As a spectator, Qiao Lun noticed something unusual the moment Chrollo made his move.
First was the left hand Chrollo had slipped into his pocket. He had probably used his phone to send a message without anyone noticing.
Then there was the matter of his abruptly appearing behind Hisoka. Chrollo had not moved at all the entire time. Hisoka was the one who had moved!
When Chrollo activated his ability, Hisoka's position changed. From about five meters away from Chrollo, he appeared right in front of him in an instant.
It was a teleportation ability.
But it moved other people, not Chrollo himself.
What were the conditions for activating this ability, though? Qiao Lun was somewhat puzzled.
Nothing unusual had appeared around Chrollo throughout the process. He had not expanded his En, had not even spoken, and had made no contact with Hisoka. He had changed Hisoka's position just like that, in an instant.
But this move probably had restrictions. First, it could not transport Chrollo himself.
Otherwise, if Chrollo simply teleported to the floor below, or even two floors down, catching up to him would be quite troublesome for both Hisoka and Qiao Lun.
Then there were the teleportation range and the circumstances after teleportation...
Qiao Lun quietly watched Hisoka and Chrollo fight, merely analyzing and mentally recording their abilities and fighting styles, with no intention of intervening.
As for Neon, whom he had pulled over with Toad's tongue, before she could start making a fuss, he had already knocked her unconscious with a single punch.
For someone who was nothing but dead weight, lying quietly unconscious was the best state to be in.
Hisoka had not suffered any serious injuries from being sent flying. The instant he landed, he adjusted his stance, pushed off, and shot straight toward Chrollo, accelerating.
Three small swords suddenly appeared in Chrollo's hand, shooting straight at Hisoka's face.
But Hisoka did not slow his charge. As he rushed forward, he twisted his body with remarkable flexibility, dodging the swords.
Yet with a wave of Chrollo's left hand, the swords suddenly swept upward and reversed course, locking onto Hisoka from three different directions behind him and accelerating toward him.
Hisoka keenly sensed something amiss, but a moment later, a cut still appeared on his arm.
After dodging two of the small swords, he had been wounded by the third. Once its attack was complete, that sword flew up again, changed direction, and charged toward him once more.
But during this process, Hisoka had also closed in on Chrollo.
A savage grin spread across his lips. He raised his left leg and lashed a roundhouse kick at Chrollo.
At the same time, he curled his fingers slightly. Several tables he had passed during his charge were suddenly yanked up and hurled at the small swords changing direction in midair.
Chrollo changed the gesture he used to control the swords and gathered more Nen around his left arm, raising it to block.
The next moment, Hisoka's kick sent him flying. At the instant they made contact, Hisoka's Nen also attached itself directly to Chrollo.
But before Hisoka could tug on Bungee Gum to pull Chrollo back, the click of a lighter came from the direction in which Chrollo was flying.
The next moment, scorching flames took the shape of a fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged to bite Hisoka. The taut Bungee Gum along its path was burned straight through.
Yet Hisoka's face showed excitement, delight, and satisfaction. He curled his fingers and retreated, and the tables that had failed to hit the flying swords slammed into the fire dragon.
Flames splashed outward, but Hisoka and Chrollo launched attacks at each other again at the same time.
The vanished flying swords reappeared, slicing through the lingering flames at tremendous speed and heading straight for Hisoka. All Hisoka could do was circle around the flames while dodging the swords darting toward him.
Hisoka was being completely suppressed.
Watching the battle, Qiao Lun reached his assessment. Even though Chrollo had not made thorough preparations as he had in the anime, his Skill Hunter still held a rich stock of abilities, enough to handle any unexpected situation.
Although his flame ability required sparks from a lighter to turn Nen into fire for an attack, this high-temperature attack happened to counter Hisoka's Bungee Gum perfectly.
The flying sword attack, on the other hand, caught Qiao Lun's eye. It was clearly an ability combining Manipulation and Conjuration.
If it could also incorporate Emission's spatial properties, it should be capable of unleashing even stronger attacks.
Unfortunately, once an ability like this fell into Chrollo's hands, it lost the possibility of further growth. Chrollo was not its creator. He had merely stolen someone else's achievement, and once that achievement was in his hands, it lost any room for improvement.
Of course, Qiao Lun also had reason to suspect that Chrollo might still be holding something back.
If the flying swords could suddenly unleash a burst of power at a crucial moment, they might pose a lethal threat to Hisoka, or even kill him in a single strike.
Besides, what other abilities Chrollo's book held beyond these few remained unknown.
This fight still had a long way to go!
But at least the current circumstances were already much fairer to Hisoka than the arena battle in the manga.
Everyone in the restaurant had fled, and mafia members who had received their orders earlier had shut its doors.
The only people left in the entire restaurant were Hisoka and Chrollo, who were fighting, and Qiao Lun, who was watching.
Outside the Semetary Building, however, an entirely different scene was unfolding.
The Phantom Troupe members who had already left the abandoned building stopped about a kilometer from the Semetary Building.
They entered a café and waited for their leader's message to begin the operation.
Shalnark's phone vibrated. When he took it out, what he saw was not a message from Chrollo giving them permission to attack, but three simple phrases: danger, Hisoka, took the bait.
Shalnark's gaze instantly shifted to "Hisoka." At the same time, he abruptly stood up, drawing everyone's attention.
"Franklin, Shizuku, and Bonolenov, stay here and capture Hisoka. Everyone else, come with me. The boss is in danger!"
Shalnark made his arrangements in an instant and immediately darted out.
To him, rescuing their leader was far more urgent right now than capturing Hisoka.
The instant he moved, Franklin, having received his orders, raised both hands. Nen bullets sprayed from the openings behind his flipped-open finger joints.
Illumi, disguised as Hisoka, tilted his head with a puzzled expression. But by the time the Nen bullets came shooting toward him, he had already left his seat.
Just, left only he was merely
Another sound appeared beside him, accompanied by stirring music produced by wind passing through holes.
Bang!
Illumi's body smashed through the café window and landed in the street.
The attacker was Bonolenov, who had undone his bandages and attacked the instant he received his orders.
That stirring music was the sound of air passing through the holes of various sizes in his body as he moved at high speed.
This was precisely the distinctive fighting style of the Gyudondond Tribe, a warrior people!