บท 82: Having Fun
The group broke into a sprint the moment Netero's arm swung down. Gon and Killua took the lead, their young legs full of vigor. Leorio was behind them, panting already but determined. Haruto moved at a steady, unhurried pace, his strides deliberate, his men following suit. His pace seemed almost leisurely, but those who watched closely noticed that he was covering ground efficiently. It was as if the world moved at his pace, not the other way around.
The sand trickled down, the bottom chamber of the hourglass gradually filling. Each grain counted down the seconds until the gates would open. The tension was palpable.
Feitan, running next to Haruto, broke the silence. "If the gates allow only one at a time, how will so many of our men will pass?"
Haruto analyzed the stage and Netero's words with a cool detachment. While his pace never wavered, his mind worked at full speed. Netero wanted to use the temporal gates to limit the number of participants that could pass—obviously targeting his sizable entourage.
He knew Netero's objective was to whittle down the ranks of his 1,000 nen masters; the act of bringing so many was a challenge to the Hunter Association itself. The test was a game of numbers; at most, sixty participants could pass through the "temporal gates" during the one-minute interval. With his massive army, they'd need more than 16 hours to get everyone through. That wasn't Netero's intention; it was more a tactical play to thin the ranks.
"But he didn't mention the sand," Haruto mused internally.
There had been explicit rules about not tampering with the mechanism of the hourglass, but the sand within was fair game. The trick would be to manipulate it without touching the hourglass itself. A cunning loophole, and precisely the sort of thing he'd expect from a man like Netero.
Haruto called Canary, Feitan, and Phinx close to himself as they continued their steady pace towards the Hourglass of Destiny. "Canary, Feitan, Phinx, listen carefully."
"Is it time for a plan?" Feitan asked, with a light tone that barely concealed his anticipation.
"Indeed. I've noticed a loophole in Netero's little game with the hourglass. The rules say we can't tamper with the hourglass mechanism, but he didn't say anything about the sand."
"Interesting," Phinx mused. "What's the play?"
Haruto continued, "We'll use our nen manipulation abilities to control the sand's flow. The objective isn't to halt it, but to synchronize it."
"Synchronize?" Canary inquired.
"Correct. We'll slow down a few grains of sand from the top chamber while speeding up others coming from the bottom. The goal is for the last grain in the top to drop at the exact moment the first grain reaches the top chamber from below. They should meet in the middle."
Feitan grinned. "You're saying we keep a continuous flow. The gates will open but won't close."
"That's the plan. It should allow everyone to pass through."
Phinx looked at Haruto, approving but not surprised. "A crafty plan. Fits well into the rules yet bends them in our favor."
"Execute it discreetly," Haruto instructed. "Even if Netero is perceptive, let's not make it easy for him to figure out what we're doing."
They all nodded, breaking from the huddle and returning to their previous formation. As they ran, a group of Haruto's nen masters moved ahead, concentrating on their nen manipulation techniques. Invisible threads of aura extended from their hands, reaching the sand within the hourglass. Some slowed the descending grains, while others accelerated those at the bottom, aiming for that precise meeting point in the middle of the glass structure.
Feitan glanced at Haruto. "It's happening. The grains are almost synced."
"Good," was all Haruto said. But that one word was enough, a silent stamp of approval and a subtle encouragement for his men to continue.
Netero, at the front, sensed the change in aura. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing, allowing the game to unfold. Whether he was aware of the scheme or not, he let no sign of it show.
As they neared the hourglass, Haruto could see the sand grains meeting in the middle, their paths crossing in a beautiful display of precision and control. Just as he had anticipated, the last grain fell from the top chamber right as the first grain reached the top from below. The gates creaked open.
"It worked," Canary whispered, her voice tinged with awe and satisfaction.
"Of course it did," Haruto responded, his voice as calm as still water.
The moment they had all waited for arrived. Haruto led his men into the temporal gates, each passing through in an organized and practiced manner, as if they had been doing it for years.
Gon turned to Killua as they also approached the gates. "Hey, look. Everyone's going through. How did that happen?"
Killua watched Haruto and his men, their movements so fluid and assured. "He must have found a way to bend the rules. But let's focus; our turn's coming up."
Leorio, panting heavily, caught up. "Are we not going to discuss how he just did that?"
"Later," Killua snapped. "For now, let's pass this phase."
As Haruto stepped through the gate, his eyes locked briefly with Netero's. No words were needed. The air crackled with the intensity of two formidable opponents acknowledging each other's strength.
Haruto looked back one last time to make sure all of his men had made it through. Once assured, his gaze returned to the path ahead.
Netero sighed and then erupted into laughter, watching the events unfold from a distance. Knov, standing next to him, looked puzzled. "Why don't you just eliminate them with one-on-one fights?"
Netero grinned. "Eliminating them that way would tarnish the reputation of the Hunter Association. We want to partner with them, not alienate them. Besides, the rules don't prohibit a kingdom from sending a thousand men for the exam."
Knov raised an eyebrow but then realized what really lay behind Netero's reasoning. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Netero's eyes twinkled. "Oh, immensely so. This young King of the Meteor Kingdom keeps outsmarting me, and I find it refreshing."
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