High above the city, a large and a small figure floated away in a hot-air balloon—the two murderers who had just wiped out the entire auction hall.
They were members of the Phantom Troupe.
Uvogin held a phone to his ear, speaking with the leader, Chrollo.
"The vault was completely empty. Not a single item," Uvogin said, his expression grim.
"According to the only surviving host, everything was transferred to another location a few hours before the auction started."
"It's like they knew from the beginning that something would happen."
Inside a moving car, Kurapika sat in the back seat, his face tense.
The Mafia had already confirmed the Phantom Troupe's position.
They were moving by hot-air balloon.
Their convoy was closing in.
Just as Hyūga Akira had predicted—the Troupe had indeed attacked the auction.
"Capture one of them…" Kurapika muttered.
If he could seize even a single member, he might be able to extract vital intelligence.
Perhaps—just perhaps—this time the Phantom Troupe could truly be annihilated.
By the time they arrived, the battle was already underway.
One member of the Phantom Troupe was slaughtering Mafia soldiers with terrifying ease.
As everyone stared in shock at Uvogin's monstrous strength and overwhelming presence, the ground suddenly bulged and shifted.
A figure burst out from beneath the earth—something barely human.
One of the Shadow Beasts, the Mole.
And with his appearance, the other Shadow Beasts emerged one after another, surrounding the battlefield.
"We'll handle those guys," one of them said confidently as they advanced.
"There's no need for you to intervene."
They didn't even consider the possibility of failure.
Yes, the Phantom Troupe were world-class criminals—but the Shadow Beasts were the Mafia's elite enforcers.
Why would they fear a bunch of "Spiders"?
Kurapika didn't stop them.
If the Shadow Beasts could at least force out some of the Troupe's abilities, that would still be useful.
Reality, however, was far more brutal.
A single Phantom Troupe member slaughtered several Shadow Beasts, though not without taking damage.
Uvogin, in particular, was badly injured—unable to move.
"So this too was within his calculations…?" Kurapika's chains trembled slightly.
Hyūga Akira had told him to capture one person.
Clearly—Uvogin was the target.
Could it be that Akira could see the future as well?
Seizing the moment when the Phantom Troupe relaxed after the battle, Kurapika struck.
Chains shot out, binding the immobilized Uvogin and dragging him away.
By the time the others reacted, Uvogin was already gone.
The Nostrade bodyguards, seeing Kurapika dragging that monster back, didn't dare ask questions.
They immediately escorted the bound Uvogin away at full speed.
The Phantom Troupe gave chase.
Inside the cramped vehicle, Nobunaga complained loudly,
"This space is killing me. Can't you idiots do something about it?"
"Just endure it," Feitan replied coldly.
At that moment, a figure landed on the hood.
A massive cloth spread out, swallowing the entire vehicle.
Fun Fun Cloth.
The car shrank instantly, landing neatly in the hands of a man wearing sunglasses.
The Shadow Beast Owl stared ahead in shock.
His ability had only captured one person—
yet four figures now stood calmly in front of him.
"So you really aren't pushovers," Owl said cautiously. "Looks like this won't be easy."
As they spoke, several of them sensed something and turned their heads.
High above them, a group of grotesque figures stood looking down.
"They sure brought a crowd," Shalnark commented lightly.
One of the Shadow Beasts scoffed.
"Who are these guys? Are they really the Phantom Troupe? They look weak."
No one answered him.
Instead, a soft laugh rang out.
"What are you laughing at, Spider?" the Shadow Beast snapped at the man who laughed.
"Nothing," Spider replied, shaking his head. "Just thought of something funny."
"Enough talk. We've found the targets—move."
"Don't give orders!" someone shouted, but despite the protest, the Shadow Beasts charged forward.
Owl's expression changed drastically.
"Wait—calm down! Don't underestimate them—!"
Too late.
Only Spider wore that same eerie smile.
"Such impatient people," Shalnark sighed.
"We haven't even assigned matchups yet."
At that moment, Spider suddenly lunged at him.
Shalnark calmly raised an antenna, aiming to stab it into the attacker.
Once connected, he could control the opponent's actions.
But three shuriken flew out.
One knocked the antenna aside.
The other two flew straight at him.
"A ninja?" Shalnark muttered curiously, eyeing the charging figure.
"But you don't really look like one…"
"Watch out, Shalnark!" Feitan shouted.
In the next instant, Spider vanished.
Shalnark twisted around—
The figure had already appeared at his side, drawing in a deep breath.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
A fire dragon erupted point-blank from Akira's mouth.
At that distance, no one could withstand it.
Shalnark had no time to react.
The flames swallowed him whole.
Akira, who had been using Zetsu to suppress his presence the entire time, finally revealed his aura in that instant of all-out attack—
which was why Feitan had sensed something was wrong a moment earlier.
Akira had been hiding among them from the very start.
Everything had been for this single, decisive strike.
Shalnark, an Manipulator type, wasn't known for physical combat.
Among the Troupe, his fighting ability ranked near the bottom.
That was why Akira could kill him instantly.
[Experience Gained: 5845]
Scooping up the dropped items, Akira vanished once more.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
"That Spider bastard…" one of the Shadow Beasts muttered uneasily.
But the enraged Phantom Troupe didn't care what the Shadow Beasts thought.
"Leave one alive," Machi said coldly, the only one thinking clearly.
"We interrogate them. I want information on whoever killed Shalnark."
The battle ended even faster than expected.
In the end, only Owl was left alive.
Feitan stepped up to him.
"Who was that?" he asked calmly.
They had lost a member—right under their noses.
And not just anyone.
Shalnark was their brain—the one who analyzed intelligence and planned operations.
"That man…" Owl began.
"Thunk."
Before he could finish, a kunai pierced straight through his skull, silencing him forever.
From a distant vantage point high above, Hyūga Akira watched everything unfold through the Byakugan.
"So now the Mafia and the Phantom Troupe are truly at war," he murmured.
A faint smile crept across his face.
"The hunting game has begun."
"Are you ready, Phantom Troupe?"
The first casualty—Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe.
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