Crisis X Revelation

Why—

Why is Uvogin of the Phantom Troupe here?

And he'd even transformed into Saixin's appearance—this was clearly a targeted operation.

Watching Uvogin drop his transformation ability, Moro's pupils shook.

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Moro's mind.

He confirmed that Uvogin had come specifically to cause him trouble.

From there, he considered Saixin's situation and the possibility that other Phantom Troupe members were nearby.

The worst-case scenario was that the Phantom Troupe was acting collectively and had singled him out as their prey.

But—

What was the motive and reason?

Moro had never crossed paths with the Troupe.

Was it a whim, or had they taken a liking to his antique shop?

Highly unlikely.

The shop's value wasn't worth mentioning—it didn't even rank within Yorknew City. With the Phantom Troupe's style of brazenly hijacking entire auction house inventories, why would they care about his little store?

A whim?

Even less likely.

If it were a whim, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of targeting Saixin first, let alone resorting to a cautious method like transformation.

This was clearly a pre-laid plan, designed to ensure the outcome was foolproof.

And among the Troupe, the one who insisted on such methods...

Chrollo Lucilfer.

The worst possibility.

This was enough to prove that, besides Uvogin, at least Chrollo and Pakunoda—who was inseparable from Chrollo—were involved in targeting him.

This was dangerous...

But it was times like this that demanded calm.

Why would the Phantom Troupe come after him?

There was no point in digging for answers now. What he needed to consider was how to escape this peril.

Moro suddenly stepped back. As he passed the visitor's desk by the door, he grabbed an ashtray.

In the wind and rain.

Uvogin watched Moro's move but paid it little mind. Even after his disguise was exposed, he wasn't in a hurry to attack.

He hadn't completed the leader's orders, but the outcome wouldn't change.

"Hm?"

Uvogin's eyelids lifted slightly.

A dull thud came from inside the antique shop, followed by the lights going out, plunging the interior into darkness.

Seeing this, Uvogin realized Moro had grabbed the ashtray to smash the circuit breaker as fast as possible.

But what good would that do?

Uvogin still made no move, standing firm in the wind and rain.

Inside the pitch-black antique shop.

Moro looked toward the back door, clearly sensing a surging, violent Killing Intent—utterly undisguised.

Blocked off.

Moro let out a long breath.

From Uvogin's methods, he'd deduced that Chrollo and Pakunoda were likely nearby, but it clearly wasn't just the three of them...

Having no intention of confronting the Killing Intent at the back door, Moro forced himself to stay calm and walked out of the antique shop.

In that brief moment, three more figures appeared on the street.

The leader was a man with short black hair, a purple cross tattoo in the center of his forehead, deep, dark eyes, and a calm expression that faintly revealed a hint of cold detachment.

To his left was a tall, voluptuous blonde woman with sharp, cold features, though her hooked nose marred her overall beauty.

To his right was a young man with a golden-haired baby face, emerald-green eyes, and a face full of smiles.

Chrollo, Pakunoda, Shalnark.

The distinctive features of their appearances let Moro instantly recognize who they were, and his heart sank.

Chrollo kept his hands in his pockets, looking at Moro as if he were nothing more than a lifeless object.

Beside him, Shalnark rested a hand on his hip and smiled. "Sharp and decisive. Looks like he knows about us..."

"Let's secure him first."

Pakunoda crossed her arms, propping up her full chest.

Chrollo silently raised his right hand, channeling his Nen aura into his palm.

Watching Chrollo's movements as he gathered his Nen, Moro's gaze turned heavy, his voice utterly devoid of emotion:

"The Phantom Troupe... you really think highly of me. But between you and me, there's never been any direct or indirect contact, has there?"

Chrollo's eyes were as still as dead water; he remained silent.

The other Troupe members also showed no intention of answering.

No answer, huh...

Moro took a deep breath, desperately searching for a way to escape.

At that moment, Chrollo activated his Nen ability.

"Master of Stealth."

As Nen surged, a book with a red handprint materialized out of thin air in his right hand.

Rustle, rustle...

Facing the downpour, the book flipped through its pages on its own.

When the pages stopped, Chrollo conjured a monocle linked to a golden chain in his left hand.

Seeing the monocle Chrollo had materialized, a flicker of change crossed Moro's eyes—whether relief or anger, he couldn't tell.

That monocle was Saixin's conjuration ability.

Now that Chrollo had stolen it, it meant Saixin was still alive.

But given the Phantom Troupe's methods, even if he was alive, his fate was surely miserable...

Chrollo held the monocle but didn't put it on.

"No rush."

He spoke slowly, stopping Uvogin, who was about to make a move.

Originally, Chrollo had intended to use the act of conjuring the monocle to unsettle Moro's mind, creating an opportunity to capture him alive.

Strangely enough...

Moro's reaction contained not a trace of surprise or confusion.

When a companion's ability was used by someone who came looking for trouble—

Even if one's will was unshakably firm, they should at least show the confusion expected of a human.

But the Moro Chrollo saw displayed no shock, surprise, or confusion. Instead...

Relief?

Relief for what?

The possibility Chrollo could think of was that the moment Moro saw the monocle, he realized the ability's owner was still alive.

If so, the prerequisite for such a judgment was an understanding of his Specialization-type ability, 'Master of Stealth.'

That was very interesting.

"Moro... As you said, there's never been any direct or indirect contact between us."

Chrollo stated this conclusion with certainty, then a hint of curiosity crept into his eyes.

"But your reaction tells me something—you know my Nen ability."

It wasn't a question or a guess.

It was a final verdict.

Hearing Chrollo's words, Shalnark, Pakunoda, and Uvogin all showed expressions of surprise.

"..."

Moro fell silent, inwardly startled as well.

Just from the brief change in his reaction upon seeing Saixin's ability, Chrollo had seen through him and confidently delivered a final verdict.

This was Chrollo Lucilfer.

Moro suppressed the turmoil in his heart, resisting the urge to glance at Pakunoda.

If there was still a chance to escape, it lay in...

Information.

Moro was almost certain that Pakunoda had used her memory-searching ability on Saixin, extracting information about him.

And that information contained one false detail.

That was...

In Saixin's perception, I'm an Enhancer.

But in reality, I'm an Emitter.

The opportunity lies within that.