After Aisha and the others restrained the Phantom Troupe in one of the hotel rooms, they rented another room and gathered there to finally take a breather. Except for Aisha, everyone was utterly exhausted—so tired that they collapsed where they were even without falling asleep, unable to hide their fatigue at all.
It was only natural. Barely an hour had passed since the deadly battle they had won by squeezing out their aura until they nearly lost consciousness. Gon and Leorio, who had fainted earlier, had also woken up from the earlier commotion. If they closed their eyes they could probably fall asleep immediately, but they still had things they needed to discuss about what would happen next, so they couldn't do that.
"Well then, I'm sorry to bother everyone when you're all so tired. But given the situation, I'd like you to stay with me for a little longer and talk."
"Yeah, it's okay."
At Gon's reply, everyone else nodded in agreement. After confirming that, Aisha continued.
"First, let's exchange information about what happened to each of us today. The Troupe was there earlier, so we couldn't really go into detail."
"Yeah. I want to know what happened in that building after you ran off, Aisha."
"Was your father safe? Leorio told me he was okay for now."
"Yeah, I'm curious about that too."
"Alright then. I suppose I'll start."
And so Aisha began explaining, bit by bit, why she had rushed out of the hotel and what had happened afterward.
She told them that her father was part of the Mafia. That she had essentially been disowned because of something involving herself. That she had realized the Phantom Troupe's target might be the underground auction run by the Mafia. Then she went on to explain everything in detail—her battle with the Troupe, bringing her dying father to Leorio for treatment, and finally capturing Shalnark at the hospital where her father had been admitted.
"That's everything… I'm truly sorry for running off without saying anything to all of you."
After finishing her explanation, Aisha bowed deeply in apology to everyone.
"Aisha, you don't have to apologize! You were just worried about your father!"
"No. Because I rushed ahead without consulting any of you, I ended up dragging you into a battle with the Phantom Troupe. I'm happy you feel that way, Gon, but the fact remains that it was my fault you were put in danger…"
Gon hadn't said it merely to comfort her—he truly believed it. Aisha understood that as well. In that situation, she probably didn't even have time to consult them.
But even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been the cause of putting her friends in danger, and the guilt continued to weigh heavily on her.
"No, Aisha did nothing wrong. I fought the Spiders for my own reasons. Aisha bears no responsibility for that, and I have no intention of blaming her. If anything, the responsibility lies with me. I ignored Killua's warning, fought the Troupe, and dragged all of you into it."
"No. If I hadn't panicked and lost my composure, there must have been a better way. The reason we suddenly ended up fighting the Troupe was because of me."
"No, that's not true. Even if Aisha hadn't rushed off, I would have fought the Troupe here in Yorknew eventually. The only difference would have been whether it happened sooner or later. So blaming yourself is misplaced."
"No, it was my—"
"No, it was mine—"
For a while, a strange situation continued where the two of them kept insisting the blame was theirs and blaming themselves over and over.
Gon and the others had been quietly watching, but eventually they reached their limit.
"Ahh, enough already! Both of you cut it out! Aisha saved her dad, that's great. Kurapika got some revenge for his comrades, that's great too. And none of us died. Isn't that enough? You guys are overthinking this!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Leorio's sudden outburst caught both of them completely off guard, leaving them speechless.
Looking around, they saw Gon and Killua nodding in agreement with what Leorio said.
"Aisha and Kurapika, you two just have way too strong a sense of responsibility. What are you, our guardians or something? We fought the Troupe because we chose to. Don't go blaming yourselves for that."
"Yeah! Aisha, Kurapika, you should rely on us more. Maybe we're not strong enough, but there are still things I can help with!"
"Gon and Killua are right. Yeah, we're weaker than Aisha, but we can at least take responsibility for our own lives. And besides, what we want from you guys isn't some apology."
At that moment, Aisha and Kurapika finally realized their misunderstanding.
Feeling embarrassed yet grateful, they turned to their friends who had corrected them and thanked them sincerely.
"…You're right. Thank you, everyone. Thanks to you, we managed to capture two members of the Troupe. I'm truly grateful."
"Yes. Thanks to everyone's help, I was able to save my father safely. I can't thank you enough. Truly, thank you."
"No, it's fine. I'm just glad we could help."
"See? You should've just said that from the start."
"Heh, don't sweat it."
Some accepted the thanks sincerely, some tried to hide their embarrassment, and others simply felt satisfied that they could help a friend.
Watching their various reactions, Aisha felt the bond between them as friends and companions more strongly than ever, and silently expressed her gratitude once more in her heart.
—Ah… I'm really glad I became friends with them.
Kurapika seemed to be thinking something similar. A relieved smile had appeared on his face, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Everything wasn't over yet, but he had at least managed to take a small measure of revenge for his fallen kin, which likely brought him a bit of satisfaction.
However, reminding himself that their enemy was still lurking somewhere in Yorknew, Kurapika urged them to continue the conversation.
"Aisha has finished her part. Now it's our turn to talk about what happened after we parted ways."
And so Kurapika began recounting the entire battle.
Occasionally Gon, Killua, and Leorio chimed in, and eventually the story of that fierce fight was fully told.
"…I can't believe you managed to win. I'm really glad none of you died."
That was Aisha's honest impression after hearing everything.
Just hearing the story wasn't enough to fully understand Uvogin's strength. As the saying goes, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.
Even so, based on what she heard, Uvogin's combat power sounded completely monstrous. Defeating such an opponent without losing a single person felt like a miracle victory with odds of one in ten thousand.
"By the way, Killua… what happened to you? You seem completely different."
