Chapter 151: He... Is Here!
Boom!
Chrollo and the others were on their way when, suddenly, a cloud of dust rose in the distance followed by a deafening roar that split the air.
A palace had just suffered massive damage…
Someone was fighting!
"That's… Bonolenov's ability Battle Hymn!" exclaimed Pakunoda in shock.
They recognized that aura instantly. Among the group, only a handful could unleash such destruction with their Nen.
Chrollo said nothing. In the next instant, all five of them accelerated to full speed.
Inside the palace, the walls had crumbled. Stone tiles lay shattered across the ground, buried under thick layers of dust.
Bonolenov now unbandaged and revealing his true form collapsed to the floor, staring in horror at the blond youth before him.
Right then, Kurapika activated his Nen ability. The healing chain around his thumb glowed with a brilliant green light, brushing over the wound on his side instantly sealing it as though it had never existed.
This wasn't an Enhancement-type power.
The chain's properties felt more like Conjuration, yet something was different almost like it was a brand-new ability altogether.
What was this boy?
Could he be a Specialist?
Even his physical abilities seemed to have reached an unprecedented level flawless, almost without weakness.
Bonolenov realized something chilling: even if Uvogin himself appeared right now, he doubted the man could defeat this youth.
He had already unleashed two of his most powerful Nen combat techniques:
Prelude to Martial Arts: Jupiter a move that expanded his aura into a massive, rotating sphere, as fast and destructive as the speed of sound.
Orthogonal Venus a technique that channeled his Nen into a javelin-like punch, massive and indestructible.
Yet neither could deal serious damage to the boy before him.
The chain in Kurapika's hand was terrifying.
Each strike seemingly casual carried overwhelming destructive power, effortlessly breaking through Bonolenov's techniques.
His Nen defense felt as fragile as paper before that chain.
After several brutal hits, Bonolenov could barely stand.
Both sides of his ribcage were broken, his abdomen crushed the massive Nen expenditure had drained him to near collapse.
By contrast, the young man before him stood calm and composed.
Slash!
Kurapika swung his hand. The chains that had terrified Bonolenov shot forward again. Too weak to dodge, Bonolenov could only watch helplessly as they wrapped tightly around him.
The chains were too fast there was no escape.
"So young… how could he possess such power?!"
Bonolenov barely had time to think before he was yanked like a ragdoll toward Kurapika. A moment later, Kurapika's fist sharp as a blade slammed into his gut.
The Steal Chain wrapped around Kurapika's index finger had placed Bonolenov under a state of absolute suppression.
In other words his Nen was sealed.
Now he was nothing more than a human punching bag.
"These eyes… do you remember them?"
Kurapika's cold voice rang out as he unleashed a barrage of merciless blows.
Hisoka, standing nearby, watched silently, a smile curving his lips.
"As for your Kurta Clan," Hisoka said lightly, "he wasn't involved back then. Most of the Phantom Troupe had already disbanded at the time. Only a few answered the call. Are you really planning to kill them all? Even those who weren't part of the massacre just because they bear the name 'Spider'?"
He asked deliberately, wanting to see Kurapika's resolve… and the darkness hidden behind his calm façade.
At those words, Kurapika's bloody fists stopped mid-air.
His crimson eyes blazed as he glared back at Hisoka.
"If you were one of them, you'd already be dead," he said coldly.
"Once you join the Phantom Troupe whether or not you were part of the slaughter you're cut from the same cloth."
Hisoka chuckled softly.
"Heh… I see."
Glancing down at the lifeless Spider at his feet, Hisoka muttered:
"He's dead… Now you're a killer too."
Then Hisoka turned toward the door.
"He's yours now… enjoy yourself."
Before stepping out, he paused his voice suddenly calm.
"If you're so sure about who the Phantom Troupe is, stop asking childish questions."
Those "childish questions" were the ones Kurapika had been shouting earlier demanding to know how many lives the Troupe member had taken, whether he felt any remorse.
Kurapika had wanted to see repentance, to witness guilt on their faces before death.
But that was impossible.
He was only lying to himself, seeking psychological comfort.
Without another word, Hisoka's figure vanished beyond the doorway.
Outside the hall, Feitan arrived first ahead of Chrollo and the others.
Still sprinting, he stopped abruptly when he saw Hisoka stepping out of the main hall with a wide, twisted smile, a playing card flickering between his fingers.
"Hisoka?"
"You're late," Hisoka greeted casually, the card glinting under the light.
Feitan halted sharply, his shoes screeching against the stone. His pupils contracted, rage flaring in his eyes.
"You bastard… You betrayed us!"
