Chapter 95: Natural Enemy × Shackles
Half an hour later, the battle was over.
Franklin, out of breath, collapsed to the ground, his body covered in wounds.
Next to him lay the corpses of numerous Nen users from the Mafia. Fortunately, most didn't belong to the Firth Family they were subordinates of the other Ten Dons.
A few meters away, a sickly hound clutched its bleeding abdomen, pale as death.
A healer was tending to him…
Another Shadow Beast, the Porcupine, was also injured.
Even after paying such a heavy price to kill a member of the Spider, the Shadow Beast felt no remorse nor did it change his hatred toward the Phantom Troupe. The white-haired Shadow Beast spat on Franklin's corpse with a sinister grin.
"Letting him die that quickly was a bargain."
There was no chance to torture Franklin.
He could barely breathe; if they didn't finish him fast, the casualties would've been far worse.
On the battlefield, Owl was terrified. If it had been only the five of them without help from other Nen users even if they managed to kill Franklin, at least two or three of them would've died.
That was the result of his calculations based on pure experience and instinct.
And even against such a fearsome foe… Haze could defeat him alone.
Watching Haze approach, Owl felt a strange rush of emotion.
As for Xiao, her feelings toward her companions were bitterly ironic.
She used to believe that every Shadow Beast was strong, fully capable of fulfilling the Ten Dons' orders, whether alone or in a team. But now she realized… most of them had no clue.
No wonder Haze looked down on them.
"Do as I say. Handle it," Haze ordered.
"Yes," Xiao replied, regaining her composure.
"Contact the Zoldyck Clan and prepare to depart," Haze instructed a high-ranking member of the Field Family.
Then, with the others' help, he got into a black sedan and sped away.
–––
Days later, the Hunter Association received the report and made adjustments.
The mission to capture the Phantom Troupe was elevated to a higher-level operation, requiring stricter supervision and approval.
A professional capture team was needed.
In short, the Hunter Association was forbidden to interfere directly.
Few Hunters in the Association held Star-level licenses. While some were formidable, overall, their power fell short of what was needed.
More than a dozen people had died this time including several well-known experts.
Meanwhile, Chrollo and Feitan had arrived in the same city as the hospital, hiding right under the Association's nose.
In an underground warehouse, Chrollo bandaged and silent sat in a chair.
Machi and Pakunoda stood at his sides.
Feitan was there too, now back in his usual clothes.
"Chrollo, is it really necessary to be this cautious? Why not capture someone and have Pakunoda read their memories? Wouldn't that tell us everything?"
The fourth-ranking member of the Troupe a man with long gray hair, also from Meteor City frowned.
"They know us. We can't catch them off guard," Chrollo replied calmly. "If we move recklessly, we'll only alert them. The best move is to strike together give them no time to react."
"Why does he know so much about us?" Machi asked coldly. "He's only met Knight, and they barely interacted."
"It must be an ability," said Chrollo. "I had Pakunoda test everyone. There are no traitors among us."
That made everyone's faces harden slightly.
Though uneasy, they couldn't deny Chrollo's logic.
At first, they'd assumed there were spies inside the Troupe it was the most logical conclusion.
"He's calculated everything. From the start, we were exposed. He chose Franklin before Feitan and me. The trap for Feitan was crude because we acted separately but mine was real. Even the Firth Family didn't know the truth until the end. Now there are two possibilities.
"First, Franklin's alive he's being used as bait to lure us in. This is their territory, and the Hunter Association's HQ isn't far. They could've partnered with a Hunter and set up an ambush. If we go into that hospital… we're dead."
The Troupe hadn't been able to contact Franklin.
Chrollo's calm words made everyone's hearts pound.
Feitan clicked his tongue and looked away in disgust.
Though the leader hadn't said it outright, his meaning was clear Haze hadn't gone all out against Feitan, deeming him "reckless."
In truth, Chrollo was the real target.
"So… he already knows we'll come?"
"Even better!" Uvogin clenched his fists, excitement flashing in his red eyes. "Then let's hit him first!"
"You don't get it," Machi warned, frowning. "We'll all die."
"What's there to fear? We haven't even fought yet!" Uvogin shouted.
Chrollo remained silent for a long moment.
"The second possibility," he finally said, "is that Franklin is already dead… And compared to the first, that's even worse."
The single light bulb above them flickered, making his words sound eerily hollow.
"Why?" Nobunaga asked.
"If the first means they wanted us dead quickly that Feitan and I exceeded their expectations the second means they never took us seriously. We were toys to them. Judging by Netero's behavior and how many Star Hunters visited that hospital, they clearly have power and connections. They could've easily sent stronger Hunters after us… or just more of them."
A scene flashed in Chrollo's mind spiders clinging to their webs, while from the darkness above, two bright eyes watched every move.
"But he didn't do that…"
His words left everyone silent and uneasy.
If Chrollo's analysis was right… how could Haze control the situation like this?
Wasn't he afraid of making a mistake?
"He can see every step we take because he understands every leg of the spider. He knows exactly where each one of you will move," Chrollo said quietly, his gaze sweeping across them.
Silence.
Cold.
Unbelievable.
They had never even faced Haze directly what kind of ability allowed this?
"Should we still go?" Nobunaga asked.
