Chapter Text
The silence in the grand hallway of Battera's castle was completely suffocating. Tsezguerra and Goreinu stood entirely frozen outside the billionaire's ruined bedroom doors. They had absolutely no weapons, no mercenary backup, and no magical game rules to protect them. The heavy, measured footsteps echoing down the stone corridor confirmed their absolute worst nightmare had followed them into the real world.
Genthru turned the corner, flanked seamlessly by his two imposing lieutenants, Sub and Bara. The Bomber wore a sharp suit and a highly arrogant, entirely confident smirk. He knew exactly how vulnerable his prey was outside of the digital safety net.
"Well," Genthru chuckled smoothly, spreading his hands in a mocking gesture of peace. "This is certainly a pathetic sight. A Single-Star Hunter cowering in an empty castle. I demand you hand over the 'Plot of Beach' card right now, Tsezguerra. If you refuse, I will blow your heads off right here on the carpet."
Tsezguerra felt a cold bead of sweat roll down his spine, but his years of professional experience kept his face entirely composed. He stared directly into the killer's eyes, refusing to flinch.
"You are making a massive mistake, Genthru," Tsezguerra stated, his voice steady and deeply commanding. "We do not have the cards on us. Before we activated the 'Leave' spells, Goreinu transferred all ninety-six of our restricted slot cards to a hidden dummy account located deep inside Greed Island."
Genthru stopped walking. His arrogant smirk faltered slightly.
"If you kill us here," Tsezguerra continued smoothly, pressing his bluff with absolute conviction. "Those cards will remain locked in that dummy account forever. You will never clear the game. Your years of murder and manipulation will result in absolutely nothing."
Genthru narrowed his eyes, searching the older Hunter's face for any sign of deception. He clicked his tongue in profound annoyance. He knew Tsezguerra was smart enough to set up exactly that kind of fail-safe.
"Fine," Genthru hissed, turning his back on the defenseless men. He looked at Sub and Bara. "We are going back in. Gon and his pathetic little friends are our only remaining path to victory. We will slaughter them and take their binder."
The three Bombers immediately retreated down the stone hallway, heading straight back to the teleportation console room. Goreinu let out a massive, trembling breath the second they were out of sight. He wasted no time. He sprinted into an adjacent security room, logged onto a spare console, and activated a 'Contact' spell card to warn the children.
Back inside the magical landscape of Greed Island, the rocky wasteland training camp was ringing with the sounds of localized explosions.
Gon leaped backward off a jagged boulder, his amber eyes intensely focused. Elia was relentlessly pursuing him, tossing small, intricately stitched Brass Monkey plushies with terrifying accuracy.
"Block!" Elia commanded sharply, snapping her fingers.
A plushie detonated right next to Gon's right shoulder. He reacted instantly, shifting ninety percent of his protective aura to his upper arm mere milliseconds before the blast. The shockwave hit him, but his enhanced defense absorbed the damage perfectly. He landed gracefully on his feet, entirely unharmed.
"Sixty seconds exactly!" Gon announced proudly, wiping soot from his cheek. He had successfully tracked a full minute in his head while simultaneously fending off unpredictable explosive attacks.
Biscuit clapped her hands together from her perch on a nearby rock. "Perfect! Your mastery of Ryu has improved exponentially. You are officially ready to face him."
The celebration was cut short by the sudden beeping of Gon's binder. Goreinu's voice filled the air, delivering the grim update. Tsezguerra had survived the real-world ambush, but the Bombers were now officially hunting Gon's team inside the game. Goreinu also revealed the beautiful twist of their strategy. He was currently holding all ninety-six real cards. If the kids defeated the Bombers, Goreinu would hand over the entire collection, practically guaranteeing their absolute victory.
"They are coming," Killua stated, his blue eyes turning cold and analytical. "Get ready to move."
Less than an hour later, Genthru, Sub, and Bara tracked them down near the edge of a deep, winding canyon. Genthru stepped forward, attempting to negotiate a peaceful surrender of their cards to avoid a messy fight.
Killua stepped up to act as their primary negotiator. He casually insulted Genthru's intelligence, mocked his outfit, and stalled the conversation with entirely pointless questions. Killua played his role perfectly, slowly winding the Bomber up until Genthru completely lost his temper.
"I am going to kill you slowly!" Genthru screamed, his aura flaring wildly around his fists.
"Now!" Killua yelled.
