Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
─────
Chapter 153: Blinky, Fishhook, and Curse!
[Ryu] was pushed to its absolute limit by Phinks. By the time the pen struck his back, he had already concentrated a massive amount of aura to the point of impact.
Neon's pen failed to pierce his skin. Instead, Phinks twisted his torso, swinging his arm in a devastating counter-punch aimed straight for her face. At the same time, he kept a firm grip on Abaki's fishing line.
The line was suddenly jerked taut, and with a sharp Snap, it broke completely.
Phinks knew immediately that the unseen attacker had intentionally snapped the line to avoid being dragged out of hiding by his brute strength.
Judging by that, the sniper's actual combat strength is garbage! Confident in his assessment, he threw the punch—only for it to hit empty air. At the critical moment, Neon felt an immense suction pull at her side. Her clothes pulled taut, violently dragging her out of the path of Phinks' fist.
It was Shizuku.
Under the combined assault of Abaki and Neon, Shizuku had finally found a window to breathe. Though launching a counterattack was difficult, she used Blinky's powerful suction to pull Neon to safety.
She immediately deactivated the suction. Blinky could only lock onto Neon's clothes; if she kept it running, Neon would end up fighting Phinks completely naked.
The mental image was a bit too much to consider.
Neon was still reeling from the close call, but Phinks had no intention of giving up the initiative. Stepping forward, he launched a brutal sweeping kick toward her. He wasn't a fighter who relied solely on his fists.
Neon crossed her arms, pooling a massive amount of Nen to block. An agonizing pain shot through her forearms as she was launched into the air.
Just as Phinks prepared to follow up with a lethal combo to finish her off, Shizuku appeared at his flank. Raising Blinky high above her head like a sledgehammer, she brought it crashing down toward his skull.
Simultaneously, a fishhook materialized and snagged Neon's clothes. The line went taut, yanking her airborne body sideways to safety.
Phinks' punch missed yet again, but he seemed prepared for it. Mid-swing, he violently twisted his waist, firing off a second punch from his hip. The motion was incredibly fluid, and his fist slammed accurately into the side of Blinky's toothless mouth.
Right at that moment, Shizuku abruptly let go. Blinky vanished into thin air.
Phinks' fist sailed harmlessly through the space where the vacuum had been. An instant later, Blinky rematerialized in Shizuku's hands. Thrusting it forward, the vacuum's massive jaws clamped down violently on Phinks' extended arm.
Phinks desperately rushed his Nen to his arm, but he was too late.
Blood sprayed into the air as Phinks violently tore himself away, putting distance between them. He hadn't expected to be outplayed by the nuances of her Nen ability.
Ever since Neon was pulled away, Phinks had been keenly aware of the vacuum cleaner's core function: suction. Because of that, he had kept part of his attention focused on anticipating a sudden vacuum blast while attacking Shizuku.
He hadn't anticipated that she would instantly dispel and re-conjure her weapon. While doing so burned through a decent chunk of aura, the tactical advantage it provided was well worth the cost.
Looking at the deep gash on his arm, Phinks quickly figured out her plan. She intended to use the vacuum's immense suction to forcefully drain the blood from his open wound.
He had to admit, it was a terrifyingly effective strategy.
The wound was large—a jagged tear caused by his desperate retreat while the vacuum's teeth were still sunken into his flesh. Stopping the bleeding on a wound like that wouldn't be easy.
Watching him back away, Shizuku whispered to the vacuum, "Blinky, suck him completely dry."
Obeying her command, Blinky's jagged maw opened wide. A terrifying suction force erupted, locking firmly onto Phinks. No matter how fast he retreated, the invisible pull clung to him relentlessly.
Blood sprayed wildly, forming a crimson ribbon in the air that flowed directly into Blinky's mouth.
Phinks realized he only had one option. Clamping a hand firmly over the wound, he exploded forward, charging straight for Shizuku. If he killed her, the suction would disappear.
But just then, a figure wrapped in a swirling current of air crashed into the ground beside Shizuku. As the wind dissipated, Kurapika stood revealed. It took only a fraction of a second for him to assess the battlefield. Within a moment of landing, the [Chain Jail] on his middle finger shot forward like a striking viper, sweeping toward Phinks.
The charging Enhancer was forced to halt his advance and dodge the lethal chains.
At the same time, the ghostly fishhook materialized once more, this time rocketing straight for his mouth.
It was all happening too fast. Phinks was forced to release his grip on his bleeding arm, grabbing the fishing line and violently halting the hook right in front of his face, just as he had done before.
But the moment he let go of his wound, blood erupted from his arm once more.
If he let go of the hook to stem the bleeding, the chains would be on him. And to make matters worse, that annoying pink-haired girl was rushing in again with her stupid fountain pen.
Phinks felt a surge of absolute fury. Yet, he was completely pinned down by the flawless coordination of Shizuku, Kurapika, and Abaki.
Neon didn't charge all the way in. Instead, she uncapped her pen, channeled her Nen into it, and began writing in the empty air. As she moved the pen, lines of a curse poem materialized, hanging ethereally before her.
『The body hooked under the sun, / Will slowly wither into a collector's art.』
"I really like this prophecy." Neon could see the curse manifesting, though she preferred to call her fortune-telling 'prophecies' rather than curses.
A corpse drained of its blood and strung up like a fish certainly possessed a macabre aesthetic value.
Phinks couldn't read the blood-red text floating in the air, but the moment he looked at it, a primal sense of dread washed over him.
The deadly fishhook materialized right in front of him again.
Doesn't she need to replace the hook?! He had just snapped the line! Even the previous attack had a slight delay, so why was this one instantaneous? Was her fishing rod not conjured?
Of course! The way it materialized out of thin air—that was the hallmark of an Emitter! Emission and Conjuration are polar opposites on the Nen chart; an Emitter trying to master Conjuration was a complete waste of talent.
He had miscalculated from the very beginning.
Unable to block it in time, the hook viciously snagged his cheek.
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations