Dominic's admission procedure at El Hospital went through without a hitch.
Well, to be precise, there were initial complications. It was only natural for the medical staff to be deeply suspicious of a patient who showed no external open wounds yet had lost massive quantities of blood.
When Aisha demanded comprehensive, precision screenings including infectious disease panels, skeptical murmurs arose among the staff—until the legendary heirloom, her Pro Hunter License, gleamed under the hospital lights.
Faced with the staggering legal privileges granted to Hunter License holders, the hospital administration was struck speechless and promptly admitted Dominic with utmost deference.
Though Aisha had heard about the prestige of the license before, this was the very first time she truly experienced its immense practical power firsthand.
At any rate, securing VIP-tier priority treatment for her father thanks to her license was a welcome boon.
For now, urgent blood transfusions took precedence, while internal diagnostics and infectious disease test results would take a bit more time. With the chief physician assuring her that Dominic's life was out of immediate danger, Aisha breathed a tentative sigh of relief.
After casting a final glance at the soundly sleeping Dominic as the blood dripped steadily into his IV line, Aisha quietly stepped out of the ward. With her immediate worry for her father eased, her concern for her companions came rushing back.
Although she had sternly ordered Leorio to keep everyone back, she had zero confidence that Kurapika would obediently stand down. An image of him brushing aside all warnings and charging into danger flashed vividly across her mind.
Aisha knew firsthand just how formidable the Phantom Troupe members were. Only through her own preposterous aura capacity and refined martial arts had she been able to overwhelm them so decisively.
Against standard Nen practitioners, any one of those Spiders possessed enough strength to slaughter a whole platoon without breaking a sweat.
Even though Kurapika had rapidly developed into a first-rate Nen user, he was still far from capable of overturning a severe numerical disadvantage. Even if only those four Spiders were operating in Yorknew City, Kurapika alone stood virtually no chance of victory.
In fact, even if Gon, Killua, and Leorio joined forces to balance the numbers, the odds of their survival would still be razor-thin. Such was the terrifying gulf in raw experience and lethal capability between the boys and the Troupe.
Praying fervently that her companions hadn't done anything foolish like picking a fight with the Troupe, Aisha stepped into the hospital's phone lobby to contact them. Just as her fingers moved across the keypad, however, she abruptly froze.
...
"...Is someone... concealing their presence?"
What Aisha caught was the faintest trace of an intruder's movement. There was no conceivable reason for anyone to be sneaking around a hospital under advanced stealth in the dead of night. Furthermore, this level of concealment was far beyond anything a common thief could muster—an advanced form of In that only a master of Aisha's caliber could perceive.
Puzzled by the uncanny presence of such an extraordinary anomaly in a public hospital, Aisha grew suspicious.
(Naturally, Aisha completely set aside the fact that she herself was by far the most outrageous and irrational anomaly walking the earth.)
Masking her presence into complete Zetsu, Aisha glided silently toward the source of the aura.
The trail led to a specialized medical storage room. Nearby, a hospital employee had been carefully propped up in a chair to appear as if he were merely dozing off, though he was completely unconscious.
Unaware of Aisha's presence, the intruder was busily packing large crates of surgical equipment, medicine, and blood bags before making his way toward the exit. Concealing herself in Zetsu behind the slumped staff member, Aisha caught a clear look at the intruder's face.
—That man is one of the Phantom Troupe! What on earth is he doing here?!
Indeed, the intruder raiding the supply room was none other than Shalnark.
After Uvogin had bounded off to serve as a decoy, Shalnark had split up from the main group with a specific mission: securing critical medical supplies. As one of the Troupe's primary intellectuals, Shalnark possessed rudimentary surgical knowledge. However, even the best medical theory was useless without proper equipment—above all, transfusion blood bags to stabilize their dying comrades.
Thus, Shalnark had infiltrated the nearest large hospital to pilfer the necessary supplies, assuming that with Uvogin running amok on Route 3, the chances of encountering the Mafia or the monstrous girl who had crushed Franklin were practically zero.
Infiltrating the very hospital where Aisha had just brought Dominic was simply the worst stroke of misfortune imaginable.
To avoid causing collateral damage inside the hospital, Aisha refrained from striking immediately and shadowed Shalnark as he made his way toward the loading dock. Blending seamlessly into the ambient shadows, her tail went entirely unnoticed.
Carrying the heavy supply crates, Shalnark approached an idling hospital ambulance. It seemed his plan was to hijack the vehicle and drive directly back to their hideout. Deducing that the stolen medical gear was meant for treating the wounded Spiders she had battered earlier, Aisha pondered her next move.
Subduing him right here would be trivial. He was completely oblivious to her presence, and an ambush would incapacitate him in a fraction of a second.
However, if I tail him back to his destination, wouldn't I discover the Phantom Troupe's main hideout?
Weighing the strategic advantage of tracking him versus eliminating him on the spot, Aisha hesitated.
Before she could finalize her decision, however, the choice was abruptly made for her. A loud, cheerful ringtone suddenly shattered the midnight quiet.
It was Aisha's own cellphone.
Though she had kept it powered off inside the hospital out of courtesy, she had just turned it on a moment ago to call Gon and the others. While the incoming call was from the very friends she had been trying to reach, its ill-timed chime thoroughly exposed her location.
"?!"
Startled by the sudden noise in an empty corridor, Shalnark spun around with razor-sharp reflexes toward the source.
Standing right before him was a single teenage girl. While he was shocked that she had gotten so close without triggering his senses, he was infinitely more horrified when he recognized her face.
"You're the girl from the auction! Dammit! What the hell are you doing here?!"
While Shalnark stood frozen in disbelief, Aisha maintained an unblinking gaze on him and casually answered her phone.
"Hello? What's going on?"
『Ah, Aisha! Good, you picked up. The truth is, we just captured one of the Phantom Troupe!』
The voice on the other end belonged to Killua. After successfully restraining Uvogin, the boys had discreetly smuggled him back to their hotel room before the Mafia could notice.
