In front of the cathedral in District One.
The white-robed elder withdrew his Nen. On the back of his withered hand, the marks of the sun and the moon suddenly vanished.
He looked toward Chrollo, who was calmly walking over to him. He let out an inscrutable, sinister smile, the laughter echoing through the cold night wind above Meteor City.
Beside the elder, a child dressed in white church robes handed him a staff.
He grasped the staff and, with clouded eyes, sized up the Phantom Troupe's leader standing before him—far too young.
With a sharp "pfft," the staff pierced the cement-poured ground as if stabbing into tofu, the hardness erupting into spiderweb cracks.
Faced with this threatening gesture, Chrollo remained serene and unperturbed.
The elder's gaze turned cold.
"I hope the Phantom Troupe can complete this task excellently."
"I don't want to see anyone who takes something from Meteor City still living peacefully afterward."
Chrollo smiled.
"Of course."
"However, I hope you can change the way you phrase it."
Toward this most authoritative, openly acknowledged ruler and senior of Meteor City, Chrollo's attitude was no different from how he treated an ordinary passerby.
Ignoring the growing displeasure in the elder's eyes, he spoke softly with impeccable politeness:
"This is merely a transaction, Elder Mull."
After hearing Chrollo's words, the elder felt no anger at being disrespected. Instead, the Nen and killing intent within him suddenly surged outward like waves.
The overwhelming Nen pressure made the Spiders waiting quietly in the distance erupt with murderous intent in an instant.
And Chrollo, who bore the brunt of it, turned gracefully as if utterly unaware, presenting his back to the Nen that could kill any ordinary person.
He glanced at his Spiders. With just one look, he made them calm down.
He walked elegantly toward his comrades, leaving behind a calm, cold sentence:
"The Troupe does not act on anyone's instructions—even yours."
...
"The mission officially begins. You may start moving."
At Chrollo's command, the Spiders took out the badges Kisho had prepared in advance and held them in their hands.
Without even needing transportation, they sprinted swiftly through the night, their speed no different from cars.
They could even chat leisurely while running.
"Last time, the kid still needed Uvogin to carry him."
Running half a body-length behind Kisho, Feitan said,
"Now he's a lot more useful than before."
Kisho said,
"I wouldn't dare. Compared to you all, I still fall far short."
"But… can anyone tell me what the mission target actually is?"
After thinking for a moment, he continued,
"And what did that elder mean just now? It sounded like you all already knew. I'm the only one completely in the dark."
Machi's voice drifted over.
"Whether you know or not doesn't really matter. Just do what the leader says."
"…Is it some secret that can't be told?"
Black lines crossed Kisho's face.
"…I feel like I can still try to argue for the right to know."
Running at the very back, Kortopi said frankly,
"The one mainly in charge of explaining intelligence, Shalnark, is in another group."
He looked at the few people running ahead of him, his gaze helpless.
"Everyone on our side is too lazy to think, and too lazy to talk."
"If you want to understand the specifics, I'll give you a simple overview."
Chrollo slowed down, moving side by side with the curious little Spider behind him.
"Three years ago, a native of Meteor City drifted to the Republic of Pinsge. After some time, he was prosecuted and arrested by that country's government on a charge of murder."
"…He definitely didn't kill anyone."
Sensing something ominous, Kisho frowned and asked on,
"…Then what?"
Chrollo tilted his head and looked at the serious-faced Kisho, smiling.
"I think you should know as well—Meteor City residents do not exist in any nation's citizen registration system."
"Therefore, he had no legal identity within human society. In other words, he was a 'nonexistent person.'"
Kisho felt a chill run through his body, his voice turning cold as well.
"…So whether he committed murder or not, the accusers didn't need to—and couldn't be bothered to—present evidence; instead, he had to prove that he hadn't killed anyone—but that was simply impossible."
Chrollo smiled faintly, as if agreeing with Kisho's inference.
Machi, however, was not as calm as Chrollo. Her voice was filled with killing intent and rage.
"That country forcibly prosecuted the Meteor City resident who denied the charges. The court didn't even give him a chance to explain before declaring him guilty and sentencing him to death."
After a brief silence, Kisho asked,
"…Something from three years ago suddenly being brought up—has the truth been uncovered?"
"It hasn't been uncovered."
Chrollo said calmly,
"No one would deliberately investigate anything for a Meteor City person who's already dead."
"Not long ago, someone from the Fissel family—affiliated with one of the Ten Dons—was arrested after suffering a drug withdrawal attack in public. After interrogation, his crimes were exposed, including that case from three years ago."
"…That Meteor City resident… was innocent."
Kisho let out a heavy breath.
"So this operation of ours is retaliation against the mafia that pinned the crime on him."
In a certain instant, a thought exploded in his mind. He looked at Chrollo and asked in an extremely certain tone,
"…That mafia member who had a drug withdrawal in public—did he do business with the Bankro family?"
"Oh?"
Chrollo smiled in praise.
"Not bad. Quick reaction."
He spoke gently to the serious-faced Kisho.
"In that case, you should understand why, after you came back, Shalnark took you to meet the elder of District One."
Kisho said nothing.
In mid-May, the Bankro family's merchant ship sank at sea. The last batch of raw liquid and the only person capable of producing it were buried deep beneath the ocean.
After that, once the last remaining "raw liquid" on the market was exhausted, all those who had once indulged in the blissful world brought by "raw liquid" would fall into the hell of backlash.
Since even Hisoka could keep an eye on him whenever he pleased, what he had done on the merchant ship was no secret to Chrollo and the District One elder either.
Which meant…
They all knew that the truth of the case from three years ago coming to light had something to do with him.
And then, considering the order that he "must return to Meteor City before September"—
Kisho stared blankly at Chrollo.
"So this cooperation with the District One elder… part of the reason… is because of me?"
Chrollo smiled.
"Elder Mull had many people he could choose from. Ultimately deciding on the Troupe as the partner does indeed have something to do with you."
"After all, from a certain perspective, you're someone who sends restless spirits to heaven."
"Cooperating with the elder is indeed very beneficial for the Troupe."
Chrollo reached out and rubbed Kisho's head, smiling.
"I'll give you credit for it."
Kisho was mired in extremely complicated emotions, all of which were scattered by Chrollo's casual head-pat.
He rolled his eyes and ignored that last remark.
He only felt that hearing the word "heaven" from the mouth of this faithless man in an inverted-cross coat was particularly eerie and mocking.
Chrollo smiled faintly and withdrew his hand.
Like an emotionless mouthpiece of a god, he calmly delivered judgment.
"…Everyone who participated in fabricating that miscarriage of justice back then will be judged."
The sky was beginning to brighten. A town where airships could dock was close at hand.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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