The eerie and bizarre mist floated in front of them, and what made the few Troupe members shudder was the ghosts that were like living things, and were clinging to them like maggots.
Some climbed onto their bodies, some were pulling at their trouser legs, and some were spinning around them, letting out piercing shrieks... However, these ghosts weren't tangible, so they didn't pose much of a threat. Many of their actions also passed through their flesh like clouds of smoke.
But... This scene was too bizarre.
A ghostly face with blurred features and no facial features stuck to Pakunoda's face, and made 'eye contact' with her... Even though it didn't have eyes, she seemed to be able to sense the ghost's emotions. It was mocking, it was laughing... It was constantly waving its hands to grab her hair, and it felt like it wanted to drag her into the thick fog.
Move!
Run!
The same thought floated in the minds of every Spider member. Without Chrollo ordering them, as soon as Oboro appeared, they had to leave the battlefield immediately... This was Chrollo's order!
He hadn't told them about this in front of Hisoka, and had made the worst plan.
Although... No matter what, this operation seemed... To be ending with a victory for their Troupe.
But Chrollo had still made preparations and decisions for everything he could think of... And couldn't think of.
Yes... It was time to run.
A drop of cold sweat dripped down Pakunoda's cheek, from her chin... The man standing on the dome of the palace was too terrifying.
He had exceeded their prior imagination...
This difference in aura was something that not only they, who were Nen ability users, could feel, but even an ordinary person could feel.
He was simply an unattainable existence.
She stiffly turned her head, and discovered that the other partners beside her were also like her, frozen in place. Although everyone's expressions were different, their shaking pupils all revealed their uneasy emotions.
They were panicking...
In the past, they, who had experienced great storms and had extremely strong psychological qualities, wouldn't have been in this kind of predicament... These brief few seconds were enough for them to make more than a dozen reactions, and they might have already scattered and run far away.
The reason why they were still staying in place was because... They were all like her.
Their brains were urging them to carry out some actions... But their bodies were malfunctioning.
"I have to do something... To remind my companions."
In an instant, Pakunoda saw Chrollo, who was slowly closing his eyes, as if he had resigned himself to fate. Another thought flashed in her mind.
"We can't stay stagnant like this... Completely shock by the other party's aura. My companions need stimulation."
"We need a signal to let our bodies regain their warmth, and let our minds return to the right track!"
At this time, a kind of awakening, or rather, a sense of mission, made the woman, whose own strength wasn't the most outstanding in the Troupe, actually be the first to respond.
With a whoosh, she raised the silver-white revolver in her hand, and aimed it at Oboro, who was standing high in the sky.
She pulled the trigger.
A bullet pierced out of the barrel, and shot towards the target.
She knew... That this shot of hers couldn't cause any damage to Oboro.
But... Her purpose had already been achieved!
As soon as the gunshot rang out, the Troupe members, whose limbs had been numb and stiff, instantly came back to their senses, as if a thick layer of ice that had been imprisoning their bodies had melted and shattered.
Above them, Oboro lightly stretched out two fingers, a hint of a smile hanging on the corners of his mouth. His fingertips pinched in the air, and accurately pinched the bullet that was shooting towards him. A wisp of light smoke rose from his fingers, and with a flick of his finger, he sent the shell flying.
Pakunoda's action was a signal to the other members!
It was a tacit understanding that was invisible.
Shalnark and the others quickly turned around, and ran away.
After firing the shot, Pakunoda hadn't even looked to see if the bullet had hit its target, and had already started to turn her head...
Everyone's actions were surprisingly consistent.
But the next second... Time stopped.
Because... Oboro on the dome had disappeared.
Without the sound of wind, and without any loud noises, the man had appeared in the very center of the few of them out of thin air.
He landed with a graceful posture, and one hand in his pocket. Even the soles of his shoes hadn't completely touched the ground... The world in the eyes of the few Troupe members had already lost its color.
The picture seemed to have frozen at this moment.
Feitan, Shalnark... Everyone's pupils slowly dilated with Oboro's appearance.
Oboro's palm, which was exposed in the air, was shaped like a black whip shadow. It moved as fast as lightning... Then, the space where everyone was in was like a photograph that had been torn apart, and was stirred by a sharp edge.
Pfft!
Pakunoda suddenly felt weightlessness and exhaustion in her body. She saw... Her chest cavity had been cut open by several claw marks, and a dazzling spray of blood had burst out.
She could clearly see that the organs in her body had been crushed into minced meat by this tearing sensation.
Her brain was blank.
Shalnark was still maintaining the posture of raising his foot, and half of his face had been directly cut off...
