When Illumi appeared in Hisoka's form, certain pieces of information immediately surfaced.
Faced with Illumi's precise tracking, Kalluto instantly realized that his elder brother had located them through his own phone.
The moment Illumi openly admitted it, Kalluto felt anger toward his brother's actions for the first time.
Why?
Kalluto didn't voice this furious question aloud. Instead, suppressing the rage in his heart, he calmly drew the purple bamboo fan tucked into his waistband.
This silent action was his response to Illumi.
Reflected in Illumi's pitch-black pupils was Kalluto's face, devoid of any defiance, only calm.
Beneath that calm exterior, Illumi could sense the anger and understood its cause.
Yet he still had no intention of telling Kalluto that he had already accepted the assassination request for Morrow. His goal was to pull Kalluto, whose mission had long concluded, out of the vortex of this incident to ensure his safety.
However, aside from that unprecedented anger directed at him, Illumi also sensed an unshakable resolve in Kalluto's aura.
This reaffirmed his belief... his father and grandfather were wrong.
Assassins didn't need friends.
From the very beginning, they should never have let Morrow take Kalluto away. From the start, they should have decisively eliminated this threat.
Illumi's expressionless gaze shifted to Morrow beside Kalluto, a flash of undisguised bloodlust flickering in his dark eyes.
It can only be said that many things are like the equivalent exchange of Limitation and Vow; there are always trade-offs.
Illumi held a bead-head needle between his index and middle fingers, while behind him, over a dozen Needlemen staggered forward, their heads lolling as they advanced toward the Troupe.
After confirming the Needlemen were in position, Illumi said flatly, "Kalluto, I'll say it again. You've completed the job. It's time to go home."
"I'll go home whenever I want. You don't get to decide that."
A sharp aura radiated from Kalluto, his eyes gradually revealing a cold glint as he stared at Illumi.
"..."
Illumi was momentarily stunned, never expecting Kalluto to say something like that.
And those words... they sounded more like something Killua would say.
A rare frown creased his brow.
To correct Killua's mindset and perception, he had already implanted a Nen needle into Killua's head with the family's approval.
Yet now, Kalluto was starting to resemble Killua.
All of this... was Morrow's influence.
"Fine."
Illumi muttered to himself before suddenly vanishing, reappearing behind Kalluto in an instant. His Palm Blade struck the back of Kalluto's neck.
Kalluto barely reacted, only managing a hasty aura defense.
But the gap in their strength was absolute. Even with Kalluto mustering aura defense at the last moment, his speed and power were no match for Illumi's.
A dull thud echoed.
Kalluto's vision went black as the blow landed on his nape.
Illumi extended an arm, catching Kalluto as he slumped forward, but his gaze remained fixed on Morrow, who had made no move to intervene, even stopping Kurapika.
"Surprising..."
Illumi's dark, fathomless eyes bore into Morrow. "You didn't try to stop me."
"Take Kalluto and leave."
The gravity on Morrow's face had faded, replaced by a calm that concealed all emotion.
Illumi paused briefly before promptly carrying Kalluto away.
Watching his retreating figure, Morrow suddenly asked, "Did the Troupe hire you to kill me?"
"Yes."
Since Morrow hadn't interfered, Illumi answered bluntly.
The honesty caught Morrow off guard, prompting him to press further. "So, you're the one who exposed Hisoka as the mole?"
"I won't deny it."
Illumi couldn't be bothered to explain that his agreement with Hisoka had only lasted until the first assembly, or that Hisoka's unpaid fees were irrelevant.
When Kalluto and Hisoka were weighed on the scales, hesitation wasn't an option. He would always choose Kalluto.
"Hisoka crushed the phone that could directly contact you... to 'protect' you, before he died. Though it changed nothing, you should at least thank him when you meet him in the afterlife."
With that, Illumi left without looking back.
Morrow watched expressionlessly as Illumi carried Kalluto away.
You really deserve to die, Illumi.
And Hisoka, that bastard...
Though well-intentioned, destroying the phone had cost him a potential countermeasure.