They had called Aisha to coordinate their next steps, completely unaware of what she was currently doing. Hearing that her teenage friends had actually engaged the terrifying Spiders in combat, Aisha's composure shattered and she yelled into the receiver.
"What in the world were you thinking?! Taking on such reckless danger by yourselves?! Is everyone alright?!"
『Whoa! Don't scream into the mic! It couldn't be helped, okay? Kurapika went totally berserk! We've got some injuries, but nobody's dead. Relax, we're all fine!』
Hearing that no one had died, Aisha released a long, trembling breath.
Though she was furious at their recklessness, overwhelming relief washed over her. Meanwhile, Shalnark slowly began inching backward to create distance. Without lowering her phone, Aisha shot him a freezing glare that pinned him in place like a predator eyeing its prey.
"So, where are you all right now?"
『We're back in the hotel suite we booked. How's your old man doing?』
"Yes, thank you for asking. He's safe and out of danger."
『...Huh? ...Wait a second. Did you just get wrapped up in some kind of trouble over there?』
Aisha inwardly marvelled at Killua's astonishing intuition.
He had immediately caught on to the fact that Aisha was deliberately omitting all proper nouns and specific details. She was carefully avoiding names like Killua, Dominic, or the hospital to prevent the listening Spider from piecing together critical intel.
"Yes, everything is fine. You could call it a minor complication, but it will be over in just a moment."
『...Well, if it's you, you'll handle it. We'll be waiting, so hurry back.』
"Understood. See you soon."
Ending the call, Aisha slid the phone back into her pocket and turned her full attention back to Shalnark.
"Thank you for waiting."
"I really wouldn't have minded if you didn't keep me waiting at all, you know? In fact, mind if I just head home right now?"
"I'm afraid that's out of the question. Stealing is a crime, after all. You wouldn't want divine retribution to strike you down, would you?"
"Ahaha. I've never been struck by divine retribution before, so I think I'll be fine!"
The two exchanged light, casual banter like old acquaintances catching up. Yet the atmosphere between them was warped by suffocating tension.
"Oh, but divine retribution just struck you, didn't it? After all... you were found by me."
"...I suppose you're right. Ah, man, of all the places in Yorknew, why did I have to run into you here?
...Wait a minute. ...Hold on. ...I see! So that's how it is! Ahahaha! We really have the worst luck in the world!"
Watching Shalnark suddenly burst into genuine laughter, Aisha frowned slightly.
"What do you find so amusing?"
"No, I'm just laughing at how ridiculously terrible our luck is. To think a monster like you is related to the Mafia!"
"Whatever are you talking about?"
Though Aisha feigned absolute indifference, she felt an internal jolt. To deduce that much from such minimal clues—this man's intellect was truly remarkable.
"You're good at playing dumb, but it's useless. It's the only logical conclusion. The reason you were at that building. The reason you made enemies out of us with such fury. And the reason you're standing in this hospital right now. When you connect all the dots... he's in this hospital, isn't he? That wounded Mafia boss who's related to you!"
With his razor-sharp analytical mind, Shalnark laid bare the exact truth.
"Even if your speculation were correct, what relevance does it have in this situation?"
Aisha implicitly warned him that deducing the truth would do him no good once she struck him down. Yet, understanding her threat, Shalnark's smile only widened as he laid out a proposition.
"Let's make a deal."
"A deal?"
"Yeah, a trade. If you let me walk away right now, I swear I'll keep everything about you and your family a complete secret from everyone."
"What an absurd proposition..."
Aisha sighed openly, preparing to dismiss the laughable offer, but Shalnark pressed on.
"Are you sure about that? If you kill me here, my comrades will come straight to this hospital."
"..."
"My friends know I came here. If I fail to return after a long time, they'll naturally find it suspicious. The very first place they'll investigate is this building. The one who'll be in trouble then is you, isn't it?"
Aisha remained silent, carefully analyzing his stance. Shalnark's aura remained remarkably calm and steady, without the slightest tremor of deceit. Even with Aisha's ability to read emotional fluctuations from aura quality, his words rang true.
However, for a sufficiently skilled Nen practitioner, masking micro-fluctuations was standard practice. Moreover, a promise made by a murderous bandit carried zero legal or moral weight; he could easily change his mind the instant he reunited with his comrades.
Aisha considered the situation for a fleeting moment, then lowered her stance into a combat guard.
It was the unambiguous signal that the deal was rejected.
"...I see. Are you really okay with this? Isn't he precious to you?"
"It doesn't matter. Even if I let you go, there is zero guarantee you would keep your word."
"How cruel! I'm actually the type of guy who keeps his promises, you know?"
"Do you honestly expect me to trust the word of a thief who steals not only property, but human lives? Besides, it doesn't matter how many of you come... I will simply defeat every single one of you."
"...!"
Shalnark felt an instinctive chill at her unshakeable conviction. Remembering how this single girl had effortlessly dismantled three of his strongest comrades, a bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple as he took an involuntary step back.
"I see. That's... really unfortunate!"
The instant the words left his mouth, Shalnark hurled the crates of medical supplies straight at Aisha's face and sprinted at top speed toward the exit.
"You won't get away!"
Dodging the flying crates with a fluid tilt of her torso, Aisha gave chase.
—Dammit! If only I could use Black Voice right now!—
Shalnark cursed bitterly in his head, channeling all his aura into physical enhancement to maximize his sprint speed.
His signature Hatsu, [Black Voice / Mobile Fate], allowed him to place a target under complete remote manipulation by piercing them with a custom antenna. However, the ability was limited to controlling one person at a time, and the antenna was currently embedded in the critically wounded Franklin to force his biological regeneration into overdrive.
In other words, Shalnark was currently rendered completely Hatsu-less. Under such conditions, even a master of the Phantom Troupe stood no chance against the monster who had torn through their frontliners.
