Why Hisoka is still in danger:
Honestly, I feel like Togashi is still setting us up for Hisoka's death.
As mentioned by other people, Hisoka seeks strong opponents for the thrill. Otherwise, he only responds when they provoke him first.
So out of all the Ryodan, why would he kill Shalnark and Koltopi first?
I don't know about anyone else but my reaction to their deaths would have been different if:
1. we saw the chapter from Hisoka's point of view. A big reason why people were supporting Hisoka during the match was because we saw it from Hisoka's point of view. For the kill, we saw it through Shalnark's eyes - how happy he was the Ryodan would all be together again and his reaction to Koltopi's death. Why would Togashi suddenly switch to Shalnark's point of view?
2. My reaction would also have been different if Shalnark and Koltopi had been given the warning by Machi first or regained their powers. The Ryodan are some of the most powerful and violent characters in the series but before the kill, we don't see them as powerful or see them commiting a crime. It's an everyday scene of someone waiting for someone else in the bathroom while talking on the phone, something a lot of us can relate to. Why would Togashi show Hisoka pretty much killing defenseless children (and from the children's point of view)?
3. Or if we had some explanation for why Hisoka decided to go after Ryodan. As Togashi established about Hisoka's personality before, he goes after strong opponents. Why would Togashi show Hisoka killing defenseless children from their point of view for no apparent reason? By showing the scene to us the way he did, the chapter just screams unfair and senseless killing of defenseless children.
We also got to see Hisoka as powerless and disfigured in recent chapters. Other character deaths in HxH have been shown before without showing a mutilated face. By making him this way, he becomes just another villain who has unflattering scars because the audience isn't supposed to like villains. It's like, Hisoka's original makeup and attire, creeper face mode and shwing moments aren't freaky enough to turn off fans anymore so Togashi decided to up the ante.
By taking away Hisoka's flattering features and showing him doing something that could be considered unforgiveable, will people care less the next time Hisoka's life is put in danger? Will it be less severe? Is Togashi now free to kill off Hisoka without outrage from fans?
I think, instead of asking, "why would Hisoka do that?", it would also be good to ask "why would Togashi do that?" Why would Togashi decide, out of all the members of the troupe, to kill off Shalnark and Koltopi first and show it in the way he did?
