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Chapter 106: Chrollo's Investigation
Chakra flowed back into Ronin. To his surprise, the Shadow Clone had detonated the instant it made physical contact with Theodore.
Simultaneously, the sound of explosions echoed through the streets outside. It was the suicide bombers! Ronin merely cast a glance over, confirming that Kurapika and the others were still holding their own, before turning his attention back to Theodore's corpse.
Theodore's Post-Mortem Nen had clearly deviated from the anime. In the anime, when Chrollo stole this ability, the Post-Mortem Nen ensured that once the [Sun and Moon] seals were applied, they would never vanish on their own. But now, Theodore's lingering Nen caused anyone who touched his corpse to explode instantly. Furthermore, the seals that had previously faded from marked targets had begun to resurface.
Ronin suspected that touching anyone marked with these new seals might even cause seals to appear on the one touching them. This corpse seemed to have become a rather potent weapon.
With a subtle tug of his chakra threads, Ronin released Owl from within the [Fun Fun Cloth]. Owl, his eyes hollow and devoid of light, stared at Ronin as if looking at a demon. Ronin ignored his gaze. Twitching the puppet strings, he forced Owl's body to involuntarily conjure the [Fun Fun Cloth].
The cloth enveloped Theodore's corpse, rapidly shrinking the body until it vanished entirely, leaving only a small, compact bundle on the ground. Ronin stepped forward, picked up the bundle, and casually shoved it into his pocket. He shot one last glance at a terrified Owl before he sealed him away inside a separate [Fun Fun Cloth].
Even though Shizuku had joined the team, Ronin had no intention of letting Owl go. He had provided far too much valuable intelligence. For instance, the Ten Dons seemed to be incredibly powerful on the surface, having the Ten Great Mafias across the six continents placed under their jurisdiction. Yet, in reality, territories governed by the V5—and even places like the Kakin Empire—were entirely beyond the reach of these so-called Ten Great Mafias.
Furthermore, the strength of the Shadow Beasts varied wildly, and their areas of expertise were highly diverse, especially since a portion of their ranks consisted of Demi-Humans. These individuals mostly hailed from Meteor City, considered to be abandoned by society. It could be said that the Ten Dons were inextricably linked to Meteor City; the Dons provided resources and connections, while Meteor City supplied auxiliary manpower.
These Demi-Humans were generally violent and aggressive. Most of them disliked killing their prey outright, preferring torture and brutal interrogation. Ronin thought of Rabid Dog and Leech, though his encounters with the Shadow Beasts hadn't included those two.
However, Owl had mentioned that the Ten Dons maintained a roster of reserve Shadow Beasts, similar to Mole, who had acted as Raymond's bodyguard. It was highly likely that Rabid Dog and Leech hadn't formally joined the primary squad yet. Figuring it like that, the turnover rate for the Shadow Beasts was quite fast. The ones who had ambushed Ronin—Owl, Bat, Worm, and Slug—were all familiar faces. If they managed to survive for another three years, they would be considered veterans, and their strength would naturally grow. By then, Kurapika and Neon wouldn't have been able to handle them so easily.
But none of that was the main point. Ronin wanted to know who controlled these Demi-Humans in Meteor City, or if they were scattered around. At least since arriving, he hadn't seen a single one.
The battle was quickly drawing to a close. Even though Theodore's Post-Mortem Nen had reactivated [Sun and Moon] on the suicide bombers, Kurapika's team adopted a simple strategy after discovering they would explode: don't let them get close.
No matter how ferociously they charged, the attackers were fundamentally ordinary humans. Against Nen users, even a simple rock thrown with [Shu] was enough to kill them instantly. Furthermore, Kurapika was actively using his chains to swing anyone who rushed them several meters away.
The only annoying part for Kurapika and Neon was the collateral damage; a few bombers who weren't killed at a distance detonated, splashing them with blood and gore. Fortunately, they had Shizuku.
Once the last bomber was dealt with, Shizuku summoned [Blinky]. Under her command, the vacuum sucked away all the blood, shredded flesh, and debris clinging to them. By the time the trio walked back, their clothes were dry and clean.
Their car had been destroyed in the blast, but this worked in their favor. Following Shizuku's lead on foot made it much easier to conceal their movements.
As Ronin's group headed toward Ryan's villa, a Meteor City Elder contacted Chrollo.
Chrollo had already left Nancha City. The deeper he investigated the Kurta Clan's history, the more he realized this reclusive tribe was anything but simple. The rumor of the "Demon's Apostle with Scarlet Eyes" wasn't isolated to Nancha City; similar whispers echoed through other cities. Many of these legends directly linked the red eyes to demons.
While Chrollo hadn't found any traces of Divine Artifacts, he did uncover claims that the Kurta Clan hoarded Demonic Artifacts from the Demon World.
Tales of the Demon World were scattered in various regions. Even in Meteor City, Chrollo had heard of people selling their souls to demons in exchange for unrivaled power. He had once tracked one of these individuals down. The power they wielded did indeed have certain differences from standard Nen, though it could still theoretically be explained within the Nen system. More accurately, someone "blessed" by a demon gained an additional ability outside their own—but the price they paid was unimaginable to ordinary people.
Take the man Chrollo had met, for example. In exchange for that demonic strength, he had lost his human appearance entirely. When he activated his power, he transformed into a monstrous meat worm. Yet, that physical mutation was an incidental change. The true cost was his soul, which now belonged to the demon. He lived as a monster, and upon death, he would be devoured.
That was the essence of a demonic pact. Most people either failed to realize the cost or were simply blinded by the momentary thrill of vengeance or power.
Had Ronin made a deal with a demon?
Chrollo couldn't be certain. But one thing was clear: whether Ronin's power came from a Divine Artifact or a demon, the price he paid was definitely steep!
Initially, Chrollo had little interest in the Elder's request for help. But when he read the profile attached to the message—the one detailing a girl named Shizuku Murasaki—his curiosity was instantly piqued.
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