"Damn brat! If you've got guts, come down!"
"Bzz~ bzz~~~"
"Remember this, damn it! Wash your neck and wait! I'll chop off your dog head with Banryū!"
"Bzz~ bzz~~~"
"AAAAARGH!!!"
"..."
Unable to remain calm or cheerful any longer, Bankotsu roared and howled like a crazed, tireless beast, whirling the massive halberd Banryū so densely that not even water could pass through.
Yet no matter how sharp the wind pressure unleashed by Bankotsu was, it only wiped out a tiny fraction of the mosquito swarm, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Again and again, the swarm scattered and regrouped, forming a vast black cloud as it searched for chances to bite him. Even when they could not bite him, they harassed him until he lost control of his emotions, unable to rest or continue rowing.
"Mr. Bankotsu..." Chrollo was deeply worried. The wounds on Bankotsu's chest and abdomen kept tearing open, and his condition was truly far from reassuring. He also felt terribly guilty. "I-I'm sorry. I held you back. If it weren't for me..."
"Huh?" Bankotsu angrily lowered Banryū. After meeting Chrollo's lively eyes for a moment, he suddenly cursed, "Stop talking bullshit! Holding me back? Who the hell do you think you are? And who do you think I am?! I'm Bankotsu! The leader of the Phantom Troupe's Spiders, and I only live my own way, doing whatever the hell I want!"
Chrollo was stunned. Then he clenched his teeth as tears flowed helplessly down his face.
It was not because Bankotsu's ferocity had frightened him. Chrollo understood what lay hidden beneath Bankotsu's fierce exterior.
Before this moment, Chrollo had been exactly what Bankotsu teasingly called him—a unlucky child.
"Meteor City" in the West Blue was Chrollo's hometown, a peninsula stretching out from the Red Line. More