But the real issue was Illumi using Kalluto's phone to track their location.
And with the assassination contract in play, Morrow was certain Illumi would return after delivering Kalluto to safety.
Still, for now, Illumi taking Kalluto away wasn't entirely a bad thing.
With that thought, an overwhelming surge of aura erupted from Morrow's body.
"Kurapika, don't lose control of your aura."
"Mm."
Upon seeing Chrollo and his group, Kurapika had involuntarily activated his Scarlet Eyes. But after Morrow's reminder, he quickly regained his composure.
—--
In the distance.
Illumi walked some distance away before suddenly turning back to glance at Morrow, a hint of confusion surfacing in his mind.
From Morrow, he sensed a calm indifference that disregarded life and death, along with an aura that couldn't be underestimated...
To have such a drastic change in just half a year?
Illumi recalled his battle with Morrow back in January.
Beyond the leap in aura output, it was this transformation in demeanor that intrigued Illumi the most.
But Illumi soon dismissed these thoughts.
In his eyes, Morrow was already a dead man.
—--
On the field.
Morrow maintained his Ken state while observing the Troupe's situation.
The dozen or so Needlemen Illumi had sent to block their path had already been neutralized by the Troupe, their Nen needles removed, leaving behind lifeless corpses.
At that moment, Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi stepped forward from the group, each enveloped in powerful auras, their bloodlust emanating unchecked as they advanced toward Morrow.
Behind them, Kortopi activated his Gallery Fake ability, swiftly duplicating the corpses one by one.
Beside Kortopi stood a heavily made-up woman.
Using her hand like a blade, she cleanly severed the heads of each replicated corpse.
Strangely, as the heads rolled away, these otherwise lifeless replicas slowly rose to their feet under her control.
Morrow's gaze swept over the scene before settling on the woman.
She looked familiar.
She was the one who had manipulated hordes of deformed humans to chase him and Kalluto through the forest after the Fingers organization was wiped out last year.
No wonder...
Morrow's sensitivity to bloodlust allowed him to detect the faint trace of killing intent she emitted, despite her efforts to suppress it, specifically directed at Kalluto.
"So she's the Troupe's new recruit."
Morrow's eyes flickered briefly as a thought crossed his mind, but he had no time to dwell on it. His focus shifted to Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi, who were steadily closing in. His right hand swiftly condensed a glowing green Shooting Star.
With hostilities already at their peak, no words were needed.
"Shooting Star · Star Rain."
With a flick of his wrist, the Shooting Star shot forth, splitting midair into hundreds of arrow-like Nen bullets that rained down upon the Troupe like a storm.
This attack wasn't amplified for greater power and was split into numerous projectiles...
While visually impressive, it posed little real threat to any single target.
But it created the perfect opening for Morrow's next move.
The barrage of arrow-like Nen bullets reached Uvogin first, who paid them no mind.
"Before you breathe your last, I'm gonna crush every bone in your body!"
Uvogin roared, tanking all the incoming projectiles with just his Ken.
Though the impact slowed him slightly, his momentum remained unshaken as he charged at Morrow like a raging bull.
Nobunaga and Machi also deflected the projectiles with their refined aura control, following closely behind Uvogin.
Morrow used Shooting Star · Star Rain to slow down their relentless advance, then without hesitation grabbed Kurapika's arm and erupted aura with Emission properties from his feet.
Boom!
The ground suddenly cracked.
Propelled by the explosive force beneath his feet, Morrow launched himself and Kurapika into the air.
In that brief moment, he skillfully fired a Deceptive Shooting Star diagonally downward behind them.
That's right.
After Illumi took Kalluto away, Morrow had already considered using Shooting Star to escape.
And he had previously left a Star Mark on Chimera, which could now be put to use.
Seeing Morrow suddenly shoot into the air, Uvogin wouldn't just let him escape. His body erupted with a surge of red aura output as he stomped the ground, shattering it, and pursued through the air.
However, Machi and Nobunaga acted in unison at that moment.
Almost simultaneously, they leaped up, overtaking Uvogin with greater agility before landing on his shoulders.