With her sharp perception, Aisha noticed the change in Killua.
Unlike before, his aura now overflowed with confidence, and its strength had increased dramatically. Aisha had seen many people change like this after experiencing real combat—but Killua's transformation seemed unusually large.
"Hm? Oh, that's probably because the thing that had been binding me finally got removed."
"Binding?"
"Yeah. My stupid brother did something to me."
And so Killua explained the needle curse placed on him by his older brother, Illumi. At some point in the past—without even Killua realizing it—Illumi had planted a needle infused with Nen into his head, instilling a deep-seated compulsion within him. By pulling it out, he had finally freed himself from that restraint.
"…I see. Something like that in your head… Even I didn't notice. Maybe if I had known what your aura was like before the needle was implanted, I might have realized…"
"Well, whatever. I feel great now."
"I seeee. So the reason you were crying so much earlier was because of the needle."
"Oh? Killua was crying?"
"You bastard, Leorio! D-don't go saying unnecessary stuff!"
"You even had snot running down your nose."
"I told you I didn't have snot running down my nose! Keep talking nonsense like that and I'll kill you, Leorio!"
Just like that, Killua and Leorio started chasing each other around the room.
Even though the room they rented was fairly spacious, with five people inside it still felt cramped. The two of them skillfully ran around, weaving between people and furniture as they chased each other.
"Hey, you two, stop it. It's the middle of the night—you're going to bother the other guests. …Wait, didn't I say something like this yesterday too?"
"Yeah, I think you did."
"Alright, alright, sorry Killua. Look, Gon's saying it too, so let's stop, okay?"
"Tch. Just remember this, Leorio."
Once everyone had finally calmed down, the conversation continued.
"I was curious about something from earlier," Aisha said. "That large man—Uvogin, was it? The Nen ability he used… it was the ability to enlarge his body, correct?"
"Yeah. More precisely, it seemed like an ability that massively amplifies his muscles. Why do you ask?"
"…No, it's nothing. It's probably just my imagination."
An ability that amplifies muscles.
Something about that ability caught Aisha's attention. The thought was right on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite grasp what it was. Feeling frustrated, she decided to set it aside for now and continue the conversation.
"More importantly, what was that technique of yours, Leorio?" Killua asked. "That muscle freak didn't even flinch from any of our attacks, but he looked like he was in crazy pain when you hit him!"
"Yeah!" Gon agreed. "That punch was amazing! When I attacked him afterward, the guy whose muscles were like iron suddenly felt like tofu!"
"Indeed, it was remarkable," Kurapika said. "It certainly became the turning point of the battle. What kind of ability is it exactly?"
"I'm curious about that as well," Aisha added.
It was only natural for Aisha to be curious. That ability was probably based on her own embarrassment—the "Black Book" she had written. She wanted to know what kind of ability it was… but at the same time, she didn't want to know.
Two conflicting emotions clashed inside her.
In the end, curiosity won.
"Oh, that?" Leorio said proudly. "It's an offensive version of [Palm Healing Technique / Hoimi], modified for combat. Its name is [Flash Blossom Radiant Fist / Mahoimi]!"
"Mahoimi?"
"You improved Hoimi? But how does a healing ability deal damage?" Killua asked.
Killua's confusion was understandable. If an ability is based on healing, most people would assume the result would still be a healing ability.
But anything taken too far becomes poison.
If you give plants water and fertilizer, they grow better. But if you give them too much, that same water and fertilizer becomes harmful.
"That idea is what I applied to [Flash Blossom Radiant Fist / Mahoimi]," Leorio explained. "It forces the target's cells to over-activate their self-healing ability—basically accelerating cell division way too much. That destroys the cells themselves."
"Honestly, it's not an ability I like to use," he continued. "Since it destroys cells, normal treatment can't easily heal the damage afterward. Unless you could completely replace the affected body part, I guess."
Everyone fell silent after hearing the terrifying nature of the ability.
An absolute attack that was both unrecoverable and impossible to defend against.
If someone were to take that attack directly—especially to the face—the result would be horrifying to imagine.
Well… everyone except Aisha was silent for a slightly different reason.
She never imagined that the embarrassing "black history" she had once written would eventually lead to something like this. Even the original author couldn't have predicted such a development.
"Well, since it's so powerful, the restrictions are pretty harsh," Leorio added. "I can only use it with Ko, and it only works if I hit the opponent's bare skin."
"That's… not something you should rely on often," Aisha said seriously. "Just like Gon's Jajanken, using Ko carelessly is extremely dangerous. Gon's case is somewhat different—if it lands, the sheer power can crush the enemy."
"But your ability is far more limited," she continued. "In some situations you might only be able to aim for the opponent's head. That's far too risky."
"Yeah, I know," Leorio replied. "I don't want to use an ability that dangerous for both me and the enemy either. I'll only use it if things get really desperate."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
Hearing the sincerity in Leorio's voice reassured Aisha. No matter how one looked at it, the ability was far too much of a gamble. It could probably work against almost any enemy if it landed—but against an opponent strong enough to require such an ability in the first place, the risk was enormous.
Like the battle against Uvogin, it was clearly an ability that only became effective when fighting alongside allies.
"I see now," Aisha said. "It makes sense how you were able to defeat such a powerful opponent. The four of you fought while covering each other. A victory through teamwork."
"Man, now that you mention it… it's crazy we actually beat a monster like that," Leorio muttered.
"Yeah," Gon said. "It took all four of us working together. We really still need more training…"
Gon sounded discouraged, but considering how close to their limits their training already was, it was less a matter of lacking training and more a matter of lacking time.
