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Chapter 74: Hisoka's Flip-Flop
Hisoka's attack on Ronin was purely a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Even joining this team to crusade against the Phantom Troupe was only because he had once had the fortune of encountering Chrollo and had become curious about his strength.
But Chrollo was always accompanied by at least two members. Finding a chance to fight him one-on-one was too difficult.
He had previously planned to join the Troupe. If he could become the member responsible for protecting Chrollo, he would have the chance to restrain the other partner and create a 1v1 opportunity.
The rule for joining was simple: kill a current member and take their place.
Hisoka's original target was Omokage (Member #4). But before he could act, Omokage was killed by someone named Ronin.
He had received this news from a contact within the Troupe. The contact had also given him a directive: if he could leak information about Ronin or kill him during this operation, they would recommend him as a new member.
Unfortunately, Hisoka hadn't seen Ronin in the building.
He did, however, find a fruit that looked incredibly tempting. Unable to restrain himself, he attacked the "Kakashi" Ronin was pretending to be.
"Hatake Kakashi, is it? I'll remember that. We'll meet again." Hisoka licked his lips and took out his phone.
The call connected quickly.
A low, cold female voice came from the receiver. "What? Did you find Ronin?"
"No," Hisoka said. Ahead of him, at the corner of the corridor, armed Mafia members appeared.
Their eyes swept over Hisoka as they prepared to rush past him.
But as they passed, a playing card appeared in Hisoka's hand. With an elegant motion, the card effortlessly slit their throats.
Blood sprayed across the hallway. Hisoka's expression was one of pure euphoria.
"I just had an exhilarating fight, and I'm having trouble calming down. Their lives will help me cool off," Hisoka's tone danced with delight.
"If you called just to show off your perverted hobbies, I suggest you die quickly!" Machi's voice was as icy as ever.
"Since there's no news on Ronin, do I need to challenge a member? Do you think Phinks would be good? Or Isrli? Or maybe Feitan? I think they're all decent choices."
Since Omokage was dead, he'd just swap targets. As for finding Ronin, he had lost interest in the hunt.
It wasn't that he wasn't interested in fighting Ronin. Rather, he felt fighting Ronin wouldn't be difficult to arrange. As long as the Phantom Troupe stopped chasing Ronin, he could probably find a chance to duel him on the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena.
He had seen Ronin's promotional material. The guy enjoyed the arena atmosphere and fighting under the spotlight.
More importantly, in the photos and videos of Ronin fighting Uvogin, Hisoka saw shadows of himself.
This gave him an idea: he didn't even need to issue a formal challenge. He just needed to find Ronin and display some skill, and a fight would naturally occur.
Although the opponent used Specialization-type abilities, in Hisoka's eyes, he seemed more like a simple-minded, pure Enhancer who excelled in combat. Such a person outsmarting the Phantom Troupe was entirely due to versatile abilities.
However, from the data he had, Hisoka analyzed that Ronin's actions after leaving Heaven's Arena had become much more cerebral. Someone was helping him.
If the Troupe really wanted to deal with Ronin, they should start with the people around him. Without the strategist, it wouldn't be hard for Chrollo or Shalnark to trap Ronin.
"You have a death wish!" Machi's reply was curt.
Hearing this, the smile on Hisoka's face grew even wider.
"I heard Uvogin died too. That leaves two spots open. I think I'm qualified to fill one," Hisoka said, his words practically designed to spike blood pressure.
But as soon as he finished speaking, the line went dead.
Omokage had some utility, but not much. Uvogin was a pure combatant. Hisoka felt he could fulfill the roles of both.
Hopefully, Machi wouldn't let personal feelings interfere with official business.
A text message tone chimed. Hisoka opened it. It was from Machi, containing a single question.
Why do you want to join the Troupe?
Hisoka hesitated for a moment before typing his reply: I want to challenge Chrollo.
Die. Machi replied with a single word.
Hisoka scrolled through his phone. If he really couldn't join the Troupe, he had to consider collaborating with Ronin.
If they cut off all the remaining spider legs, that would also create an opportunity for him to duel the spider's head.
But how to contact Ronin?
Hisoka quickly found a name: Illumi.
"I need the contact information for the Heaven's Arena Gold Medal Agent, Milia," Hisoka said bluntly when the call connected.
"I can do that, but you have to come to the Azian Continent on the 17th. There's a mission," Illumi's voice was devoid of emotion.
Hisoka massaged his forehead. "So far away. Fine."
"Wait. Oh, and transfer 50,000 Jenny to me. Information fee. No credit." Illumi hung up immediately.
Three minutes after Hisoka transferred the money, a number appeared on his phone.
...
After separating from Hisoka, Ronin took another passage straight to the roof of the building.
During his fight with Hisoka, he had noticed something strange.
It seemed more than one person had scanned him and Hisoka with En. But when he traced the sensation, he could only find Zeno's aura.
This puzzled Ronin.
Standing on the roof, he checked the time. Less than ten minutes until the auction started.
The Troupe should be making their move.
Forming a cross seal with his hands, Ronin cast the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, creating four clones.
The clones used the Transformation Technique to take on Kakashi's appearance and left the roof, entering the building.
Just then, Ronin's phone rang. It was Milia.
Ronin answered. "Hello? Calling at this hour, is something up?"
"Yes. Someone contacted me wanting to collaborate with you," Milia said briefly. "I'll give you the number. Whether to work with him is up to you."
"Name?" Ronin asked.
"Hisoka."
Ronin was surprised. He had just parted ways with Hisoka, and now this guy, who wanted to join the Phantom Troupe, was contacting him through Milia to collaborate?
Was he trying to scam information to sell to the Troupe?
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