'On purpose?'
'Pretending?'
'Having fun?'
The obvious change in the gray wolf Chimera Ant killed any thought of fighting back in Killua.
Originally, he would have used his observational skills to ponder the motive behind the gray wolf Chimera Ant deliberately not attacking, and would naturally have linked it to a Nen Ability.
But when the gray wolf Chimera Ant displayed absolute deterrence, how could Killua still have the mind to think?
At this moment, all he could think about was escaping far away with Gon.
So, when Gon said there might be a way to deal with the enemy, Killua didn't take it in at all.
"Gon."
Killua looked straight ahead, maintaining his current fastest sprinting speed.
"Yeah?"
Only now did Gon notice something odd about Killua.
Killua gritted his teeth and said, "We, we can't defeat him. Let's escape to the nearest city."
"I won't."
Gon refused without hesitation.
Escaping to a city would harm many innocent people.
This point was clear to both of them.
"Gon! Listen to me this time!"
Killua raised his voice a notch.
Seeing Killua's strange reaction, Gon, though puzzled, fell silent.
He looked back to observe the gray wolf Chimera Ant. The other party seemed to have intentionally slowed down again, allowing them to pull out a not-too-safe distance.
"Killua, what's wrong with you?"
Gon withdrew his gaze, turning to look at Killua beside him.
"Don't you get it? The other party's strength is far greater than ours."
"He's just toying with us!"
Killua clenched his teeth, his voice first rising a bit, then gradually lowering midway.
"I don't think so," Gon shook his head.
Seeing Gon's rebuttal, Killua was stunned for a moment.
'The facts were plain and clear.'
'Why couldn't he see it?'
A surge of anger suddenly rose in Killua's chest.
The tragic thing was, he couldn't vent this anger.
Because he clearly knew that this anger wasn't directed at Gon, but at himself.
Gon, as if not seeing Killua's mood, lowered his voice and said seriously, "I hit him just now. Although it was just a graze, I saw his belly bulge a bit."
"So I was thinking, if we can keep hitting him, even if we can't cause damage, as long as we make his belly keep bulging, his speed will definitely drop."
Gon didn't remember the story content clearly, but vaguely retained a concept.
So after seeing the phenomenon of the gray wolf Chimera Ant being attacked and its belly bulging, he naturally came to this judgment.
"Also, the reason he doesn't attack us might be related to his Nen Ability." Gon glanced up at his own red hat.
Some information could be deduced through observation.
The gray wolf Chimera Ant only chased but didn't attack… perhaps this was one of the conditions for activating its ability.
When the women's clothing and red hats were conjured, the gray wolf Chimera Ant's speed and deterrence clearly became faster and stronger. Conversely, their bodies suddenly became heavier, as if carrying several large stones. This could basically be confirmed as an ability effect.
Extending this line of thought, the ultimate effect of this ability might be to make itself faster while gradually making the target unable to run.
What Gon could think of, Killua could also think of, and could even think further.
However, Killua, influenced by the needle in his head, had long lost his fighting spirit. All he could think about was avoiding battle, so how could he still think deeply?
Even though Gon stated his speculation, Killua still hadn't changed his mind.
In his view, no matter what the other party's ability was, before that ability was activated, the other party had already displayed powerful strength.
Yes, in the initial chase, the gap between them had already been revealed.
No chance of winning...
'When facing an enemy with no chance of winning, do not hesitate, turn and flee.'
Illumi's voice was engraved into a phrase that went deep into the soul, continuously striking Killua's mind.
'My body... is getting heavier and heavier.'
Sweat increased on Killua's forehead. While remaining silent, he found himself already falling behind Gon by two body lengths, and the distance was widening.
'Is Gon not affected?'
This sentence popped into Killua's mind.
"Killua?" Gon noticed Killua's speed had noticeably slowed.
Killua didn't speak but quickly looked back at the gray wolf Chimera Ant.
The distance was visibly closing.
It could clearly catch up in one go, yet it just kept biting closely.
'This damn bastard.'
For now, Killua didn't detect any attacking intent from the other party. He withdrew his gaze, turned to look at Gon, and whispered, "My body is getting heavier and heavier."
"Huh? Why don't I feel that?"
Gon found it strange. Besides feeling heavier at the beginning, he hadn't felt anything afterwards.
Hearing Gon's words, it was as if a bolt of lightning pierced through Killua's train of thought.
'My body was getting heavier and heavier, but Gon's wasn't.'
'What was the difference?'
'Was it because Gon attacked the gray wolf Chimera Ant, or because of... emotion and mindset?'
Killua suddenly remembered what the Chimera Ant had said close to his ear just now.
'Fear, fear...'
'Was it because of fear and retreat that my body was getting heavier and heavier?'
'If this was the effect of the other party's ability, why would the other party set it up this way?'
'There was clearly no need...!'
Killua shook his head violently.
'Now wasn't the time to think about this.'
'If the reason my body gets heavier is fear, then as long as I'm not afraid...'
Killua's eyes lit up, but then, his entire face was like the moon gradually being obscured by dark clouds.
Can't do it!
As long as the thought of retreat persisted, he couldn't manage not to be afraid.
'Stop, then hit him once.'
'That way, maybe we can find a chance to win.'
'Do it!'
'The other party might not be able to directly attack us due to some ability condition.'
'Although there's a risk of misjudgment, the possibility of guessing right is high.'
'So, do it!'
Killua kept shouting in his heart.
But, even as his body was slowly getting heavier, there was still no sign of stopping.
It was as if he was watching his own ugly spectacle of shrinking into a corner because of fear.
Through the other party's ability, through the comparison with Gon's performance, this feeling was even stronger.
"Stop it!"
Killua suddenly roared out loud.
Both Gon and the gray wolf Chimera Ant were startled.
Then, Gon, who had proactively slowed down, saw the expression of extreme unwillingness on Killua's face.
He hadn't stopped... one could even say there was no sign of stopping at all.
The voice full of anger carried far.
Somewhere in the forest, Illumi, who was resting with his eyes closed on a tree, suddenly opened his eyes.
A look of surprise appeared in his pitch-black eyes.
He had heard Killua's voice, very faint.
He was sure he hadn't misheard. Judging by the volume, Killua should be some distance away from him.
"Killua."
Illumi murmured, got down from the tree, and headed in the direction the sound came from.