Just at the moment Leo made up his mind—
"Boom—!!!"
The carved gates of Xililike Auction House exploded like fragile paper, wood chips and gravel spraying out like a rainstorm.
A figure shot backward out of the roiling dust, spinning three times in the air before barely landing, the soles of his shoes carving two deep furrows into the stone road.
It was Morex.
His left hand was tightly clutching an old book with a yellowed cover and dark gold patterns inlaid on the edges, while his right hand lifted to wipe the winding bloodstain from the corner of his mouth.
The dust gradually settled, and four figures walked slowly out of the ruins of the auction house, moonlight outlining their cold, hard silhouettes—the Phantom Troupe.
Chrollo, leading them, had no expression on his face; those bottomless eyes watched Morex calmly, as if looking at a dead object.
"Hand over that book."
Chrollo's voice was terrifyingly steady.
"I can let you die a little more painlessly."
Morex let out a hoarse laugh, the laughter carrying a certain crazed echo.
"Hahaha... you bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats, don't be too arrogant! Want my life? It's not that easy—!!"
The moment the last word fell, Morex's entire body erupted with astonishing Nen!
Deep purple waves of Qi spread out with him at the center.
Chrollo said nothing more, merely raising his right index finger slightly.
A signal.
Franklin's massive frame was the first to step forward, his modified hands emerging from his wide sleeves—the tips of his ten fingers were pitch-black gun barrels.
Nobunaga's hand was already resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
Machi was expressionless, but between her slender fingers, nearly invisible Nen threads were already coiled.
Shalnark began to sway his body rhythmically, faint music drifting from the gaps in his bandages.
The four's Nen erupted simultaneously, the four-colored waves of Qi colliding fiercely with Morex's purple Qi, and the air seemed to freeze for an instant—
Then the battle exploded!
Nobunaga moved first.
"Iaijutsu: Draw and Slash."
The blade's gleam swept past like a crescent moon.
Morex retreated rapidly, the ancient book turning in his left hand, his right hand's five fingers splayed, and five purple-black Nen Bullets shot out.
"Too slow."
Machi's cold voice came from the side.
Before anyone knew it, several transparent Nen threads had wrapped around Morex's right arm, tightening suddenly!
Muscles were gouged by the threads, the direction of the Nen Bullets forced to deflect, slamming into the wall of a distant building and blasting open a huge hole.
Shalnark's body began to spin, his bandages unfurling like flower petals—Battle Cantabile: Prelude!
His speed increased suddenly, transforming into a white whirlwind circling the battlefield, the materialized spear in his hand stabbing at Morex's vitals from every tricky angle.
Franklin did not move. He only slowly raised both arms, his ten fingers aimed at Morex in the center of the battle circle.
Click.
A slight mechanical sound.
His ten fingers detached at the base, revealing pitch-black firing ports.
The next second—
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!
That wasn't gunfire; it was the roar of a metal storm!
Countless Nen Bullets condensed to the extreme poured out of Franklin's "Double Machine Gun," each one capable of piercing steel plates, and now such an attack was erupting at a frequency of dozens of rounds per second!
The Nen Bullets tore through the air, emitting sharp whistles, blasting a series of craters into the ground as they lunged straight at Morex!
Morex gritted his teeth, deep purple Nen condensing in front of him into a protective shield covering his entire body—"Ken."
The Nen Bullets bombarded the protective shield, exploding into blinding light, each shot causing the Nen shield to tremble violently, cracks spreading like spiderwebs.
"It won't last long."
Chrollo judged calmly.
Beside him, Pakunoda, Shalnark, and Omokage stood quietly watching, as if the fierce battle before them was merely a play.
But in Chrollo's dead-silent eyes, a trace of imperceptible fluctuation flashed.
His gaze crossed the battlefield, throwing toward the rooftop of the building on the street opposite the auction house.
There, it seemed there was a shadow just now.
Leo stood on the edge of the rooftop, the night wind lifting the black hair on his forehead.
The battle below was fully in view—Morex was struggling under the siege of the four.
Nobunaga's blade drew closer to vitals with every swing; Machi's Nen threads had already wrapped around Morex's left leg; in Shalnark's whirlwind, the cold light of the spear was like a viper's tongue.
"That's enough."
Leo whispered to himself, then leaped down.
His figure carved a graceful arc in the full moon's brilliance, his black trench coat flapping loudly as he fell, like a black arrow shot into the center of the storm.
Using no cushioning techniques, he just fell straight down—
Boom!
Both feet stepped heavily onto the ground, the stone slabs shattering radially.
Leo slowly straightened up, hands in his trench coat pockets, walking toward the auction house gate unhurriedly.
One step.
Nen began to fluctuate, like the first stone thrown into a calm lake.
Two steps.
The fluctuations intensified, the air began to tremble.
Three steps.
A strong, overwhelming Nen pressure, like a tangible wave of Qi, spread out in all directions with Leo at the center!
It wasn't the violent eruption like Morex's, but a deep, heavy, heart-palpitating oppression like an abyss.
Both sides in the fight sensed this unfamiliar Nen pressure almost simultaneously.
Leo stopped twenty meters away from the battlefield, revealing a gentle smile.
"I'm sorry, you cannot kill Morex."