"But Aisha, you beat enemies like that without getting hurt," Killua said.
"No," Aisha replied calmly. "If I took an attack like that man's directly, I wouldn't come out unscathed. A single blow that can gouge the earth, create a crater, and even collapse buildings… even for an Enhancer, that's far from normal."
"…Hey," Leorio said slowly. "The way you said that… doesn't it sound like you're saying you wouldn't be unhurt, but you still wouldn't die?"
"That's how it sounded to me too," Kurapika said. "Hmm. Leorio, let me give you some useful advice about dealing with Aisha."
"What?"
"Don't be surprised by everything she does. If you keep getting shocked over things like this, you'll develop stomach ulcers. There's even a saying for it: 'It can't be helped—it's Aisha.'"
"…I see very clearly now how you view me, Kurapika," Aisha said flatly.
She glared at Kurapika with half-lidded eyes.
But Gon, Killua, and Kurapika immediately responded in unison.
"It can't be helped—it's Aisha."
"That's terrible!" Aisha protested.
Her shout triggered everyone to burst into laughter.
Aisha puffed out her cheeks in protest, clearly saying with her expression that she couldn't accept this treatment.
"Ahh, that was a good laugh," Leorio said. "Things have been pretty heavy lately, so that felt refreshing."
"Yeah," Gon agreed. "This feels more like us."
"…Perhaps I should double your next training regimen…"
"Sorry!"
"Please spare us!"
"You guys apologized way too fast!" Leorio shouted.
Their lightning-fast reversal after hearing Aisha's quiet mutter left even her surprised.
Seeing how deeply the suffering of training had been carved into their bones made Aisha wonder if she had pushed them a bit too far.
However—
One person had not reacted to Aisha's words.
Killua.
Or rather, that wasn't quite correct.
Killua had reacted—very strongly.
"Fine by me," Killua said. "Doubling the training works perfectly. Honestly, I'd even be okay with tripling it."
"Are you insane, Killua?!" Kurapika exclaimed.
Suggesting that their hellish training be tripled sounded less like sanity and more like madness.
Kurapika doubted his ears. Aisha and Gon—who both knew exactly how brutal the training was—stared at Killua with wide eyes.
"I'm completely serious," Killua said. "I need to get stronger."
In his eyes was an unwavering determination.
Seeing that, everyone present understood the meaning behind his words.
"Killua… did something happen?" Aisha asked gently.
"…Yeah. A little," Killua replied. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's focus on the Phantom Troupe."
He pushed aside, for the moment, the image of the beloved family member that had surfaced in his mind.
Now wasn't the time.
He told himself that he would face that matter after overcoming the current crisis and becoming much stronger.
Seeing Killua's silent resolve, the others decided not to press him further and returned the discussion to their immediate problem: the Phantom Troupe.
"So what do you think the Spiders will do next?" Gon asked.
"We captured two of their members," Kurapika said. "But they likely don't know what happened to them yet. Whether they're dead… or captured."
"There are only two possibilities for what they do next," he continued. "Withdraw—or return to Yorknew."
"If they come back to Yorknew," Killua added, "the most likely place they'll check is the hospital where we captured that guy, Shalnark. They know he went there, right? If their comrade doesn't come back, they'll investigate the last place he went."
Kurapika and Killua analyzed the Troupe's likely movements based on the information they had.
Would they come to confirm their comrades' fate?
Or would they retreat after suffering such damage?
Kurapika, of course, hoped the Phantom Troupe would come rather than run. He wanted to settle things with his hated enemies here and now.
"Yes," Aisha said. "Shalnark himself said the same thing. That the Troupe knows he went to the hospital. If we killed him here, his comrades would come to investigate."
Incidentally, that had been Shalnark's bluff. He had never actually told the others which hospital he had gone to. And yet Shalnark had lied smoothly—without breaking a sweat, and without even the slightest fluctuation in his aura.
"Then if we ambush them there, we can fight the Troupe again?" Gon asked.
"Whoa, whoa! You guys still want to fight the Phantom Troupe?" Leorio said. "Shouldn't we retreat for now?"
"What are you saying, Leorio?" Killua replied. "We've already captured two of them, and Aisha seriously injured three more. Right now is the best chance we'll ever have to capture them. If we let this opportunity slip, we'll never get another one like it."
Killua's words were correct. There probably wouldn't be another time when the Phantom Troupe was this worn down. Leorio understood that too.
But when he imagined facing enemies on the same level as Uvogin again, he couldn't help but feel intimidated.
"Well… maybe you're right," Leorio admitted. "But there are still eight more monsters like that guy, right? Even if we can hold one of them off, can Aisha really handle the rest of the Troupe?"
"If that's your concern, please don't worry, Leorio-san," Aisha replied calmly. "The enemy you fought was likely one of the Phantom Troupe's top combatants. Even if the Troupe is strong, their strength is not equal across all members."
"As proof, the four members I fought were not nearly as monstrous as what you described. Depending on the opponent, Kurapika alone could have defeated several of them."
"And there's something else, Leorio," Kurapika added. "The number of enemies is actually one less. I hadn't told you earlier, but Hisoka is not truly a member of the Phantom Troupe—he's a traitor."
"What do you mean?" Gon asked.
Kurapika then explained his alliance with Hisoka—why Hisoka had joined the Troupe in the first place, and why he had betrayed them.
"So that leaves seven…" Leorio muttered. "And if that bastard Hisoka is technically on our side… maybe we actually have a chance?"