The gap between them closed at terrifying speed. The sheer difference in the volume of aura available for physical reinforcement between Aisha and Shalnark was insurmountable. Without decelerating in the slightest, Aisha executed Shukuchi, seamlessly flickering directly in front of Shalnark's path.
"Whoa! That's way too fast!"
Despite his shock, Shalnark instantly transitioned into an offensive strike. Knowing flight was impossible, he committed fully to fighting his way through.
Channeling his sprinting momentum, weight, and speed into a concentrated straight punch, he executed a flawless burst of Ryu to fortify his fist. Even Aisha admired the sheer technical polish of the blow—this man was unmistakably an elite Nen practitioner.
Yet, whenever Aisha observed an enemy's strike, only one standard came to mind:
—Nowhere near Netero's level!—
Compared to the Chairman of the Hunter Association, anyone on earth would come up short. With minimal body movement, Aisha slipped under Shalnark's fist, her fingers brushing past his right arm to dislocate both his wrist and elbow joints in a single fluid motion.
"Tch! Dislocating two joints in a split second?!"
"Thank you. But that makes three."
"Wait, what...?"
At Aisha's calm remark, Shalnark realized his left arm was completely unresponsive. Glancing down in horror, he saw his left elbow hanging limply at an unnatural angle.
"No way... When did you...?"
"The moment I passed you."
"...Haha. Yeah, there's no winning this."
Listening to Aisha casually describe superhuman feats of martial precision, Shalnark could only manage a dry, helpless laugh.
"Do you surrender?"
"You're joking, right? I'll resist as much as I can."
"Very well."
Facing an opponent who refused to yield even with both arms neutralized, Aisha showed no hesitation. These bandits were responsible for nearly killing her father and slaughtering Kurapika's clan. The only mercy she extended was ensuring he remained alive.
Within moments, Shalnark was rendered utterly helpless.
Every single joint across his fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles, and knees was systematically dislocated, capped off by a precise manipulation of his hip alignment. Any attempt to move would risk severe spinal trauma.
Gathering the completely limp Shalnark into her arms, Aisha carried him across the Yorknew rooftops in a clean bridal carry, leaping from building to building under the cover of night to avoid drawing attention.
"Ahaha. This is a first for me. Never thought I'd live to see the day where a grown man like me gets carried like a princess by a teenage girl!"
"Keep talking nonsense and I'll drop you."
"Please don't! If you drop me from this height without joints to brace for impact, I'll definitely die!"
"Can't you protect yourself with aura?"
"Impossible, impossible! In this state, a bad landing means instant death!"
"Then please be quiet."
"Yes, ma'am~"
Wondering whether this captive possessed any sense of danger at all, Aisha sighed and landed softly on the balcony of their hotel room, stepping through the unlocked sliding doors.
"I'm back."
Inside, the room was occupied by her friends and a colossal, muscular man bound tightly in steel-reinforced chains on the floor.
Gon and Leorio were resting in exhaustion on the beds, while Kurapika and Killua stood on high alert.
"Oh, welcome back—wait, WHO THE HECK IS THAT?!" Killua gasped.
"Bwahaha! Look who it is! Shal, you got caught too?!" Uvogin roared from the floor.
"Uvo?! What are you doing tied up like a sausage?!" Shalnark shouted back.
"Aisha! Is that man another member of the Phantom Troupe?!" Kurapika demanded, his eyes flaring scarlet.
"Shut up, all of you! I'm exhausted! Let a guy sleep in peace!" Killua snapped.
"Welcome back, Aisha!" Gon beamed sleepily.
"You got taken down by a little girl, Shal? How pathetic!" Uvogin mocked.
"Shut up, muscle-brain! This girl is an absolute monster! And she's not a little girl—she's easily an E-cup! I saw it up close!" Shalnark retorted.
...
"Wait, what? Hey, pretty boy, tell me the details!" Leorio suddenly sat up, eyes wide.
"Should we just execute this pervert right now? Yes, let's kill him," Killua muttered darkly.
Aisha sighed deeply.
Releasing a sharp pulse of chilling, oppressive aura, Aisha silenced the entire room in an instant.
"Are we all calm now?"
"Y-Yes..." the boys nodded rapidly, while the two immobilized Spiders inwardly assessed the terrifying hierarchy in the room.
"Now then. Before we discuss anything else, we must decide what to do with these two," Aisha stated.
Both Uvogin and Shalnark grinned defiantly, completely unbothered by the prospect of death or torture.
"Go ahead and kill us. You won't get a word out of us anyway," Uvogin barked.
"He's right. Feel free to torture us all you want," Shalnark agreed cheerfully.
"...Man, these guys are unbelievable."
"So, this is the Phantom Troupe..."
Leorio and Gon who had lived relatively normal lives compared to the others—caught a glimpse of that resolve and gained a deeper understanding of the nature of the Troupe.
"Do not think death will grant you an easy escape.
Kurapika glared at the Troupe members, his eyes still transformed into the Scarlet Eyes.
Reflected in those crimson irises were his hated enemies. Though his heart burned with rage, Kurapika did not choose the easy path of simply killing them right then and there.
"Those eyes! You're from the Kurta Clan? So, there was a survivor after all. In other words... this is all about revenge against us, isn't it?"
Shalnark looked on with suspicion at Kurapika's words, while Uvogin recognized the eye color and recalled the remote clan they had wiped out long ago.
That was precisely why he was confused; if this were truly revenge, surely Kurapika would simply kill them, just as their kin had been killed.
"Killing the likes of you won't bring my kin back. And even if you were to die, you wouldn't feel a shred of remorse, regret, or contrition for what you've done."
Kurapika was right. They felt absolutely no regret for the consequences of their actions. That was precisely what made them strong—and what made them madmen. "
So what are you gonna do, then? Torture us until you're satisfied?"
