Rain dripped steadily through the narrow alleyway.
The atmosphere had changed completely.
The moment Yuzuki disappeared with three of the assassins
The pressure surrounding Chrollo Lucilfer became overwhelming.
The remaining four members of Dawn Seven instinctively spread apart.
Surrounding him carefully.
No one attacked immediately anymore.
Because now that Yuzuki was gone…
They could fully focus on the monster standing before them.
The leader tightened his grip on his blade.
"…You're calm."
Chrollo stood quietly beneath the dim alley lights.
Black coat swaying gently.
Expression unreadable.
"I don't particularly see a reason not to be."
One assassin clicked his tongue.
"Cocky bastard."
Emitter-type.
Medium build.
Nen condensed around both palms before forming dozens of glowing aura spheres.
"Let's see if you stay calm after this."
The spheres launched simultaneously.
Like artillery fire.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The alleyway exploded violently.
Concrete shattered.
Flames erupted.
Smoke consumed everything.
The assassins immediately moved in coordination.
A second attacker dashed through the smoke.
Enhancer.
Twin daggers coated in sharpened aura.
He stabbed directly toward Chrollo's throat.
But then
The smoke parted.
And Chrollo was already looking directly at him.
Calm.
Unmoving.
The assassin's instincts screamed instantly.
Too late.
Chrollo sidestepped effortlessly.
Then placed one hand lightly against the assassin's chest.
No flashy movement.
No wasted motion.
Just one touch.
"Indoor Fish."
A grotesque distortion appeared behind the assassin.
Invisible jaws.
A soundless bite.
The assassin froze.
Then suddenly half his torso vanished.
Cleanly removed.
Blood should have sprayed.
Organs should have fallen.
But strangely—
Nothing came out.
The assassin looked down in horror at the missing section of his body.
Then collapsed lifelessly.
The other assassins froze.
"What the hell was that?!"
Chrollo closed the conjured book in his hand calmly.
"Please don't shout."
"It's rude."
The Manipulator-type suddenly attacked from above.
Chains erupted downward like serpents.
Dozens of them.
All coated in Nen.
Trying to bind Chrollo completely.
Chrollo glanced upward once.
Then vanished.
The chains smashed into the ground.
BOOM!
The Manipulator's eyes widened.
"Where—"
A hand touched his shoulder from behind.
The assassin stiffened instantly.
Chrollo's calm voice whispered near his ear.
"You're far too slow."
Then—
SNAP.
The assassin's neck twisted unnaturally.
His body dropped limply into the rain.
The leader's pupils contracted.
'Two dead already?!'
The remaining Emitter roared and unleashed another barrage of aura blasts wildly.
The alleyway detonated repeatedly.
Cars exploded.
Walls collapsed.
But Chrollo walked through the destruction untouched.
Effortless.
Like he existed on an entirely different level.
The Emitter panicked.
"No… no no no—"
Chrollo raised his hand.
A strange symbol appeared across the Emitter's chest.
"Sun and Moon."
The assassin looked down in confusion.
Then his expression changed to terror.
"Wait—"
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion swallowed the entire alley section instantly.
Fire surged skyward.
Windows shattered across nearby buildings.
When the smoke cleared
Nothing remained of the Emitter.
Only burning debris.
Silence fell.
Rain hissed softly against the flames.
Only the leader remained alive now.
He stood frozen.
Breathing raggedly.
Sword trembling slightly in his grip.
Three elite assassins.
Dead in under two minutes.
And throughout the entire fight
Chrollo had barely moved.
The leader slowly stepped backward.
"…Monster."
Chrollo looked at him quietly.
"No."
His expression remained calm.
"I'm just more experienced than you."
The leader suddenly roared and lunged forward desperately.
Aura exploded around his blade.
Enhancement-type.
Everything poured into one final strike.
The sword descended toward Chrollo's neck with enough force to split a truck apart.
Then stopped.
Two fingers.
Chrollo caught the blade between two fingers effortlessly.
The leader's eyes widened completely.
Impossible.
Chrollo looked almost disappointed.
"…And you came for my head?"
CRACK.
The blade shattered instantly.
Chrollo struck once with his palm.
The leader flew backward violently and smashed into the alley wall hard enough to crater it.
Blood poured from his mouth.
Chrollo walked toward him slowly.
The leader tried to stand.
Failed.
Terror finally overwhelmed him.
"W-Why leave me alive…?"