"No," Aisha said immediately. "It would be dangerous to consider Hisoka an ally. That man is completely faithful to his own desires. Right now he's betraying his temporary comrades to satisfy those desires. There's no telling when he might betray us as well. It's better not to regard him as an ally."
In fact, Aisha was even considering the worst-case scenario: that Hisoka might harm one of Gon and the others.
Hisoka had felt the greatest thrill of lust during his deadly battle with Aisha. That was likely why he accepted the conditions Aisha had proposed.
But if fulfilling those conditions became impossible—if, for example, the Troupe's leader managed to escape…
Then Hisoka might resort to a method that would force Aisha to fight him seriously.
And that method would be simple.
If he killed just one of the people precious to Aisha—one of her close friends and comrades—then Aisha would undoubtedly fight him with everything she had.
Hisoka had no intention of plucking an unripe fruit before it matured into something delicious. Aisha understood that much.
But since there was no telling when Hisoka might suddenly change his mind, Aisha could not fully trust him.
"Then why don't we contact Hisoka and ask about the Troupe's movements?" Gon suggested.
"No," Kurapika said, shaking his head. "If he contacts us, that's fine. But we shouldn't contact him ourselves."
"If we call him, his phone might ring. Even if it's on silent mode, it would still vibrate. That could make the surrounding Troupe members suspicious."
"'Who just called you?' they might ask. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't matter, but the Troupe is likely on high alert right now. We should minimize the chances of Hisoka being suspected."
"I see," Leorio nodded.
"And there's more," Kurapika continued. "According to Hisoka, one of the Troupe members has the ability to read the hearts of anything she touches. Her name is Pakunoda."
"If Pakunoda investigates us, the advantage of my alliance with Hisoka will be completely lost."
"Seriously?! Then what other kinds of ability users are there?!" Killua asked urgently.
Information about an enemy's abilities was something every Nen user desperately wanted.
In battles between Nen users, knowing the enemy's ability is an extremely powerful advantage.
That's why Killua always kept his own abilities secret from anyone outside his allies. Kurapika did the same. So did Leorio. And Aisha as well.
Gon was a bit different—his ability didn't suffer much disadvantage from being known, so quite a few members of the Kazama-style school already knew about it.
Ironically, however, learning about Gon's ability often made opponents hesitate because of its overwhelming power. In that sense, it sometimes worked to his advantage.
"Besides Pakunoda," Kurapika continued, "there's Franklin, who fires aura like a machine gun. Shizuku, who conjures a vacuum cleaner that can absorb anything except living beings."
"Uvogin, a powerful Enhancer—but we defeated him. And Shalnark, who controls targets by inserting an antenna—Aisha defeated him, and he's currently being held with Uvogin."
"There's also Machi, who can transform her aura into thread."
"And finally…" Kurapika paused.
"The most troublesome of them all—the Phantom Troupe's leader, Chrollo. His ability allows him to steal other people's Nen abilities."
"What?! Steal Nen abilities?!" Leorio shouted.
"What kind of ridiculous power is that?!" Killua added.
Stealing someone else's Nen ability certainly sounded absurdly powerful and unusual.
In fact, it belonged to the Specialization category—the rarest of the six Nen types—and even among those abilities, it was considered extremely rare.
"So how does he steal someone's ability?" Gon asked.
"Apparently he must first learn the details of the target's ability," Kurapika explained. "There are also several other conditions. From what I heard, fulfilling them during battle is difficult."
"That's a relief," Leorio said. "It would be a nightmare if he could just steal abilities mid-fight."
"Can he use the stolen abilities freely?" Gon asked.
"Yes. He holds a conjured book in one hand, and by opening the page where the stolen ability is recorded, he can use it."
"Sounds like a real pain to deal with," Leorio muttered. "Though I guess it suits the leader of a bunch of thieves."
Nen abilities often reflect the user's inner nature. That tendency is especially strong among Specialists.
For the leader of a band of thieves to possess the ability to steal Nen abilities—it was almost a perfect reflection of his essence.
What kind of environment someone would have to grow up in for such an ability to manifest…
Aisha couldn't even begin to imagine.
"We still don't know which ability belongs to which person among the remaining members," Kurapika said. "If only we had their faces matched with their names."
"Oh, in that case," Aisha said, "Franklin and Shizuku were the ones I fought."
"Franklin was a large man with many scars on his face. Shizuku was a black-haired woman wearing glasses."
"I injured Shizuku badly enough that her left arm is unusable, though she can probably still fight. As for Franklin, I inflicted a fatal-level wound. Unless there's a healing-type Nen ability involved, it will be difficult for him to return to battle."
As she said this, Aisha's expression darkened slightly.
Even if her opponent was a notorious criminal with an A-class bounty—someone who had harmed her father—the thought that she might have killed someone still left her feeling uneasy.
Including her previous life, Aisha had never killed anyone.
Well… there had been the incident with her mother, but aside from that, she had never taken a life through combat.
Having lived a peaceful life in her previous world, far removed from killing, the idea of taking someone's life was something Aisha deeply hesitated over.
Remembering how she had left Franklin on the brink of death dampened her mood slightly—but she quickly fixed her expression so her friends wouldn't notice.
"So excluding Hisoka… how many abilities do we still not know about?" Gon asked.
"Five remain unknown," Kurapika answered. "Although it seems Aisha has already defeated one of them. Still, even if we know their names and abilities, we don't know which face belongs to which ability. We'll have to confirm that when we meet them."
"Hisoka should've at least given us photos," Leorio complained.
