On the balcony of the hotel suite.
The evening breeze carried a hint of chill.
Luo Ye and Kurapika stood side by side, looking down on the city of sin beneath them. It had just endured a bloodbath, yet its lights still blazed.
"What did you want to say?"
Kurapika broke the silence first.
He could sense that the languid air surrounding the man beside him had vanished.
In its place was a focused fluctuation of energy, tinged with something almost greedy.
"Let's make a deal."
Luo Ye got straight to the point.
He took a lollipop from his pocket, tore off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth.
"A deal that benefits both of us."
Kurapika said nothing, merely motioning with his eyes for him to continue.
"Your goal is to kill every member of the Phantom Troupe and avenge your people, right?"
Luo Ye turned to look at Kurapika's profile.
"But with your current strength, you might beat a simple-minded Enhancement user like Uvogin with Emperor Time, but if you face a tactician like Chrollo or someone with area-of-effect attacks like Feitan, you'll probably get wrecked."
"Even if you scrape out a win, every time you use Emperor Time, you burn through your own lifespan. By the time you've killed all the Spiders, you'll probably have one foot in the grave."
Luo Ye's words were like a scalpel, precisely cutting open the reality Kurapika least wanted to face.
Kurapika's fists clenched involuntarily.
"As for me..."
Luo Ye changed tack, a swindler's smile spreading across his face.
"I can help you."
"I can be your spearhead, your shield, your cleanup crew."
"I can help you eliminate every Spider except Chrollo, so you can focus all your energy on your ultimate target."
"I can guarantee that I'll help you