Uvogin hesitated.
Reason told him not to go alone—what awaited him was likely death.
That time on the ring when he'd almost been burned alive was still vivid. The pain had taken nearly a month to fade.
But if he backed down now, Uvogin knew today's humiliation would become a thorn lodged in his heart forever—maybe even a mental demon.
Damn it.
What he didn't know was that every tiny shift in him was being watched by Shalnark and Machi.
They knew Uvogin too well.
So well that even after he'd been disfigured, they could still read his thoughts from subtle changes.
They exchanged a glance, and both arrived at the same answer at once.
Uvogin was hiding something from them—and it probably happened when he fought Ronin's clone, away from everyone's eyes.
"Follow him," Shalnark mouthed to Machi.
Machi gave a faint nod. A Nen thread silently latched onto Uvogin's shoe—so subtle Uvogin never noticed.
At the same time, Feitan and the others had already returned to an abandoned building in the suburbs.
After Ronin's clone popped, Uvogin and the others vented all their frustration and rage on the mafia.
Being labeled "treasure thieves" didn't matter at all.
Over a hundred mafia members gathered at the Cemetery Building were slaughtered clean. Only then did Chrollo call and give the new rendezvous point.
By the time more mafia forces arrived at Cemetery afterward, what they found was rows of twisted corpses hanging in the air, and severed limbs scattered across the ground—cut apart and torn off.
Even hardened veterans felt like vomiting at the sight.
The mafia launched a citywide sweep. The Phantom Troupe's bounty in Yorknew was pushed to an extreme.
For the next few days, if the Troupe couldn't be found, all of Yorknew might sink into a frenzy.
"I have to admit—the Kurta boy who escaped has become a major threat. And removing him won't be easy," Chrollo said once everyone had arrived, closing his book.
"The underground auction still has two pairs of Scarlet Eyes to sell. That's still our best chance to trace Ronin," Shalnark said. His earlier plan had become less usable, but his eyes shifted to Kortopi. "If Kortopi acts in advance and swaps the Scarlet Eyes, can we track Ronin?"
"He knows my ability. He'll be on guard," Kortopi said, unconvinced.
Back when Ronin escaped from Uvogin, he'd torn off the copied sticker, breaking Kortopi's tracking.
That was also why, when the Troupe arrived in Yorknew early this time, they hadn't used that method.
"So what? Even if he notices something's off, we still make sure he knows Scarlet Eyes are in our hands," Shalnark insisted. "Unless he truly stops caring about Scarlet Eyes—which is unlikely.
From my investigation, he's been collecting Scarlet Eyes nonstop. Even the fight with Omokage was probably initiated by him, and he took all of Omokage's Scarlet Eyes."
The Molding City investigation hadn't been pointless.
Anyone who'd seen Ronin fight could more or less infer what happened at the church: some Nen-into-mud type ability that could drag even Nobunaga and Machi away, combined with flame scorching.
It was obvious Ronin had gained new understanding of his abilities.
"…Alright," Kortopi said, persuaded.
Even Chrollo didn't oppose it. Instead, he added a thought of his own: "Ronin has already attacked a mafia auction once. The mafia will be prepared for a second attack. So after Kortopi acts, have him create some corpses."
"Ours?" Kortopi asked.
"Yes." After being hunted relentlessly, even Chrollo was getting irritated. If they could use faked deaths to dodge pursuit temporarily, they could focus more effort on hunting Ronin.
"Won't it be exposed? My ability has already leaked," Kortopi doubted.
"Twenty-four hours is enough," Chrollo said, eyes flickering—then he looked at Uvogin. "Uvogin. What are you thinking?"
That sudden question made Uvogin pause. And Shalnark and Machi immediately realized something too.
So Chrollo had noticed Uvogin's abnormality as well.
Uvogin was silent for a moment. "Gordeau Desert, ten kilometers west."
"You want a one-on-one?" Chrollo asked without expression, as if it were an ordinary question.
Uvogin nodded solemnly. "I'm not satisfied."
"And are you confident?" Chrollo asked again.
Uvogin thought seriously for a long time… then shook his head.
That brief clash with Ronin's clone had already given him a rough sense of Ronin's current level.
Ronin might still be slightly below him in raw toughness, but his aura capacity probably wasn't much lower.
If they squared up and fought using only basic Nen techniques, Uvogin had confidence.
But Ronin's whole style was unpredictable. And Ronin could use clones. If the main body and clone attacked together, it became two-on-one. Uvogin worried about being kited.
Because from earlier fights, it was clear: Ronin excelled at mid-to-long-range, wide-area coverage attacks.
And most importantly, those wide-area attacks were truly powerful—powerful enough to injure him… even kill him.
"So you're going to die?" Chrollo's brow finally lifted slightly.
Uvogin lowered his head, but a curve formed at his mouth. "I'll win. Because I'm ready."
Chrollo was silent for a moment. "Fine. Go."
"Boss." Nobunaga called out.
He was the one who'd partnered with Uvogin the longest, and he truly believed he matched Uvogin best.
He didn't want to lose Uvogin here.
Uvogin bared his teeth in a grin. "Relax. I'll win."
Franklin watched quietly, his gaze drifting now and then to the arm that had been stitched onto Uvogin at his request.
"Don't be stubborn," Shalnark said. "I don't want to collect your corpse. But go do it—leave the rest to us."
Phinks rolled his arm beside Feitan. "This time, if he dares borrow someone else's power again, I'll show him what regret is."
"You people really have such high morals," Feitan said, eyes narrowing. "You'd better hurry. If I finish killing Ronin's companions while you're still fighting, don't blame me for cutting you down too."
~~~
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