"Seriously," Killua agreed.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about information we don't have," Aisha said. "This is all the enemy information we currently know. The next step is deciding how we act."
Everyone nodded solemnly at Aisha's words.
"Total confrontation," Killua said. "We should capture them all while we have this perfect opportunity."
"Agreed," Kurapika said. "They've already seen Aisha's face. If we miss this chance, they'll certainly target her later."
"That's true," Leorio admitted. "If that's the case, we have to act before they regroup."
"Yeah," Gon said firmly. "I want to stop them too. Someone has to stop them."
"Everyone…" Aisha said softly.
"…Alright. We'll capture the entire Phantom Troupe during this opportunity. Let's come up with a plan."
"Yeah!"
◆
Meanwhile, while Aisha and the others were holding their discussion, the captured members of the Phantom Troupe—Uvogin and Shalnark—were spending their time in a hotel room that had been turned into a temporary prison.
"Damn it. No good. The phone in the room won't connect to anything. The computer's line's been cut too. Can't you do something about it, Shal?"
"Impossible. If the line's been shut off from the start, there's no way we can connect from here no matter what we try. They took our cell phones too, and if we leave the room the chain will activate. You'd better give up on contacting the outside."
The two captives were, of course, not satisfied with their current situation, and they were searching for some way out—so long as it didn't break the rules that bound them.
However, every communication line in the room had been severed. Naturally, it was Kurapika who had done it. Using his Hunter License, he pressured the hotel and had this one room completely disconnected from all network systems.
Just as Shalnark said, the cell phones that could serve as a means of outside contact had been confiscated, and they had been thoroughly searched as well. Furthermore, entry into the room without permission had been strictly forbidden under any circumstances, so even the hotel staff would not come inside.
"Damn it! So all we can do is sit here and wait?! Ngh…!"
Shouting in frustration, Uvogin's face twisted in pain. The abdominal muscles whose cells had been destroyed throbbed painfully, tormenting his body. The pain from his other injuries was something he was used to—pain he could endure—but having his cells destroyed was something he had never experienced before.
"They really messed you up, huh. For Uvo to be hurting that much."
"That ain't it. The injuries on my body are nothing. Well, my gut hurts a bit though. Think my insides got messed up a little… But more than that, it's the wound on my stomach. I don't really get it, but that guy with the sunglasses—"
"Stop!"
Just as Uvogin was about to talk about the strange condition affecting his body—and about Leorio, who had likely caused it—Shalnark suddenly raised his voice and cut him off.
"Huh? What's up, Shal?"
"You can't talk about that any further."
"What do you mean?"
"..."
"Hey, say something, Shal."
Shalnark almost let out a sigh at Uvogin, who still hadn't fully understood the rules binding them. But he couldn't explain it in detail. Even if he tried to explain vaguely, he had no idea how much he could imply before the chain stabbed into his heart would activate.
So Shalnark simply ignored Uvogin's words, hoping he would figure it out himself.
No matter how much he spoke to him, Shalnark kept ignoring him. Even Uvogin began to find that suspicious. Shalnark was a man who teased people often, but he rarely did things without meaning. If he was ignoring him like this, there had to be some reason.
After thinking for a while, Uvogin finally remembered the rule binding them.
"Ugh, I totally forgot…"
Hearing that, Shalnark finally felt relieved that he had understood.
"Get a grip. …Just to be safe, you do understand what the rule 'You are forbidden from harming others' means, right?"
"Yeah. It pisses me off, but all I gotta do is not punch anyone, right?"
Hearing that confident answer, Shalnark couldn't help but sigh.
"You know, Uvo, harming someone isn't just about violence, you know? Even if you don't physically hurt them—if you insult someone and hurt them mentally… that still counts as harming another person."
This was simply part of the rule itself, not information about Kurapika and the others, so Shalnark judged it was safe to say. And judging from the fact that the chain hadn't activated, he seemed to be correct.
"Huh!? Then what—does that mean if someone does anything to me, I can't hit them back or even argue with them!?"
"That's right. Be careful not to spit out abusive language. If a careless word hurts someone, you'll die too, Uvo."
"You've gotta be kidding me! Damn it! So no matter what someone does to me, I just have to endure it…!"
Even Uvogin seemed somewhat shaken by the fact that the rule placed on him was stricter than he had thought. It was the price for living recklessly as he pleased all this time—but if he were the kind of person who would reflect on that, he wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.
At that moment, Shalnark had formed a certain hypothesis.
What if the chain itself wasn't actually the one judging whether the rules were broken?
The rules defined by the chain were vague. It said the chain would activate if they harmed another person—but who determined whether someone had been harmed?
Was it the chain itself? If the person bound by the chain hurt someone, could the chain really determine that the other person had been harmed?
The only one who truly knows that is the person who feels hurt.
There are people in the world who hurt others without realizing it. Someone might say something casually, without any intention of hurting anyone, yet the other person might still feel hurt. Someone might toss an empty can onto the roadside, and another person could step on it, fall, and get injured.
Would the chain activate in such cases?
No—Shalnark believed this instead: the chain would probably activate only when the person bound by the rule recognized that they had broken it.
Even if the other person was hurt, if the one bound by the rule didn't recognize it as such, the chain might not activate.
That was Shalnark's hypothesis. But in the end, it was only a hypothesis. He couldn't say with certainty that it was true.
That was why he warned Uvogin—to make sure Uvogin didn't unknowingly hurt someone. Not only physically, but mentally as well.
If this hypothesis were proven correct, then perhaps they could exploit the loophole in the rule and eventually free themselves from the chains binding them.