And the half of his head that had flown out, with that one eyeball that seemed to still have some function, happened to see Shizuku collapse softly, Pakunoda kneeling in front of him with blood splattering, and...
Feitan, who seemed to have reacted, and was dodging... But hadn't completely dodged, and had a third of the flesh on his upper body cut off, from his left shoulder all the way to his waist and abdomen.
"Leader..."
Before his head landed on the ground, Shalnark glimpsed Chrollo's back, who was standing in place, and hadn't moved.
Then, he lost consciousness.
All of this had happened in milliseconds.
When Oboro had completely stood on the ground, the few Spiders around him sprayed blood one after another, and fell backwards one by one, as brilliant as blooming fireworks.
These few people were all within his attack range... Including that Shadow Beast that had been controlled by Shalnark, who had also been killed by him.
With his current finger strength, using battle techniques, and adding the strength and critical hit of Nen... The Troupe couldn't resist it.
Oboro had used Flash Step.
Among the six people, three had died on the spot... The only ones who hadn't been injured were Machi and Chrollo.
Although Feitan hadn't died immediately, his whole body was slumped on the ground, and half of his body was bleeding profusely... He wouldn't live for much longer.
And Chrollo was also the only one who hadn't struggled.
It was too fast...
Before Machi could rush out, her companions had already died in front of her... This made her mind, which had just recovered, fall into an ice cellar again, and it was difficult to move.
Even her fingers were numb to the point where she couldn't feel them...
The fear that had been bred in her heart was infinitely amplified.
A very clear fact was in front of them... In the face of absolute power, running away... Was useless.
The ghosts that were running around everywhere were like flies that had smelled blood. They suddenly pounced towards the corpses of Pakunoda and the three of them... They shrieked repeatedly, and seemed incredibly excited.
"After killing people in my territory... It's impossible to want to retreat unscathed."
Oboro slowly turned around, looked at Chrollo, and smiled slightly.
Chrollo's heart turned cold.
He opened his closed eyes, and looked at the corpses of a few of his companions. There was no panic, and no fear... It was just death.
In that instant just now, he and Machi should have died too...
The reason why he had let the two of them go... Wasn't Oboro's mercy.
It was because of Hisoka... Hisoka had already stated that Oboro would create a battlefield where no one would interfere for the two of them.
As for Machi... She might have also been benefiting from Hisoka.
Whether the Spiders were completely annihilated or not wasn't important to Oboro at all... Because from beginning to end, they weren't a threat to this man.
This was a game... A game that had been designed long ago.
The Fels family had used their hands to eliminate the Ten Elders and the old party of the mafia... In this way, it would be easier for Oboro to take over the entire world's underworld.
Because, if the Ten Elders had been killed by the Fels family, once it spread out or aroused suspicion... It would cause a great impact, and there would also be hidden dangers.
But if this crime was placed on the Troupe's head, and then the Fels family acted like a hero, and personally killed the murderer... Avenge their colleagues, and maintain the dignity of the mafia, then it would be different.
The Fels family's reputation would soar to an unprecedented level.
Coincidentally, at this time, the mafia, the old party forces that had originally belonged to the other Ten Elders, which were these mafia bosses, were all dead... They were without a leader.
This entire mafia plate would be easily taken into the bag by the Fels family.
In short... From beginning to end, they had all been working for Oboro.
The Ten Elders and all the mafia leaders who had died today were just bait to lure the Spiders. Oboro had first let them eat and drink their fill, and immerse themselves in the victorious joy of slaughtering the mafia, thinking that they had dealt a fatal blow to the Fels family, and to Oboro... At the time when everything seemed incredibly beautiful, this man would then appear... And bestow... Despair!
There was one point here, which was Hisoka!
If Hisoka hadn't disguised himself so well, and cooperated so skillfully... The Troupe could have avoided this disaster.
Thinking of this, Chrollo looked up at Hisoka.
But he discovered that Hisoka's gaze was fixed on Oboro, his eyes unfocused...
Even Illumi, who had a poker face, was shocked.
"So... Those two don't understand Oboro's strength either."
Chrollo suddenly realized.
As long as I don't die, it will eventually make me stronger.
Every death is growth...
Chrollo said silently.
The 'I' he was referring to here was the Spider, which was the entire Troupe.
He had already judged from Oboro's actions and plans that if he could kill Hisoka... At least, he and Machi could leave safely.
Oboro walked to Chrollo's side, and looked at the other party, who was still calm in this situation, and praised, "Your composure is still quite outstanding..."
"Can I make some preparations?"
Chrollo glanced at Hisoka, and asked.
He was asking for Oboro's opinion.
He knew that Oboro would agree.
"You can."
With a wave of Oboro's hand, the ghostly mist that was surging all around suddenly revealed a gap, revealing a route.
