Night fell over the dense forest as Killua sprinted through the undulating mountain paths with Alluka on his back. Moving like a bolt of silver lightning, he easily outstripped the speed of a professional racing car.
His choice of travel wasn't by design; the vehicle he had been using was already a mangled wreck back on the road. Illumi's ambush had been swifter and more sudden than anticipated, and with that perverse freak Hisoka aiding and abetting him, Killua had no choice but to flee.
His only saving grace was that Allen had promised to help. All he had to do was stay ahead until reinforcements arrived.
Sensing the shift in her brother's emotions, Alluka asked curiously, "Are we really going to be okay like this?"
"Yeah! Don't worry. I've called in a seriously powerful heavy hitter," Killua replied with a grin. "Once he gets here, both Illumi and Hisoka will have to pack up and crawl home."
As one of the first people to know Allen and engage with him deeply, Killua possessed absolute faith in the strength of his former Nen mentor. After the conclusion of the Chimera Ant Extermination Mission, he was more convinced than ever that Allen was the undisputed strongest Nen user in the human world, period.
He remembered the moment Gon had transformed, descending into a blackened state of berserk rage to pulverize Pitou's corpse. Even then, Allen had effortlessly caught Gon's fully charged, terrifying fist.
To Killua, that meant the "Berserk Gon," whom the rest of the extermination team viewed as an unstoppable force of nature, was still a controllable target in Allen's eyes, well within the scope of his power.
"Eh? Is this person a friend of yours too, onii-chan?" Alluka asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"A friend? Hmm... barely, I guess. Though he's definitely interested in your wish-granting ability. That's why he made that Vow and Limitation with me back then," Killua explained, his tone somewhat uncertain.
With the needle removed from his head, Killua had begun to realize that Allen likely knew the secret of Alluka and Nanika long ago. Allen had secured a single wish by trading with him.
However, compared to Illumi's radical plan to kill Alluka to eliminate the risk permanently, Allen's approach was infinitely more tempered and based entirely on mutual consent. Killua had no intention of breaking his word; otherwise, Allen wouldn't have been the first person he called when things turned south.
"I see! I wonder what his wish will be?"
Alluka was clearly accustomed to people coveting her power. Throughout her life, she had been surrounded by those, even blood relatives, who sought to exploit her for their own gain. This was exactly why Killua, who harbored no such designs, was so precious to her.
"Hahaha! Sorry, I don't know either," Killua laughed, speculating. "But it probably won't be about money, power, or strength. Those things are child's play for him to obtain. Honestly, I'm pretty curious myself to see what he'll actually wish for."
As the siblings chatted, the murderous duo of Hisoka and Illumi suddenly vaulted from a slope above, cutting off their path. Close behind them, the intercepting butlers Gotoh and Canary arrived just in time.
In the sky, Amane followed, piloting the flying craft that Tsubone had transformed into.
In an instant, four butlers and three sons of the Zoldyck family were gathered in one place, split into three distinct factions. Amane and Tsubone held a neutral stance; following Silva's orders, they were there to monitor the danger Alluka posed and ensure the situation didn't spiral out of control. Gotoh and Canary stood firmly by Killua, intent on seeing him safely to the Hunter Association. Finally, Illumi and Hisoka aimed to stop him at all costs.
Since the butlers were forbidden from interfering in conflicts between their masters or laying hands on them, Gotoh immediately locked onto the only outsider present: Hisoka.
Hisoka, sensing the intent, licked his playing card and smiled. "What's this? Do you want to play with me?"
"Of course. Let us step into the woods over there," Gotoh invited.
"OK! You look like you might taste quite good."
With that, the two vanished into the moonless night.
Now that the irrelevant parties were gone, Illumi spoke. "Turn around and go home right now while I'm still not angry. I can act as if none of this ever happened."
"No! You can't control me anymore!"
Killua set Alluka down, bracing himself to fight with everything he had.
"Oh? Is that so? It seems participating in the Chimera Ant mission has made you a bit arrogant, perhaps even given you the delusion that you can defeat me. No matter. I'll soon teach you that some gaps cannot be closed in a day or two."
Illumi's hands suddenly gripped several needles that glinted coldly in the dark as he began a slow, predatory advance.
Realizing his elder brother wasn't joking but preparing to go all out, sweat broke out on Killua's forehead. Silver sparks danced across his body as he prepared to enter Godspeed. He had confidence in his ability, but the sheer gap in combat experience was not easily overcome.
Just as the distance closed and battle was about to erupt, a colossal shadow suddenly blotted out the moonlight above.
Amane, Tsubone, and even the young apprentice Canary instinctively looked up at the gargantuan silhouette in the sky, their eyes filled with horror.
Before they could react, a dark figure plummeted from the heavens. With a thunderous BOOM, he slammed into the ground like a cannonball, carving a deep crater into the earth.
As the dust settled, the far-traveled Allen stepped out of the pit, shaking the dirt from his clothes. Even without making a threatening move, his presence sent the Zoldyck butlers into a state of high-strung tension.
Illumi's pupils contracted sharply. He fixed a dark, grim glare on the newcomer. "Did you call him here?"
"That's right! Looks like I win this round, doesn't it?" Killua's tension vanished, replaced by a provocative smirk.
Illumi ignored his brother's taunt and looked directly at Allen, his eyes betraying a deep, visceral wariness. "Tell me... are you determined to make an enemy of me this time?"
"Make an enemy of you?" Allen released his terrifying aura without restraint. "Do you honestly think you and Hisoka have the qualifications to be my enemies?"
In the blink of an eye, an overwhelming pressure bore down on everyone present, making it difficult to breathe. The youngest, Canary, rolled her eyes and fainted on the spot.
The only one who remained completely unaffected was Alluka, the little one who likely harbored an entity from the Dark Continent within her...