Holding onto that hope, Shalnark continued thinking. Even while understanding that this hope itself was exactly the "fertilizer of humiliation" Kurapika had spoken about.
People experience despair because they hold hope. Because hope exists, they struggle to live on, clinging to life even when drenched in humiliation.
—Ah, damn it. This really is the perfect revenge—
Shalnark silently hurled curses filled with resentment toward Kurapika in his mind. For now, that was the only thing he could do.
"By the way, Shal. How long are you gonna stay like that?"
"…It's not like I want to stay like this."
The conversation suddenly shifted. At the moment, Shalnark was lying on the bed. But his body looked abnormal to anyone who saw it.
Every joint in his arms and legs had been dislocated.
If strings were attached to him, he would look like a perfectly crafted marionette.
"Heh… Want me to put them back in place for you?"
"Sure. But if you force my joints back and I get hurt in the process, you'll die, Uvo."
"That'd be medical treatment though."
"Hmm… who knows. We still don't fully understand the criteria for breaking the rules. It's better to avoid anything that might even possibly trigger it."
What a troublesome situation.
Thinking that, Shalnark sighed. Even when choosing words, he had to carefully think about every single one before speaking.
Even in this conversation alone, Shalnark had stopped himself several times from saying something provocative to Uvogin. Normally, it would just be playful banter between comrades—but if Uvogin were somehow hurt by it, and Shalnark recognized that he had hurt him…
If that recognition triggered the chain's condition, the outcome was obvious.
"Sigh… For now, let's just put our faith in the others."
"…Yeah. Guess we'll have to wait for them to beat those guys and come all the way here. Damn… this is pathetic."
For now, the two of them had no choice but to rely on their comrades who weren't here.
"…I'm hungry."
"I want my joints put back in place…"
Their muttering—hardly befitting A-class bounty criminals—quietly dissolved into the room.
◆
After the night of fierce battle ended and the date changed, the morning sun rose over Yorknew.
Despite the unprecedented incident that had occurred the night before—buildings collapsing in the city and a full-scale gunfight—it was hard to believe it was the very next day. Ordinary people were going about their lives just as usual.
The police had blocked off certain areas and the media had imposed restrictions on reporting the incident. Even so, rumors could not be completely suppressed, and people were exchanging all sorts of speculation about what had happened the previous night.
Amid that Yorknew City—both the same as always and somehow different—a pair of a man and a woman walked through the streets.
One was a young man with black hair. The earrings on his earlobes and the white bandana tied around his forehead were distinctive. But his most notable feature was probably his well-refined face. He was so handsome that women passing by couldn't help but stare at him.
The other was a blonde woman. Her slightly hawk-like nose stood out a little, but her tall, model-like and curvaceous figure suited the black women's suit she wore. Men passing by also had their eyes drawn to her body.
The two of them were somewhat out of the ordinary compared to typical civilians, but no one seemed particularly suspicious of them. They blended naturally into the everyday life of the city.
However, the truth was that the two belonged to a world far removed from normal life.
The man was none other than the leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo Lucilfer. The woman walking beside him was another member of the troupe, Pakunoda. The thieves' group listed on the blacklist as A-class bounty criminals were walking through the city together—not for sightseeing, of course.
Their destination was the El Hospital, where they believed one of their comrades had infiltrated. Their goal was to gather information about the missing member.
The reason they were walking openly down the main street without hiding themselves, disguised as ordinary civilians, was to avoid arousing suspicion from the girl in question.
If Chrollo's prediction was correct and the girl had defeated Shalnark at El Hospital, then the chances were quite high that she was still there.
If the Phantom Troupe had been defeated at a hospital they infiltrated, the girl would surely assume the other members would come to the hospital. If she realized that, what would she do? Run away, or lie in wait?
If she chose to wait for them, then infiltrating the hospital while concealing their presence would be extremely difficult. From the memory images Shizuku had seen, the girl's strength far exceeded the Phantom Troupe's expectations. Even if they suppressed their presence, there was a high chance someone of her caliber would detect them.
In that case, they would simply enter the hospital openly without hiding. Surely she wouldn't commit the outrageous act of capturing every civilian.
Fortunately, the faces of Pakunoda—who possessed the ability to read memories—and Chrollo—who had various abilities and quick thinking—were not known to the enemy.
For that reason, these two would enter the hospital, while the rest of the members would head there separately.
Incidentally, the other members were not chosen not only because of their abilities, but also because their appearances and behavior were too far removed from those of ordinary civilians.
"Do you really think she's here, Boss—…I mean, Kuro?"
Pakunoda almost called him danchō out of habit, but quickly corrected herself and used the alias they had decided on beforehand.
"Who knows. It's possible, but not certain. However, at the moment this hospital has the highest probability. If we fail to obtain information here, it will become difficult to find her."
If that happened, they would be unable to avenge their comrades or erase the humiliation the troupe had suffered.
Considering the enemy's combat ability, the most correct decision as the Spider would normally be to withdraw here. Against someone with that level of power, even if they managed to defeat her, several casualties might occur.
No—Chrollo believed it would be impossible to defeat her without casualties.
Her extraordinary aura quantity, combined with the overwhelming skill to use it perfectly. The memories from the past and the images obtained from Shizuku's memory reading—the quality of the aura in both matched.
He was certain.
She was the demon child he had once seen in Meteor City.
And at the same time, he thought:
They should have killed her back then.
When she was still a baby… that monster might have been easy to kill—like twisting the neck of an infant. If they had done that, Chrollo would not have had to taste humiliation, and they would not have lost comrades.
