However, at the very moment when everyone's attention was drawn to Leo—
A sound of something breaking through the air came from the sky.
It was not the sound of wind.
It was the shriek of some heavy object tearing through the air at a terrifying speed.
Shalnark instinctively looked up, his pupils reflecting a figure rapidly enlarging—
"Boom!!!"
It was like a meteorite crashing to the ground.
The entire street shook violently, and with the impact point as the center, the stone slabs within a five-meter radius were all pulverized, upturned, and sent flying!
Dust rose into the sky like a mushroom cloud, and the chaotic air currents forced Machi and Shalnark, who were closest, to retreat several steps.
The dust slowly dissipated.
In the center of the deep pit, a tall figure was half-crouched.
His long white hair cascaded like a waterfall in the moonlight, and a dark purple training uniform clung to his burly frame.
His right fist was deeply embedded in Shalnark's skull, and Shalnark's body twitched twice at the bottom of the pit before going completely limp, losing all signs of life.
Sliva Zoldyck slowly stood up and shook the blood off his hand, his movements as casual as brushing away dust.
"Wha..."
Pakunoda subconsciously took half a step back.
Machi's Nen threads tightened completely.
The bandages on Shalnark's body moved without wind.
Franklin's gun muzzles re-aimed at the new enemy.
Leo was also stunned.
"Are there still more experts?"
He stared at the white-haired back, and information from the original hunter x hunter flashed rapidly through his mind—Sliva Zoldyck, Killua's father, the current head of the Zoldyck Family, one of the world's top assassins.
The manga did mention that he had once assassinated a former member of the Genei Ryodan, the old number eight... So, it was now.
The corners of Leo's mouth slowly curled up, flames of excitement burning in his eyes.
Interesting, too interesting.
This melee was increasingly exceeding expectations.
Chrollo's expression showed a crack for the first time.
It was not anger, not shock, but a coldness that went deep into the bone marrow.
That coldness made the temperature of the surrounding air seem to drop by several degrees.
He looked at Shalnark's corpse at the bottom of the pit, looked at the partner who once called him "Leader" now turned into a corpse that still had residual warmth, and then slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Sliva.
"You killed our partner."
Chrollo's voice was very soft, as light as a whisper, but every word was like a poisoned ice pick.
"Unforgivable."
Bandits Secret appeared in his hand, the blood-red handprint on the cover seemingly pulsing.
"Now you have two choices."
Chrollo opened the book pages, his fingertips sliding across one of the pages.
"One is to be hunted by all of us, to the death."
His gaze was like a tangible blade.
"Two is to replace the dead Shalnark and become our new number eight member."
Sliva finally turned around, revealing that angular face.
His expression was terrifyingly calm, and there was no emotion in his eyes.
He did not answer, not even glancing at Chrollo again.
He just turned around and walked toward the other end of the street—at first it was just a normal walk, then his pace quickened, turning into a run, his speed increasing, and in the blink of an eye, he turned into a blurred afterimage.
Escaped? No, not an escape.
The Zoldyck Family's ancestral teachings were carved into the bone marrow of every Family member.
One payment, one target.
Never kill irrelevant personnel outside the mission, never get involved in unnecessary battles.
Shalnark was the target, and the target was completed.
As for the Phantom Troupe's anger? That was not something he needed to consider.
Chrollo watched Sliva's rapidly receding back and slowly closed Bandits Secret.
"I understand."
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Then be prepared to die here."
The moment his words fell, Chrollo's figure disappeared, as abruptly as if he had merged into the shadows.
Only Leo caught that almost imperceptible aura, which was pursuing the direction Sliva had left at a terrifying speed.
Chrollo had gone after Sliva.
The remaining Phantom Troupe members fell into a brief, dead silence.
Pakunoda was the first to react.
She turned her head abruptly, her eyes bloodshot, staring at Leo and Morex, her voice trembling with anger.
"Kill them both! We can't waste any more time! We can't let that guy get away!"
"Cough... cough cough..."
Nobunaga struggled to crawl out of the ruins, his face covered in blood, his left cheek swollen, but the murderous glint in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped the corner of his mouth, and then roared at Franklin.
"Franklin! What are you waiting for?!"
Franklin recovered from his shock.
This usually calm big guy also had a raging fire burning in his eyes at this moment.
A Phantom Troupe member was killed, the leader was forced to leave to pursue the enemy—this was a humiliation that had to be washed away with blood!
"Roar!!!"
Franklin let out a beast-like roar, and raised his arms again.
This time, the gun muzzles on his ten fingers began to rotate at high speed, emitting a hum of mechanical overload. He no longer aimed, but pointed his arms at the entire street—
Double Machine Gun: Full Burst!
Da da da da da!!!!
The density of the barrage this time was twice that of before!
Nen Bullets poured down like a rainstorm, indiscriminately covering Leo, Morex, and even everything around them!
The walls of the buildings on both sides of the street were riddled with holes, all windows shattered, and parked vehicles turned into scrap metal in the explosions!
Machi flicked her hands, and dozens of Nen threads wove into a net in the air, covering Leo from the side.
These Nen threads were as thin as hair, yet tough enough to cut through steel; once entangled, one would be dismembered in an instant.
Shalnark began to spin at high speed, his bandages completely unwinding to reveal the eerie body full of holes beneath—Battle Cantabile: Jupiter!
A huge sphere with a diameter of over three meters materialized around him, the surface of the sphere covered in spikes, spinning at the speed of sound, and then smashed toward Leo like a cannonball!
Omokage's puppets also moved.
Two eyeless puppets lunged at Leo from left and right.
Their hands began to transform, turning into claws, blades, and spikes—that was an ability copied from other Nen Users; although it only had a fraction of the power of the original, it was deadly enough.
And Morex, this initial prey, had instead become a secondary target at this moment.
Only Pakunoda used her pistol to provide distracting fire against him, while everyone else's killing intent was locked onto Leo.
Leo stood where he was, watching the attacks coming from all directions.
A rainstorm of Nen Bullets.
A cutting net.
A supersonic giant sphere.
Puppet pincer attack.
He smiled.
It was a smile from the bottom of his heart, one of extreme excitement.
"Now this is what I'm talking about."
Then he said softly.
"Instant — Release!"
The moment the three words fell—
"Hum!!!"
The air emitted a low-frequency wail.
Black, living-like striped patterns began to emerge from Leo's chest, rapidly spreading to his cheeks, arms, torso, and legs—covering his entire body in the blink of an eye!
Immediately after, an indescribably violent energy erupted from every pore of Leo's body!
If the previous Nen was a tsunami, then this moment was a total eruption of an undersea volcano!
Dark red waves of Qi exploded with him as the center!
The stone slabs under his feet did not just crack, but were directly turned into powder!
The air within a ten-meter radius began to twist, light refracting into eerie halos.
Enhancer Ability: Instant — Release
Compress and concentrate all Qi volume, fully erupting within five minutes, forcibly lifting physical limitations.
Effect: Gain super-speed regeneration ability; physical strength, speed, defense, and five senses are all fully elevated to limits exceeding what the body can withstand.
Cost: Once activated, it cannot be interrupted. After five minutes, all Qi is exhausted, unable to use any Nen, the body bears a huge burden, and after it ends, the whole body will be exhausted.
Limit: Can only be used once per day.
This was an incomplete ability he had initially developed during his special training; now, demonstrating it for the first time, he would use this group of spiders to test the ability, and then optimize and adjust it later.
He had thought about it for a long time; since his physical body was his strong point and his greatest advantage, he would bring it into perfect play.
This move would allow his body to be liberated to the maximum extent!