After Chrollo issued the assembly order, the Troupe members rushed to the gathering point.
However, before the others arrived, Chrollo, Pakunoda, Kortopi, and Machi were the first to reach the meeting location.
The gathering point was a private hospital somewhere in the Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Feitan's charred and shrunken corpse was stored in the morgue of this hospital.
Originally, the Troupe had planned to bury Feitan and Shalnark together, but at Nobunaga's suggestion, they ultimately only buried Shalnark and preserved Feitan's body.
Chrollo had come this time specifically to use the "Nether Mirage" ability on Feitan's corpse.
Morgue.
Cold white lights illuminated the surroundings.
Pakunoda reached out and pulled open the body refrigeration drawer; a mist-like chill instantly spread out from within.
Chrollo and Kortopi stood beside a mortuary bed, watching silently.
Machi stepped forward to help Pakunoda lift Feitan's body out of the refrigeration drawer and carefully lay it flat on the mortuary bed.
Everyone present looked at Feitan's corpse.
Charred, shrunken…
The entire body was less than one-third of its original size, its features long unrecognizable, with only the rough positions of the head and limbs barely discernible.
"Skill Hunter."
Chrollo raised his right hand; as Nen surged, a red-and-black book materialized in his palm.
Rustle.
The pages flipped on their own, without any wind, rapidly turning until they settled on the page documenting the "Nether Mirage" ability.
As the ability activated, the aura around Chrollo suddenly surged violently, as if pulled by some force, involuntarily converging toward his shoulders, forming two reverse-flowing waterfalls of Nen.
At the ends of these upward-rushing streams of Nen, a faint, blurry silhouette gradually took shape.
The silhouette wore a ferocious oni mask, hovering silently like an emissary from the netherworld.
"Nether Mirage."
Chrollo gently placed his left hand on Feitan's charred corpse. The oni silhouette behind him extended its sharp claws, slowly piercing into the chest of the body.
The silhouette's hand became indistinct and flickering upon touching the corpse, as if existing between reality and illusion.
A moment later, it withdrew its arm but brought nothing out.
Feitan's corpse remained lifeless, and the oni silhouette returned to its original state, hovering silently.
The lack of reaction caused the air in the morgue to freeze for an instant.
Machi frowned slightly; Pakunoda's fingertips unconsciously tightened.
Even the usually silent Kortopi leaned forward slightly, carefully examining Feitan on the mortuary bed.
"Leader, did it fail…?" Pakunoda asked hesitantly.
Chrollo gazed calmly at Feitan's charred remains and said in a steady tone, "One of the activation conditions for this ability is that the "spirit summoning object" must maintain a roughly intact form."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Feitan's shortened limbs and torso, as well as the unrecognizable head.
"Feitan in this state… seems unable to meet this condition."
"So, we've done all this for nothing?"
Kortopi shifted his gaze from Feitan's corpse to Chrollo.
Chrollo closed Skill Hunter.
The oni silhouette behind him dissipated.
"No, fulfilling the ability's condition isn't difficult."
Chrollo lightly raised his right hand, his slender index finger partially covering his thin lips. His eyelids drooped slightly, casting a small shadow under the light with his eyelashes. His voice carried a rare tone of self-reflection:
"I was too impatient... I held onto a sliver of hope, wanting to test whether Feitan's current condition could meet the ability's activation requirements."
"..."
Machi's fingers, entwined with Nen Threads, paused slightly. Pakunoda and Kortopi exchanged a thoughtful glance. The three of them maintained a tacit silence, waiting for their leader to continue.
"Wait for Amanda to arrive."
Chrollo lowered his hand, his voice returning to its usual calm. "Her ability can resolve this issue."
"Amanda, is it..."
Upon hearing the name mentioned by Chrollo, Machi, Kortopi, and Pakunoda all showed subtle changes in expression.
Amanda was the new member who had joined the group not long ago.
Although they had met her once, they had little contact with her and only knew that she was a Manipulator.
While they weren't clear on the specifics of her ability, if the leader said so, then there would be no problem.
Chrollo silently gazed at Feitan's remains.
