A Contest of Schemes

Whoosh! Hisoka sped out, striking first.

No matter what Chrollo says... battles and strength are the best proof.

Hisoka's smile was slightly sinister. In his years with the Phantom Troupe, although he hadn't figured out Chrollo's true strength, he was clear about his abilities and fighting style.

In terms of physical skills... he is definitely superior! Chrollo held the book in one hand and pulled a uniquely shaped short blade from his clothes with the other.

It is not a dagger.

It's more like a sharp knife.

He lowered his waist and did not retreat... responding to Hisoka's attack like a demon with a smile, without even backing down.

"His ability has begun... what is it?"

Outside the arena, Chrollo opened his book and asked curiously.

Chrollo is better suited to using his intellect to wage a roundabout strategy; direct confrontation is disadvantageous to him... He should be aware of this himself.

"Hehehe!"

Hisoka darted in front of Chrollo and laughed.

The cards he threw out earlier were easily dodged by Chrollo... but it was only to disrupt the latter's defensive stance.

*Crack! Crack! Crack! Hisoka unleashed a flurry of punches, striking his enemy with tremendous force.

Chrollo swayed his body, easily dodging the attack, while simultaneously counter-stabbing with the sharp blade in his hand.

Hisoka had already noticed that the knife was poisoned and was being very cautious.

They were also dodging.

"Strangeness..."

"Illumi murmured."

Did you notice it too?

Long glanced at him.

"Hmm... his Nen power strength, including his aura, seems to be above Hisoka's, which is why he dared to fight Hisoka head-on." Illumi nodded. Logically speaking, Chrollo shouldn't have this level of power... so the only explanation is the candy he ate earlier.

"Inheriting an estate..."

Long thought of a word.

The thoughts of the Shalnark, Shizuku, and Pakunoda... a kind of inherited energy.

However, it does not possess Nen, only the intensity and magnitude of Nen.

Even so, it seems that Chrollo has temporarily advanced to the sub-world level.

The two sides moved left and right on the battlefield, engaging in close combat.

Hisoka's attacks appeared dense, fierce, and deadly, but he always held back. He simply wanted to use close combat to force Chrollo to be unable to control the book in his hand better, thus limiting his Nen.

At the same time, we will observe based on the unknown nature of Chrollo's abilities.

"It's about to begin."

A faint, mumbled murmur.

Chrollo's physical skills are quite good. Back then, he was able to hold his own against Silva in a one-on-one situation. In the original work, at the Yorknew auction, he dealt with Silva and Zeno in a two-on-one situation. Although he didn't last long, he had already demonstrated a certain level of skill.

In other words, even the weakest member of the Phantom Troupe, Kortopi, has physical skills far surpassing those of Nen user.

Not to mention, Chrollo's Nen has now reached such a level.

On the field, Chrollo kept retreating, bending down to dodge Hisoka's sweeping kick, and the blade in his hand shot up, aiming for Hisoka's face... He was always looking for an angle to counterattack, rather than taking the initiative to attack.

Hisoka tilted his head slightly, but some of his hair was still cut off by the tip of his sword.

His hidden fingers flicked, and the playing cards that had fallen to the ground suddenly flew up from Chrollo's side, like a series of hidden weapons.

At the same time, Hisoka used his other hand to Nen power Chrollo's arm, which was still unable to pull back in time.

This prevents them from dodging or resisting.

Because Chrollo was still holding a book in his only movable hand.

"Compared to him, you're too naive..."

Chrollo, unfazed by the danger, smiled at Hisoka, who was standing right next to him.

He turned his blade around and instantly sliced through Hisoka's Nen, breaking free from his restraints, and then flung the short sword at Hisoka.

With a few sharp thuds, the sharp playing cards pierced Chrollo's trench coat, but did not hit anything.

Because Chrollo himself had already slipped out of his coat.

The clothes fluttered to the ground, and Hisoka's target disappeared from his sight.

Hisoka dodged the overdrawn blade and was about to turn around to look around when his foot slipped. Looking down, he found that the ground, which was originally paved with stone slabs, was as smooth as a mirror.

Standing on it, with no friction on the soles of your shoes, you will lose your balance.

In the blink of an eye, a gust of wind struck from the back of his head.

Bang! A powerful punch landed heavily on Hisoka's temple... Instantly, blood appeared in Hisoka's eyes, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Chrollo's attack was far more powerful than expected.

Even if he had time to defend himself, thanks to those few candies, the opponent's mental power was already superior to his.

Moreover, the target is a fatal weakness.

However, Hisoka's reaction was incredibly fast; he used the Nen extending from his feet to stick his lower limbs together.

This way, you won't fall and you can keep your balance.

The only problem is that every time he takes a move afterward, he has to re-glue the shoe uppers at the same time as Exorcism, otherwise... it's even difficult to stand up.

After taking the punch One-Punch Man, Hisoka used his Nen to turn around and try to counterattack.

But Chrollo was extremely clever. After landing a successful attack, he retreated... He was like an elegant figure skater, circling Hisoka, his not-so-long black hair fluttering, his movements light and graceful.

He himself seemed unaffected by the slippery ground.

"The second type."

Seeing this, Long spoke up.

If we say that Quake's Nen gave Chrollo the means to deal with him, that is, Nen.

The effect of that ability is quite obvious.

A limitation.

Make the battlefield your home ground.

"His plan was to have a one-on-one fight with me, a duel between men."

She smiled faintly.

You know what, if I weren't that strong, even a little bit weaker... I might have been outmaneuvered by Chrollo, and even killed. If the Phantom Troupe members aren't eliminated quickly...

Ever since being shackled by Oboro, Chrollo seems to have been making some kind of effort.

