Yet the instant everyone's attention was drawn to Leo-
A sound tore through the sky.
It wasn't the wind.
It was the shriek of something heavy ripping through the air at terrifying speed.
Shirvam instinctively looked up, his pupils reflecting a figure that grew larger by the instant-
BOOM!!!
Like a meteor striking the earth.
The entire street shook violently. Every paving stone within five meters of the impact shattered, buckled, and flew!
Dust surged skyward like a mushroom cloud, and the raging blast of air forced Machi and Bonolenov, who were closest, several steps back.
The dust slowly cleared.
At the center of the crater, a tall figure crouched.
Long white hair spilled like a waterfall in the moonlight, and a dark purple training outfit clung to his powerful frame.
His right fist was buried deep in the crown of Shirvam's head. Shirvam's body twitched twice at the bottom of the crater, then went completely limp, all life extinguished.
Silva Zoldyck slowly stood and shook the blood from his hand, as casually as brushing off dust.
"Wha..."
Pakunoda instinctively took half a step back.
All of Machi's Nen threads went taut.
The bandages on Bonolenov's body stirred without a breeze.
Franklin aimed his gun barrels at the new enemy.
Leo froze too.
"Another powerhouse?"
He stared at that white-haired figure's back, information from the original Hunter x Hunter flashing through his mind-Silva Zoldyck, Killua's father, the current head of the Zoldyck Family, and one of the world's finest assassins.
The manga had indeed mentioned that he had assassinated the Phantom Troupe's former Number Eight... So this was when it happened.
The corners of Leo's mouth slowly rose, flames of excitement burning in his eyes.
Interesting. Far too interesting.
This chaotic battle just kept exceeding expectations.
For the first time, a crack appeared in Chrollo's expression.
It wasn't anger or shock, but a coldness that sank into the marrow.
That coldness seemed to lower the surrounding temperature by several degrees.
He looked at Shirvam's corpse at the bottom of the crater, at the comrade who had once called him "boss," now reduced to a body that still held a trace of warmth. Then he slowly raised his head and fixed his gaze on Silva.
"You killed our comrade."
Chrollo's voice was soft, barely a whisper, yet every word was like a poisoned icicle.
"Unforgivable."
Bandit's Secret appeared in his hand, the blood-red handprint on its cover seeming to pulse.
"You now have two choices."
Chrollo opened the book, his fingertip brushing across a page.
"First, every one of us hunts you down. We won't stop until you're dead."
His gaze was like a tangible blade.
"Second, you replace the late Shirvam and become our new Number Eight."
Silva finally turned, revealing his sharply chiseled face.
His expression was frighteningly calm, his eyes devoid of emotion.
He didn't answer. He didn't even give Chrollo another glance.
He simply turned and headed toward the other end of the street-walking at first, then quickening his stride into a run, accelerating until he became a blurred afterimage in the blink of an eye.
Running away? No, that wasn't it.
The Zoldyck Family's ancestral rules were etched into the marrow of every family member.
One payment, one target.
Never kill anyone unrelated to the assignment. Never become embroiled in an unnecessary battle.
Shirvam had been the target. The assignment was complete.
As for the Phantom Troupe's wrath? That wasn't his concern.
Chrollo watched Silva's rapidly retreating back and slowly closed Bandit's Secret.
"I understand."
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Then prepare to die here."
The instant he finished speaking, Chrollo vanished, disappearing as abruptly as though he had melted into the shadows.
Only Leo caught that almost imperceptible presence racing after Silva at terrifying speed.
Chrollo had gone after Silva.
The remaining Phantom Troupe members fell into a brief, deathly silence.
Pakunoda was the first to react.
She whipped her head around and glared at Leo and Mores with bloodshot eyes, her voice trembling with rage.
"Kill them both! We can't waste any more time! We can't let that bastard get away!"
"Cough... cough, cough..."
Nobunaga struggled out of the rubble, his face covered in blood and his left cheek swollen, but the ferocity in his eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, wiped his mouth, then roared at Franklin.
"Franklin! What are you waiting for?!"
Franklin snapped out of his shock.
Raging fury now burned in the eyes of the normally composed giant.
A Phantom Troupe member had been killed, and their boss had been forced to leave to pursue the enemy-this humiliation had to be washed away with blood!
"ROOOAR!!!"
Franklin let out a bestial roar and raised both arms again.
This time, the gun barrels in all ten fingers began spinning rapidly, giving off the hum of overloaded machinery. He no longer took aim, instead pointing both arms down the entire street-
Two-Handed Machine Gun: Full Salvo!
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!
This barrage was twice as dense as the last!
Nen bullets poured down like a torrential storm, indiscriminately engulfing Leo, Mores, and everything around them!
The walls of the buildings on both sides of the street were riddled with holes, every window shattered, and parked vehicles exploded into scrap metal!
Machi flicked both hands, weaving dozens of Nen threads into a net in midair that swept toward Leo from the side.
These threads were as fine as hair, yet tough enough to slice through steel. Anyone caught in them would be dismembered in an instant.
Bonolenov began spinning rapidly. His bandages unraveled completely, revealing the bizarre body beneath, riddled with holes-Battle Cantabile: Jupiter!
A massive sphere over three meters in diameter materialized around him, its surface covered in spikes. It began rotating at the speed of sound, then slammed toward Leo like a cannonball!
Omokage's puppets moved too.
Two eyeless puppets lunged at Leo from opposite sides.
Their hands began transforming into claws, blades, and spikes-abilities copied from other Nen users. Though they possessed only a fraction of the originals' power, they were still lethal.
Mores, the original prey, had instead become a secondary target.
Only Pakunoda fired her pistol at him to keep him occupied. Everyone else's killing intent was fixed on Leo.
Leo stood where he was, watching the attacks converge from every direction.
A storm of Nen bullets.
A cutting net.
A massive supersonic sphere.
A pincer attack from the puppets.
He smiled.
It was a heartfelt smile, brimming with excitement at its absolute peak.
"Now that's more like it."
Then he spoke softly.
"Instant-Release!"
The instant those words fell-
HUM!!!
The air let out a low-frequency moan.
Black, stripe-like markings that seemed alive emerged from Leo's chest and rapidly spread to his cheeks, arms, torso, and legs-covering his entire body in the blink of an eye!
Then indescribably violent energy erupted from every aura node in Leo's body!
If his previous Nen aura had been a tsunami, this was the simultaneous eruption of every volcano beneath the sea!
A dark red wave of aura exploded outward from him!
The paving stones beneath his feet didn't crack. They turned straight to dust!
The air within ten meters began to distort, refracting the light into eerie halos.
Enhancement Type ability: Instant-Release Compresses and concentrates all aura, unleashing it completely over five minutes and forcibly removing the body's limits. Effect: grants ultra-fast regeneration and raises physical strength, speed, defense, and all five senses beyond the limits the body can withstand. Cost: once activated, it cannot be interrupted. After five minutes, all aura is exhausted, leaving the user unable to use any Nen. The body endures immense strain, and the user is left completely drained afterward. Restriction: can only be used once per day.
This was an incomplete ability he had begun developing during his intensive training. Now, for its first unveiling, he would use these Spiders to test it, then refine and adjust it afterward.
He had thought about it for a long time. Since his body was his strong suit, his greatest advantage, he would bring out its full potential.
This move would free his body to the fullest extent!
Before you continue