Chrollo crouched before him calmly.
Dark eyes unreadable.
"Because."
His voice softened slightly.
"I have questions."
And somewhere deeper within the ruined city streets—
Yuzuki was already returning.
---
Rain continued falling softly across the ruined alleyway.
Broken concrete.
Burning debris.
Corpses.
The aftermath of a massacre.
At the center of it all, the surviving leader of Dawn Seven knelt against the shattered wall, breathing raggedly.
Blood dripped from his lips.
His broken sword lay nearby in pieces.
And standing before him calmly was Chrollo Lucilfer.
Completely untouched.
Chrollo looked down at the assassin quietly.
Then spoke.
"This Vasco…"
His tone remained casual.
"Would that happen to be Vasco Melner?"
The assassin's eyes widened slightly.
"…I don't know what you're talking about."
Chrollo tilted his head.
"He works under the Ten Dons, correct?"
The leader clenched his teeth.
Silence.
Even now, even terrified beyond belief
He tried to maintain the code of an assassin.
Never betray a client.
Chrollo sighed softly.
"…You're quite loyal."
Then his aura shifted.
Only slightly.
But instantly the atmosphere became suffocating.
The leader's pupils shrank.
His instincts screamed.
Death.
Absolute death.
Chrollo's calm voice reached him again.
"Answer properly."
The assassin broke immediately.
"…Y-Yes!"
Sweat mixed with rain across his face.
"It's Vasco Melner!"
"He put the bounty out!"
Chrollo smiled faintly.
Satisfied.
Then unexpectedly
He stepped aside.
"You may leave."
The assassin froze.
"…What?"
Chrollo folded his hands into his sleeves.
"Tell Vasco something for me."
His smile remained calm.
Almost polite.
"But make sure you repeat it correctly."
The assassin nodded frantically.
Chrollo's eyes darkened slightly.
"It's embarrassing…"
"…to place such a small bounty on the head of an honorary member of the Phantom Troupe."
The assassin's entire body stiffened.
'Honorary member?'
'That kid?!'
Chrollo's voice remained soft.
"Now go."
The assassin did not hesitate again.
He scrambled to his feet and sprinted out of the alley in sheer terror.
Desperate to escape before Chrollo changed his mind.
Several moments later
Footsteps approached from deeper within the ruined streets.
Then Yuzuki appeared.
Hands in pockets.
Completely relaxed.
The only signs of battle being a few scratches on his clothes.
His eyes drifted toward the corpses scattered around.
Then he whistled softly.
"…Wow."
"That was quick."
His gaze shifted toward Chrollo.
"As expected from the leader of the Phantom Troupe."
Chrollo smiled faintly.
Yuzuki looked around once more.
"…Where's the leader?"
"He escaped."
Silence.
Yuzuki slowly turned toward Chrollo.
"…Escaped?"
A pause.
"From you?"
Chrollo nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Yuzuki narrowed his eyes slightly behind the sunglasses.
Clearly suspicious.
But after several seconds, he simply shrugged.
"…Alright."
He did not press further.
Meanwhile
Far away from the alleyways.
The surviving assassin sprinted through the rain desperately.
Breathing ragged.
Mind still replaying the horror he had witnessed.
The monster called Chrollo Lucilfer.
The child called Yuzuki.
His entire squad erased in minutes.
His phone suddenly rang.
The assassin nearly dropped it.
Then quickly answered.
"…WHAT?!"
On the other side, a deep voice spoke calmly.
"Is the job done?"
The assassin exploded instantly.
"JOB DONE?!"
"You bastards deceived us!"
His voice shook with fury and panic.
"You never said that kid was connected to the Phantom Troupe!"
"My squad got annihilated by Chrollo Lucilfer himself!"
Silence.
Then the voice spoke again.
"…What?"
The assassin continued screaming.
"This is bullshit!"
"You're paying us the full amount whether the mission succeeded or not!"
Then the call abruptly ended.
Elsewhere
Inside a luxurious private suite.
A massive overweight man sat comfortably at a lavish dining table.
Wine in one hand.
Expensive food spread before him.
Vasco Melner.
Beside him stood a tall man in a black suit holding the phone.
Gumdum.
Gumdum slowly lowered the device.
His expression serious.
Vasco glanced up lazily while chewing.
"What's going on?"
Gumdum hesitated briefly.
Then spoke carefully.
"Boss…"
"This Yuzuki…"
"…might not be as simple as we thought."
---
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