—No… that's sentimentality—
Even for the Spider, losing comrades was painful. Especially those who had been with them since the troupe's founding.
But they could not afford to dwell on such feelings. The past would never return.
Therefore, as the Spider, there was only one thing they must do.
Not mourn their fallen comrades. Not regret the past.
But bury the enemy who had dared bare their fangs at them.
For that purpose, Chrollo was even prepared to turn not just the hospital, but all of Yorknew into a battlefield.
Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of El Hospital.
However, the entrance before them was not the main entrance, but a smaller one located behind the hospital.
This entrance was used exclusively by hospital personnel. In other words, the only people coming in or out from there would be hospital staff. And if someone was leaving the hospital this early in the morning, it would naturally be a staff member finishing a night shift.
That was exactly who Chrollo was targeting.
The emergency patients admitted due to last night's incident would obviously have been handled by the night shift staff. Therefore, the most reliable way to obtain information was to question one of them.
Moreover, since there were few people around, even if they were suspected, it would be easy to cover it up.
Chrollo had already confirmed the hospital's work schedule. All that remained was to wait for a staff member finishing their shift to come out.
So the two stood at the back entrance, acting as if they were casually waiting for an acquaintance.
After several minutes, someone finally appeared from the back door.
The moment they saw who it was, both Chrollo and Pakunoda's faces were filled with shock.
"Welcome, Phantom Troupe. I welcome you."
The one who appeared from the back door was a young girl.
The girl looked at Chrollo and Pakunoda, declared them to be the Phantom Troupe without hesitation, and stood facing them as an enemy.
The reason Chrollo and Pakunoda were shocked was not because she had identified them as members of the Phantom Troupe.
It was because they recognized the girl's face all too well.
Yes.
Standing there was the very enemy the Spider had decided to take revenge upon.
The hateful foe who had injured their comrades.
It was Aisha herself.
"What are you talking about? We are—"
"If I'm mistaken, I will apologize. I will compensate you. I will even submit to punishment. Therefore, I will hear the explanation after I capture you."
The forcefulness of her words made it instantly clear that there was no point in trying to talk their way out of it.
For some reason, this girl knew who they were.
Predicting that the Phantom Troupe would come to El Hospital was one thing. If she had defeated Shalnark at this hospital, then predicting the troupe would return was understandable. That meant Chrollo's earlier assumption had been correct.
But even so—
Why had she appeared here at this exact moment and confidently declared them to be members of the Phantom Troupe?
How had she predicted the time of their attack?
How had she identified the two of them, whose faces had never been exposed?
How had she known they were waiting at the back entrance?
Numerous questions surfaced in Chrollo's mind, until one answer emerged.
"…Judas, huh."
The moment he murmured that word, Pakunoda was the first to react.
Judas.
A word that meant betrayal.
In other words, Chrollo had concluded that there was a traitor among the Spiders.
Pakunoda thought that conclusion might be premature. There was also the possibility of a Nen ability. With Nen, it might be possible to predict their movements through methods unknown to the troupe. After all, the troupe's underground auction raid had been predicted before.
And it was Chrollo himself who had judged that prediction to be the result of information gathering through a Nen ability.
However, this time Chrollo believed that the girl's response to their attack was not the result of a Nen-based information ability.
The reason was simple.
It was far too precise.
She knew their attack timing, their decision to wait at the back entrance, and even their identities.
If a Nen ability could gather all that information, then the underground auction attack could have been prevented from the start. There would have been no need for her to rush in after the attack had already begun.
From this, he concluded that the girl likely did not possess an information-gathering ability. And even if she did, as he had previously thought, it probably only gave vague information.
In that case, there was only one explanation for why the girl had appeared here with such perfect timing.
Someone within the troupe—someone who knew all the information—had told her.
"Well, well. Was it Hisoka who sold us out?"
"…."
Aisha didn't respond to the question. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the two Spiders, watching them carefully without the slightest hint of carelessness.
Was Hisoka really the one who had sold out the Phantom Troupe? As it turned out, just as Chrollo had predicted, it really was Hisoka's doing.
After discussing how they should deal with the Phantom Troupe, Aisha and the others had each gone to rest. Their fatigue had piled up, and their aura was nearly exhausted—what they needed most was a long sleep. Gon, in particular, had still not fully recovered from the damage to his internal organs. The plan had been for them to rest slowly, recover their aura, and then have Leorio treat him with his ability.
Only Aisha still had some energy left, so she had moved to El Hospital and rested there while preparing for a possible night raid. Then, just before dawn, she suddenly received a call from Hisoka.
The content of the call was simple: the Phantom Troupe's attack—its timing and the method they would use.
After finishing what he had to say, Hisoka ignored Aisha's response and abruptly hung up.
Aisha grumbled that if only he had told them earlier they could have prepared something better, but she quickly accepted that nothing could be done about it.
She immediately contacted Gon and the others, but the plan they had made the previous night—Aisha buying time—ended up becoming a completely improvised, spur-of-the-moment situation.
The only thing she managed to do was notify the hospital staff and instruct them to keep people away from the area near the back entrance. Once again, Aisha found herself appreciating the authority that came with a Hunter License.
Instead of Aisha answering Chrollo's question, it was Pakunoda who spoke up again.
"Hisoka did it!? Is that true?"
"Who knows."
Chrollo answered her like that, but if there was a Judas among them, he was certain it was Hisoka.
It wasn't because he blindly trusted the other members. Rather, Chrollo understood Hisoka's true nature well enough to know that something like this would happen eventually.