Gon, Killua, Elia, and Biscuit instantly activated a shared 'Accompany' card. A blinding flash of light enveloped them, teleporting them deep into the labyrinthian floor of the nearby canyon. The very second their boots hit the dirt, all four of them activated Zetsu. They completely extinguished their life energy, erasing their magical presence from the surrounding area.
Back on the ridge, Genthru cursed loudly. Unable to track them naturally due to their flawless Zetsu, the Bomber was forced to use his absolute last 'Accompany' card to jump directly to their exact coordinates.
The moment the three Bombers materialized in a flash of light at the bottom of the canyon, the trap was officially sprung.
Killua and Elia instantly dropped their Zetsu and sprinted in completely opposite directions, kicking up massive clouds of dust. Sub, the tall lieutenant with the dark hair, immediately chased after Killua. Bara, the heavily muscular enforcer, took off sprinting after Elia. Biscuit quickly scrambled up the steep rock wall to reach a high vantage point, leaving Gon standing completely alone against Genthru in the center of the canyon.
The plan had worked perfectly. The Bombers were entirely separated.
Elia ran gracefully through the rocky terrain until she reached a wide, secluded clearing surrounded by towering stone pillars. She skidded to a halt and turned around.
Bara stepped into the clearing a few seconds later, breathing heavily. He looked at the small girl in the bright red hoodie and let out a booming, highly arrogant laugh.
"That kid Gon must be entirely insane," Bara mocked her, flexing his massive, bulging biceps. "He sent a little girl to fight me? Listen, sweetheart. I do not want to break your neck. Just hand over your binder, surrender your cards, and I will let you walk away with all your teeth intact."
Elia simply stared at him. Her dark eyes were completely cold, entirely devoid of any fear or amusement. She was profoundly annoyed by his arrogance.
"You talk way too much," Elia told him bluntly.
She did not bother with a fighting stance. She simply opened her aura nodes. A terrifying, crushing pressure flooded the rocky clearing. The air grew heavy, thick with a suffocating malice that made Bara physically choke on his own breath. The muscular man took a hesitant step backward, his mocking smile vanishing instantly as he realized he was staring at an absolute monster.
Elia reached out with her hand. "Papa."
Papa Bear violently tore his way into existence directly above Bara's head. The massive, seven-foot-tall heavily stitched construct dropped like a falling meteor.
Bara looked up and screamed, desperately trying to raise his arms to block the impact. It was entirely useless. Papa Bear crashed down onto the man with a brutal, floor-shattering thud. The sheer weight and density of the Conjured beast drove Bara directly into the hard dirt, cracking the stone beneath him.
Bara was knocked unconscious instantly, his massive pride completely shattered in a single second.
Elia sighed, dusting off her hands. She dismissed Papa Bear, completely unbothered by the brief altercation. "Pathetic."
Deep in the dense forest bordering the canyon, Killua was engaged in a much more analytical battle.
Sub lunged forward, throwing rapid, heavy punches. Killua dodged gracefully, flipping backward through the trees. He reached into his pockets and revealed his brand new weapons. Two custom-made, incredibly dense metal yo-yos. Each one weighed exactly fifty kilograms.
Killua began to swing the yo-yos, the heavy metal smashing effortlessly through thick tree trunks like they were made of fragile glass. Sub dodged the lethal projectiles desperately, breaking out into a heavy sweat.
Killua purposely left his right side completely exposed. Sub noticed the opening and immediately took advantage of it. The lieutenant leaped forward and delivered a devastating kick directly into Killua's ribs.
Killua took the brutal hit, coughing up a small amount of blood, but he smiled wickedly. He had trapped him. Killua swung his right arm, bringing the second fifty-kilogram yo-yo around in a tight, blindingly fast arc. The heavy metal smashed directly into the back of Sub's skull. The lieutenant collapsed to his knees, completely disoriented.
"Game over," Killua whispered, channeling a massive surge of high-voltage electricity down the yo-yo string directly into Sub's nervous system, knocking the man out for good.
Back in the main canyon, the most brutal fight was reaching its horrifying climax.
Gon stood battered and bruised, breathing heavily. Genthru was completely infuriated. No matter how many times he tried to use his explosive 'Little Flower' ability, Gon perfectly anticipated the attack and protected himself with Ryu.
"Who told you about my ability?" Genthru demanded, wiping a small trickle of blood from his nose.
Gon did not answer. He was running out of stamina, and he knew he could not keep dodging forever. He needed to land a massive, decisive blow. He remembered Biscuit's safe, hit-and-run strategy, but his stubborn pride absolutely refused to follow it. He wanted to crush the Bomber completely.
