I believe that Hiko has made a deal with the Blood God. For every teammate that Hiko watches die in front of him, he is granted the ability to kill one person on the enemy team. Hiko lives a painful existence, knowing that he must watch his friends die over and over as he stands and does nothing, but it is what he has to do. Steel and Nitro may die, but that is a sacrifice Hiko is willing to make.