In such a battle between experts, it's not just about the contest of recitation, but also about the strategies and performance under pressure.

Hisoka immediately realized that he couldn't stay in this 'modified' area. He wanted to use external objects and rely on the expansion and contraction of Nen to pull himself away from where he was... But Chrollo had already seen through his intentions. On this terrain, his movement speed was several times faster than Hisoka's.

Although Hisoka can move, he has to use his Nen power to stick his lower limbs together with every step and turn to prevent his movements from becoming distorted. This increases the difficulty of his attacks and the amount of information his brain has to process.

Several times he unleashed his Nen power, but it was all broken by Chrollo.

Moreover, they would quickly move forward and launch a fierce attack on him from all angles.

Whenever Hisoka showed any sign of counterattacking, Chrollo remained extremely calm and retreated instantly, showing no greed for moves.

"Hmm... Hisoka is like an insect stuck in a spider web right now. Although this area assimilated by Nen power is less than a hundred meters wide... given that his opponent is on the lookout, he can't get rid of it at all and can only passively take the hits."

A capacity for control.

Illumi said calmly, "The situation is terrible... Hisoka is going to die."

He spoke as bluntly as ever.

As they spoke, Hisoka took advantage of the moment when Chrollo jumped after another successful sneak attack and started running. He used the Nen on the soles of his shoes to stick to the ground, trying to escape the battlefield. Otherwise, he couldn't fight Chrollo 'fairly', as the opponent would always have the home-field advantage.

However, he only managed to dart a few meters before Chrollo, who had closed in again, kicked him back.

The Nen power cannot be used to fling oneself away from surrounding objects, nor can it be used to run away.

The situation was completely one-sided! Hisoka covered his head with his hands and was being brutally punched by Chrollo like a punching bag.

The severe blow left him looking extremely disheveled.

Based on Hisoka's combat experience, as long as he doesn't expose any weaknesses to Chrollo, there shouldn't be a problem... The key is that if this continues, he will be worn down to death! Chrollo's Nen strength and energy are superior to his, so although he can defend against it, he will still be injured... Moreover, his energy consumption is also greater than his opponent's.

"You're too weak."

Seeing Hisoka seemingly lose his will to attack and instead protect his Hisoka, Chrollo gave a sinister smile.

In the gap between attacks, a flash of silver light appeared in his hand, and another short sword with the same unique shape appeared in his hand, which he thrust forward.

He was hiding more than one weapon.

"With both hands free, in other words, even with the book closed, the ability is still being used!" Hisoka thought.

As expected, Chrollo had a trick up his sleeve.

He noticed it; it looked like... a Bookmark Theme.

I was just deceiving myself by clinging to the book.

Even when he was being hit, Hisoka looked like he was enjoying it... It was so delicious.

Just as the knife was about to pierce Hisoka's abdomen, Hisoka suddenly opened his arms, which were covering his head, and said in a strange tone, "Be careful, don't hurt your comrades!"

After speaking, Hisoka pulled her arm, and Machi's expression changed instantly. An uncontrollable force suddenly lifted her feet off the ground, sending her flying straight into the middle of the battle. Machi regained her senses and used her Concealment ability, only to find that Hisoka had already stuck a piece of chewing gum on her body and hidden it using Concealment.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have been unaware... it was just that the impact of Long on her mind had thrown her into a state of mental turmoil, which prevented her from noticing.

It was just now... just now when Hisoka greeted her.

Damn it!

Machi yelled a curse.

"Don't be angry..."

Hisoka smiled.

Machi's sudden appearance forced Chrollo to sheathe his sword.

He then grabbed his companion who was hurtling towards him.

It was in this fleeting moment that Hisoka seized the opportunity.

Or rather, Hisoka was waiting for this opportunity, the one he had orchestrated to deliver the fatal blow.

A hand holding a playing card, using Machi's vision as a cover, swept towards Chrollo.

The latter had anticipated this, but Hisoka's movements were still too fast. In addition, Machi also had some effect on him, causing Chrollo to be unable to defend in time. He was unsure of the opponent's attack landing point, so he naturally could not use the flow to mobilize Nen power.

The playing card slashed Chrollo's cheek, cutting a deep gash that bled instantly.

Before Machi had even landed and regained her footing, she had already attacked Hisoka...

But it didn't work.

Although the ground was slippery, there were many corpses and scattered table and chair wreckage around. Hisoka used these things as footrests and jumped out of the area of Nen power assimilation.

Previously, he was too late and was frequently stopped by Chrollo. Now, Chrollo is worried about Machi and naturally has no time to 'take care' of him.

"What a pity..."

It seemed the card hadn't caused Chrollo a fatal wound. Hisoka stuck out his tongue and licked the blood off the card, chuckling softly.

Chrollo grabbed Machi to prevent her from falling, stared coldly at his opponent in the distance, and said calmly, "How despicable... I thought you really wanted to fight me one-on-one."

Machi glared angrily at her former companion.

"There's no other way. Since you've relied on external forces, I naturally have to make some preparations as well... After all, I don't want to really die here."

Hisoka seemed oblivious to Chrollo's sarcasm, and smiled as he spoke.

He doesn't look very good right now... his hair is messy, he's covered in bruises and large abrasions.

"She's the only one I can target."

Illumi thought Hisoka's choice was reasonable. If he used Nen power on the others present, they would definitely be detected... Only Machi was caught off guard because of her personal condition.

"However, even if he escapes the assimilation zone, he will only regain his mobility. Hisoka's disadvantages will still exist."

"Chrollo probably has quite a few more tricks up his sleeve to deal with you..."

Illumi looked down at Oboro, who was sitting on the corpse.

"Who knows? Let's keep watching."

Hazy.

Three updates guaranteed today.