Genthru charged forward again, reaching out to grab both of Gon's arms.
Instead of jumping away, Gon stood his ground. He intentionally dropped all his aura defense from his arms, letting Genthru grab him completely unprotected. Genthru's eyes widened in sheer disbelief at the boy's absolute insanity.
"Die!" Genthru screamed, triggering the explosions.
A deafening blast echoed through the canyon. Gon screamed in absolute agony as his hands were completely destroyed, the flesh burned and torn by the point-blank detonations. But he did not step back. Using the brief, stunned opening he had just created by sacrificing his own limbs, Gon focused every single drop of his remaining aura into his right leg.
Gon swung his leg up and delivered a devastating, bone-shattering kick directly to Genthru's jaw. The Bomber was lifted entirely off his feet, spitting out blood and teeth as he crashed into the dirt.
Genthru struggled to his feet, holding his shattered jaw. He was completely terrified of the boy's relentless, suicidal determination. Furious and desperate, Genthru activated his ultimate, highly lethal ability. He touched Gon, attaching the 'Countdown' bomb directly to his chest.
Gon feigned a look of desperate panic. He began to charge his Jajanken, screaming wildly. Genthru prepared to dodge the massive attack.
But Gon did not punch Genthru. He slammed his glowing fist directly into the rocky ground between them.
The earth completely gave way. A massive, pre-dug pitfall trap collapsed entirely, dropping both Gon and Genthru deep into a dark, narrow trench. Genthru tumbled in the darkness, coughing on the thick dust. When he looked up, Gon was completely gone. The boy had slipped out through a tiny side tunnel they had prepared earlier.
A spell card suddenly drifted down from the opening above. It triggered instantly, summoning a large glass bottle of highly flammable gasoline. The bottle shattered on Genthru's head, soaking his suit in fuel.
"If you use your explosions now, you will burn yourself alive!" Gon's voice echoed from above.
Genthru panicked, looking for an exit. Suddenly, the entire top of the trench darkened. Gon had triggered a second card, dropping a massive, incredibly heavy boulder directly into the hole. Genthru barely managed to dive into Gon's escape tunnel to avoid being crushed to death.
He crawled through the dark dirt, dragging himself toward the exit. But when he finally reached the end of the tunnel, Gon was standing right there waiting for him.
Gon's right fist was glowing with blinding golden light.
"Rock!" Gon screamed.
The final Jajanken struck Genthru squarely in the stomach. The Bomber was blasted out of the tunnel, crashing violently into the canyon wall. He slid down the rock face, completely unconscious, entirely defeated.
An hour later, the team finally regrouped near the canyon entrance. Biscuit looked at Gon's destroyed, ruined hands and sighed heavily in profound disappointment.
"You completely ignored my plan," Biscuit scolded him strictly, hands on her hips. "You are incredibly reckless and foolish."
Gon offered a sheepish, apologetic smile. "I am sorry, Biscuit. But it worked."
Biscuit shook her head and activated the highly coveted 'Breath of Archangel' card. A beautiful, glowing angelic figure materialized in the air. The angel gently blew a warm breath over Gon's ruined hands. The burned flesh and shattered bones knitted back together instantly, leaving his hands completely flawless and healed.
Goreinu arrived a few minutes later, carrying the massive binder containing all ninety-six restricted cards. He looked at the unconscious bodies of Genthru, Sub, and Bara lying in the dirt.
"Let us take their cards and leave them here to rot," Goreinu suggested coldly, lacking any sympathy for the serial killers.
Gon shook his head firmly. "No. We have clone cards. We are going to use them to create more 'Breath of Archangel' cards and heal their injuries too."
Goreinu protested loudly, arguing that murderers absolutely did not deserve mercy. But Gon, Killua, and Elia all agreed. The game was over. There was no need for any more death. Goreinu finally threw his hands up in defeat, handing the binder over to Gon before angrily walking away.
They healed the Bombers. Upon waking up and realizing they had been spared, Genthru and his lieutenants completely surrendered, handing over all their remaining cards without a single fight.
Suddenly, a loud, cheerful chime echoed from the binders of every single player remaining on Greed Island. A server-wide announcement blared from the sky.
"Attention all players! Someone has successfully collected ninety-nine restricted slot cards! An island-wide quiz regarding the lore and mechanics of Greed Island will now begin! The player with the highest score will be awarded the final card, number zero!"
