[Experience: 10021]
[Skill: Dual Hand Machine Guns]
[Franklin's Earrings: +100 Nen Bullet Attack Power]
[Emitter +1]
[Experience: 5121]
[Skill: Blinky (Vacuum Fish)]
[Conjurer +1]
"Level up."
Hyūga Akira hovered between agony and bliss.
The pain of skirting death, the instant restoration brought by leveling up, and the godlike clarity of Brain Caffeine—only to be dragged back down into mortal flesh again and again.
It was torture.
And ecstasy.
He forced himself to endure it.
Especially when he thought about tonight's harvest.
With a deep breath, he suppressed the lingering discomfort.
The Phantom Troupe was down to four.
"Only one left who's still alone," Akira murmured, turning his gaze toward the final battlefield, where smoke still drifted through the night.
Cheers were echoing from the Mafia side.
That meant it wouldn't be long before the remaining Troupe members realized something was wrong.
That was exactly why Akira had resorted to this life-burning combat style.
He had to finish harvesting before they caught on.
"I need to move faster."
He hurled a kunai into the distance, then instantly swapped places with it using Substitution Jutsu.
Ten times. More.
Only then did he spot a figure wrapped head to toe in bandages.
"Level up."
No time to recover naturally—leveling was his only reliable reset.
Bonolenov halted.
The city that had been engulfed in chaos just moments ago was now eerily quieter, broken only by scattered cheers.
"What's going on…?"
The boss had ordered a night of total carnage. None of the Troupe should have stopped moving.
A chill crept up his spine.
He sensed it.
Something had vanished—from the street to his left.
Death? Or concealment?
The Mafia had hired plenty of assassins; Bonolenov knew that well.
Perhaps one of them had finally found him.
Akira stood on the other side of a building, fingers tightening around his blade.
Silently, he activated Nobunaga's Swordsmanship.
It wasn't a skill, but a memory-type item—granting him Nobunaga's lifetime of sword experience.
He inhaled once and charged.
"For the Ten Dons!!!"
He roared, perfectly imitating a Mafia thug throwing his life away.
Bonolenov instantly tore away his bandages, revealing a body riddled with holes.
So—he noticed.
Akira understood at once: Bonolenov had already realized something was wrong.
But the arrow was loosed.
There was no turning back.
Five-skill stack—activate!
Bonolenov began to dance.
"Battle Cantabile — Prelude!"
Armor and a mask formed over his body, a spear manifesting in his hands as he rushed forward.
"Not Jupiter," Akira exhaled in relief.
"If it were Jupiter, three seconds wouldn't be enough."
He tilted his body just slightly, the spear grazing past him—
—and his blade swept across Bonolenov's neck.
[Experience: 15368]
[Skill: Battle Cantabile]
[Judon Tribe Wind Hole: +50 to All Stats]
[Conjurer +1]
"Level up."
Akira straightened, slowly exhaling.
In a single night, he had reached Level 31.
[Name: I'm Xiao Ming]
[Class: Hunter]
[Level: Lv31 (0/15500)]
[Chakra / Nen: 2880 / 1810 +50 +20 +1000]
[Experience Pool: 34387]
"Three left," Akira said quietly, his Byakugan locking onto the figures of Feitan and Phinks, now standing together.
They had realized the truth.
"Looks like this is as far as I go tonight."
His gaze drifted toward a distant, smoke-filled building.
If he hadn't promised Chrollo to Hisoka, he might have taken one more head.
But the remaining two were troublesome.
Feitan's speed directly countered Akira's life-burning burst style.
This was the right moment to withdraw.
The next day.
Hisoka and Kurapika came to find him.
"You really did something incredible," Hisoka said, his tone tinged with regret.
"The Troupe's down to four."
He didn't mention Machi at all.
Akira, meanwhile, was thinking about something else.
According to the prophecy, he would eventually fall into a trap laid by the remaining Troupe members.
That meant Chrollo, Feitan, and Phinks.
So what role did Hisoka play in all this?
"Three," Akira corrected calmly.
"Chrollo is yours."
He turned to Kurapika.
"Want to take one? Kurapika."
"You're giving up killing them yourself?" Kurapika asked, surprised.
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind doing it."
"I'll take Feitan," Akira said flatly.
Normally, he would have taken all of them—maybe even landed the final blow on Chrollo before fleeing back to the shinobi world.
But the prophecy warned of his death.
So this time, he chose differently.
"Where are they now?" Akira asked Hisoka directly.
This time, he planned to abandon all his usual habits.
The original plan had been to disappear after this, hiding behind the Mafia again.
But the prophecy made it clear—he was already exposed.
There was no point hiding anymore.
Hisoka just smiled, cards flicking through his fingers.
"Changed locations. The boss and the other two are preparing to withdraw~"
"Then we end this today," Akira said.
He wouldn't give Chrollo time to think.
Speed was everything.
"Let's split targets.
I take Feitan.
You take Chrollo, Hisoka.
Kurapika takes Phinks.
Thoughts?"
Hisoka inhaled deeply, his expression twisting into blissful madness.
"So this is the day at last."
He'd waited a long time.
But compared to Chrollo—
Hisoka licked his lips.
Akira fascinated him even more.
After Chrollo, he planned to fight Akira next.
The next target was already chosen.
"Then let's move."
Chrollo stood with his head tilted back, eyes closed.
He showed no expression—
—but grief radiated from him.
"DAMN IT!!!" Feitan roared, kicking a wall to pieces.
In a single night, the Phantom Troupe had nearly been wiped out.
Phinks clenched his fists, rage barely contained.
"WHO DID THIS!? The Mafia doesn't have this kind of power!"
"Hyūga Akira," Chrollo said softly.
"A ninja from an unknown organization. Countless methods. Defeated Hisoka once. A rookie Hunter."
"If I'm not mistaken," he continued,
"he's the one hunting us."
He had felt something off the moment Akira stole the prophecy ability.
After investigating through Illumi, the truth became clear.
Akira was hunting the Phantom Troupe.
"Looking for me?"
A voice rang out.
A massive fire dragon descended from the sky.
BOOM—!!!
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/KuroTL