Chapter 63: Neon's New Collection
The Phantom Troupe retreated rapidly, but when the dust settled, there was no trace of Ronin in the sky, nor was there any trace of Uvogin's corpse on the ground.
Only the massive stone golem remained, raising its fist to crush them.
Even if Uvogin's body had been torn apart, Machi could have stitched him back together if the pieces were still there.
But now, with blood and flesh scattered into the sand and the head pulverized, putting Uvogin back together was impossible.
Soaring high into the sky, Ronin knew that from the moment he killed Uvogin, his feud with the Troupe had escalated to an eternal blood oath.
They would stop at nothing to kill him.
He didn't regret it. To him, it was already a fight to the death.
Killing Uvogin was just collecting interest on a debt.
Now, the Troupe should be the ones worried.
The Four Violet Flames Formation proved he could isolate and kill them one by one. Or at least separate them.
As long as a Spider dared to act alone, or in a group smaller than three, Ronin saw an opportunity.
Killing a one-armed Uvogin in a frontal assault gave him a clear measure of his strength.
One-on-one, Ronin feared no one.
This was still years before the main storyline. The Troupe wasn't at their peak yet.
Even Chrollo Lucilfer didn't feel overwhelmingly threatening right now.
Perhaps, as Zeno Zoldyck noted in the manga, Chrollo grew significantly stronger in just a few years.
But if they dragged this out, Ronin feared Chrollo even less.
With Kurapika managing his training and strategy, and Neon predicting his fortune, Ronin could manipulate the odds until his victory was 100% assured before he even stepped onto the battlefield.
That was the power of Neon's ability.
As long as he controlled Neon, he could choose to fight only when the conditions favored him.
If the prophecy signaled danger, he could pause, pivot, or change the future. Fate was mutable, as proven with Omokage.
Descending from the sky, Ronin was almost out of Chakra.
But Kurapika and Neon were waiting for him in the car at the landing zone.
The moment he got in, Kurapika's Holy Chain wrapped around him.
Ronin didn't dodge. He let the chain embrace him.
A soothing sensation washed over him. Combining it with his own Zetsu, his stamina regenerated at an incredible rate.
He didn't bring back much loot. He just tossed a pair of eyes—Uvogin's eyes—to Neon.
He had considered giving them to Kurapika, but decided against it.
"This is Uvogin's. I've taken my revenge," Ronin adjusted his seat to a comfortable position. "Neon, I leave the taxidermy to you. Oh, and include this piece of skin."
He tossed a flap of skin with a spider tattoo onto her lap.
Neon glared at him, annoyed by the blood staining her skirt, but she clutched the gift with delight.
The Spider #11 tattoo, plus a pair of eyes bloodshot from rage, unwillingness, and hatred.
It was marvelous.
"You extracted these eyes very professionally," Neon praised, examining the intact eyeballs.
"Delicate Illness Extraction Technique," Ronin explained casually. "It's a medical jutsu designed to remove poisons and pathogens, but it works great for extracting organs too."
Only he understood the reference.
The B-Rank Medical Ninjutsu was meant to pull foreign bodies out of a patient. With a little modification, changing the target from "poison" to "eyeball," it became a gruesome harvesting tool.
The extraction quality wasn't perfect and needed post-processing, but for Ronin, it was suitable. He didn't care if the eyes were damaged; he just wanted to turn them into art, like the Scarlet Eyes!
A pair of authentic Phantom Troupe eyes, complete with a certificate of authenticity (the tattoo), should sell for a nice price.
Meanwhile, in the Gordeau Desert, the Troupe hadn't left yet.
Their faces were grim. They had destroyed the stone golem, but now they were surrounded by a fleet of black sedans.
Mafia members poured out, encircling them.
Hidden among the mob were six individuals with grotesque, inhuman features.
The Shadow Beasts.
They didn't attack immediately. They could sense the overwhelming strength of the Troupe members.
Activating Gyo, they saw that every single Spider was a powerful Nen user. Some emitted auras that made even the Shadow Beasts wary.
Compared to the perceptive Shadow Beasts, the Mafia grunts were cannon fodder sent to die.
They charged with submachine guns and pistols, shouting curses.
And then, a new slaughter began.
Chrollo didn't fight. Ronin's power had exceeded his expectations, and the look in Ronin's eyes before he fled gave Chrollo a sense of unease.
Chrollo scanned the mob, quickly locking onto the few Nen users.
The battle was one-sided. Realizing the disparity in power, the Shadow Beasts—self-proclaimed combat experts—decided not to throw their lives away. They quietly retreated, using the dying Mafia members as shields.
But the Troupe had come here to ambush Ronin. Since Ronin escaped, they weren't about to let the Shadow Beasts and the Mafia leave alive.
As the six Shadow Beasts tried to withdraw, a figure blocked their path.
"Die," Feitan said coldly, looking at them like trash. Then he vanished.
Ronin didn't care how many Shadow Beasts the Troupe killed. He only cared if the Shadow Beasts could benefit Kurapika and Neon.
As he flew away from the Troupe's encirclement, he sensed he was being followed.
The pursuer had flight capabilities, just like him.
It was a Shadow Beast.
Owl.
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