Looking at Killua's panicked expression, Gon felt a heavy weight in his heart.
He couldn't help but shout:
"Killua, defeat him, and I will absolutely not be killed!"
Gon's eyes were firm and serious.
However, Ryusei didn't know how to respond to these words.
If Illumi were to actually make a move against Gon now, and no one else stepped in to stop him, Gon had absolutely no chance of surviving.
Confidence is a good thing, but if you can't see yourself clearly, then it's not confidence—it's arrogance.
"Defeat him quickly, Killua!"
"We will not let him kill Gon no matter what!"
"Let's do it your way, Killua!"
Leorio stood beside Gon and shouted loudly.
If it weren't for the referee holding him back, Leorio would have already rushed forward to fight Illumi himself.
Despite the encouragement from Gon and Leorio, Killua, with the needle still buried in his head, couldn't summon any fighting spirit before Illumi.
He tried to move several times, but in the end, he failed.
"I concede defeat. I lost this match."
Killua spoke with a deeply disappointed expression.
He dared not lay a hand on Illumi.
When Killua conceded defeat, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika were all stunned.
But none of them said anything more.
After all, they chose to respect Killua's decision.
Illumi, however, was very pleased at this moment.
"That's wonderful."
"That way, there's no need for a fight."
"Just kidding, Killua."
"How could I possibly kill Gon?"
Although Illumi truly did want to kill Gon, unfortunately, not only would the examiners stop him, but Hisoka would also intervene.
After all, Gon was the young and innocent apple that Hisoka valued so highly.
"I just wanted to test you a little."
"But now it's very clear."
Illumi walked over to Killua, who stood frozen in a daze, and crouched down beside him.
He continued in a low, chilling voice:
"You have no right to try to make friends like other people."
"There's no need for that."
"Just like always, listen obediently to what Father and I say."
"Just make sure you do your job properly."
"The Hunter Exam is the same. I will give you instructions when the time is right."
"You don't need them right now."
Under Illumi's suggestive words, Killua's eyes grew vacant.
Illumi was very satisfied with this.
After all, the Killua he knew had returned.
"Killua, it's okay even if we lose."
"As long as it's Killua's own decision, that's fine!"
Gon shouted at Killua.
He then turned toward Illumi with an angry glare.
"Killua is Killua, and he has to decide for himself what he wants to do."
"I don't need you standing there giving instructions."
Gon's shouts snapped Killua back to his senses.
He looked around at Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and then at Illumi.
Finally, Killua turned to Chairman Netero.
He spoke with grave seriousness:
"I am withdrawing from this Hunter Exam."
He could feel an uncontrollable urge to kill rising within him.
Killua didn't want Gon to witness an uncontrollable killing.
But with Illumi present, he would be forced to continue in the competition.
It was uncertain whether he might lose control and kill his opponent in the next match.
Therefore, Killua chose to quit outright.
"Killua!"
Gon looked at him with a shocked expression.
He had never expected Killua to withdraw from the Hunter Exam.
The others also stared at Killua in surprise.
Only Illumi remained unsurprised; instead, he was faintly dissatisfied.
He didn't want Killua to simply quit like that.
Rather, he wanted Killua to display his 'obedient' side.
In other words, to follow his suggestion and withdraw by killing one of the examinees.
But Killua refused to do that.
This showed that Illumi's hints about Killua had failed.
"Are you sure you want to quit?"
Netero looked at Killua with grave seriousness and asked.
"Sure."
Killua answered firmly.
Seeing Killua's unwavering resolve, Netero offered no further advice.
"In that case…"
"Because of Killua's withdrawal, Leorio and Baudelaire automatically win."
"The final exam is now concluded."
With Netero's announcement, the Hunter Exam officially ended.
Since Gon was neither injured nor unconscious, Killua still crossed paths with Illumi.
However, at Gon's urging…
Killua did not suddenly rush to kill Baudelaire despite Illumi's suggestion.
This decision saved Baudelaire's life.
From this perspective, Baudelaire could be considered someone who defied fate.
Unfortunately, Baudelaire was already very old.
Even if he were to learn Nen, he likely wouldn't be able to develop it to any profound level.
Even if he became a Hunter, he would remain at the very bottom.
But now that his life had been spared, nothing else really mattered.
In a way, Pokkle also defied fate.
He was targeted by Ryusei, which disqualified him from taking the final exam.
This prevented Pokkle from becoming a Hunter this year.
Similarly, he wouldn't be able to become a Hunter next year.
Because next year, Killua would solo the first round of the Hunter Exam.
Being unable to become a Hunter naturally meant that Pokkle wouldn't be delivering food to the Chimera Ants.
That, too, must be considered defying fate.
...…
After announcing his withdrawal from the final exam, Killua pushed open the door and walked out of the battlefield.
This was naturally a hint from Illumi.
After all, Killua was still too young.
It wasn't appropriate for him to continue wandering outside.
They all saw Killua leave.
Gon wanted to chase after him, but Illumi stopped him.
And because Illumi directly emitted a malicious aura, Gon was completely afraid to approach him.
Although later, under the cover of Leorio and Kurapika, Gon managed to escape through the window.
By then, however, Killua had vanished without a trace.
Ryusei didn't pay much attention to the matter of Gon and Killua.
At this moment, Ryusei was reflecting on the hardships he had endured along the way.
Well, they didn't seem all that hard.
On the contrary, he himself had grown a great deal.
In addition, Ryusei suddenly noticed something rather interesting.
According to Netero, the final exam was supposed to be a series of one-on-one battles.
Yet only the fight between Hisoka and Baudelaire could truly be called a real battle.
It was fair to say the final exam had turned into a complete mess.
This made Ryusei want to complain a little.
Fortunately, he held his tongue at the crucial moment.
Unfortunately, the most controversial matches were all those involving him.
In his first match, he and Gon used dice to gamble on who would win.
He treated the second match as nothing more than combat training.
In the third match, Illumi voluntarily conceded defeat, granting Ryusei victory without a fight.
If word of this spread, it would surely draw heavy criticism.
So it was best not to say anything more.
Of all the battles, only Baudelaire had been injured somewhat seriously.
The others were generally fine.
Nevertheless, the Hunter Association announced that the issuance of Hunter Licenses would take place tomorrow.
This left some candidates who wanted their licenses immediately feeling a little anxious.
But for now, all they could do was wait.