Chrollo knew that Hisoka had never truly joined the Spiders out of loyalty. His target was most likely Chrollo himself. Because of that, Chrollo had always tried to avoid facing Hisoka alone.
It wasn't that he was afraid of fighting him. In fact, he had been curious—entertained even—about how Hisoka would eventually make his move.
But even Chrollo hadn't expected it to happen today, at this exact moment.
—Have I grown dull…?
"..."
While Chrollo mocked himself inwardly, Aisha still said nothing. She simply kept staring at the two of them.
No—her gaze included Pakunoda in her peripheral vision, but it was clearly focused on Chrollo's face. There was a suspicious look in her expression, and something about her demeanor was slightly different from before.
"Is there something on my face?"
He knew there wasn't, but Aisha's gaze was so focused that Chrollo ended up making the joking remark without thinking.
"No… wait… you… haven't we met somewhere before?"
"Huh? What's with this girl? Are you seriously hitting on him in this situation?"
"I'm not hitting on him! …Ah, my apologies. It must be my mistake."
Pakunoda looked exasperated by Aisha's words, but Chrollo reacted differently.
Hearing that, he remembered again the moment he had first met this girl.
Their eyes had definitely met. She had smiled at him. And she had clearly been manipulating her aura with intent.
Recalling that, Chrollo muttered almost unconsciously.
"…Don't tell me. You remember?"
"Huh? So we really have met somewhere?"
"Wait. Are you serious, Boss?"
Pakunoda had completely abandoned any attempt at using an alias and was now openly calling him by a title that hinted at the Phantom Troupe itself, but Chrollo didn't have the mental space to comment on it.
"We met in Meteor City. Demon Child."
As he said that, Chrollo removed the bandanna covering his forehead, revealing the inverted cross tattoo.
"—! That nickname… I see, you're from Meteor City. Where did we meet… I didn't meet many people there… wait… I remember now! That face! The inverted cross on your forehead! You're that handsome boy who ran away after seeing me!"
"…Huh? What is this girl talking about? I mean, the Boss is handsome, but… 'Demon Child'? Is that the taboo from Meteor City you once told us never to approach? I thought the story said it died already."
Ignoring Pakunoda's many questions, the two of them continued talking.
"…I'm surprised. You really do remember. Even as a baby you were abnormal—clearly conscious. But I never imagined you'd remember."
"Yes, I remember. I also remember you abandoning me and running away. Thanks to that, I was fortunate enough to meet wonderful people. I'm really glad I wasn't picked up by the leader of the Phantom Troupe."
"Ku ku… That's quite harsh. I wonder what would have happened if I had taken you in."
"In that case, I would have corrected you thoroughly out of gratitude. It would be unacceptable for the person who raised me to be a habitual robber and murderer. I would have retrained you until you could embody the meaning of morality not just in words, but in your actions."
"That sounds terrifying. I'm glad I didn't pick you up."
"Yes. We both dodged a bullet."
Pakunoda was the only one unable to follow the conversation. In the middle of such a tense situation, the fact that they could speak like this was almost impressive in its own way.
"Well, enough about hypothetical 'what-ifs.' If you want to resist, feel free. Before my companions arrive—"
"So you noticed. It's fine to end the conversation, but it wasn't exactly pointless."
Chrollo pulled a cellphone from his coat and held it up.
It was just an ordinary phone.
Except that the call was still connected.
While moving around with Pakunoda, Chrollo had kept the line open with Machi the entire time. With earphones connected to the phone, Machi had been monitoring his side of the situation, ready to inform the others immediately if something unusual happened.
Part of the reason Chrollo had been talking with Aisha was to buy time for his comrades to arrive.
From every direction, members of the Phantom Troupe began to gather.
It took less than ten seconds after Aisha sensed their presence for them all to arrive.
With the hospital at her back, Aisha found herself surrounded by eight Spiders.
However, Hisoka was not among them.
"Yo! I've been wanting to meet you, woman!"
"Looking at you like this, you seem like an ordinary girl."
"Don't let your guard down! I don't know how it works, but she beat me without even using aura!"
"That bastard Hisoka! If he's not here, does that mean he really betrayed us!?"
"If that's the case, was he the one who leaked our information to the Mafia too!?"
The Spiders voiced their emotions one after another. Facing Aisha—the enemy who had killed their comrades—and now learning that one of their own might have betrayed them, it was only natural that they were agitated.
But their captain, Chrollo, silenced them with a single word.
"Quiet."
The word, spoken with absolute charisma and pressure, was enough to cool the heads of the troupe members.
Yes—the enemy stood right before them. And it was an opponent powerful enough that none of them had faced before.
Losing their heads would only lead to defeat.
Once everyone had fallen silent, Chrollo addressed Aisha again.
"Now then. What did you do with my comrades? You were the one who defeated Shalnark, weren't you? Did you kill Uvogin as well?"
"Who knows? Why don't you defeat me and torture the answer out of me?"
"You said earlier that you would capture us. That means you didn't kill Shalnark—you subdued and captured him. If so, you're not alone. Someone must be guarding him… unless your ability allows you to manage it by yourself. Either way, you may have allies. Everyone, stay alert. And we don't know what Hisoka might do from the shadows either."
"Yeah!"
As expected of the mind that led the Phantom Troupe. Even Aisha couldn't help but admire the clarity of Chrollo's reasoning.
The spiders didn't lick their lips before their prey—they simply prepared to kill with certainty.
Each of them fixed their gaze on Aisha without carelessness, covering themselves in powerful aura.
"…Kill her."
At Chrollo's command—
the deadly battle between the War Goddess and the Spiders began.
=======================================
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