"No, I'm going to do this. *Judgment Chain*!"
A chain extending from Kurapika's right little finger pierced Uvogin's chest.
It wound itself around his heart, driving in a binding stake.
"Uvo!"
"W-what is this!?"
The chain, driven deep into his chest, caused Uvogin no pain whatsoever.
That very fact only served to bewilder him.
"I've driven a binding stake into your heart. If you break the rule I've set, the chain will activate instantly and crush your heart. ...You can imagine the outcome, can't you?"
"Y-you bastard! Do you really think I'm just going to do what you say?" Ignoring Uvogin's shout,
"I have wrapped a vow of judgment around your heart. Break any of the five rules I establish, and the chain will instantly crush your heart into paste:
1. You are forbidden from using any Nen abilities.
2. You are forbidden from sharing any information about us with anyone.
3. You are forbidden from harming others.
4. You are forbidden from leaving this room without permission.
5. You must submit to the judgment of the law."
For Uvogin, that was likely more humiliating than a death sentence. Having lived exactly as he pleased, beholden to no one, and relying solely on violence...
Uvogin had crossed the world. Yet having his Nen abilities sealed, being forbidden from fighting others, and on top of that being forced to turn himself in was nothing short of a humiliation worse than death.
Naturally, Uvogin had no intention of obeying such a ridiculous law. If the alternative was being subjected to such humiliation, he was prepared to choose death.
But then a voice called out, putting a stop to him.
"Isn't that fine, Uvo? Let's just quietly accept those conditions."
Those were the words of Shalnark, Uvogin's comrade and fellow member of the Phantom Troupe.
He was telling Uvogin to obey laws imposed by their hated enemy—laws that were humiliating beyond measure. The sheer absurdity of those words made Uvogin momentarily doubt his own ears and sanity.
"What the hell are you talking about, Shal?! You're telling me to just quietly listen to some piece of shit like this?!"
"That's right."
Shalnark answered calmly and matter-of-factly, in stark contrast to his companion, who was shouting without even trying to hide his anger.
Seeing Shalnark's composure at such close range actually caused Uvogin, who had been furious only moments before, to calm down as well. Kurapika, meanwhile, had already figured out what Shalnark was thinking.
"You. Shal, was it?"
"It's Shalnark. 'Shal' is a nickname used by people close to me, so I'd rather you didn't call me that."
"I see. Shalnark, then. You're thinking this, aren't you? As long as we remain alive, eventually there will be an opportunity to remove my Nen ability."
Shalnark remained calm in response.
"Who knows?"
"There is no need to play dumb. You seem to be far more intelligent than this fool. Naturally, you would arrive at such a conclusion."
"Who are you calling a muscle-brained idiot?!"
Ignoring the muscle-brained idiot shouting beside him, Kurapika looked at Shalnark. Shalnark merely deepened his smile and gave no answer.
"Hey, Aisha? Is it possible for someone else to remove Nen that has been placed on another person?"
"…Kurapika?"
"It's fine. Tell him."
Gon had simply asked about something that had occurred to him from the conversation between Kurapika and the Troupe. His straightforwardness, even in a situation like this, was impressive in its own way.
"Yes. It can be removed. The ability to remove Nen placed on another person or an object is called exorcism, and an ability user who specializes in it is called an exorcist. That said, there are very few exorcists, so they are not exactly easy to find."
"Wow. But wouldn't it be bad if Kurapika's ability got removed…?"
"Of course it would. Hey, Kurapika, why bother with all this? Just kill them already. Sure, killing people is wrong. But this is an exception, right? These guys are so dangerous that even if you restrain them with Nen, I wouldn't feel safe. If your Nen really does get removed, these guys are definitely going to come after you."
"But Killua, if they obey Kurapika's ability, they'll be brought to justice, right? Then wouldn't these guys obviously get the death penalty?"
In response to Killua's perfectly reasonable concern, Leorio raised an equally reasonable question.
"You're too naive, Leorio. These days, the more heinous the criminal, the less likely they are to be sentenced to death so easily. You saw someone like that with us in Trick Tower, remember? I forgot his name, but there was a guy who had killed more than a hundred people and was still being kept alive with a prison sentence of several hundred years.
"There's probably some reason for it. Maybe they keep them alive indefinitely so they can be used when necessary, or maybe because they're particularly heinous criminals, they deliberately avoid killing them and instead make them spend a long time regretting what they've done."
"Ah, I see. That makes sense. And if their prison sentence is that long, then sooner or later they're more likely to be rescued by someone, or get a chance to undergo that exorcism thing, right?"
Killua's concern was exactly as Leorio had said. Even if they obediently followed the laws Kurapika had imposed, there was still a way for them to escape their predicament.
Kurapika had not stipulated that they could not escape if they were imprisoned somewhere after being subjected to legal judgment. Naturally, they were forbidden from harming others, so it was difficult to imagine them escaping easily.
But these were the Phantom Troupe. Killua had an unpleasant feeling that they might accomplish something precisely because it was something that should not be easy.
"That may be true. However, the facility used to imprison the Phantom Troupe—infamous A-Class bounty criminals and notorious Nen users—will undoubtedly be a prison appropriate for them. With their Nen sealed, these men will not be able to escape so easily."
"But—"
"—Besides."
Cutting off Killua's objection, Kurapika spoke coldly to the spiders.
"If I leave you a way out, even you will not choose death so easily, will you? After all, if things go well, you will have a chance to take revenge on me. …Cling to that faint hope in your hearts and live on, wallowing in humiliation, you filthy spiders!"
That was Kurapika's revenge.
No matter what he did to spiders who had already accepted death, they would not feel particularly troubled by it. But having their Nen abilities sealed, being forbidden from harming others, and being forced to live an uncomfortable existence under the watchful eye of the law would surely be a humiliation worse than death for the spiders who had lived so arrogantly until now.
