Haxell calmly answers him:

- No, I don't need it.

- Why, why not?

- The whole thing is that I'm impotent.

At this point, Greg and I were both very surprised.

- What?! - I exclaimed. You're kidding me!

- No, I'm completely serious. I've recently discovered that my 'machine' is completely indifferent to... everything. It's a good thing it didn't fall off at all.

Wow. Cigarettes have had an effect on it. I used to wonder why a heavy smoker like him only changed his appearance, but now it turns out it's more than that. Although I'm surprised he hasn't got lung cancer yet.

- I'm... well... - Greg's trying to find the words. - I mean, I feel for you. That must be hard to deal with.

- You make it sound like I'm gonna die. It's not working for me, so what? I don't care about that.

- You don't care? You're so full of shit. All right, your business. - Greg stopped harassing Huxell after that and started walking forward.

Yeah, sometimes Greg can be quite annoying and piss you off. Although he's been pretty restrained so far. What makes him such a jerk? If memory serves, he once told me he got a good kick in the head in prison. I daresay that's why he started acting like that. Or maybe he's always been like that. But you've got to hand it to Huxell for putting up with him so skilfully. Sometimes I can't take it and I lose my temper.

- Hey,' Alan said. - We're almost there.

***

After about fifteen minutes we arrived at a small three-storey building near the centre of town. When we got to the third floor Alan unlocked the door of one of the flats with his key, and we all went in.

Inside there was a rather spacious room, which, judging by the furniture, looked like our kitchen, where we usually gathered, discussed business and so on. But the important difference was that this kitchen, unlike ours, was in a much better condition. Newer furniture and appliances, not shabby and beautiful wallpaper, and a lot of other things. It was obvious that the person who used to live here had enough money.

- All right,' Alan said to everyone when we had already spread out our bags of stuff. - This is our temporary shelter. Passione gave it to us for the duration of the mission. Here we can rest, think over the future plan, prepare ourselves and all that. We may only be here for one day, but make sure we spend it as productive as possible. Because tomorrow morning, it's gonna be you-know-what. Is that clear? - Everyone nodded silently. - Good, then you can unpack your things and make yourselves comfortable. You each still have a small room to sleep in, but most of the time we'll all be here. So... please.

Everyone started unpacking and settling into their new homes. I took my time and just lay down on the couch to rest after the flight.

It was a nice place to live. And why do these bastards care to give us this kind of permanent accommodation? We're forced to live in a place like this, even if it's not an outright bumfest.

Ah, the life of a criminal. Although Huxell sits by the window and smokes, and he doesn't need anything else. A man just lives and enjoys life, goes with the flow, and doesn't want much.

Mmm... Huxell... something I wanted to say to him, but I forgot. Or not even to tell him, but... Oh, right, I remembered!

Taking out a small but rather beautiful wooden box from my bag, I walked over and addressed Haxell.

- Hey, Haxell, I've got something for you here.

- М? What is it?

- It was your birthday the other day and I forgot about it, but luckily I remembered and decided to give you a present.

-..... It was six months ago.

-... Fuck it, take it anyway.

I handed him the gift, which he promptly opened. Inside was a big, beautiful and bloody expensive cigar. I figured since he likes to smoke so much, he'd like it.

- Hehehe...and you bought it with your own money?

- Yeah, of course I did! I was once on a mission to take out a rich, fat man. I broke into his country villa and finished him off, but as I was about to leave, I noticed that he had a box of cigars on his table, of which, unfortunately, only this one survived. So I thought I'd take it with me so I could give it to you later. But somehow I kept forgetting, until today.

- Hmm... you know, I'll tell you something. There are two types of smokers. The first is the so-called connoisseurs. These are people who know what they're smoking. They try to scrutinise and select the type of tobacco when choosing cigarettes. For them, the taste of cigarettes is not an empty sound. And there is a second type - the so-called pofigists. These people do not care about what they smoke. For them there is no difference between types of cigarettes. They smoke almost anything. Although, of course, they won't use shit in a paper tube either. So... I'm the second type of smoker.

- So you don't care whether you smoke a regular cigarette or a cigar?

- Well.

- Shit! Why did I--

- Oh, come on. It's not like I'm refusing your gift. I'll smoke it later. I'll save it for a better time.