He reached out and pointed at Morex, who was already heavily wounded and had disordered breathing.
"He is my prey."
The air froze for an instant.
Nobunaga was the first to react, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Huh? Say that again?"
The tip of the sword turned toward Leo.
"Do you know who we are?"
Morex also roared angrily.
"Another guy who doesn't know life from death! Want to kill me? Then come! I want to see how many people want to snatch things from my hands today!"
Leo smiled without speaking.
Then his entire body's Nen erupted.
If the previous Nen pressure was a wave of air, then this moment was a volcanic eruption!
Blood-red Nen shot into the sky, and where the wave passed, the gravel on the ground began to float slowly, defying gravity.
Franklin was the first to react. This big guy, who had experienced countless battles, keenly felt a threat—a fatal threat.
"Take care of this obstacle first!"
His modified hands lifted again.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!
The metal storm swept the battlefield for the second time, but this time, the target was not Morex.
But Leo.
Countless Nen Bullets tore through the air, forming a barrage of death, instantly covering the position where Leo stood!
Explosions were continuous, dust and flames shot into the sky, and the entire street was trembling.
Nobunaga grinned: "Fool, daring to take Franklin's—"
His laughter stopped abruptly.
The dust settled.
Leo stood in place, not having moved a single step.
His clothes fluttered slightly in the aftermath of the explosion, but on his body—there were no wounds. Not even the hem of his clothes was damaged.
He raised his hand, lightly brushing off invisible dust from his shoulder, then revealed an even brighter smile to Franklin.
"Use more strength, I'm still okay."
The reason Leo could be unscathed under Franklin's focused Nen Bullet fire was entirely due to the rapid switching of "Ryu," using his superb observation and reaction skills to adjust how much defensive power was needed to resist the parts attacked by the Nen Bullets.
Franklin's pupils shrank suddenly.
This is impossible.
Each Nen Bullet from his "Double Machine Gun" was enough to pierce an armored car; under such dense bombardment, even a top-tier Enhancer should have been injured. But this person—
"Come again!"
Franklin roared, the gun barrels on his ten fingers began to rotate at high speed, the firing frequency of the Nen Bullets increasing once more!
This time he held nothing back, all Nen Bullets aimed at Leo's head, heart, joints, and other vitals, the barrage so dense it almost formed a wall of light!
Leo moved.
He walked toward Franklin.
Step by step, slow and steady.
Nen Bullets bombarded the invisible barrier in front of him, exploding into clusters of fire, but his forward speed was not affected in the slightest.
Just like a pedestrian strolling in a rainstorm, calm and unhurried.
Twenty meters.
Ten meters.
Nobunaga finally came to his senses from the shock.
"Arrogant!"
He roared, lunged out, his sword carving a cold arc in the moonlight—"Iaijutsu: Draw and Slash!"
This slash was as fast as lightning, and where the blade passed, the air emitted a sharp whistle of being torn apart.
Nobunaga was confident that this slash was enough to cut him in two.
Leo didn't even look at Nobunaga.
He just reached out his right hand—at the moment the blade was about to touch his forehead, he steadily pinched the blade with his thumb and index finger.
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal clashing.
Nobunaga's full-force slash was stopped in mid-air by two fingers just like that.
"Wha..."
Nobunaga widened his eyes, gripping the sword with both hands, muscles bulging, trying to pull the sword out or press it down.
But the blade didn't move a millimeter between Leo's fingers, as if it had been cast into steel.
Leo finally looked at Nobunaga, his eyes carrying a hint of pity.
"Too weak."
In the distance, Chrollo's brow furrowed for the first time.
His gaze locked tightly onto Leo, his brain analyzing everything that had just happened at high speed—taking Franklin's Nen Bullets head-on without a scratch, catching Nobunaga's full-force slash with two fingers...
"Omokage, Shalnark."
Chrollo's voice was still calm, but those familiar with him could hear the gravity in it.
"You two go as well. It's dragged on too long; finish it early."
Omokage raised an eyebrow, a smile of interest appearing on his face.
"Interesting, too interesting. A puppet like this... must be great."
In the shadows beside him, two puppets of different appearances, only their eye sockets hollow, slowly emerged.
Shalnark nodded silently, materializing a long, serrated blade in his hand.
The two charged out simultaneously, pouncing on Leo from the left and right!
Leo watched the two approaching, finally holding nothing back.
The right hand pinching Nobunaga's blade exerted force suddenly—
Snap!
With a crisp sound, Nobunaga's sword, which had followed him for many years, was actually crushed by Leo's two fingers!
The fragments of the blade reflected the moonlight in the air, like scattered stars.
Before Nobunaga could react, Leo's left hand was already clenched into a fist, punching him square in the face!
No complex techniques, no flashy abilities, just the purest, most violent punch.
"Pfft—!"
Nobunaga spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with teeth, his whole body hit as if by a battering ram, flying back over ten meters and slamming heavily into the wall of the shop across the street, stone fragments and dust rising with a roar.
Dead silence.
Franklin's Nen Bullet fire stopped.
Machi and Shalnark's attacks also paused.
Even the heavily wounded, panting Morex widened his eyes.
Omokage and Shalnark's footsteps stopped abruptly midway.
Everyone—including Chrollo and Pakunoda watching from afar—was stunned by this simple, brutal blow.