Even so, as long as there remained even the slightest hope of someday getting revenge on Kurapika, the person who had reduced them to this state, the spiders would not casually choose death.
That was what Kurapika believed.
And he was right.
"…I get it now. I finally understand what Shal was getting at…! Fine! We're the losers! We'll accept it! But remember this! I'll definitely smash these chains and appear before you again! When that happens, consider it the end of the line for you!"
"I see. Then make sure you strictly obey the laws that have been established. Break them, and you die immediately. I have no problem with you dying because of that. If you are tired of living, then feel free to die."
"I'll be looking forward to the moment that face of yours is stained with despair…!"
Uvogin glared at Kurapika as though he wanted to devour him alive. Kurapika, however, ignored him and turned his attention to Shalnark.
"Now, you. You will receive the same restrictions as this man. Do you have any objections?"
"Even if I did, the outcome would be the same, right? Just get it over with."
Realizing that resistance was now pointless, Shalnark accepted the chains of restraint with remarkable composure. However, his true feelings were probably not so different from Uvogin's. He was determined to swallow his humiliation and survive for now, while vowing that someday he would have his revenge.
"Good attitude. Chain Jail: Judgment Chain!"
Just as with Uvogin, a chain pierced into Shalnark's chest and wrapped itself around his heart. Now, if Shalnark broke any of the laws mentioned earlier, the chain would immediately react and crush his heart.
"Now the chain of restraint has been embedded in you as well. Wait here in this room for a while. Once the preparations are complete, I will take you to a place suitable for you."
Having said that, Kurapika suddenly staggered as though he had become lightheaded.
Seeing this, Aisha immediately spoke up before anyone else could say anything.
"Everyone, even though the Phantom Troupe has been neutralized, I'm sure it's difficult to relax in a room with them. Why don't we borrow another room and rest there?"
"That is indeed a good idea. Then I shall go and arrange for another room."
"Of course. I'll accompany you."
With that, the two of them smoothly left the room. The sheer ease with which they did so left those remaining behind momentarily stunned.
Everyone, that is, except Shalnark, who had noticed Kurapika's condition and was wearing a faint smile.
Outside the room, Kurapika suddenly lost the strength in his body and dropped to his knees.
"Damn…"
"Are you all right?"
"Yes… It seems I maintained the transformation for too long."
Kurapika's eyes changed from scarlet back to their original color. At the same time, the effect of Emperor Time, which had been activated along with his Scarlet Eyes, came to an end.
What was assaulting Kurapika now was extreme fatigue. Such an incredible ability—one that dramatically increased his total aura and allowed him to use every Nen category with 100% efficiency—naturally came with a restriction.
That restriction was this fatigue. While Emperor Time was active, his aura was consumed at an extraordinary rate, and if he kept it active for too long, he would be overwhelmed by extreme exhaustion. Depending on the circumstances, he could even be bedridden for more than a day.
His claim that he was leaving the room to arrange another room had also been an excuse. In reality, arranging another room was necessary, so it could not be called merely an excuse.
In any case, Kurapika wanted to avoid letting the Phantom Troupe see him in his weakened state. Even though they had been neutralized, they might someday truly break free of their restraints and come seeking revenge against Kurapika. He could not afford to reveal even one weakness.
"Please don't push yourself so hard. Kurapika's ability is powerful, but the backlash is considerable. You should rest, even if only for a little while."
"I'm fine. I haven't even maintained the transformation until my absolute limit. If I rest for a few hours, I'll be back to normal."
Kurapika smiled as he said this, but it was obvious to Aisha that he was already pushing himself far too hard. He could probably still fight if necessary, but he was clearly not in peak condition. If the Troupe attacked him right now, the outcome would be obvious.
"Let's rest as soon as possible. I'll go arrange another room, so you should find somewhere to rest, Kurapika."
"…Thank you."
That was why Aisha had left the room together with him. Among their companions, she was the only one who knew the full extent of Kurapika's abilities. From the way he had staggered, she had immediately judged that he had accumulated considerable fatigue and deliberately created a natural opportunity for them to leave so that the Phantom Troupe would not realize Kurapika's weakness.
However, remembering the expression on Shalnark's face as they left, Aisha frowned.
"Well, it's fine. Even if one of his weaknesses has been discovered, all I have to do is make Kurapika strong enough that it won't matter."
Muttering that to herself, she continued toward the hotel reception while thinking about what their future training should entail.
Incidentally, at that exact moment, a powerful chill ran through Kurapika.
Whether it was somehow connected to Aisha's thoughts, however, was something no one could yet know.
***
At the Phantom Troupe's hideout on the outskirts of Yorknew City, just a short distance from the city itself, all of the remaining members of the Phantom Troupe had gathered.
All of the remaining members.
Yes, the number of members gathered here was fewer than there should have been.
Two of the Troupe's top fighters, Uvogin and Shalnark, were nowhere to be seen. Technically speaking, Franklin, Feitan, the leader Chrollo, and Machi were also absent from the room. The former two were inside the hideout, but they had been seriously injured during the assault on the underground auction and were currently being treated in another room. Chrollo and Machi had gone to tend to them, which was why they were not present.
"So, what the hell happened to you guys?"
One of the Troupe's fighters, Phinks, who possessed exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills, questioned the members of the assault team.
"When we got to the underground auction's storage facility, there was nothing inside. According to one of the auctioneers who was there, one of the Shadow Beasts had taken the auction items. Apparently, that guy left empty-handed, so he's probably a Nen user with an ability similar to Shizuku's."
Nobunaga, one of the assault team members, answered him. He continued.
"We decided to cause a commotion at the auction venue in order to draw out the Shadow Beasts. Franklin and Feitan attacked the auction hall. And then—"
"...I'll take it from here."
Shizuku interrupted Nobunaga.
Like Franklin and Feitan, Shizuku was one of the members of the assault team who had been injured. However, her injuries were not life-threatening, and she was relatively unharmed, so her treatment had not taken particularly long.
