A fated encounter.
On the northern route, Zeno and Silva still encountered Chrollo.
The difference was that Chrollo was not alone, as he was accompanied by Pakunoda and Bonolenov.
Pakunoda's role in the Troupe was support and intelligence, and her combat strength wasn't high. But Bonolenov was a front-line fighter with considerable combat prowess.
He came from the Gyudondond Tribe, known as the tribe of dancing warriors, reputed to be the most beautiful fighting clan.
This indicated it was an ethnic minority specialized in producing warriors, though few remained today.
The two sides faced off, not immediately taking action, but each released their Aura.
Although Aura couldn't be the sole basis for judging strength, it could somewhat reflect the disparity.
The Aura of Zeno and Silva was clearly superior.
"Pakunoda, step aside."
Chrollo's gaze was cold as he stared at the two Zoldycks. He didn't elaborate, but Pakunoda understood: he wanted her to withdraw from the combat circle and wait for an opportunity.
Without the slightest hesitation, Pakunoda retreated, standing behind Chrollo and Bonolenov.
Seeing Pakunoda's move, Zeno chuckled and said calmly, "So, on the surface, it's two against two now."
"Father, you can take the one with the bandages." Silva's wolf-like pupils reflected Chrollo's figure.
He had fought Chrollo years ago and had some understanding of Chrollo's Nen Abilities. So, in this apparent two-on-two situation, he believed it was the correct choice for him to face Chrollo.
Hearing this, Zeno looked at the bandaged man, grunted through his nose, tacitly agreeing to Silva's suggestion.
"Fighting this old man, huh? Not an easy opponent."
Meeting Zeno's gaze, Bonolenov mused inwardly. He didn't hide anything anymore and decisively removed the bandages on his body, revealing a body full of small holes.
People of the Gyudondond Tribe had many holes of varying sizes on their bodies. When the body moved, each hole would produce a sound.
Ordinary tribesmen would use these sounds to find a specific melody, used to disrupt enemies while also enhancing their own offensive rhythm.
But for Nen Users, if they aligned with the Emission-type, they could create powerful effects.
It was equivalent to releasing Aura directly from the holes, so the power was not to be underestimated.
Judging that Zeno would be difficult to deal with, Bonolenov decided to go all out from the start.
'The Gyudondond Tribe... it's been a long time.'
Zeno narrowed his eyes, having already passed a death sentence on Bonolenov in his heart.
The four of them faced off for a moment.
Suddenly, the figures of all four vanished from their spots.
Immediately after, dull thuds echoed in the air above the pathway in the green area, but no figures were visible.
Pakunoda held her silver revolver, watching the shadowy collisions and the continuous dull thuds, her expression grave.
'So fast...'
...
Cemetery Building.
Akatake and Cipher dealt with the Shadow Beasts and assassins blocking their path and arrived in front of the main entrance of the Cemetery Building.
They saw the ground near the main entrance littered with corpses, heads scattered everywhere, the smell of blood quite strong.
"Someone beat us to it." Akatake walked towards the main entrance.
"Tch, judging by the methods, it was Feitan and Phinks, right?"
Cipher glanced at the corpses. The causes of death were decapitation and broken necks, clearly the handiwork of Feitan and Phinks.
The two stepped over the corpses. Just as they entered the main door, they heard screams and gunfire coming from inside the building.
Presumably, Feitan and Phinks were inside, killing freely.
"The defense lines set up by the Mafia are just so-so. The others should be arriving soon too."
Cipher curled his lip, not planning to go inside and steal kills, as he had already killed enough tonight.
In his view, the few Nen Users they had just killed were probably the Mafia's last line of defense.
Having broken through that line, tonight's operation, as expected, should be a settled matter.
"Let's go in."
Akatake said grimly, then walked into the building.
Cipher followed silently behind him.
Both they, and Feitan and Phinks inside the building, were unaware that one of their teams had been taken out by Law.
Two minutes later, Law arrived outside the Cemetery Building and also saw the corpses littering the main entrance.
"It's about time to close the net..."
Law suddenly turned, looking in a certain direction.
From there, several fairly strong Nen Fluctuations were coming.
He looked in that direction, thought for a moment, then entered the building.
He wasn't sure about the situation with Kurapika's battle, nor did he plan to check.
Now, other Troupe members had entered the Cemetery Building. He wasn't sure how many, but he might as well close the net now and take them all out.
Law's figure, lingering at the entrance for a moment, was seen by Salin from the rooftop of a nearby building.
…
Meanwhile, on the street.
The poison in Kurapika's body took effect, rendering his lower body immobile instantly. Mohana, confident of victory, moved closer to him.
Although her face, with its heavy eye shadow, wore a seductive smile, there was an unconcealed thread of killing intent.
Kurapika's right hand moved slightly, lowering the thumb chain for healing. He recalled the words Law had once said to him.
"I stayed in one place for many years and witnessed all kinds of potent poisons firsthand."
"It's a powerful means for the weak to defeat the strong. Can you imagine? A finger-sized insect poisoning a creature ten thousand times its size."
"So, I suggest you add a function to your healing chain."
Kurapika looked down at the ground. The healing chain was pressed against his heel, emitting a faint green light.
Mohana came before Kurapika, looking down at him with a smile. "You have thirty-one seconds of life left. Before you die, do you have any last words?"
Although she was sure Kurapika was poisoned, Mohana didn't get too close.
Kurapika suddenly looked up, a faint red glow appearing in his eyes.
"Die," he said coldly.
Whoosh!
The Middle Finger Chain shot out in response, attacking Mohana.
Mohana's face abruptly changed. She gathered Aura in her right hand, drew a short blade from her sleeve, and slashed at the incoming chain.
Clang!
The chain bent with the impact, its momentum greatly reduced.
Kurapika stood up, swiftly swung his arm to the left, then immediately jerked it back to the right. The generated force transmitted through the chain.
The repelled chain twisted in mid-air, moving from stillness to motion, and shot towards Mohana's abdomen.
Thud!
The thumb-thick chain pierced through Mohana's abdomen. As it emerged from her back, it was stained red with blood.
"You... weren't poisoned..."
Trickles of blood seeped from Mohana's red lips. She looked at Kurapika's cold expression and said sharply, "Are you... a woman?"
Hearing this, Kurapika gleaned some information from her words: 'So her scent poison might only be effective against men.'
He had no interest in explaining things to Mohana. Silently, he channeled his Aura, thickening the chain.
Suddenly, a burst of blood mist exploded from Mohana's abdomen as the chain thickened, violently expanding the piercing wound.
Mohana screamed, vomiting a large amount of blood. Under Shizuku's shocked gaze, she slowly fell backward, already near death.