Chrollo was the Troupe's brain their compass. If he said retreat, they'd retreat.
Franklin's death weighed heavily on them, but survival came first.
"We're leaving," Chrollo said with a faint smile. "The second possibility is most likely true he's already gone."
Just then, the warehouse door swung open two scouts returned.
"There are still gangsters guarding the hospital. I'm not sure if Franklin or the target are there, but the building's damaged there must've been a fight," one reported.
"And the Shadow Beast?"
"No Nen presence outside. I didn't dare get closer."
"Let's move," said Chrollo.
The Troupe followed him in silence.
–––
Fifteen minutes later, the Phantom Troupe entered the hospital grounds.
Their strange outfits and cold aura drew stares from doctors and passersby all of whom they ignored.
"Who's there?!"
Armed mafiosi appeared only to be cut down instantly.
Without even a signal from Chrollo, the Troupe vanished into black shadows.
They moved to a nearby building only a few hundred meters away.
"No one's hiding," Knight muttered, scanning the area.
"Just ordinary thugs," Pakunoda confirmed.
"So I was right," said Chrollo quietly. "It's the second case."
Knight and Pakunoda fell silent.
Franklin was dead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire and screams erupted outside.
The massacre began.
With the full Troupe advancing, the mafia around the hospital stood no chance they were wiped out in minutes.
Though hundreds of gangsters lay dead outside, the hospital itself was empty.
Chrollo stepped over the corpses and entered.
He climbed floor by floor… until he reached the thirteenth.
The lights were still on glaringly bright.
The number 13… meant something to them.
As they descended into the floor, the sight before them froze Pakunoda and Knight in horror. Their pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Even their hardened nerves couldn't endure what they saw.
In the center of the room stood a spotless white bed soaked crimson with dripping blood.
Beside it was a small tree, from which hung a bundle wrapped in cloth.
Blood had seeped through it, staining the sheets.
They all knew what was inside Franklin.
But the scene… was too familiar.
Chrollo himself had once opened a similar "bundle."
Then footsteps.
Nobunaga, Uvogin, and the others arrived.
When they saw the tree and the cloth package, everyone froze.
Machi covered her mouth in shock.
Sasuke.
Their childhood friend the girl from the church.
Suddenly, a small recorder on the bed began to play, releasing the cheerful laughter of a little girl.
It wasn't Sasuke's voice but the members of the Troupe instinctively associated it with her.
"Franklin… let's look for the videotape together. Chrollo said you found the first one…"
"Okay… let's go together."
"Let's go~"
Silence.
Every member who remembered that past event felt a chill down their spine.
Uvogin's blood-red eyes burned with fury.
"Turn it off," said Chrollo coldly the calmest of them all.
Shalnark obeyed, picking up the bundle with Franklin's body.
Why… why did Haze know something like this?
Then click the recorder changed tracks.
"Do you feel 'pain' too?"
"This is the second… There will be more in the future. Whenever I remember… or get bored, I'll come find you. Try to resist I look forward to it. The more venomous the spider… the more I enjoy it."
"Keep growing… Don't bore me."
Haze's voice.
Soft, venomous, cruel.
Those few words made the entire group tremble.
Uvogin couldn't bear it anymore he roared in fury, his shout shattering the floor and windows.
"Let's go to the Firth mansion and kill them all!" Feitan snarled coldly.
Chrollo, however, closed his eyes, deep in thought.
One word echoed in his mind natural enemy.
Haze could have destroyed them… but he didn't.
That was true evil.
From that day on, every member of the Phantom Troupe would know a natural enemy watched them constantly.
Behind each of them loomed a Reaper with a scythe.
Death no longer frightened them what awaited was far worse.
Because for them, death brought no pain.
And Haze knew that perfectly.
From the moment they left Meteor City, they were prepared to die.
But Chrollo understood as a team, they still shared a fragile bond.
Killing a comrade was more painful than dying.
That was the Phantom Troupe's only weakness.
They could ignore everything… but they weren't machines.
"Leaving a recorder means he's badly injured," said Chrollo quietly. "Otherwise, with his personality, he'd face us himself. He must be busy elsewhere we're not worth his time."
"Didn't you hear me?! I said we should slaughter the Firth Family!" Feitan shouted, stepping forward, his rage boiling.
Pakunoda and Machi instantly moved between him and the leader.
"If you want to leave, go. I understand your anger but dragging the team to its doom is a mistake! He knows everything about us, while we know almost nothing about him. The fact that you're still alive is his mercy."
Chrollo looked Feitan straight in the eyes.
"Since the day you joined, I told you this we are one. The death of any member, even mine, means nothing. No one can stop the spider's advance.
"Right now, Haze surpasses us. My decision is final we withdraw."
"Listen to him, Captain," Nobunaga said, placing a hand on Feitan's shoulder. "In the food chain, every creature has a natural enemy even spiders. But that chain isn't absolute. Any species strong enough can evolve from prey to predator."
Chrollo turned and began walking down the stairs.
"From now on, solo missions will be done in pairs. No one enters the Republic of Padokia. Stay away from the Field Family even for crimes."
The Spiders had to evolve.
They needed to break the invisible shackles that bound them.
Whether they could or not depended entirely on them.
That day marked the darkest moment in Phantom Troupe history.
(End of Chapter)