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Chapter 114: Chrollo and Kurapika's Game of Chess
Illumi stared blankly at his phone, a rare sensation of hesitation gripping him.
His injuries weren't life-threatening. By utilizing his specialized needles in conjunction with the Zoldyck family's esoteric medical techniques, he could fully regenerate the damaged tissue in a relatively short timeframe. What truly troubled him was whether or not to call in backup for a second attempt on Ronin's life.
The target's abilities were incredibly tricky, and his raw combat prowess was undeniably formidable. With Zeno and Silva completely off the table, his options were severely restricted. That left only his ancient ancestors: Zigg and Maha. However, Zigg's whereabouts were a permanent mystery, meaning the only viable powerhouse available was Maha.
The massive bounty Chrollo offered was more than enough to coax Maha out of retirement, but guaranteeing a successful kill was another matter entirely. This contract was turning out exactly as his father, Silva, had warned—it was a phenomenally bad deal, even with the astronomical price tag.
Ronin's growth rate was terrifying, completely exceeding Illumi's projections. Furthermore, Illumi was now absolutely certain that Chrollo had intentionally withheld critical intelligence from him. Dealing with an employer who actively withheld critical intel was notoriously troublesome.
Elsewhere, Chrollo glanced at his own phone. Based on the timeline, Illumi should have made his move by now.
The complete lack of any incoming messages pointed to only one conclusion: the assassination had failed. If the target had truly been Ryan, Illumi wouldn't have botched the job. That meant Ronin had definitively replaced the elder with a perfect disguise, which resulted in the hit failing.
The only unknown variable was whether Illumi was still alive. If the assassin had survived, he would undoubtedly orchestrate a secondary strike. Chrollo had deliberately hidden the intel he received from Hisoka. By doing so, he practically guaranteed that if Illumi wanted to complete the contract, he would be forced to call in elite reinforcements from his family.
Whichever Zoldyck answered the call, they would cause massive problems for Ronin—and possibly even score the killing blow. That was Chrollo's assessment after clashing with Silva and Zeno at the Cemetery Building.
The two patriarchs were monstrously strong, easily outclassing any single member of the Troupe. During that tense standoff, Chrollo had a chilling realization: the two assassins hadn't retreated because they couldn't kill Isrli while surrounded. Rather, they simply weighed the risks and coldly decided to abandon the chaotic melee in favor of a cleaner, more controlled opportunity.
They simply refused to take on unnecessary risks. Ronin's power was undeniably exploding at an unnatural rate, but against seasoned veterans of that caliber, Chrollo highly doubted the boy's current strength would be enough to secure a victory. As for Kurapika, the Kurta survivor's brilliance lay entirely in strategy and scheming; he couldn't provide meaningful backup in a clash of titans.
And if Illumi had died during the botched hit? The Zoldyck family would launch an exhaustive investigation and immediately dispatch an execution squad for Ronin—and Chrollo wouldn't have to spend a single dime for the follow-up. They would be acting on a blood vendetta to avenge their eldest son. In this single, calculated move, Chrollo had squeezed every last drop of strategic value out of Illumi's identity.
Of course, there was always the slim possibility that the Zoldycks strictly adhered to business and wouldn't avenge a son killed during a botched job. But so what? Chrollo lost absolutely nothing in the exchange. Regardless of the fallout, Illumi's silence confirmed one absolute truth: Ryan was dead, and Ronin was playing his part.
If he simply leaked that explosive truth back to Meteor City...
Chrollo's train of thought slammed to a sudden halt. He immediately foresaw a deadly counter-play. Everything that had transpired so far—even if it wasn't perfectly scripted by Kurapika—could easily be weaponized by the strategist. Leaking the truth to Meteor City would trigger exactly one outcome: the city's radical extremists would launch an all-out assault on the villa.
Would they succeed? Chrollo knew the answer was a resounding no.
Those uncoordinated lunatics wouldn't form a unified front. They would charge in blindly, one by one, allowing Ronin to systematically slaughter the most problematic elements within Meteor City, essentially doing his dirty work for him.
Chrollo felt a rare spike of irritation. The combination was incredibly troublesome. Ronin was the ultimate physical enforcer, while Kurapika's tactical genius wielded Ronin's raw power to its absolute maximum potential. The synergy between the two flawlessly amplified their individual strengths.
If Chrollo kept quiet, Ronin would seamlessly solidify his control over Ryan's identity, thereby gaining significant political leverage within Meteor City. Ryan was, after all, a senior member of the Council of Elders. The exploding ship and the fabricated "deaths" of Ronin and Kurapika would only be chalked up as Ryan's magnificent achievements, cementing his authority even further.
But Chrollo had found the blind spot. October 1st. On that day, Ronin was publicly scheduled to fight Hisoka at Heaven's Arena.
That presented Chrollo with two distinct options. The first was to travel to Heaven's Arena and attempt to ambush Ronin immediately after the grueling match concluded. The second was to return to Meteor City and uproot the deep-cover proxy Ronin had planted in the council.
Chrollo knew the second option was the only viable path. He had yet to acquire an ability that perfectly countered Ronin's bizarre skill set. If he rallied the Troupe and marched on Heaven's Arena right now, the outcome would likely mirror Uvogin's disastrous clash on the arena floor. Worse, Kurapika would undoubtedly have the venue rigged with lethal traps, risking further casualties among the Spiders. Ronin was intimately allied with the Gold Medal Agent, Milia, and her sphere of influence within Heaven's Arena was immense.
Factoring in the unpredictable variable of the Rock Mercenary Group, engaging in a set-piece battle on enemy turf was a terrible tactical decision for the Troupe. More accurately, the October 1st match at Heaven's Arena was a glaring, meticulously baited trap explicitly designed to lure them in.
Chrollo exhaled a slow, measured breath. In this intricate web of moves and counter-moves, the operational window Kurapika had left him was frustratingly narrow. Rather than playing into their hands, the smartest move was to do absolutely nothing. He would remain in the shadows and dedicate all his focus to hunting down a Nen ability capable of neutralizing Ronin.
Chrollo's read was flawless. Following Illumi's botched assassination, Kurapika's immediate plan was for Ronin to slaughter whatever wave of extremists came knocking at their door. Yet, two full days passed. Milia's personnel arrived in the city, but the fanatical mobs never materialized. Their cover hadn't been blown by the assassination attempt.
"He figured it out," Kurapika delivered his final verdict.
The 'he' in question was, of course, Chrollo. Even without the Troupe leader making a physical appearance, Chrollo was the phantom opponent Kurapika constantly sparred with in his mind's eye.
The deafening silence following the assassination confirmed that Chrollo had opted for total inaction—undeniably the wisest move on the board. Kurapika could easily predict his enemy's next overarching phase. According to Ronin's psychological profile, Chrollo was an incredibly cautious man. Until he secured an ability guaranteeing a one hundred percent victory rate against Ronin, he would likely remain hidden.
Based on the timeline, Milia would be launching her aggressive marketing campaign for Ronin's match any day now. That meant there was an incredibly high probability Chrollo wouldn't step foot inside the Heaven's Arena trap on October 1st. So, if he wasn't going to the arena, where would he strike? Would he really just allow 'Ryan' to operate unimpeded in his own backyard?
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