If even Amanda's ability couldn't restore Feitan's remains to a roughly intact form...
Then they would have to make a special trip to Kirimori Valley to seek out that Nen user who had once helped restore Sarasa's body.
That path was feasible, though it would require more time.
Chrollo took a slow breath, suppressing the impatience rising within him.
He must not be impatient, must not be restless...
He needed to ensure "this matter" could be accomplished with patience and calmness.
In the past, now, and even in the future...
It must always be this way.
What he wanted to achieve, he would definitely achieve.
So he must not make mistakes, absolutely must not make mistakes...
A shadow fell over Chrollo's eyes as the slight turbulence in his heart gradually faded.
"I will live the rest of my life as a villain."
"I will make the entire world shudder in fear of me!"
"I will completely remake myself, turning myself into a monster..."
The vows he had once made in front of his comrades echoed deep in his mind.
Chrollo slowly opened his eyes, looking toward the not-too-harsh light.
The untimely emotions deep in his pupils vanished completely, replaced by their usual depth and detachment.
Machi seemed to sense something as she glanced at Chrollo's profile. Her lips moved slightly but ultimately settled into silence.
—--
Late that night.
Amanda stepped into the hospital morgue.
Before her arrival, Chrollo, Machi, Pakunoda, and Kortopi stood like frozen statues in silence.
It wasn't until the sound of her footsteps broke the stillness that they seemed infused with life, their eyes turning uniformly toward Amanda at the entrance.
Amanda, dressed in a red gown, walked in wearing high heels. Her heavy makeup stood out strikingly under the pale lighting.
Had Morrow been there, he would certainly have recognized her identity.
She was none other than Index Finger Amanda, one of the core combatants of the Fingers organization he had personally destroyed.
Chrollo raised his hand, pointing toward Feitan's remains on the mortuary bed, and asked, "Can you do it?"
"No problem."
Amanda glanced at Feitan's charred remains, a flicker of disgust passing through her eyes, yet she still extended her hand adorned with crimson nail polish.
"Let me make this clear first; I'm only responsible for adjusting the form according to your requirements. Whether it succeeds or not has nothing to do with me."
"Begin."
Chrollo said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Amanda's right hand, which was reaching toward the remains, immediately surged with a brilliant glow of Nen.
"Die if You Don't Love Me"
This was Amanda's Manipulation ability.
As long as she removes the head of any complete humanoid form, she can directly gain control over it.
Whether it is a living human or something like a mannequin or a cartoon doll, all fall within the scope of this ability.
Due to the Limitation that control can only be obtained by personally removing the head, the Vow effect of "absolute obedience" is born.
This Vow effect grants the ability two characteristics.
One is that Amanda can freely manipulate the target with her "thoughts," and the other is that she can freely transform the target into whatever form she wishes to see, essentially granting the ability to alter its shape at will.
It is worth noting that the targets she controls can only be compressed to become smaller in size, not enlarged.
This is a Nen ability born from a distorted mindset.
Complying with Chrollo's request, Amanda used her ability on Feitan's remains.
Her Nen-infused hand sliced through Feitan's charred, unrecognizable head like a sharp blade.
In that instant, she gained control over the remains.
Originally, this Manipulation ability of hers, according to its requirements, could only be used on living or inanimate objects with a "complete humanoid form."
But interestingly...
Amanda's definition of "complete" is simply having human limbs and a head.
Although Feitan's corpse was charred and shrunken, the presence of a head and limbs could still be vaguely discerned.
Thus, Amanda's ability still took effect on Feitan's corpse.
In contrast, the ability "Nether Mirage" developed by Soya only requires the corpse to have a general shape.
This seemingly more lenient condition, however, reflects an almost rigid quality.
Requiring a complete corpse, yet having a casual definition.
Requiring a general form, yet having a strict definition.
The personality and perspective of the Nen user always greatly influence the characteristics of the ability, even its application.
This may be the interesting aspect of Nen abilities, as well as the aspect that defies conventional logic.
After gaining control of Feitan's corpse, Amanda merely willed a thought.
