Kurapika's guess had been right.
The ones truly cornered now were the Phantom Troupe.
Chrollo shared the possibility he'd discovered with the others, and the member who agreed most strongly was Shalnark.
When even Machi endorsed it, everyone essentially accepted that Chrollo had likely uncovered the biggest secret behind Ronin's rapid growth.
Because ever since childhood, Machi's intuition had almost never been wrong.
But the problem was this:
The Scarlet Eyes had been sold by the Troupe, yet they didn't actually know who most of the buyers were.
After all, the Scarlet Eyes had originally been nothing more than a tool Chrollo used to open a special information channel.
That channel was tied to the people who killed Sarasa back in Meteor City. By now Chrollo had basically narrowed the key down to a "special website."
It seemed like a network built by ability users combined with special tools—so-called "artifacts." It stored massive amounts of useful information, including the video of Sarasa's death.
If Ronin hadn't existed, Chrollo's next investigation would have focused mainly on that website.
Now, with Ronin becoming an extra complication—and possibly involving another artifact—Chrollo planned to swap the order of priorities.
If Ronin truly had an artifact, obtaining it might help him break through the restrictions of that special website.
…
Kurapika had been laying groundwork for months.
He just hadn't known at the time that Ronin's eyes also had a bottleneck.
But that little twist didn't affect his overall setup.
Information from Molding City would inevitably be dug up, and Kurapika's existence would enter the Troupe's sight.
Ronin's trust in him was Kurapika's strongest trump card.
Kurapika had asked Ronin everything—names, abilities, appearances, behavior patterns—anything useful, down to the smallest detail.
He also took over and organized the resources Ronin had access to.
Two resources impressed Kurapika the most: the powerful Rock mercenary group, and the Zoldyck family.
The former had struck deals with Ronin at Heavens Arena and helped him withdraw safely.
The latter was, in Ronin's words, worth hiring—even at an outrageous price—if they could be contacted, because they could assassinate Phantom Troupe members.
Unfortunately, Ronin only got ten million jenny out of his earlier contact with Gotoh and never obtained a Zoldyck contact.
But through Milia—Heavens Arena's well-connected "local boss"—Kurapika secured the Zoldyck contact anyway.
The Zoldycks had never intended to hide in the first place.
So things became simpler.
After confirming the Troupe would certainly arrive in Yorknew on September 1, Kurapika arranged for Ronin to steal all valuables from the mafia's underground auction.
The goal was twofold: draw out the Troupe and create the conditions for Ronin to kill Uvogin, and also draw out the Shadow Beasts to trace upward and locate the Ten Dons.
Everything went smoothly.
Injured Uvogin appeared in Gordeau Desert exactly as Kurapika predicted.
And the moment Uvogin brought other Troupe members with him, it meant at least one Troupe member would die in that desert.
The Shadow Beasts' appearance had been expected.
What Kurapika hadn't expected was Ronin's memory-reading capability.
Otherwise, Kurapika had planned to use Owl as an anchor and then use his ring finger chain to locate the Ten Dons.
That method carried risk, but it was within acceptable bounds.
Because Kurapika also had a backup piece: Zenzhi, the local boss Ronin had spared in Semetari.
Not as powerful as a Ten Don, but still a significant local force in Yorknew.
Then came the key event on September 3.
The two Zoldycks had been hired by Kurapika.
And the reason their target was Troupe member No. 8, Isri, was simple: in Kurapika's judgment, the one who didn't exist in Ronin's intel library was the biggest variable in the Troupe besides Chrollo.
If Isri was removed, then a Troupe whose abilities were already largely exposed would become fish on the cutting board.
Unfortunately, the Troupe's tight formation prevented the assassination from being completed immediately—though it did successfully test Isri's ability.
Then came the last step:
Set a trap, make the Troupe believe they'd found a crack and had a chance to succeed.
That was why Ronin took Neon out, leaving Kurapika alone in the hotel.
Normally, Kurapika expected at least two Troupe members to die here—but because of Ronin's eyes, Kurapika adjusted the plan.
Kurapika couldn't be sure how many would die in the end, but he knew Ronin would be fine.
Kurapika believed that with Shalnark's capabilities, searching online would lead the Troupe to the hotel situation.
After all, Kurapika had personally arranged for photos of Ronin and Neon leaving to be posted.
What no one knew was that the night before, Kurapika had already had the mercenary group move into the hotel and hide inside.
The only unexpected bonus was Delilah.
If she hadn't existed, Kurapika would have contacted Hisoka. From Ronin's intel about Hisoka, Kurapika knew about Texture Surprise.
Kurapika wasn't sure whether Hisoka's ability could be used on others; if it couldn't, Kurapika would have had to disguise a different corpse—raising the risk of Ronin seeing through it.
Delilah's appearance patched that gap and made the operation smoother, even removing the need to split off extra mercenaries to guard Neon.
It all played out cleanly.
When Shalnark arrived at Numpis, he spotted the opportunity.
So the Phantom Troupe acted. They didn't immediately strike Ronin—instead they poured all firepower into the "weak point."
The hotel explosion had been part of Kurapika's plan.
When Kurapika confronted Chrollo on the 18th floor, an explosion occurred upstairs. Thick smoke would alarm half the block.
No matter where Ronin and Neon were, they would notice.
Especially since the bidding market they visited had been Kurapika's recommended spot.
Kurapika understood Ronin and Neon too well.
After the brief clash with Chrollo, Kurapika, escorted by Muherr, moved straight to the rooftop of a nearby building.
The mercenaries had already set up steel cables connecting the two rooftops—that was also where Muherr could provide long-range support.
The two Zoldycks—hired for a huge fee—appeared at the perfect time and completed the assassination.
And when the mercenaries showed up at the end, Chrollo, seeing no chance of killing Ronin, could only retreat.
From the beginning, Kurapika held the initiative tightly.
Only one Troupe member died in the end, but Kurapika wasn't impatient.
Compared to hiring the Zoldycks to assassinate the Troupe, what he wanted more was the day he could stand shoulder to shoulder with nii-san Ronin and cut through those scum head-on.
He wanted the Spiders to experience what it meant to be robbed.
He already knew everything about the Troupe from Ronin—how Ronin knew it so thoroughly didn't matter.
What mattered was that Kurapika trusted Ronin. That was enough.
And according to Ronin's intel, the Troupe had been formed to pursue the killers of Sarasa.
Chrollo knew Sarasa would never approve of what he'd become. Even if they could meet again, he'd have to apologize endlessly just to beg forgiveness.
Yet Chrollo still walked this road.
He had the resolve.
The resolve to become evil—so that Meteor City would be transformed, and so that no evil would ever dare approach it again.
Then let me see how deep your resolve truly runs.
Kurapika's eyes shone brighter than ever.
When all the companions you cherish are dead…
When even the Meteor City you wanted to protect calls you its enemy…
Will your faith collapse?
Chrollo—the Troupe's brain, the core of their soul, the chief culprit behind the Kurta massacre—
can you withstand the coming wrath of Kurta revenge?
The game has only just begun.
Kurapika clenched his fist.
If Chrollo had the resolve to be a villain for Meteor City, then Kurapika did too.
But Kurapika didn't have to walk it alone.
Because he had something Chrollo didn't.
Kurapika's gaze landed on Ronin.
His "villain's" savior.
nii-san Ronin.
~~~
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