Chapter 152: Mind If… I Join In?
"I understand."
On the grassy field, after answering Hisoka's call, Haze slowly put his phone away.
Zeno and Silva noticed his movement ... their expressions turned grim.
Then, the man in the suit, who had been lying on the ground watching the stars, rose to his feet.
"So, you couldn't help yourself after all, huh? I knew you wouldn't just sit still…" grumbled the old man, Zeno.
"What a beautiful night sky… you two really don't know how to appreciate it," Haze joked lightly.
"The Phantom Troupe is already making a mess in my territory. Even if you let me go now, I'd be fine with that."
"No. You can't be treated like a normal person. The Zoldycks have never failed a job. Just to be safe… we'll wait until dawn," Silva said in a low, grave voice, watching Haze slowly release his Nen and rise to his feet.
That moment ... !
Along with Haze's Nen, a green mist began to spread from his feet.
Silva and Zeno both felt a deep shock. Since their first encounter with Haze, she had never released her Nen; they had only witnessed her terrifying physical strength. But now, as her Nen surged outward ... they realized they had vastly underestimated her.
If Silva's Nen was a volcanic eruption, Haze's life-force-like aura was a tsunami ... surging and unstoppable, impossible to describe. It was even more fearsome than Zeno's own life energy.
The old man's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Haze, a rising star who had joined the Hunter Association only a few years ago, to possess such overwhelming power.
In that instant, he almost felt as if he were facing Netero himself. Though their auras differed, the threat they emanated was equally immense.
Zeno and Silva's Nen flared up in response, their power colliding fiercely with Haze's aura.
The grass rippled like waves under a violent wind.
Zeno raised his hands to shield himself, eyes blazing as he glared at Haze.
"Playful Dragon Head Fang!" he roared, stretching his hands forward. His immense aura condensed into a massive dragon that tore through the air, charging straight toward Haze.
At the same time, Silva vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared before one of the mafia psychics who hadn't yet recovered ... swinging his arm and erasing the man's upper body in one blow.
But Zeno's dragon smashed into the ground, creating a crater Haze was nowhere to be found.
When Zeno looked again, everything was enveloped in thick, chaotic green mist.
A heavy fog covered the area ... and within it, countless ghostly demons emerged, shrieking and lunging to attack their minds.
"En!"
Zeno immediately activated his En, expanding his aura field to detect movement. At full power, his En could cover a radius of over three hundred meters ... a diameter of more than a mile!
"Hmm?"
But then, his expression changed.
Something was wrong ... his Nen couldn't fully penetrate the miasma of the ghostly fog. Even unrestrained, his En could only expand to about a hundred meters. Beyond that ... it was being suppressed.
"This mist…"
Zeno realized it was one of Haze's abilities ... this Phantom Mist had special effects that hindered perception.
A moment later, an explosion burst through the fog, the shockwave scattering the spectral forms within it ... and Silva rushed over.
He quickly dealt with the few enemies still near Haze's previous position ...
but within seconds, Haze was gone.
"Spread out!" Zeno ordered.
The two vanished into the thick fog.
Father and son moved in opposite directions, sweeping the area in a wide arc. Haze's Nen technique had to radiate from him; that meant, as long as the mist persisted ... he had to be nearby!
But Zeno had underestimated the range of Haze's Phantom Mist. He assumed it would cover two or three hundred meters, just beyond his En's limit. Yet after running nearly a kilometer, the mist still stretched endlessly ... and they hadn't found him.
The two of them had swept a semicircular area of over a kilometer radius in less than thirty seconds ... a superhuman feat.
Still no trace of Haze.
Which could only mean one thing: the range of the Phantom Mist exceeded a kilometer!
"Swarm of Dragons!"
Zeno narrowed his eyes, focusing his aura and thrusting his palm upward.
A surge of psychic energy shot into the sky, forming multiple dragons that exploded like fireworks ... followed by a rain of Nen spheres cascading downward like a torrential storm.
Their destructive power far exceeded cannon fire, pounding into the fog below.
The sea of green mist and the phantoms within it melted away like snow in spring, clearing the area.
At that moment, Zeno saw it ... a beam of light shining from a nearby point.
Zeno's lips curled into a knowing smile.
He immediately dashed toward it.
Seconds later, he arrived ... only to find Haze standing beneath the radiant light, hands in his pockets, smiling at the old man who had arrived too late.
"Sorry… I've got some business to take care of over there, so I won't be able to stay and admire the scenery with you. The night sky here really is beautiful, though. If you're not in a rush to leave… maybe you should stick around a while longer."
Haze looked at the grim-faced elder.
"There's a first time for everything, right? If I don't tell anyone, no one will know that the Zoldyck family's perfect record has finally cracked."
With that, Haze vanished in a flash of light before Zeno's eyes.
Just two seconds later, a gust of wind swept past ... and Silva appeared beside his father.
"…"
Neither spoke.
Aside from the faint chirping of insects and birds, the mountains were utterly silent.
"He's gone?" Silva asked quietly.
"Yes… gone."
The tension in Zeno's face melted away, replaced by the calm of an old man. He sighed deeply.
They had failed.
The first failed mission in Zoldyck family history.
Yet both father and son remained composed, showing no visible emotion.
Zeno turned away without another word, starting down the path home. Silva followed.
"That light you saw earlier ... was it part of his ability? If he's already returned to the Field family estate… then it's some kind of long-distance teleportation. If that's part of his Nen technique, then how does it work? What kind of ability is it, really?" Silva asked as they walked through the darkened night.
"You're asking me?" Zeno snapped irritably. "Even if you asked Netero, he wouldn't know."
"The next time he's part of a mission, bring the one from home," Zeno muttered.
"Understood," Silva nodded.
"Even though the fog concealed his movements, his speed was off the charts… Judging from that, his physical strength surpasses mine ... and may even be close to yours, Father. His Nen power is stronger than mine too."
"His speed also exceeds mine… and his aura output isn't weaker. His ability, though ... it's odd. I was distracted for a second, and he exploited it," Zeno admitted with a snort.
"If it were one-on-one, Father ... could you kill him?"
"I can feel it… He's not quite on that old demon Netero's level, but with a Nen ability like that… it'd be fifty-fifty."
Silva knew his father was being serious ... but even hearing that, his face paled slightly.
Zeno cared about the family's reputation. If he said it was fifty-fifty, then realistically… he was probably at a disadvantage.
"His pay rate should at least double next time."
"Agreed."
"But how did he train? Judging by the data we have ... his age, his time learning Nen ... it doesn't make sense. Even if he started young… he's too advanced."
"Don't overthink it. Just report to the employer."
"Understood."
Though the mission had failed, becoming a blemish on their record,
rules were rules.
The Zoldycks didn't care much ... they were simply irritated.
"No response," Silva muttered, lowering his phone.
He had tried calling Chrollo. No answer.
"Well, he's probably dead. No need to refund the payment yet."
"Right."
…
At the Field family mansion,
the Phantom Troupe members stood frozen, staring up at the fading halo overhead.
And then ... standing atop the palace dome ... a figure appeared.
A thick ghostly mist swirled around him, expanding outward, darkening the sky until all light dimmed.
From within the fog, countless furious spirits emerged, filling the air between heaven and earth.
The temperature plummeted to freezing.
Chrollo felt a chill run down his spine. His phone buzzed in his pocket…
But there was no need to answer.
On the rooftop, Haze took a few steps forward, crouched, and looked down at the stunned faces of the spiders below.
Especially ... Chrollo's.
Haze took a deep breath, the metallic scent of blood filling his lungs.
"You've killed quite a lot, haven't you? So tell me… how's that little toy I gave you working out?"
He removed his sunglasses and chuckled softly.
"Everyone seems so eager… Mind if I join in?"
(End of Chapter)