The charred corpse suddenly contracted with a convulsive shudder, its carbonized skin peeling inward like a molting shell, revealing dark red, desiccated flesh.
Accompanied by a grating, teeth-chilling creak, the entire torso of the corpse rapidly shrank and transformed.
In just a few breaths, the charred body had shrunk to the size of a one-year-old infant.
The flesh freed by this process formed into complete limbs.
Though these limbs were still covered in charred marks, some muscle fibers were visible, resembling a mummified corpse baked by fierce flames.
"This is the best I can do."
Amanda ceased her mental control and glanced at the altered remains of Feitan.
Compared to its previous state, it was at least more presentable.
Chrollo said nothing but turned his gaze to Machi.
Machi instantly understood, drawing a fine needle from the sewing kit on the back of her left hand and reattaching the head Amanda had severed to the now-altered headless torso.
In mere moments.
With a dazzlingly swift technique, Machi perfectly sutured Feitan's head back onto the body.
Beside her.
Amanda witnessed Machi's technique up close and couldn't help but view her with newfound respect.
The Spider...
Truly living up to their name.
It seems they won't disappoint me.
Amanda thought silently to herself.
After completing the preliminary preparations on Feitan's corpse, Chrollo once again conjured Skill Hunter.
He flipped through the pages and stopped at one.
As Nen surged around Chrollo's shoulders, the phantom figure wearing an oni mask reappeared.
Chrollo gently pressed his hand against Feitan's chest.
The oni phantom behind him extended its sharp claws, piercing into Feitan's chest.
This time...
The hand transitioning between solid and ethereal forms pulled out a slightly blurred human-shaped mirage from Feitan's corpse.
Chrollo looked at the motionless human-shaped mirage in the oni mask phantom's hand and without hesitation, chose the method of directly transplanting the memories into his mind.
This method would damage his memory, but it would allow him to more directly "see" everything from Feitan's final moments.
Following Chrollo's command, the oni-masked phantom shoved the human-shaped mirage extracted from Feitan's corpse directly into Chrollo's head.
Instantly, layers of black Nen threads coiled around Chrollo's body.
Everything he saw was shrouded in darkness.
The next moment.
A crack split open in the darkness, widening to reveal unfamiliar scenes.
A cemetery.
The figure of a blond young man swinging chains gradually came into focus.
This was... Feitan's final memory before death.
And from a first-person perspective.
Chrollo's consciousness locked onto that blond young man.
So he's the one who killed Feitan and Shalnark...!
However, as the battle continued, Chrollo quickly overturned this conclusion.
Not him.
Through Feitan's first-person perspective, he coldly watched the blond young man being tortured until covered in wounds.
Soon after, someone suddenly appeared and intervened in the fight.
Chrollo watched the playback of the "death memory" calmly, like a bystander.
He saw the abilities Morrow used during the battle.
The Nen bullet that gained power through ricochet, and the standard split-type Nen bullets.
And also...
The ability that scattered aura in all directions, shining like countless stars.
Finally, the scene where Feitan's Nen Fireproof Suit was destroyed, leading to him being burned alive.
Chrollo's ears were filled with the echo of Feitan's agonized screams.
As the visual field before him erupted into scorching flames, he faintly felt the intense burning sensation searing through his skin.
"..."
The memory fragment didn't last long, yet it gave Chrollo the feeling of an endless night.
In the morgue.
Machi and the others could only see Chrollo with his eyes open but unfocused, surrounded by slender strands of black Nen.
Although Chrollo had briefly explained the ability's effects to them beforehand.
Even so, they couldn't help but worry about him in this state.
What they didn't know was...
After "watching" Feitan's final memories, Chrollo didn't exit the state but instead began replaying them a second time, then a third...
He no longer empathized with Feitan's death.
From the second viewing onward, all his focus shifted to analyzing the abilities Morrow had displayed.
The perpetrator they were searching for had now surfaced.
So next...
What needed to be done was to use this clear information to formulate a strategy targeting the perpetrator.
Then accurately locate him, and eliminate him!
--------
Bonus chapter @150 power stones.