That said, it would be a mistake to call her injuries minor. The joints in her left wrist, elbow, and shoulder had all been shattered.
"When I was watching the entrance to the hall, a girl attacked me. Of course, I tried to drive her off, but she took me down in an instant with these strange movements that I couldn't really understand."
"Strange movements?"
"Yeah. Her body's movements and her actual movement through space didn't match. I couldn't figure out how she was doing it, and she was incredibly fast, too. She might even have been faster than Feitan. That's how I ended up like this..."
Shizuku paused before continuing.
"Anyway, I'd been beaten and was barely conscious, but I managed to keep myself awake and watched that girl fight Franklin and Feitan. ...She was beyond abnormal. Franklin's Nen bullets hit her directly, but they didn't leave a single scratch on her. She didn't even seem to care. She just ran straight toward Franklin."
"What the hell!? What's that supposed to mean!?"
Even the Phantom Troupe found it impossible to immediately believe what Shizuku was saying.
They had lived their lives as powerful people—as those who took from others. The Phantom Troupe was a group consisting entirely of formidable individuals. There was no way something capable of taking a direct attack from them without suffering even a scratch could possibly be normal.
"Hey, Shizuku. You were barely conscious. You sure you weren't hallucinating?"
"That's not possible. Franklin and Feitan really were defeated. Nobunaga saw them too, didn't you? You saw her standing there unharmed beside Franklin and Feitan after they were knocked down."
"Yeah. There's no doubt Shizuku is telling the truth. I didn't see the girl actually fight with my own eyes, but she was no ordinary person. The quality and quantity of the aura she gave off were on a completely different level."
From the way the two spoke, the other members understood that there was no exaggeration or fabrication involved.
They acknowledged the existence of the person who had harmed their comrades, but they still wondered why such an extraordinary individual would have attacked the Troupe.
"Why was that girl there in the first place? Was she a Mafia member?"
The question came from Pakunoda.
Pakunoda possessed an exceptionally rare ability even among the Troupe, one that made her survival a priority under certain circumstances, just like Shizuku's.
Her ability was a Specialist-type Nen ability that extracted memories. By touching a target, she could read their memories. It was an extraordinarily rare ability, making her one of the Troupe's lifelines.
"I don't know. Machi said she didn't get the impression that the girl was Mafia. It was just a feeling, though. Her instincts are usually pretty accurate. Apparently, she had a bad feeling about this from the start."
"What bothers me is that someone seemed to know the attack was coming. The auction items were moved before we attacked, as though they had anticipated us. Then that girl attacked us. ...I don't think it was a coincidence. Maybe there's a traitor among us."
"Don't say something so reckless."
An abnormal man covered entirely in bandages—Bonolenov—objected to Phinks's suspicion.
"Whether or not there's a traitor isn't something for us to decide. Saying things like that here won't accomplish anything. All we can do is wait for the boss to return."
"Huh? You're saying it's pointless to even try to figure out what the enemy is?"
For an instant, the room filled with killing intent.
Phinks hadn't seriously meant that there was a traitor among them, but even so, he was not the sort of man who could calmly accept having his opinion rejected so directly. To put it simply, he had a short temper.
"That's enough. Members of the Troupe aren't allowed to seriously fight among themselves. If you break that rule, we'll deal with you ourselves."
That single statement brought Phinks back to his senses.
Though, even this killing intent had not been serious on Phinks's part. Among the members, this level of hostility was practically an everyday occurrence.
"Tch. I know. Damn, are they still not finished with the treatment?"
"Shal isn't back yet, either. So I guess it won't be finished until then."
"They're just stealing some medical supplies, right? What the hell is Shal taking so long for?"
No one answered Phinks's complaint, but everyone agreed with him.
Stealing some medical supplies and returning to the hideout was hardly something any member of the Troupe should have had trouble accomplishing.
The spider grew increasingly anxious as their comrade's return was delayed.
And no matter how long they waited, Shalnark never returned.
◆
How much time had passed?
The increasingly hostile atmosphere caused by the impatience and frustration of the waiting Troupe members dominated the room.
Then, as if to shatter that atmosphere, a man and a woman appeared.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Boss!"
The two who had appeared were the Phantom Troupe's leader, Chrollo Lucilfer, and Machi.
They had apparently just finished treating the injured members and returned to the room.
"The treatment is finished for now. Machi used her Nen stitches to do everything she could, but honestly, things don't look good. Feitan has made it past the critical point, but Franklin probably only has a few days at most. The wounds are one problem, but more importantly, he's lost too much blood. ...Where's Uvogin?"
"Still hasn't shown up. It's seriously weird for him to be taking this long, Boss. Uvogin was supposed to act as the decoy, but Shal went to a hospital. There's no way it should be taking him this long."
"...Understood. Let's put Shal's situation aside for now. First, I want the assault team to explain from the beginning exactly what happened."
Chrollo had prioritized treating the seriously injured members, so he had not yet heard the finer details of what had happened.
Though, when it came to treatment, all Chrollo could really do was consider using one of the Nen abilities he kept in reserve for emergencies. Franklin had suffered a fatal injury, but thanks to his exceptional vitality, there was still some time before he would actually die.
With that in mind, Chrollo had come to check on the other members.
"Right. It started when—"
◆
After hearing the entire story, Chrollo quietly organized the information in his mind.
Then, with the intellect befitting the leader of the Spider, he formed his deduction.
"Most likely, the Mafia and that girl aren't connected."
"What are you talking about? She showed up while we were attacking the Mafia, didn't she? How the hell could she not be connected to them?"
"No. There is probably a relationship between them, but they aren't directly connected. Something like that."
His answer sounded almost like a riddle, and not only Phinks but the other members as well frowned, unable to understand what he meant.
"First, let me say that there isn't a traitor among us. What benefit would someone get from selling out the Spider to the Mafia? Money? Fame? Status? Is there anyone among us who would consider those things worthwhile?"