"Betrayed?" Hisoka said innocently. He slowly removed his shirt, a satisfied look crossing his face.
Under Feitan's furious gaze, he peeled away a patch of fake skin from his back and lifted it up.
The piece of skin bore the number 4.
"I was never one of you," Hisoka said, tossing it aside.
"I just thought you were… entertaining."
With his muscular torso now bare, Hisoka spread his arms wide.
"Die."
Feitan's killing intent surged. Just as he was about to strike, a calm, eerie voice came from behind Hisoka:
"Am I interrupting?"
A tall man with long black hair stepped out from the palace Illumi.
Sensing the tension in the air, Illumi spoke bluntly.
"Zoldyck?"
Feitan's eyelids twitched.
"Don't worry. I won't interfere with your fight," Illumi said, raising one hand in reassurance.
"My mission is only to protect my employer. I have no obligation to kill you."
Hisoka's appearance, his deliberate revelation, wasn't meant for Feitan.
Because at that moment, in the distance, Chrollo and his team were already approaching fast.
Hisoka's gaze locked onto Chrollo's face his pulse quickened with excitement.
He hugged himself, trembling in sheer pleasure.
The aura bursting from his body was chaotic, violent uncontrollable.
Illumi instinctively stepped back, putting distance between them.
He, too, turned toward Chrollo and instantly understood.
"So that's why… it's because of him," he murmured.
"If it were Haze standing there instead… I don't even want to imagine what you'd be like."
Hisoka ignored him, still shaking with manic joy.
Although Hisoka had met Haze first, Illumi had spent far more time by his side enough to understand exactly what kind of person he was.
That Hisoka had joined the Phantom Troupe only to chase Chrollo made perfect sense.
But to Illumi, Hisoka's true destiny was someone else entirely Haze.
Their relationship was… complicated.
Illumi could understand his obsession. Compared to Haze, Chrollo must have seemed almost boring.
Soon, the five remaining members of the Troupe appeared beside Feitan.
Without needing an explanation, Chrollo instantly grasped the situation.
Illumi gave him a small nod.
They knew each other.
" Haze hired you?" Chrollo asked quietly, his tone unnervingly calm.
"Yes," Illumi replied. "I'm responsible for protecting David and Field Lily. Don't mind me go ahead and kill him first."
He pointed casually at Hisoka, whose wild expression was slowly returning to normal.
Hisoka chuckled.
"Hey… Chrollo. What were you thinking? So eager to die? We were already on edge with you. We didn't expect you to be important in this mission but…"
Chrollo sighed, running a hand through his hair.
Six against one. Hisoka was doomed.
But then ...
Chrollo realized something.
The Zoldyck family always assessed mission difficulty carefully.
If one member couldn't complete a task, another was assigned to assist.
Chrollo didn't doubt the Zoldycks' professionalism and the Field Family's situation was already dire.
The Ten Dons and their private armies were gone; countless underworld bosses lay dead. There was no saving them.
Illumi alone couldn't possibly protect both David and Field Lily during an escape.
Then there was Hisoka's expression that burning gaze fixed solely on him, ignoring everyone else.
Something was off.
As if reading his mind, Hisoka pulled out his phone and waved it.
"I already called him."
"Him?" Chrollo asked quietly.
It could only mean one person Haze.
"So what if you did?" Chrollo said flatly. "Do you really think he can come?"
"He will," Hisoka replied without hesitation, a cold smile spreading across his face.
A gust of cold wind swept through the courtyard as he continued:
"We've known each other for ten years. I know him well. If he says he'll come, he will. He promised to create a stage just for us a stage where no one will interrupt. Just you and me."
Hisoka's tone rose, his voice breaking into wild laughter.
Chrollo turned to Illumi.
"So that's why you dared come alone…"
"No. I'm just following mission orders," Illumi answered simply.
At once, Chrollo understood.
"Disperse!" he commanded sharply. "Find the target they've already escaped!"
Illumi wasn't the real decoy. Someone else had to be helping.
His arrival was merely a distraction a smoke screen.
Perhaps the real targets were being moved right now.
The five Spiders prepared to split up ...
But then, before anyone could move, an astonishing scene unfolded before their eyes.
Not only within the Field Family residence but even at the mountain's base, and across the distant outskirts everyone who still lived in that bloody night saw it.
A radiant beam of light pierced the dark sky, descending from the heavens.
It struck down between the grand palaces,
sending a storm of wind through the ruins.
Chrollo's coat billowed violently.
And in that instant, a thought flashed across his mind a premonition.
"He… has come!"
Before him, Hisoka let out a shuddering, ecstatic moan.
Not too early.
Not too late.
The timing was perfect.
(End of Chapter)