The quiz was extremely difficult, asking obscure questions about non-playable characters and specific item locations. However, because Gon had thoroughly explored the island, completely enjoying the actual mechanics of the game instead of just hunting players, he knew all the answers.
A few minutes later, another announcement declared Gon the winner with an incredible score of eighty-seven out of one hundred. A magical owl flew down from the sky, dropping a special invitation card directly into his hands.
Gon used the invitation to travel to the central game master's castle. Unlike Battera's sterile real-world mansion, this castle was colorful and massive. Gon was ushered into a room that was entirely covered in garbage, empty pizza boxes, and video game controllers.
He met two men sitting amidst the mess. List and Dwun. They were two of the original Game Masters who had helped Ging create Greed Island.
Dwun handed Gon a special binder and the final, glowing card: number 000, Ruler's Blessing.
"We named the game using the first letters of all our names," Dwun explained, completely annoyed. "The 'G' stands for Ging. My name actually starts with a 'W'. But Ging legally changed the spelling of my name to start with a 'D' just so the acronym for Greed Island would make sense."
List laughed loudly at his friend's misery. Gon smiled warmly, completely thrilled to meet people who were so close to his mysterious father.
That evening, the entire island celebrated. Fireworks exploded in the sky, and magical parades marched through the streets. The remaining players enjoyed a massive, luxurious feast in the capital city.
Gon, Killua, Biscuit, and Elia sat together at a large banquet table. Gon placed his special, three-slot binder on the table. The rules stated he could choose exactly three restricted cards to take back into the real world.
"Since we all worked together, we should decide as a team," Gon suggested.
Biscuit stared longingly at her binder, her eyes fixed on the beautiful 'Blue Planet' gem card she had worked so hard to find. She looked completely heartbroken, knowing she would likely not get to keep it.
"You can have my slot, Elia," Biscuit offered generously, trying to hide her sadness with a brave smile. "You were absolutely crucial to winning dodgeball and surviving the training. You deserve to take a magical item home."
Elia looked at the older woman. She noticed the slight tremble in Biscuit's lip and the obvious, deep longing in her eyes. Elia smiled softly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
"I appreciate the offer, Biscuit, but I have to decline," Elia stated politely. "I only came to this island because the battles sounded like incredibly good fun. The thrill of beating Razor and surviving the training was all the reward I needed. I do not care about magical gems or massive piles of gold. You keep your slot."
Biscuit gasped softly, her eyes immediately welling up with tears of pure joy. She lunged forward and pulled Elia into a crushing, highly emotional hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much, you wonderful child!"
Gon laughed, claiming the 'Paladin's Necklace' for his first slot. For his second slot, he used the magical properties of the necklace to completely disguise an 'Accompany' spell card to look exactly like the 'Plot of Beach' card.
The next morning, the four friends stood together in the real world, just outside the Greed Island exit terminal building. The sun was shining brightly overhead.
"I found a name in my binder," Gon explained to Killua, holding up the disguised 'Accompany' card. "Nigg. I am absolutely positive it is an anagram for Ging. I think he left it there for me to find him. If we use this card, we will fly directly to his location."
Gon turned to Elia, his amber eyes completely shining with hope and excitement. "Come with us, Elia! You have to meet him!"
Elia shook her head, offering a genuine, fond smile to the boys who had become her closest friends over the past few months.
"I have to pass on that adventure, Gon," Elia declined politely, adjusting the straps of her green backpack. "I had my fun, but I have some highly important personal business to take care of at home."
"What kind of business?" Killua asked, tilting his head curiously.
"Revenge," Elia stated casually, her dark eyes flashing with a familiar, dangerous glint. "I am heading back to home. I still have to exact my terrible vengeance on the man who hired the Phantom Troupe to break my ribs a few months ago."
Gon and Killua, completely unaware that the man she was talking about was her own father, simply laughed out loud. They thought it was entirely fitting for her intense personality.
"Well, good luck with your revenge!" Gon waved enthusiastically.
"Do not blow up the entire house," Killua teased her.
"I make absolutely no promises," Elia smirked.
They shared a warm, heartfelt goodbye. Gon and Killua activated their spell card. A bright light enveloped them, and they shot high into the sky, flying off to find Ging.
Elia stood outside the terminal, watching them disappear into the clouds. She let out a soft sigh, turning around and walking toward the nearest transport station. Her incredible journey through the ultimate game was officially over. Now, it was time to go home and wake her father up from his nap.