"Well... no."
Chrollo was right.
They were thieves, but their desires were not limited to acquiring things of monetary value.
If someone only wanted money, selling out the Spider might make sense.
But they were different.
They took whatever they wanted and lived freely. They had no interest in being bound by someone else or living according to something that was simply given to them.
"Besides, if there had been a tip-off, the Mafia's response was far too half-hearted. They removed the auction items, but their security was sloppy. If they knew we were specifically targeting the auction items, they could have deployed much heavier security."
"Couldn't that girl have been the heavy security?"
"No. If that were the case, their response was far too slow. There must have been plenty of high-ranking Mafia members among the guests. There would have been no reason to wait until they had been killed before playing that card."
The members seemed somewhat convinced by his reasoning, and Chrollo continued.
"The Mafia learned from somewhere that something was going to happen tonight. They didn't receive specific information that we would be coming, but someone in the upper levels of the Mafia community believed that vague information.
There are a couple of possibilities. Perhaps the information provider was already known to provide highly reliable information even when the information itself was vague. Or perhaps it was some sort of Nen-based information-gathering ability."
"I see. That would explain the Mafia's behavior."
It made sense.
They knew the underground auction would be attacked, so they moved the auction items in advance. But because the information was vague, the items were only moved on the day of the auction, and the security remained relatively lax—from the Phantom Troupe's perspective, at least.
"And that girl who fought you probably wasn't connected to the Mafia itself. If they had predicted an attack even from vague information, then someone that powerful could simply have been placed inside the venue as a guest from the beginning. The fact that they didn't do that suggests she wasn't directly connected to the Mafia."
Chrollo continued.
"However, she probably knew someone within the Mafia. A friend, perhaps. Or a family member. In any case, she had some sort of relationship with one of the people among the guests. That's where my conclusion comes in. Admittedly, the final part is more prediction than deduction."
"What is it?"
"I think that's the answer."
"What?"
"That girl was probably there because someone she knew was in danger."
The Troupe members listened silently.
"The guests were mostly dead when you fought her, but there were still some survivors. If someone she knew had survived but was seriously injured, where would that person go?"
◆
Ultimately, Chrollo's deduction was not unreasonable.
Every member of the Troupe understood that.
But if his conclusion was correct—
"Wait, Chrollo. Are you saying the reason the assault team got beaten was because there happened to be some monster of a woman among the Mafia's acquaintances, and she just happened to be nearby?"
In a sense, it was not an exaggeration to summarize it as simply having bad luck.
The members of the Phantom Troupe were already among the strongest people in the world. They rarely encountered anyone stronger than themselves.
And they had never seen, heard of, or even imagined someone who could take on several members of the Troupe alone, defeat them without taking a single wound, and walk away unharmed.
But Chrollo dismissed Phinks's conclusion.
"You're saying we were unlucky, Phinks? That's not it. Luck doesn't determine what we do. If anything, our strength was simply insufficient."
"...Right. I was wrong."
Exactly.
In the world they lived in, where strength was everything, saying they had been unlucky was nothing more than an excuse.
They had happened to encounter a stronger opponent and lost?
No.
It wasn't bad luck.
Their own lack of strength was the problem.
If you were strong enough, nothing would go wrong.
The loser was the one at fault.
That was the kind of world they lived in.
"Anyway, let's get back to the question of what we do now, Boss. We couldn't steal the treasure. Franklin and Feitan were seriously injured without even scratching the enemy. Uvogin and Shal still haven't returned. So what now?"
"Either way, we'd better learn as much as we can about the enemy. Pak, read Shizuku's memories and fire them into all of us."
"Understood."
Pakunoda immediately obeyed Chrollo's strange command to "fire" the memories into them.
By touching Shizuku's body, she fulfilled the activation condition of her ability. Then, by asking specific questions, she could bring the target's memories to the surface and read them.
"Remember the woman who injured you. What did she look like, and how did she fight?"
With that question, Pakunoda stimulated Shizuku's original memories and scooped up the memories that surfaced from them.
At that moment, Pakunoda understood the woman's appearance, aura, and combat ability exactly as Shizuku had experienced and remembered them.
"This... really is something else."
She had understood the description intellectually, but actually seeing it was completely different.
The quality of the aura, so utterly contrary to the woman's appearance.
The refined yet savage attacks.
The unfathomable level of ability that seemed impossible to grasp.
Everything about the woman was abnormal and completely out of place.
"All right. I'll fire the memories into you."
Pakunoda took a pistol from her clothing and loaded it with bullets.
They were not ordinary bullets, however. They were special bullets that Pakunoda had materialized herself.
She loaded six bullets into the pistol and took aim.
Her targets were—
the six Phantom Troupe members standing before her.
"Hey, Pak!"
"It's fine, Phinks. Just watch."
With Chrollo's commanding presence serving as a signal, Pakunoda fired the pistol.
Six bullets flew from the barrel and struck six Troupe members directly in the head.
Yet no one was injured.
Instead, a memory that did not belong to them began playing inside their minds, as though they were watching a video.
"This is... I see. 'Firing memories' really is an appropriate description."
That was Pakunoda's other ability.
When Pakunoda placed memories she had acquired into bullets she materialized and then shot someone with them, the person struck would have those memories implanted into their mind.
There were few abilities more useful for sharing information.
"It'd be nice if you shot me too. ♥"
Because of the pistol's six-round capacity, she could only fire at six people at once.
There were seven people in the room who needed the information.
Hisoka, predictably, had been left out.
He appealed to Pakunoda with a somewhat theatrical tone.
"I know."
Pakunoda then fired a memory bullet into Hisoka as well.
Now everyone possessed all the information they currently had about their enemy.
While each member was stunned by the woman's strength, which was completely at odds with her appearance, one person was smiling.
Hisoka.
The memory playing inside Hisoka's mind showed exactly the person he had expected.
