"The cause of death was severe asphyxiation due to oxygen deprivation caused by the simultaneous explosion of over 200 people."
Ronnel glanced at the scene and concluded the same thing everyone else had—Hisoka was dead.
No matter how you looked at it, Hisoka was done for.
"So… do we just go back to our lives now?"
"You go ahead. Stitch him up a bit and I'll head back~" Machi shrugged. "After all, I already took his deposit."
"You really do have a soft side, huh," Ronnel teased. "Too bad it only shows up when money's involved."
Machi shot him a glance but didn't say a word.
"Then I'll head out first?"
Ronnel gave her a crooked smile, waved, and disappeared down the empty corridor.
...
Now alone in the silent hall, Machi crouched beside Hisoka's body. Threads formed between her fingers.
"You got blown to pieces, but… thanks for helping the boss get that obsession out of his system. Least I can do is clean up your face."
She looked at Hisoka's mangled face and muttered, "Neck's a total mess."
Just as she was about to start stitching him back together, something strange happened.
Hisoka's corpse suddenly flared with a powerful aura.
"Nen? What the—? He's dead, isn't he?!"
Machi instantly backed off, shocked, her mind racing.
"Wait… could it be… Nen that gets stronger after death?"
The idea struck her at once: "Did he use a post-mortem Nen condition to trigger a resurrection?!"
In the next instant, Hisoka's Nen forcibly moved his fingers, kneading them together, stimulating his heart—he was performing CPR on himself.
Thump!
As Machi stood frozen, trying to comprehend what she was seeing, a faint sound escaped Hisoka's mouth.
Then, with a sudden jolt, he sat up. His torn face twisted into an eerie smile as he scanned the area.
When his gaze landed on Machi—wide-eyed and on guard—a familiar perverse grin crawled across his bloodied face.
"Oho~ Machi… what a pleasant surprise~ Didn't think I'd see you so soon!"
His mangled face made the smile even more grotesque.
"I really was dead for a bit, huh?"
...
"Ugh, it hurt to die."
"Really now?" Hisoka cackled, voice cracked and strange, as he turned toward Machi with that signature grin.
"How did you survive?" Machi asked, unable to stop herself.
"Well, right before the final blast, I was thinking about Chrollo's Convert Hands ability and how he used the post-mortem enhancement effect of Nen… and then I figured, why not give it a shot?"
He tapped his chest with a broken finger.
"So I focused on one thought: 'Could I create a post-mortem Nen effect strong enough to restart my own heart?'"
"Nah~! Once I died, my Nen kicked in and performed CPR on me. I came back just like that!"
He spread his arms, grinning from ear to ear.
"Didn't expect it to actually work—but hey, guess even dying's not enough to stop me!"
After shouting that out loud, he looked down at his body and smirked.
"Fighting someone like Chrollo, with all the prep and advantages? Pff. What a pain."
"Reality's pretty brutal, huh?"
Hearing that, Machi finally relaxed. It really was him—same twisted personality and all.
With a sigh, she crossed her arms.
"If you actually learned something from this, then next time pick your opponent and your battleground more wisely."
She pointed at him with her thread. "Now sit still. I'm not letting you waste my time and money."
"Injured? Not anymore~" Hisoka said playfully. He eyed her thread and added with a grin:
"With just a bit of [Bungee Gum] to stop the bleeding and a thin illusion to hide the worst of it, I'm as good as new!"
Even as he spoke, he was already moving. In seconds, his ruined body was fully patched up—his broken finger healed, his limbs intact. He stood there, completely restored.
...
"Got it~" Machi gave a slight nod. "Well, since you're fine, I'll head back now."
She turned to leave.
But just as she took her first step, Hisoka's warped laughter echoed behind her.
"Machi~ Actually, I've made up my mind. From now on, I won't be picky about my opponents or the battlefield!"
Machi gave a dismissive wave. "Suit yourself~"
She never expected what happened next.
In a blink, Hisoka appeared behind her. Before she could react, Bungee Gum launched and stuck her half to the corridor wall.
It didn't stop there—he added more gum to bind her arms, legs, and feet.
"Mind passing a message along to the rest of the Troupe?"
With a wicked smile, he leaned in and whispered:
"From now on, it's kill-on-sight. No warnings. No rules. Whenever and wherever we meet, it's war~"
"You're kidding, right?!" Machi growled, her face burning with rage. "I'll kill you right now!"
"I'll take that as a yes~" Hisoka replied, stretching his limbs. He gestured at the gum binding her in place. "Go ahead and try to tear it off. Stop me if you can~"
"Stop! Come back! Undo this glue, and I swear I'll kill you!!"
Machi's eyes were filled with murderous intent as she struggled furiously against the gum.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)