At the end of the road, stood a person.
Quoll, who had arrived late.
"Is it him?"
Oboro asked.
"That's right. He was originally prepared for you... But it seems that he's useless now." Chrollo said calmly.
The situation on the field made it difficult for Quoll to understand... The Leader was standing side by side with that man.
Machi didn't seem to be injured, but the woman was like she had lost her soul, and was constantly lowering her head.
On the side, Feitan was constantly overflowing with blood from his mouth, and was barely breathing...
Relying on only one arm to support his slumped body, his consciousness didn't seem to be very clear anymore.
The blood that was gushing out from the wound had gathered into a pool of crimson water under Feitan.
"Let's begin."
Chrollo said to Quoll.
The latter came back to his senses. Although his heart was in a mess, and he couldn't sort out his thoughts, he still walked to the corpses of a few of his companions... Then, under everyone's gaze, he saw Quoll take a strand of hair from Shalnark, Pakunoda, and Shizuku respectively, put it in his mouth, and chewed for a while.
And activated his Nen ability.
After a moment, he opened his mouth again, and spat out a few jelly beans of different colors.
He stood up, walked over, and handed them to Chrollo.
Oboro discovered that after using his Nen ability, Quoll's own Nen had also become extremely weak.
Specialization type, huh...
Oboro's heart stirred.
Chrollo swallowed the three jelly beans into his stomach one after another.
"An amplification-type ability?"
Oboro asked with a smile.
"Although in my opinion, there was a ninety-nine percent chance that you wouldn't be able to make it in time for this operation... But based on unknown factors, there was still a one percent chance that you would appear. If you really showed up, he would be my trump card to deal with you... At the cost of sacrificing a few companions' lives."
Chrollo didn't hide anything, and glanced at Quoll, "But... Your strength exceeded my expectations, so... You've won. Otherwise... The ending would have been undecided."
"You've thought it through very thoroughly..."
Oboro smiled, and looked at Hisoka, "You're in trouble!"
Yes... The means that Chrollo had originally been going to use to deal with him was now going to be used on Hisoka.
"Let's go."
Chrollo looked at Hisoka with a calm gaze, and took the lead in turning to leave.
He would find a place to have a deathmatch with Hisoka.
In this game, the Troupe no longer had any capital... He had to perform according to the script that Oboro had planned.
Chrollo said this very calmly, but his killing intent was on the verge of erupting.
Hisoka had an undeniable responsibility for the operation ending like this!
He had to pay the price for the deaths of Shalnark and the others.
Hisoka, who had his upper body exposed, agreed readily, and followed with a smile on his face.
"Be careful. I won't save you."
As Hisoka passed by his side, Oboro teased.
"I didn't expect... Your strength to have reached this level."
Hisoka stopped, and looked at Oboro, "Originally, I was quite looking forward to today's battle... But I've discovered that you're always the gift that surprises me the most."
"Watch closely then. This battle is a gift for you... In order to have a final performance with you, I will reach the same level as you, and let our show sublimate."
"I'm afraid there won't be that opportunity... I'm not joking. You might die at his hands."
Oboro said lightly.
"Hehe..."
Hisoka smiled without saying a word.
Then, he looked at Machi, who had been trembling all along, "Don't be nervous. This isn't like you usually... Hmm... Do you have anything to say about me killing your Leader next?"
"Get out... Get out!"
Machi's fear came from Oboro, not Hisoka.
All along, Machi had thought that she had long seen through life and death, and she did indeed have the resolve to sacrifice herself... But witnessing a few of her companions die before her eyes in an instant, that feeling of powerlessness...
And the strength that Oboro had displayed, had caused a shock to her.
The combination of several tastes made it impossible for her to resist.
She had been shedding tears blankly all along... Her mind was empty.
Oboro didn't pay attention to Feitan and Machi, and followed Chrollo and Hisoka.
Illumi did too.
The Troupe's farce had come to an end.
As for the entire palace, Oboro no longer needed to personally pick up the souls that had fallen after the Nen ability users had died... Because, with the spread of the mist and the ghosts, all the souls that hadn't disappeared would be automatically swept away and absorbed by the ghosts.
"Not bad..."
Oboro smiled.
Those Nen ability users beside the Ten Elders, including the Shadow Beasts, and the few members of the Troupe who had died, all of these... Were the nourishment he had gained from this game.
There were quite a few of them, which made the strengthening he had obtained quite considerable.
After the few people had walked far away, Kurapika, whose face was slightly haggard, finally walked out of the palace.
Hisoka's game had only just begun...
His game of hunting the Spiders was also continuing!
Kurapika's reddened eyes saw Feitan, who was barely breathing...
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