- Suit yourself.

Huxell put my gift in his pocket, and I went back to my couch.

To think that one unit of us was sent to fight against the whole Association! Are they out of their minds? I mean, we've done well for ourselves, but this much... There'll probably be a battle in Yorkshin, and that's where everyone else will be fighting. Still, we've been sent straight to the enemy's lair. It's pretty serious. But at the same time, I realise we have a good chance of destroying the Association, if not the whole Association, at least the Zodiacs. At least that's what Alan probably thinks.

Hmm, by the way... I have something new for battles. I was just about to try it out tomorrow.

Reaching into my bag again I pull out another wooden box. Unlike the one I gave to Haxell, this one isn't as nice, but it's much bigger.

- Hmm, what's this? - Greg asked, coming up to me.

- Interesting? Well, look.

I opened the box. Inside were two polished steel balls, green in colour, spherical in shape and the size of baseballs. Large hexagons were carved on opposite sides, almost connected by lines that crossed the balls between their corners.

- Holy shit... What is this?

- It's my new weapon.

- These balls? Did you buy them with your own money?

- Hmm... Once, when I completed a job, the customer was very grateful to me for it. Turns out he was some kind of weapon maker or something, whatever. And then, as a thank you, he offered me his services. Not for free, of course, but at a big discount. After some thought, I ordered these balls from him.

- What's so special about them?

- I haven't tested them yet, but in theory they should take away the disadvantage I usually have in battles. Usually, I use whatever I can get my hands on, and it's often something disposable. I throw it, and then I have to engage in melee combat. But these things are going to change all that. These balls look like steel, but in reality, according to the armourer, they are made of a very rare material, which even science knows nothing about, and which, according to the armourer, exists only in a very distant land, which the man called the Dark Continent. I don't know what that place is, and I don't want to know. So... In addition to the fact that this material is much stronger than any metal, it also has nen energy. And thanks to the interaction between my Nen energy and the energy in these balls, when I throw them, I'll be able to bring them back to my hands. Now do you realise how important these balls are to me?

Greg was thoughtfully silent for a while, but after a few seconds he answered:

- Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee... So you're going to be a fan of playing with your steel balls now, are you?

-... Fuck you, you idiotic piece of shit! - I shouted and grabbed Greg by the neck. - I'm sick of your stupid jokes!

- D...come on...why get so angry over a common joke.....

- You! Get the fuck out of here! - I let go and then he headed towards the door. - Go for a walk and get some fresh air.

- Alright then...' he said and walked out the door.

Ugh~...how his stupid pranks piss me off. Nah, I'm a pretty calm and composed person. I can put up with a lot of things... but bitch... how much I hate stupid humour! All these stupid jokes... jokes... how stupid and degenerate it is! And bitch... it's Greg's favourite! It's infuriating!

Sometimes I'm a little too hard on him, though. I mean, he's got his quirks, but he's a normal guy. I just have to accept that. It's not easy, but it has to be done.

***

Time was ticking away. I don't have much to do, so I just lie on the couch and mentally prepare for tomorrow. And tomorrow is going to be a hot day. I wonder how long the battle will last? Will it be over in one day or will it stretch on for more? I don't know.

To occupy myself with something, I took a sitting position and switched on the TV. Alan came into the room and sat down on the sofa with me.

- How was it? - I asked him.

- Yes, how to say... If we believe our scouts, the hunters haven't learnt that we are here yet, though they probably have a clue. But they won't know until tomorrow anyway.

- Mm-hmm... I see.

- You know... I've been having a lot of thoughts lately.

- Hmm? What kind of thoughts?

- I've been thinking about the state of affairs in Passion. I've studied its activities, its politics, its development vector and so on. I may not have access to all the most hidden secrets, but from what I see, the conclusion is obvious - Passione is in a real decadence. And don't let the illusion of almost limitless power cloud your judgement. It's all just a skilfully constructed spectacle to hide the puppeteers' true motive.

- You think it's an act?

- I can't be a hundred per cent sure, but my gut tells me it is. It's not as simple as we think at first glance, and you must realise that too, my friend.

By the looks of it, Alan is really tired today. When he's tired, he has the urge to use literary words and allusions, though not much.

- What do you think about the upcoming battle? - I ask him.

