"The other piece of the Dark Sonata is in someone else's hands. Let's head over," said Chrollo.
Ron nodded.
The group of four made their way to another wooden cabin. An old man inside looked up.
"Senior Hans," Chrollo said, "I've come to redeem my prize."
"What do you want?"
"The intel you have on the Dark Sonata."
The old man's brow furrowed slightly. "How do you know about that?"
Chrollo gave a small smile. "Last time, you got drunk and let it slip."
The old man froze for a moment, then turned to look at Ron. "He's the one who wants it?"
"That's right."
"The Dark Sonata isn't easy to obtain. Even if you know who holds it, that doesn't mean you can get it. This kind of intel isn't exactly valuable—are you sure you want to exchange for it?"
Ron nodded. Having already obtained one piece of the Dark Sonata, he naturally wanted a second. His Hatsu ability, "Observer's intention" allowed him to observe, absorb traits, and create nen beasts. And the Dark Sonata was a bizarre and powerful existence. When all four parts of it were combined, it formed a complete whole.
Ron's plan was straightforward. If he could figure out how to use the Dark Sonata properly, that would be ideal. But even if he couldn't, it didn't matter. Displaying all four pieces and using the Observer's Intention to absorb their traits would still allow him to create a powerful nen beast.
"Alright," the old man said at last. "That piece of the Dark Sonata is in the hands of Blackjamin from Begrossé. He's one of the Twelve Red Cardinals."
Begrossé—one of the V5 nations. Ruled by a royal bloodline and structured around three great sects, it had a rigid noble class hierarchy.
The United States of Sahelta also had a royal family, but unlike Begrossé, much of their authority was delegated outward, which was why figures like Oster could emerge.
Still, the Sahelta royal family wielded absolute power and could intervene at any time.
The Minpo Republic was a loose alliance of many small and medium powers.
Begrossé, however, was a theocratic nation—governed by the Church. The Pope stood above all, and beneath the Pope were the Twelve Red Cardinals. Trying to take something from a Red Cardinal was far from simple.
But difficult didn't mean impossible.
Ron had already killed Oster. A cardinal was far from untouchable. Besides, Ron wasn't planning to kill the man—he just wanted the piece of the Dark Sonata. A trade might suffice.
Ron turned to Chrollo. "Now that I've got my reward, I won't stay in Meteor City any longer. I'm heading out."
"Alright," Chrollo said, walking with him to the Processing Valley's exit.
Ron glanced back, eyes flickering slightly.
Chrollo had insisted Ron enter in person, but in hindsight, it didn't seem necessary. Whether it was the Dark Sonata or the intel, Chrollo could've brought it out himself.
"There wasn't any strange nen left on me. What exactly was Chrollo's purpose in making me go in?"
At the entrance, Shizuku and the others came forward.
Ron said, "It's done. Let's go."
"Yes."
They got into their two vehicles and, with the roar of engines, sped away from Processing Valley, heading toward the exit of Meteor City.
Chrollo returned to the old woman from before.
"Senior Catherine."
Catherine looked up. "That boy—is he really the most talented person you could find?"
Chrollo nodded. "Yes. Ron is younger than me, but his strength surpasses mine. When we faced someone we couldn't handle, it was Ron we turned to. He comes from the world's top assassin family—the Zoldycks."
Catherine was silent for a moment. "I can't see through him. Maybe he can do it, maybe not. But… he's not one of us. Will he really do something for Meteor City?"
"From what I know, he will," Chrollo replied. "If we request it formally and he agrees, he'll follow through."
"And Machi is from Meteor City. She's close to Ron. For her sake, he likely won't try to take that thing for himself. It's only useful to Meteor City. It has no value to others."
Catherine nodded. "If that's your decision, then go ahead. Even if you fail, it doesn't matter. Things here can't get much worse anyway."
..............
Inside the car, Ron closed his eyes, going over everything that happened in Processing Valley—but still found no trace of anything suspicious from Chrollo.
Suddenly, Machi's voice broke the silence. "Something's wrong."
She stomped the brakes hard.
A sharp, screeching halt rang out—
Boom!
The ground in front of them exploded, and a massive pit opened up.
At the same time, more than a dozen figures appeared, rushing toward the two cars.
By then, Ron and the others had already exited the vehicles.
Misty stood at the front. Ponzu stood at Ron's side. Shizuku was on the right. Machi positioned herself in the rear. Nina stood next to Shizuku.
Seeing the charging enemies, Misty stepped forward to meet them.
As she advanced, her body began to change. Horns emerged from her head, and a tail appeared behind her. The transformation sent her aura surging sky-high.
Machi glanced over. "So that's Misty's ability?"
Even when she exchanged punches with Phinks, Misty hadn't shown her full power. Machi had assumed Phinks hadn't gone all out—but she hadn't realized Misty hadn't either.
"At her age… terrifying. True genius is everywhere."
Machi's nen threads extended outward. Ron scanned the battlefield quickly.
"Shizuku, Nina—you two handle it."
Just one glance was enough for Ron to gauge the strength of the enemies. They were too weak to interest him. Even Shizuku and Nina could handle them easily.
"They're all puppets. The real controller… is over there," Ron said, locking eyes on a specific direction.
Boom!
Misty's attack landed hard. With her immense strength, one puppet was instantly shattered.
Machi's threads bound several more. Shizuku and Nina were both dominating their targets with ease.
Not far off, a young man's face darkened.
"They're far more troublesome than I expected."
"In that case… I'll have to use my trump cards."