Are There More Experts? Leo Goes All Out

However, at the exact moment everyone's attention was drawn to Leo—

A piercing sound tore through the sky.

It was not the wind.

It was the shriek of some heavy object ripping through the air at terrifying speed.

Shirvam instinctively looked up, his pupils reflecting a rapidly enlarging figure—

"Boom—!!!"

Like a meteor striking the ground.

The entire street shook violently. Centered on the impact point, every paving stone within a five-meter radius shattered, buckled, and sprayed outward!

Dust soared into the sky like a mushroom cloud, while the turbulent airflow forced even Machi and Bonolenov, who were closest, back several steps.

The dust slowly dispersed.

At the center of the crater, a tall figure crouched on one knee.

His long white hair cascaded down like a waterfall beneath the moonlight, and a dark purple training uniform clung tightly to his burly body.

His right fist was buried deep in Shirvam's skull. Shirvam's body twitched twice at the bottom of the crater before going completely limp, all life gone.

Silva Zoldyck slowly rose to his feet and flicked the blood from his hand, as casually as if brushing away dust.

"What..."

Pakunoda instinctively took half a step back.

All of Machi's Nen threads tightened.

The bandages around Bonolenov's body moved without wind.

Franklin's gun barrels aimed at the new enemy once more.

Leo was stunned too.

"Are there more experts?"

He stared at that white-haired back as information from the original Hunter x Hunter flashed through his mind—Silva Zoldyck, Killua's father, the current head of the Zoldyck Family, one of the world's foremost assassins.

The manga had indeed mentioned that he had once assassinated the Phantom Troupe's former Number Eight... So this was when it happened.

Leo's lips slowly curled upward, excitement blazing in his eyes.

Interesting. Far too interesting.

This chaotic battle was becoming more and more unpredictable.

For the first time, cracks appeared in Chrollo's expression.

It was neither anger nor shock, but a chill that seeped deep into the bone.

That chill seemed to lower the temperature of the surrounding air by several degrees.

He looked at Shirvam's corpse at the bottom of the crater, at the companion who had once called him "Captain," now reduced to a body that still retained some warmth. Then he slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Silva.

"You killed our companion."

Chrollo's voice was soft, as soft as a whisper, yet every word was like an ice pick steeped in poison.

"Unforgivable."

Bandit's Secret appeared in his hand, the bloody handprint on its cover seeming to pulse.

"You now have two choices."

Chrollo opened the book, his fingertip brushing across one of its pages.

"One, be hunted down by all of us. We will not rest until one side is dead."

His gaze was like a tangible blade.

"Two, replace the dead Shirvam and become our new Number Eight."

Silva finally turned around, revealing his sharply defined face.

His expression was terrifyingly calm, with no emotion in his eyes.

He did not answer. He did not even give Chrollo another glance.

He simply turned and walked toward the other end of the street—at first, it was an ordinary walk, then his steps quickened into a run. His speed increased, and in the blink of an eye, he became a blurry afterimage.

He ran? No, he was not running away.

The Zoldyck Family's ancestral teachings were carved into the bones of every family member.

One payment, one target.

Never kill unrelated people outside the mission. Never involve oneself in unnecessary battles.

Shirvam was the target. The target had been eliminated.

As for the Phantom Troupe's fury? That was not something he needed to consider.

Watching Silva's rapidly retreating back, Chrollo slowly closed Bandit's Secret.

"I understand."

His voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Then prepare to die here."

The moment his words fell, Chrollo vanished, disappearing abruptly as though he had merged with the shadows.

Only Leo caught that nearly imperceptible presence racing in the direction Silva had gone at a terrifying speed.

Chrollo had gone after Silva.

The remaining Phantom Troupe members fell into a brief dead silence.

Pakunoda was the first to react.

She whipped around, glaring at Leo and Mores with bloodshot eyes, her voice trembling with rage.

"Kill both of them! We can't waste any more time! We can't let that bastard get away!"

"Cough... cough..."

Nobunaga struggled out from the rubble, his face covered in blood and his left cheek swollen, but the fierce light in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped the corner of his mouth, then roared at Franklin.

"Franklin! What are you waiting for?!"

Franklin snapped out of his shock.

Even this normally steady giant now had blazing fury in his eyes.

A Phantom Troupe member had been killed, and their leader had been forced to leave and pursue the enemy—this was humiliation, and it had to be washed away with blood!

"Roar—!!!"

Franklin let out a beast-like roar and raised both arms again.

This time, the gun barrels on all ten fingers began spinning at high speed, producing the hum of mechanical overload. He no longer aimed, instead pointing both arms down the entire street—

Two-Handed Machine Gun: Full Salvo!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!!

The barrage this time was twice as dense as before!

Nen bullets poured down like a torrential storm, indiscriminately covering Leo, Mores, and everything around them!

The walls of the buildings on both sides of the street were riddled with holes, every window exploded, and parked vehicles were blasted into heaps of scrap metal!

With a flick of both hands, Machi wove dozens of Nen threads into a net in midair, casting it over Leo from the side.

Those Nen threads were as thin as hair, yet tough enough to cut through steel. Once entangled, he would be dismembered in an instant.

Bonolenov began spinning at high speed, his bandages completely unraveling to reveal the bizarre body beneath, riddled with holes—Battle Cantabile: Jupiter!

A massive sphere over three meters in diameter materialized around him. Its surface was covered in spikes, and it began rotating at the speed of sound before smashing toward Leo like a cannonball!

Omokage's puppets moved as well.

Two eyeless puppets lunged at Leo from the left and right.

Their hands began to transform into claws, blades, and spikes—abilities copied from other Nen users. Though they possessed only a fraction of the originals' power, they were still enough to kill.

Meanwhile, Mores, the original target, had instead become a secondary target.

Only Pakunoda used her pistol to fire disrupting shots at him. Everyone else's killing intent was locked onto Leo.

Leo stood where he was, watching the attacks descend from every direction.

The Nen bullet storm.

The cutting net.

The supersonic giant sphere.

The pincer attack from the puppets.

He smiled.

It was a smile from the bottom of his heart, a smile of utter exhilaration.

"Now this is more like it."

Then he spoke softly.

"Instant—Release!"

The instant those three words fell—

Buzzz—!!!

The air let out a low, mournful cry.

Black, living-looking striped markings emerged from Leo's chest, rapidly spreading across his cheeks, arms, torso, and legs—covering his entire body in the blink of an eye!

Immediately afterward, an indescribably violent energy erupted from every aura pore in Leo's body!

If his Nen aura before had been a tsunami, then now it was the full eruption of an undersea volcano!

Dark red waves of aura exploded outward from him!

The paving stones beneath his feet did not merely crack—they were reduced directly to powder!

The air within ten meters began to warp, while the light refracted into strange halos.

Enhancement Ability: Instant Release

Compresses and concentrates all aura, fully unleashing it over five minutes and forcibly removing the body's limitations.

Effect: Gains super-speed regeneration. Physical strength, speed, defense, and the five senses are all enhanced beyond the limits the body can endure.

Cost: Once activated, it cannot be interrupted. After five minutes, all aura will be depleted, making it impossible to use any Nen. The body will endure an immense burden, leaving the user completely exhausted afterward.

Restriction: Can only be used once per day.

This was an incomplete ability he had initially developed during special training. Now, in its first display, he was using this bunch of spiders to test it before optimizing and adjusting it later.

He had thought about it for a long time. Since his body was his strength, his greatest advantage, then he would bring it into perfect play.

This move could free his body to its utmost limits!