—Ah, Aisha! I never expected you to become involved to this extent, far beyond even my expectations!—
She was the person Hisoka desired more than anyone.
The strongest opponent he had ever seen, and the one who excited him more than any other.
He wanted to fight Aisha to the death without anyone interfering.
He wanted to savor a life-or-death battle with her to his heart's content.
That was Hisoka's greatest desire—or perhaps it was better described as his obsession.
Before meeting Aisha, the death match he had yearned for with the Phantom Troupe's leader, Chrollo, had been the ultimate prize.
Now, it was merely an appetizer before the main course that was Aisha.
Of course, Chrollo was still the finest delicacy imaginable.
Aisha was simply a dish so exquisite that she surpassed him.
While the Troupe members were intimidated by Aisha and Hisoka burned with anticipation at the thought of her, Chrollo reacted differently.
—This woman... No. This aura... I've seen it somewhere before...! Could it be...?—
In an instant, something from Chrollo's past resurfaced in his mind.
It had happened nearly fourteen years ago.
His encounter with the demonic child who had suddenly appeared in Meteor City.
Even after all these years, Chrollo had never forgotten the memory of that defeat.
He had been young and inexperienced, but he had still been forced to make the humiliating choice to flee without even fighting.
The aura emitted by the demonic child who had inflicted that disgrace upon him was extremely similar to the aura of the girl in these memories.
—Late teens? No... If she's exceptionally precocious, it's possible that she could be as young as thirteen despite looking like this. And if she's a Nen user, ordinary assumptions don't necessarily apply—
Once the suspicion had entered his mind, Chrollo could no longer dispel it.
He had no proof.
No matter how much he thought about it, he could only arrive at a theory.
And yet—
Chrollo was convinced that the girl in the memories was the demonic child from Meteor City.
There was no way he could have mistaken it.
This aura was unmistakably that of that demonic child.
"So this woman is the enemy. There's a possibility she was the one who took out Uvogin and Shal as well."
"We don't know that yet. It could have been the Shadow Beasts. Even Uvogin could have been killed if he had to fight all of them alone."
"Besides, Shal was supposed to be going to a hospital. Even in a city as large as Yorknew, what are the chances he'd run into this woman so easily?"
As the members discussed their possibilities after identifying such a formidable enemy, Chrollo, who had been thinking, suddenly had an insight.
"Wait. Shal said he was going to a hospital, but do we know which hospital he went to?"
"Huh? No. He never said which one."
"I see. Pak, bring me a map of Yorknew. Does anyone from the assault team know exactly where Shal left the airship?"
"I do."
Machi answered.
Chrollo examined the map Pakunoda brought him, using the location where Shalnark had jumped from the airship and the likely hospital based on Shalnark's own thought process.
Which hospital was nearby and large enough for him to have chosen?
After studying the map for a while, he reached a conclusion.
"This one. El Hospital. It's the closest, and it's a fairly large hospital. Shal probably entered this one. I don't believe someone as skilled as Shal would have been caught by the Shadow Beasts. He's not the sort of man who takes on something he knows he can't handle alone. If he'd encountered several Shadow Beasts, he'd have escaped without being detected."
"But Shal hasn't returned.
"That means he must have run into some kind of trouble that he couldn't deal with using his own abilities. Given the circumstances, the most likely possibility is..."
"That he encountered this woman."
"Exactly."
"Why the hell would this woman be in a hospital like that? And couldn't she have found him on his way back instead?"
"That possibility can't be ruled out. But think about the odds. How likely is it that someone as cautious as Shal would happen to be discovered by that woman somewhere in a city as large as Yorknew?"
Chrollo pointed to the map.
"It's more natural to assume they encountered each other in this hospital. And once we consider that possibility, the question becomes why she was there in the first place. From there, the next deduction is simple."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"If we put everything we've heard together, there's a high probability that this woman appeared at the auction because she was trying to save someone connected to the Mafia. Look at the woman in Shizuku's memories. It's obvious that she was driven by anger."
"And according to Shizuku's memories, most of the guests were dead, but there were still some survivors. If someone this woman knew had survived but been seriously injured, where would they go?"
The members remained silent.
"Furthermore, El Hospital isn't particularly far from the Cemetery Building where the underground auction was held. If I were in that woman's position, it would be the hospital I'd choose. The possibility is small, and it's more likely that the Mafia member in question was already dead. Even so, this hospital is worth investigating."
Chrollo's eyes narrowed.
"If we're lucky, we may be able to find a weakness in this woman. Even if we don't, there's a good chance we'll learn what happened to Shal."
"So what you're saying is..."
Phinks, one of the Phantom Troupe's most aggressive fighters alongside Uvogin, grinned.
"This isn't a retreat anymore. We're going to war, right?"
The expressions on the other members' faces made it clear that none of them intended to back down now.
Even Machi, who had been worried about what had happened, no longer seemed willing to retreat after being humiliated to this extent.
Naturally.
They had obtained none of the treasure.
Their comrades had been defeated without even managing to injure their enemy.
And the member who had gone out to help his comrades had failed to return.
The Phantom Troupe had never suffered such humiliation before.
If their leader had ordered them to retreat, they would have reluctantly obeyed.
But from Chrollo's words, they understood that he had no intention of doing so.
Their morale surged.
"We're changing the plan. We'll wait until dawn. If neither of them has returned by then, we'll head to El Hospital."
Chrollo looked around at the others.
"From that point onward, I'll give all the orders. Understood?"
"Yeah!!"
Every member answered with enthusiasm.
They all knew that tomorrow would likely bring the greatest death match the Spider had ever experienced.
Some intended to overcome the humiliation of the past.
Some faced forward in an attempt to suppress their anxiety.
Some felt pleasure at the prospect of a deadly battle.
And one schemed for the sake of his own desires.
Each member held different motives in their hearts as the day in Yorknew City finally came to an end.