- Hmm... what do I think? I think you're going to play a big part in it.

- Huh? Why me?

Alan smiled, then raised his hand and put it on my head. He's generally a normal person, but he has some oddities that he sometimes displays, like now. And for some reason he likes to show them to me.

- Don't be silly, John. How many times have I told you about your power? I once said that I found it hard to imagine three things: infinity, immeasurability and your potential. And they're basically synonyms. Your power is unbelievable!

- More incredible than yours?

- Of course it is! You're underestimating yourself. You have to try to evolve, improve your abilities, and then you'll be the strongest. You're capable of so much more than you are now. Think about it. Starting tomorrow, start working even harder to realise your potential. I believe... if you can find the true peak of your power, you will be unrivalled. - With those words, Alan got up from the couch and walked out the door.

Eh... how many times have I heard those words before. Alan keeps telling me to try harder... that I should achieve more. He's been telling me that since I met him.

And he's absolutely right.

It's because of him that I've been able to achieve the strength that I have now. I've been able to grow above myself because of him. Alan is like a bright guiding star for me. He guides me and helps me in any way he can. That kind of affection is really amazing. To tell you the truth... sometimes he seems like an angel to me. A personal guardian angel. I can feel a warm light emanating from him, giving me peace, warding off trouble and helping me become stronger. It sounds weird, but that's how I feel.

Well, in that case, I'll do as he said. Starting tomorrow, I'm gonna start growing even more.

***

The next morning. It's about 10:30.

We're all gathered near the Association's headquarters. In a deserted alleyway, to be exact. This is where we're making final preparations for the battle.

According to our intelligence, there are approximately six to nine zodiacs in the city right now. Enough, it's gonna be tough, but I think we can handle it.

- Hey, how much longer? - Mike asked in a disgruntled voice.

- I can't tell you that. - I told him.

- Damn it, we've been here for almost half an hour, and we could have started the battle a long time ago. What the fuck?

- Ha, so you want to start a fight like this? Do you have any idea how many people are in this town? They could all get hurt. We should try to avoid that.

- Hmm, what difference does it make? So what if a bunch of people die, so what? It's just gonna be more fun.

- Maybe it will, but only for you.

- What do you care about them?

- Yes, I do. They're all human beings, a lot of them good, they've got families. The odds may be microscopic, but even so, I want to try to avoid a huge sacrifice.

- What difference does it make? There's gonna be casualties either way. We're killers, we kill. It's okay for us to take someone's life. So what difference does it make, because people will die anyway, and good people too. So why?

- Because I choose the lesser evil.

It's useless... It's useless to explain to Mike the value of human life, because it means nothing to him. He doesn't care about others. He has no principles. Whether a few dozen people die, or a few thousand, or even a few million, it makes no difference to him. He likes to enjoy other people's suffering and death.

My attempt may be worthless, but it's worth a try.

- Ehhh~... what the hell. So what's Alan's story?

Meanwhile, Alan was sitting on the ground in a meditative pose, searching out the ability he needed. He didn't move at all, and didn't even blink. It's been like this for nearly half an hour. There's only a couple of minutes left before my deadline, and if he doesn't find anything, I'll have to start like this.

I stare at him carefully, at his face, and wait for some kind of reaction.

And there it is! He finally blinks and looks at me.

- What's up? - I asked him.

- Phew... it was hard, but I found something that works for us.

- Well, thank goodness!

- Hehe, all for you and your request.

- So... what did you find?

- You're about to find out.

Alan spread his hands apart, and after a few seconds, his eyes shone with a bright blue fire, and then a spherical wave of the same colour came out from him at a great speed. It instantly covered the entire city like a nuclear bomb blast. Even though I didn't feel anything, the city streets became unusually silent.

- Eeee... what did you do? - I asked Alan.

- I used this ability on the entire city. Every person who doesn't possess the Nen was teleported far outside the city.

Hmm, that's pretty good! Now no one will be harmed during our battle with the hunters.

- And so, gentlemen,' Alan said in a loud voice. - The hour of judgement has arrived. It's definitely not going to be easy, but I'm sure you can handle it. Are you all ready?

- Yes!' they all said at once.

- And by the way... don't hold back. Let me ask you one more time: Is everyone ready?

- Yes!

- And so... here we go.