As lightning flashed, a black-haired man with hair down to his waist suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.
He slowly turned his face.
His huge, silent eyes stared unblinkingly at Cordis behind him.
It was Illumi!
Of all the people to run into. He must still be angry with me for pulling Killua's Nen Needle out.
Cordis had thought his connection with Illumi had ended after the Hunter Exam.
He hadn't expected to see him here.
Just as Cordis was wondering whether he should say hello, something happened.
A dozen large-headed pins flew toward him.
They were incredibly fast, but Cordis reacted quickly enough to dodge them all with a backflip.
Who attacked someone the moment they met?!
Even if he really hated me, he couldn't just do that!
Once he regained his footing, Cordis glared indignantly at Illumi nearby and demanded,
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Illumi didn't answer. Instead, he quickly pulled several more pins from behind his back and started walking toward Cordis.
With a face that seemed incapable of expression, he spoke his first words.
"Where's Killua?"
His voice was utterly flat. Everyone knew Illumi cared deeply about Killua, but judging solely by that unchanging tone, he sounded as though he didn't care much at all.
He really was a walking contradiction.
"Killua? He's doing great with me."
Cordis was clearly provoking Illumi. He knew full well that Killua didn't get along with his eldest brother, yet he deliberately said it anyway.
But Illumi showed no sign of anger.
Or perhaps Illumi simply had no angry expression to show.
Illumi merely stood there without moving, and the sight put Cordis on guard.
Manipulation users were often even harder to deal with than Transmutation users.
Just as Cordis waited for Illumi's next move, something happened.