Then...
Using Uvogin as a springboard, Machi and Nobunaga pushed off forcefully.
Uvogin's face flashed with surprise; he had barely taken off before Machi and Nobunaga stomped him back down.
In an instant, Uvogin's massive body plummeted to the ground like a cannonball.
Meanwhile, Machi and Nobunaga closed in on Morrow and Kurapika at even greater speed.
Nobunaga's gaze was icy, his right hand gripping his sword hilt.
Machi already had Nen Threads and fine needles between her fingers.
At the same time, Kurapika, who had been carried into the air by Morrow, swiftly extended his Chain Jail, sending it snaking toward Nobunaga and Machi below.
As the chains infused with powerful aura surged toward them, Nobunaga abruptly drew his blade and slashed at them.
Clang!
The sword, wrapped in sharp aura, struck the chains, sending sparks flying.
It didn't break...?!
Contrary to Nobunaga's expectations, the chains didn't snap. Instead, they resisted the blade's edge, the force sending him spinning sideways in midair, right into Machi.
Both were knocked out of the sky.
Morrow watched them and halted the propulsion from his feet, landing steadily with Kurapika on a returning disc-shaped Shooting Star.
The Shooting Star carried them forward.
However...
The moment Morrow shot into the air, Chrollo had already prepared his counter.
While Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi were in pursuit, Chrollo first hurled two headless puppets controlled by Amanda forward, ensuring they remained within his ability's range, then manifested Skill Hunter.
In Another's Shoes
An Emission ability activated.
Swish! Swish!
Morrow and Kurapika, who should have been riding the Shooting Star away, suddenly swapped places with the two headless puppets Chrollo had thrown forward.
This ability...
Morrow reacted instantly. After the swap, he decisively fired a Shooting Star toward Chrollo's position.
The Shooting Star abruptly split, sealing off any evasion space directly below.
Faced with the incoming Shooting Star Cluster, Chrollo showed no reaction; he simply flipped the page of his book again.
At that moment, the headless puppets controlled by Amanda rushed forward, attempting to block the Shooting Stars with their bodies.
Morrow's gaze swept across the scene, instantly absorbing all visible information into his mind.
My ability's intel has indeed been leaked to the Troupe... but this very fact can be exploited.
Taking in the positions of Chrollo, Pakunoda, Kortopi, and Amanda, Morrow suddenly crouched low, pressing both palms against the ground.
Insidious Shooting Star
Just as the fractured Shooting Star struck the swarm of headless puppets, Morrow seized the fleeting opportunity, summoning a stellar cross beneath Chrollo and Pakunoda's feet.
These two were positioned forward, well within his ability's range.
Moreover, the Troupe had no intel on Insidious Shooting Star.
Amidst the increasingly chaotic battlefield, Morrow's mind remained razor-sharp, instantly recognizing and decisively seizing that split-second opening.
"Hm...?!"
Chrollo's pupils constricted sharply as the surge of Nen beneath his feet triggered instant alarm.
Beside him, Pakunoda reacted a beat slower but still sensed the sudden killing intent.
Yet, driven by instinctive concern, her first thought was to prioritize Chrollo's safety.
That slight hesitation, combined with her naturally slower reflexes, led to vastly different outcomes.
Chrollo twisted aside in a flash, narrowly evading the lethal Shooting Star erupting from the stellar cross's center.
But Pakunoda...
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the Shooting Star fired from the stellar cross struck her lower body with pinpoint accuracy.
The violent energy instantly shredded everything below her waist, her mangled torso hurled high by the shockwave.
Warm blood mixed with chunks of flesh rained down from above, splattering across Chrollo's cheek.
His head jerked up, eyes locking onto the scattering gore and Pakunoda's bisected body midair. His pupils trembled violently.
The sight before him, coupled with the wet heat on his skin, shattered Chrollo's usual composure with an indescribable impact.
The gains and losses of this single moment...
Made him realize that the deal he struck with Illumi... had been a mistake.
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Bonus chapter @250ps