"If I use Ko to defend the wrong place, I might end up losing my life!"
"Most people would probably aim for the stomach when attacking, right...? Alright, you're going to hit my stomach, aren't you?!"
Knuckle's mind was very active, and there were more and more veins in his eyes.
He tried to gather all his aura in his abdomen to maintain the Ko state.
However, as Gon, in front of him, accumulated more and more power, Knuckle suddenly felt pessimistic.
"Even if I use Ko to defend properly, it'll still be a head-on clash of strength! In the end, it all comes down to who has more aura and greater endurance!"
At that moment, Knuckle suddenly realized that even if he met the attack head-on, his defenses might not be strong enough. He had no chance of resisting the sheer force of Gon's blow.
He might really fall here and pay the price for his arrogance!!
A look of determination and tragedy flickered in Knuckle's eyes.
Even though he knew this might result in serious injury or even death, his beliefs and principles kept him standing firm in place with his arms crossed in front of him.
He restrained himself, refusing to take any action that would violate the conditions he had agreed upon.
A real man never goes back on his word; once spoken, it must be carried out to the end without any regrets.
This is Knuckle's way of doing things, and it is also his basic life principle as a hunter.
And what he got in return for such persistence is...
Boom!!
A brilliant golden light illuminated the night sky.
After a burst of extremely powerful force that made people unable to open their eyes, Knuckle fell straight to the ground.
Well, if there are any viewers watching, they will say that young people are healthy and can sleep as soon as they lie down.
But no, he was knocked to the ground by Gon's punch and lay there peacefully.
"This guy is a complete fool, just as expected."
Killua exhaled sharply when he saw this.
Whether it was Gon or Knuckle, he felt that it was unreasonable for them to compete on such matters.
But he felt unusual emotions from these seemingly stupid things.
"In this case, we should be considered the winner, but..."
Killua glanced at Gon, who was lowering his fist. "You won't accept such a result, right?"
"Well, he just promised to take my punch; it's not a formal fight at all!"
Gon shook his hands and said loudly: "I want to be like him, defeat my opponent fair and square in a proper battle!!"
Killua shook his head with an expression of, I knew it would be like this.
Gon's attitude is that he will never give up until he is satisfied.
Killua had already seen this side of Gon during the hunter exam, his reckless and stubborn nature.
So, it was only natural that he wouldn't accept this outcome.
"But in this state, he obviously cannot continue to compete with us for the wooden tile, right?"
Killua glanced at Knuckle, who was lying on the ground, twitching and bleeding.
"He was lucky to guess the right spot to defend, but even so, he still suffered serious injuries."
"Judging by his condition, it'll take at least a month for him to recover."
"During that time, he definitely won't be able to compete with us for the wooden tile."
Although Knuckle was lucky enough to survive, the injuries on his body were real.
Especially when he chose to take Gon's attack head-on…
What Killua said was also much more conservative.
"I know, I'm also prepared for one of us to be seriously injured..."
Gon was not panicking, as if he had a plan in mind, and then he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
"Lan said that if one of us is seriously injured, as long as we eat this thing, everything will be fine."
He took out a gray, ordinary bean from his pocket.
This was also what Lan gave them before entering NGL.
"Wait!!"
Just at this moment, a figure suddenly ran out from the dark hidden corner behind: "What do you want to do to Knuckle?!"
Although the voice was filled with urgency and anger, both Gon and Killua could hear a slight tremor in it, like a mix of nervousness and fear.
"Lan said this is called Senzu Beans!"
Seeing the person who had emerged, Killua remained cautious while Gon earnestly explained.
"If he eats this, his injuries will heal quickly."
Lan? The member of the Chimera Ant Extermination Team who followed Chairman Netero and Master Morel into the Neo-Green Life (NGL) Autonomous Region?
That person seemed very mysterious, and it stands to reason that he must have something extraordinary to be recognized by Chairman Netero as a member of the Chimera Ant Extermination Team like his master.
Then what he took out should also be extraordinary.
Shoot, who appeared, subconsciously glanced at the Senzu Beans... but he couldn't see anything particularly remarkable about it.
But…
"Cough…"
Hearing his fallen companion's weak coughing and the worsening sound of blood bubbling up in his throat…
Shoot gritted his teeth and finally made way for Gon.
At this moment, the dynamic between the two sides subtly changed. The hostility between them had started to shift.
... ... …
With the Senzu Beans' miraculous effects, Knuckle was soon fully healed.
Even though he was seriously injured, whether it was internal injuries or external injuries to his abdominal ribs, they were all immediately repaired after Gon fed him the Senzu Beans.
But he himself seemed to have not recovered from the attack and was still unconscious.
Gon and Killua took Knuckle back to their residence.
Shoot, who was hiding in the dark, watched the whole process and acquiesced.
He had witnessed with his own eyes how Knuckle's condition improved after eating the bean.
For now, it seemed that Gon and Killua weren't lying.