Chapter 78: I Advise You Not to Intervene
Faced with Mord's relentless advance, Bonolenov grew more and more alarmed with each passing moment.
It was as if the other had seen through his abilities, never giving him a chance to perform his dance.
In all his years with the Troupe, this was the first time he had been pushed to such extremes.
"I have no choice but to use that move."
Watching the electric sparks bloom before him once more, Bonolenov's expression turned grave as his entire body began spinning in place.
His speed was tremendous, nearly transforming into a whirlwind.
Battle Cantabile: Jupiter!
As he rotated, countless sound waves emanated from the various-sized holes covering his body, causing the entire abandoned building to tremble. These sonic waves materialized into an enormous meteorite crashing down from the sky.
Shattering through the rooftop, it descended with overwhelming force toward Mord.
Mord looked up at the falling meteorite, his eyes sparkling with excitement. It was time to measure just how far his current aura capacity had reached.
"Smash it, Gegetsuburi!"
Mord shot toward the sky like a cannonball, lightning dancing along the long chain he dragged behind him. All the electrical energy converged onto the hammerhead at the chain's end.
"Thor's Hammer!"
The muscles and tendons in Mord's arms emitted dull twangs like bowstrings, directly bursting through his sleeves. With a furious roar, he swung with all his might.
The Thor's Hammer carried an aura of absolute destruction as it violently collided with the massive meteorite mid-air.
BOOM!
A tremendous sound reverberated throughout the entire abandoned district.
Even Hisoka and Chrollo, fighting on the distant streets outside, were drawn by this noise.
"Hisoka, it seems your time is running short," said Chrollo, holding a military knife as he looked at Hisoka.
As the troupe leader, he naturally recognized that the recent explosion was caused by Bonolenov's ability.
"That's not necessarily true," Hisoka chuckled. "Perhaps it's your time that's running out."
...
"Damn it, break for me!"
A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact between the meteorite and Thor's Hammer, spreading outward in all directions. The entire building momentarily seemed to ripple like waves.
Walls, floors, stone pillars—everything shattered and flew apart in all directions.
While protecting Kortopi, Pakunoda remained vigilant, observing both battlefields.
"To inject such massive amounts of aura into a chain, he must be a Manipulator! Or possibly a Conjuration user who solidifies aura into objects! He's likely the former!"
Phinks stared at Kurapika, his pupils trembling violently. Everything happening before him was challenging everything he'd known about Nen abilities since birth.
"Even among Enhancement Nen users, few can surpass me in physical combat. Within the Troupe, only Uvogin, that physical monster, can reliably defeat me."
"What type of Nen user is this guy?!"
Kurapika looked coldly at Phinks and spoke indifferently: "Such weak fists. You're not using your full strength, are you."
Rage!
Coming from Kurapika's delicate features, these words carried maximum mocking effect.
Veins bulged on Phinks' forehead as he desperately wanted to tear apart that face before him.
"Heh heh heh!"
"That joke isn't funny at all. Since you want to see more powerful fists, I'll satisfy you. 20... how about that?"
A ferocious smile spread across Phinks' face as his right arm began rotating like a clockwork spring.
This was his Nen ability: Ripper Cyclotron!
He gathered nen in his arm—the more rotations he made, the greater the force of his punch would be.
"The nen converging on his right fist is growing increasingly fierce."
Kurapika simply watched as the amount of nen on Phinks's right arm grew stronger and stronger, taking no action at all.
Phinks's attention was entirely focused on his own right fist. In his view, as long as he rotated it enough times, he could kill even a god!
The more rotations he made, the brighter the smile on his face became.
"Unfortunately, you've already missed your only chance."
"Is that so?"
Kurapika spoke calmly while raising his middle finger.
As soon as he finished speaking, Phinks's smile stiffened, because he realized that no matter how much he rotated his arm, he couldn't mobilize his nen. The terrifying nen he had already gathered vanished almost instantly.
"Damn it, it's In, Phinks!" Pakunoda, who was observing the battle from the side, shouted. She had been distracted by the fight between Mord and Bonolenov and hadn't noticed this earlier.
The Chain Jail of the middle finger.
Kurapika looked at Phinks and said, "This chain is shaped from nen... so it can also be hidden using 'In'!"
As he spoke, the chains on Phinks's body became visible.
Phinks stared intently at Kurapika and said, "You usually materialize it as a physical object... to make people mistake it for a real object?!"
"Correct. I disguised myself as a Manipulator-type ability user... so the enemy would assume this chain is a real object. The results prove my plan succeeded—while you were arrogantly boasting earlier, the chain had already wrapped itself around you." Kurapika nodded as he spoke.
Capture complete!
This was Kurapika's ultimate trump card: the Chain Jail of the middle finger, with the ability to bind.
Once the enemy is locked by the chain, it forces them into a state of "Zetsu," preventing them from using nen abilities. However, due to his self-imposed restriction, he cannot use this ability on anyone outside of the Phantom Troupe.
For members of the Phantom Troupe, once bound by the middle finger chain, the only outcome awaiting them is death.
"Damn it, what's with that look in your eyes? The fight isn't over yet!"
Phinks glared fiercely at Kurapika, trying to break free from the chains restraining him.
But with his nen sealed, how could he possibly break free using physical strength alone? Even Uvogin, who possessed the strongest physical strength in the Phantom Troupe, had failed to do so.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
The veins on his forehead bulged, and his entire body trembled violently. Yet, no matter how much strength he exerted, the chains remained completely unmoving.
"Give up. You cannot break these chains."
Clink! Clink!
As the nen aura continued to intensify, the chains tightened further, making it feel as though every bone in Phinks's body was about to be crushed. Yet, he stubbornly refused to utter a single cry of pain.
Kurapika casually tugged the chain back.
Phinks's body flew uncontrollably toward him, and a nen-enhanced punch struck him directly in the stomach.
The intense pain made Phinks's body arch like a shrimp.
Bile continuously spewed from his mouth.
"Without the ability to use nen, you're as weak as an ant." Kurapika looked down at Phinks from above, his fiery red eyes filled with contempt.
In the distance, Pakunoda raised her gun and aimed it at him.
"I'd advise you not to make a move." A somewhat languid voice came from behind.
Pakunoda's heart skipped a beat as she whirled around, only to see Bonolenov lying in a pool of blood!