Chapter 25: Materialization vs. Transformation
The hurled candidates screamed, but Hisoka ignored them.
"I've got a rough idea of the power behind your manifested weapons. A gun's a firearm, a cleaver's a blade but they share the same flaw: range."
Using his Bungee Gum, Hisoka flung the candidates, rocks, and clumps of earth back and forth toward Germain.
Germain's "Vigorous Constitution" and "Endurance" had evolved greatly over the past month. Not only had his agility and strength improved his stamina and battle sense had, too.
He leapt backward again and again, and Hisoka's "Meteor Hammers" slammed into the ground one after another, missing him entirely.
"If range is the weakness of my musket and cleaver…" Germain stopped suddenly and said, "Then the same goes for you."
The Bungee Gum thread attached to one of the candidates suddenly snapped, sending the man flying toward Germain.
Germain sidestepped, quickly gauging the distance and muttered:
"About ten meters. Beyond that, your Bungee Gum loses adhesion."
"Bingo," Hisoka snapped his fingers, unbothered by the revelation. "But that's a problem we can't fight properly at this range."
"I need that Hunter License," Germain declared. "Not next year, not later this year."
Hisoka grinned slyly, the corner of his lips curling in triumph.
"Then I'll just have to stop you. You'll need my 'approval' to move on to the next exam."
A silent beat passed before both men broke into a sprint, closing the distance between them.
"As expected… we're kindred spirits."
Hisoka shot out his Bungee Gum toward Germain, in a motion like Spider-Man's web-shooting.
Germain dodged sideways his cleaver clicked, doubling in length, the sharp teeth swinging toward Hisoka.
Hisoka ducked just in time, the blade grazing his nose.
"When I saw that weapon's design, I figured this might happen."
"Oh really?"
Germain seized the opening, covered his musket with his Hunter cloak, aimed, and fired.
The scattered bullets tore through the cloak and riddled Hisoka's body at close range.
Hisoka squinted, already moving his fingers. Threads of Bungee Gum adhered to the ground snapped back together, flipping a chunk of earth up like a shield.
"Saw that coming," Hisoka grinned from behind the earthen wall.
Puff, puff, puff the bullets hit the dirt.
Germain darted aside only to run straight into Hisoka doing the same from the other direction.
They locked eyes and instead of retreating, each took a step closer.
"I've got a good sense of your musket's range," Hisoka smirked. "And I've mapped how far that cleaver reaches when it transforms."
Germain glanced down three strands of Bungee Gum were tangled around his cleaver.
"They caught when you sliced earlier," Hisoka explained almost politely, advancing as he recalculated the musket's range.
But Germain simply canceled his materialization, dissolving the cleaver and freeing himself from the sticky trap.
"How frustrating…" Hisoka hissed. But instead of backing off, he lunged forward even faster. "That's why I hate Conjuration types."
His fingers flicked a flurry of playing cards appeared, each charged with his aura, honed to razor sharpness. They whirred toward Germain, who had no time to evade.
As Enhancement is a cousin of Transformation, Hisoka could channel it briefly.
But Germain swiftly raised his right hand the cleaver reformed in his palm and blocked most of the cards.
Two still slipped through, piercing his left arm both coated in Bungee Gum.
Hisoka smiled manically.
"Ah… your left arm's stuck now. You can't raise it meaning no musket. I can't wait to see your face when huh?"
Before Hisoka's eyes, the cleaver in Germain's right hand vanished replaced by a strange metallic canister with a nozzle, aimed straight at him.
With a hiss, flames erupted, engulfing Hisoka in a roaring blaze.
In the inferno, Hisoka rolled and tumbled desperately, finally putting out the fire after several clumsy falls.
When he rose, his clothes were completely burned away leaving him utterly naked.
His body bore scorch marks, much of his crimson hair was charred, and the powder from his face had flaked off.
Hisoka eyed the flamethrower calmly.
"So… your materialized weapons aren't bound to one hand. More than two, even. Guess I just got caught off guard."
Germain holstered the flamethrower, picked up two fallen playing cards, and let the blood dripping from his arm stain the grass.
"You're not a simple Conjuration type," Hisoka mused. "You're more like Chrollo's Specialization a closely linked system. I should've seen it."
"If I'm right," Hisoka continued, "your gun, knife, and flamethrower aren't your true Conjuration forms. Your real materialization lies in your body you just channel it to produce these weapons."
Though he spoke with unusual seriousness, Hisoka's nakedness made it hard to take him seriously.
"Maybe," Germain replied, blinking with an ambiguous smile.
Hisoka was silent for a moment then chuckled darkly.
"You won't tell me if I'm right, huh? Fine. You've passed. I won't bother you for the rest of the exam."
"Hmm?" Germain tilted his head. "You can't bother me, can you? First, you attacked the examiner they'll probably expel you. Second… are you planning to keep fighting naked?"
Hisoka froze. For once, even his eccentric mind had no comeback.
Suddenly laughter echoed from the forest.
Both Germain and Hisoka turned warily. Someone had been close enough to watch without being noticed.
An elderly man stepped out from the shadows followed by the bean-faced examiner who had handed out the badges earlier.
(End of Chapter)