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Chapter 40
🕑 Added 2024-11-27 14:58:29 +0000 UTCOriginally, a group of shady individuals planned to ambush Machi after she left the casino. However, seeing her provoke the casino operators, they decided to strike while the chaos gave them an opportunity.
They sent in their bodyguards, intending to abduct Machi for their own nefarious purposes.
And so...
In the ensuing melee, Machi, thoroughly enraged, unleashed her razor-sharp nen threads, slicing through several foes. After claiming a few heads, she walked away, leaving chaos in her wake.
The aftermath?
The casino was left in complete disarray. Among her victims were highly influential figures in the city, whose deaths shook the local power structures.
Machi’s actions caused an uproar even greater than the havoc wreaked by Feitan and Uvogin.
As for Nobunaga, who had peacefully gone to a blacksmith shop to reforge his blade, sipping tea and enthusiastically discussing swords with the smith...
He was eventually drawn into the chaos caused by the other three.
By the time his newly tempered blade was ready, he stumbled into Feitan, Uvogin, and Machi, and the four were forced to band together to fend off a city-wide manhunt.
From his perch on a rooftop, Morin observed the escalating mayhem, shaking his head in silence.
He had anticipated trouble—it was inevitable with the Phantom Troupe’s nature and the personalities of its members—but he hadn’t expected such a disaster to unfold so soon after leaving Meteor City.
“Looks like we can’t stay here any longer,” he muttered.
Watching the fires, the damaged vehicles, and the sounds of explosions echoing below, Morin turned and left. He had no intention of getting involved or cleaning up their mess.
After all, in his view, the consequences of one’s actions were for them to bear.
Besides, he knew the four were skilled and perceptive enough to escape, even if it meant sustaining injuries.
When the four finally returned to the Phantom Troupe’s hideout, they were covered in soot and reeked of gunpowder.
“Ha! What a blast! The last few days were incredible—ow!” Uvogin winced mid-sentence, his brows furrowing deeply.
“Hold still!”
Machi, calmly stitching up Uvogin’s wounds, shot him a sharp look.
Of the four, Uvogin had drawn the most attention and suffered the worst injuries.
Feitan and Machi, both level-headed and tactical, had avoided serious harm, while Nobunaga, having joined later, attracted less hostility than the ever-boisterous Uvogin.
“It seems our time in this city has come to an end,” Chrollo remarked as he closed his book, his expression calm as if he had anticipated this outcome.
“We were never planning to stay long anyway,” Morin said, a faint smile playing on his lips.
For him, their escapades had been fruitful; his hidden reserves of strength and strategies had grown significantly.
To him, time equaled power and opportunities.
“So, what’s our next move?”
Machi asked as she bit off the thread she’d used to stitch Uvogin’s wounds, earning a sharp grimace from him.
“A spider without its legs is destined to stumble,” Chrollo said with a faint smile. “I plan to recruit five more members.”
“Are you asking if we’ll join you?”
Nobunaga furrowed his brows. “What do you mean by that? Are we splitting up?”
“That’s correct,” Chrollo replied with his usual mild smile.
“I founded the Troupe to help us grow stronger, not to bind or restrain us.”
“We’re all individuals with unique pursuits. While keeping our overall goals aligned, I want each of us to pursue our personal growth.”
“My hope is that each of us evolves, making the Troupe more formidable, rather than merely becoming dependent on it.”
Chrollo’s stance was clear, and his words left the group deep in thought.
“I’m sticking with you,” Franklin declared, raising his massive hands.
“If the recruits don’t meet my standards, I won’t let them join,” Feitan said, stepping to Chrollo’s side.
“And besides, the Troupe was just formed. If something happened to the leader while he’s out recruiting, that would be a real shame.”
Feitan’s eyes glimmered faintly as he glanced at Chrollo, a flicker of fire in his gaze.
“You just want to spar with the boss, don’t you?” Machi said coolly, crossing her arms.
“That’s... part of it,” Feitan admitted, turning his head aside.
“After all, Specialists are said to be quite rare in this world.”
Feitan’s fox-like eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m curious how the abilities of a conjurer stack up against the other types of nen users.”
“Rare, huh?”
Uvogin and Nobunaga exchanged glances before turning to look at Morin, Pakunoda, and Chrollo.
In their small Troupe alone, there were already three Specialists.
“Why not spar with Paku or the vice-leader?” Nobunaga asked, resting his blade on his shoulder.
“Pakunoda’s nen clearly isn’t designed for combat,” Feitan said flatly. “And as for the vice-leader...”
He glanced at Morin, then quickly averted his eyes.
“For some reason, I just feel like fighting him would be... pointless.”
