The moment Kurapika opened his mouth, Ronin already knew what he was thinking.
As for the earlier offense, Ronin didn't plan to bring it up with Kurapika right now. He would wait until the two of them had a chance to speak alone.
Although Kurapika had said those words while under suggestion, both Ronin and Kurapika knew that if Kurapika hadn't truly had doubts in his heart, he never would have been able to say something like that.
If they didn't talk that through, it would become a knot between them.
As for how to explain it, Ronin had long since prepared himself. No matter how one calculated it, everything he had done was for the sake of avenging the Kurta Clan.
And throughout that process, he had never once shown a passive attitude.
The only thing about him that was truly worth Kurapika's suspicion was probably the sheer amount of information he possessed.
So much that it didn't match his identity.
And for that, Ronin had also thought of an explanation.
The Scarlet Eyes.
The Scarlet Eyes he had fused with were his best excuse.
All of his information could be attributed to what he had gained by fusing with the Scarlet Eyes. That way, even if Kurapika remained suspicious, he would have no way to confirm anything.
If Kurapika still refused to believe him, then there was nothing Ronin could do.
Especially since, when it came to going to the Dark Continent, Ronin didn't actually need Kurapika all that much.
Strategy was important, yes, but in wilderness exploration, survival skills, experience, and strength mattered far more in Ronin's eyes.
And he had all of those.
To put it bluntly, the usefulness of Kurapika's ability, in Ronin's view, was not even as great as Shizuku's.
After all, Shizuku's ability, when paired with Owl's, would practically let Ronin go through the entire journey to the Dark Continent without ever worrying about supplies.
His attention returned to the current situation.
Ronin had already taken Pairo's head from Kurapika and opened the box, reaching inside.
At the same time, he had arrived in front of Pakunoda.
Ronin understood exactly what Kurapika wanted to do.
Even if Edo Tensei wasn't truly bringing the dead back to life, Kurapika still wanted to speak with Pairo, didn't he?
That longing even surpassed Kurapika's desire to see his parents.
And what Ronin was about to do next was use Pakunoda as the sacrifice for Edo Tensei and pull Pairo's soul over from the world of the dead.
Pakunoda sensed danger.
"Is Chrollo… dead?" Pakunoda said her first words since arriving here.
She only had a premonition. She couldn't truly be certain.
But that panicked feeling in her heart made her afraid to ask directly, because once she received a definite answer, that would be true despair.
But now, she could clearly feel that Ronin was about to do something to her.
If she didn't ask now, then perhaps she would never have another chance.
Even Pakunoda herself didn't know what kind of emotion she was feeling at this moment.
She hoped Chrollo was alive and safe, but at the same time, she also wanted to see him even after death.
She felt like she might already have gone mad.
So at last, she asked.
She wanted an answer before she died.
If Chrollo was still alive, then she would bless him and hope he stayed far away from Ronin, never crossing paths with him again.
If Chrollo was already dead, then she hoped that in the other world, she could stand close to him like she had when they were children, instead of only being able to watch him from afar like she did now.
"He's dead."
Ronin coldly spat out those two words.
He saw the twisted, complicated look on Pakunoda's face, an expression so tangled that it was impossible to tell exactly what she felt.
He could have hidden it from her, but at this point, he felt there was no meaning in doing so.
Ronin tore a small piece of flesh from the severed part of Pairo's neck. That was already enough for him to use Edo Tensei.
Pakunoda's eyes dimmed.
No one knew what she was thinking in that instant. But when she raised her head again, her eyes already carried the will to die.
Ronin did not disappoint her.
A kunai engraved with a special curse mark shot into Pakunoda's skull.
Immediately afterward, Edo Tensei activated. Pakunoda's body was quickly covered in sand and dust, and as it twisted, her height began to shrink and her figure began to change.
Kortopi, watching from the side, felt a bleak sorrow, like the fox grieving over the death of the rabbit.
He knew perfectly well that Ronin would never let him go.
After this operation, who among the Troupe would still be alive in the end?
Before Kortopi had fallen unconscious, only two people had remained on the battlefield: Shalnark and Machi, who had been dragged into the mound of earth.
But could those two really survive?
Kortopi's eyes gradually lost focus.
At that moment, Ronin shifted his gaze to Kortopi.
In truth, he hadn't planned to kill Kortopi.
Kortopi's ability was actually quite useful: touching with the left hand and copying with the right.
That kind of ability was like Owl's. Even without Kortopi using it himself, Ronin could control Kortopi's body through puppet strings and make him activate it.
So Ronin's idea was to stuff Kortopi into the Fun Fun Cloth together with Owl, treating him the same way he was keeping Owl.
Looking at Kortopi's lifeless, hollow expression, Ronin smiled faintly.
The Fun Fun Cloth struck directly. Before Kortopi could even react, he had already been covered and swallowed inside.
Then Ronin simply stuffed the Fun Fun Cloth containing Kortopi into his pocket.
By then, Pakunoda's corpse had completely transformed.
A black-haired boy appeared in front of everyone.
His body was covered in many cracks, and his eyes were bright crimson.
Yet even with those strange, almost demonic eyes, the black-haired boy still looked honest, gentle, and harmless.
Especially when he woke up and noticed Kurapika not far away, already staring at him with tears streaming down his face, joy burst into his eyes.
"Kurapika!"
But after that cry of surprise left his mouth, Pairo's expression froze slightly.
Because he saw the head that Ronin had placed back into Kurapika's arms.
It was an extremely familiar head.
After all, it was his own.
Only then did a bitter smile appear on Pairo's face, mixed with the joy.
"So… I'm already dead."
He said those words softly.
Then he noticed Ronin standing nearby.
"Ronin-nii!"
"Yeah."
Ronin did not cry.
After all, he didn't share many memories with Pairo.
At that moment, Kurapika finally stepped toward the Edo Tensei Pairo. Ronin sighed, then waved his hand and left the cave with the girls beside him, who had already been moved to tears and had started crying along with Kurapika.
The giant serpent watched what was happening beneath the giant tree. Its snake eyes did not seem to understand much.
Seeing Ronin and the others leave, it also slipped back into hiding among the giant trees.
For a time, only Kurapika and Pairo remained in the cave.
~~~
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