The Troupe members retreated again and again. But when the dust cleared, not only was Ronin gone from the sky—there wasn't even a trace of Uvogin's corpse on the ground.
Only the rock monster that had smashed everything remained, raising its arm as if preparing to attack them.
Even though Uvogin's body had been torn apart, if it were Machi, she might still have been able to stitch and patch something together.
But now?
Flesh and blood were everywhere. Even if a god descended, they couldn't piece Uvogin back together.
As Ronin rose into the sky, he knew perfectly well: from the moment he killed Uvogin, the hatred between him and the Troupe had become absolute—an irreconcilable, kill-or-be-killed feud.
And the kind where the Troupe would use any means necessary to kill him.
He didn't regret it at all.
Or rather—in Ronin's view, they had already been in a kill-or-be-killed state long ago.
So killing Uvogin was simply collecting a bit of "interest."
The ones who should really be worried now… were the Troupe.
Because the Four Violet Flames Formation had given him chances to kill Troupe members one by one.
Even if not one by one, it could at least separate them.
In Ronin's eyes, as long as the Troupe split up—or moved in groups smaller than three—he'd have opportunities.
He'd been able to kill an Uvogin missing an arm, head-on. That gave Ronin a very clear understanding of his current strength:
In a straight one-on-one, Ronin feared no one.
There were still years before the "main plot" began. At this stage, the Troupe's overall strength was still weaker than it would become later.
Even Chrollo right now didn't pose a massive threat to Ronin.
Maybe it was just like Killua's father Silva had said when he fought Chrollo at Cemetery—Chrollo's strength increased a lot in only a few years.
But if Ronin dragged things out for a few years, he'd fear Chrollo even less.
Because he was sure that with Kurapika helping him train—and with Neon able to fortune tell and misfortune at any time—when he eventually fought Chrollo, he could do exactly what Chrollo did:
Raise the win rate to 100%, then act.
That was what made Neon's ability so frightening.
As long as he controlled Neon, he could choose to act only under conditions most favorable to him.
And if a prophecy poem ever signaled danger, he could pause, adjust, and alter that dangerous future.
Neon's predicted futures could be changed—Omokage was already proof.
By the time Ronin descended, he didn't have much chakra left.
But Kurapika and Neon were already waiting in the car at the landing point.
The moment Ronin got in, the chain from Kurapika's pinky curled around him.
Ronin didn't dodge—he let the chain wrap him.
A comfortable sensation rose from deep inside him. Combined with Ronin deliberately entering Zetsu, his depleted stamina began recovering at frightening speed.
Ronin hadn't brought back anything particularly useful. He simply tossed a pair of Uvogin's eyes—stuffed in his pack—to Neon.
He'd originally planned to give them to Kurapika.
But after thinking it over, he decided against it.
"These are Uvogin's. I've had my revenge," Ronin said, settling into a comfortable position in the back seat. "Neon, I'll leave it to you to turn them into a specimen. Oh—and toss this skin in with it too."
As he spoke, he tossed a piece of skin with a spider tattoo drawn on it to Neon.
Neon looked at the blood now smeared on her skirt and rolled her eyes at Ronin. But she clearly liked the "gifts" in her hands.
A Spider tattoo from Phantom Troupe member No. 11… plus a pair of bloodshot eyes swollen with rage, resentment, and hatred.
It was excellent.
"You harvested these eyes like a pro," Neon said, admiring the intact eyeballs.
"Delicate Illness Extraction Technique is meant for toxins and pathogens, but it works pretty well for pulling out organs too," Ronin explained casually.
Of course, that explanation probably only made sense to him.
The B-rank medical ninjutsu Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, according to the data book, could extract all harmful toxins from the body.
But once you mastered it, by slightly "changing" the target concept, you could shift from extracting poison to extracting organs.
Of course, the extraction quality wasn't perfect; further processing was still needed.
But for pulling out Uvogin's eyes, it was ideal—because Ronin didn't care if the eyes were damaged. He only wanted them to become art pieces, just like Scarlet Eyes.
A pair of Phantom Troupe eyes—with "certified provenance"—should sell for a very nice price.
…
At the same time, in Gordeau Desert, the Troupe still hadn't left.
Everyone's faces were grim.
The giant rock monster had been dealt with, but now a line of mafia vehicles had arrived. Mafia men poured out and surrounded the Troupe completely.
Hidden among the crowd were six people whose features looked faintly "atavistic"—or more accurately, whose bodies had parts that were non-human.
They were the Ten Dons' trump card:
The Shadow Beasts.
They didn't rush in right away, because the Troupe's numbers clearly exceeded the number of Shadow Beasts present.
And anyone who focused Gyo into their eyes could tell: every single Troupe member was a Nen user.
Several of them radiated an aura that even the Shadow Beasts found intimidating.
Compared to the Shadow Beasts—who could actually judge the Troupe's danger—the mafia grunts who came as "numbers" were basically suicidal fodder.
They marched forward with assault rifles and pistols, cursing and yelling as they tried to close the encirclement.
And then… a new massacre began.
Chrollo didn't move.
Ronin's displayed power had exceeded his expectations, and the look in Ronin's eyes before leaving had made Chrollo feel a hint of danger.
Chrollo swept his gaze across the mob and quickly locked onto the Nen users hidden among them.
The fight was completely one-sided. After sensing the Troupe's strength, the Shadow Beasts—despite calling themselves combat experts—had no intention of charging in to die.
Instead, while the mafia grunts used their lives as a shield in front, the Shadow Beasts quietly retreated backward.
But the Troupe had come here intending to ambush Ronin.
Now Ronin had escaped—so how could they let the Shadow Beasts and mafia run too?
As the six Shadow Beasts fell back, someone stepped into their path.
"Die." Feitan, short and cold-eyed, stared at them like they were trash. He spat out a single icy word—
and vanished from where he stood.
…
Ronin didn't care how many Shadow Beasts died to the Troupe.
He only cared whether the Shadow Beasts would bring benefits for Kurapika and Neon.
As Ronin escaped the Troupe's encirclement, he sensed he'd been targeted.
And the one targeting him—like him—also had the ability to fly.
It was a Shadow Beast member.
~~~
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