It was a power designed specifically to trap people.
The moment Joey was pulled toward the wall by that invisible force, his Weather Nen Beast appeared at his shoulder, and behind him, Killer Queen emerged.
Uncertain of what lay beyond the wall, Joey took no chances.
Still, he didn't let Killer Queen pull him back—he wanted to explore what was inside.
After all, he had finished investigating the secret chamber in Room 3107 and found no sign of Kurapika.
If Kurapika was anywhere, it could only be within the wall.
It had been half an hour since Kurapika vanished.
If he hadn't returned by now, either the other side was extremely dangerous—or this was a one-way portal, some space-related Nen ability.
Which meant the Ayii Family had more space-type users than expected.
With that in mind, Joey pressed against the wall.
The Weather Beast began to dissolve upon contact.
But Killer Queen extended its left arm into the wall first, phasing through it before Joey did.
Joey wasn't surprised.
His En couldn't penetrate the wall, so his Nen-based constructs—like the Weather Beast—couldn't persist.
But Killer Queen was different. It was a Stand, not a Nen Beast—it stayed independent of En's range.
As soon as Killer Queen passed through, Joey felt a tremendous force pull on his arm.
A second later, he was inside.
The room was empty—yet soaked in blood.
Everywhere.
It looked like someone had sprayed blood from buckets across the room.
Streaks still dripped down the walls.
The whole space felt disturbing, unnervingly surreal.
Joey immediately unleashed his En—but it only extended 30 meters before stopping, blocked by some unseen barrier.
Within his En, he sensed numerous auras.
One, in particular, stood out—Kurapika.
He was here.
But Joey didn't rush.
The moment his En spread out, the other auras began converging on him.
"If it's a confined space, it's probably like Nob's 4D room," Joey thought.
"And like that, it should have an exit... somewhere."
Even without fully exploring, Joey had already deduced the room's function:
Unlike Nob's support-type dimension, this one was meant purely for trap and kill.
That initial suction was a trap.
And once inside, conjured entities were meant to finish you off.
These auras weren't human—they felt conjured, artificial.
Perfectly fitting for this type of ability.
Looking at the blood and battle scars around him, Joey understood the user's tactic:
Drag victims in, then unleash conjured beasts to finish them.
Unless the exit was found, victims would be hunted endlessly.
Just as expected, grotesque monsters began entering the room—
each one veiny, red, like skinned wolves.
Ugly. Bloody. Ferocious.
Their fangs dripped crimson fluid.
Their yellowed eyes radiated malice and rot.
They were barely over a meter tall—but their claws were sharp enough to make Joey frown.
Smaller meant faster.
And though their Nen aura was weak, Joey noticed something worse:
Tendrils of blood extended from their bodies, connecting to the room's bloodstained walls and floor.
The moment this blood made contact with the room's strange crimson pools, it pulsed, as if forming new monsters.
Joey realized even if he one-shot these things, the blood would spawn more.
His lips curled into a cold smirk.
At his shoulder, the Weather Beast reappeared.
"Blood, huh? Let's see if frozen blood still works."
With the Weather Beast's appearance, cold wind and thunderclouds rolled through the space.
Rain fell, dropping the temperature fast.
Joey's spacesuit materialized on his body—
ready for the deep freeze to come.
The creatures lunged, snarling—
but were greeted by howling winds and Weather Beast's fists.
Compressed atmosphere turned to violent drag—slowing the monsters mid-leap.
Before the fists landed, lightning cracked down from the clouds.
The wind tore like knives, flaying flesh.
Blood erupted like bursting fruit.
Joey almost laughed—they exploded too easily.
It was like they wanted to spray blood everywhere.
Too much blood, even for creatures this size.
But no matter their strategy, none of it touched Joey.
Whipping gales around him redirected all splatter to the walls.
And now the room was freezing.
Blood hit the walls and steamed—until frost crept in.
In seconds, everything froze.
Rain turned to hail the size of beans, pelting the creatures, shattering exposed veins.
Blood geysers froze mid-air.
The temperature plunged—minus 40, minus 50—dropping further.
Creatures slowed.
Then froze in place, their feet bound by solid ice.
Joey stepped past them, heading for a door on the room's left.
Kurapika's aura was there.
At these temperatures, if he didn't hurry, even Kurapika might suffer.
The Weather Beast floated beside him.
Behind them, every creature had turned to statues—
Blood on walls, floor, and ceiling frozen solid.
No reinforcements came.
No new monsters formed.
And no other human aura besides Kurapika's.
Which begged the question:
Was the user of this space… not here?
Joey studied the claw marks again.
The monster claws were sharp, but not like the ones he'd followed into the wall.
Those had been larger.
Which meant the trail Joey followed didn't belong to these lesser monsters.
Either a stronger beast was hidden deeper—
Or the space's creator had made those marks.
He leaned toward the second.
And if that was true, then the ability's user had considerable power.
Maybe the clawed hands were like Nob's portal knives—tools of traversal and manipulation.
After all, tricking Kurapika into a trap was no small feat.
As Joey kicked down the next door, Kurapika's aura shifted—moving toward him.
He'd sensed Joey's presence.
Joey hadn't bothered hiding his aura.
Kurapika had surely released his own En when Joey's covered him.
Their Ens collided, letting both identify the other.
Kurapika's radius was about 7 meters.
Not bad, but not huge.
Smaller than Killua's during the Chimera Ant fight.
Still, Kurapika specialized in other forms of Nen. His En wasn't his strength.
The space wasn't large.
Through the door, Joey saw Kurapika, frost clinging to his body.
The Weather Beast pointed at him—
and the spacesuit began forming over Kurapika.
He didn't resist.
In seconds, he was wrapped in thermal protection.
Feeling the cold vanish, Kurapika looked surprised.
His own Nen was fueled by his Scarlet Eyes, but Joey's arsenal was pure talent.
Only Gon and Killua had shown such potential before.
Of course, Kurapika skipped pleasantries.
Joey got straight to the point:
"Found an exit? Who made this place?"
Kurapika nodded. "Follow me."
He gestured, turning back the way he came.
The temperature had now dropped below -100°C.
The storm had ended.
All that remained was cold, ice, and silence.
Soon, they reached the chamber Joey had earlier sensed Kurapika in.
Joey immediately understood the layout.
At its center was a pool of blood—and within it, a door.
Before the door stood a man.
Frozen monsters ringed the pool, more encased in ice beyond.
Joey imagined the frenzied battle Kurapika had endured here.
The man at the door still shivered violently, but hadn't fully frozen.
His arms weren't human—they looked like bear claws.
This must be the one who left those wall gouges—the creator of the space.
"He won't last much longer," Kurapika said, pointing at him.
Joey nodded.
Fighting against such cold using only Nen was no easy feat—
especially in such thin clothing.
Joey had no intention of letting him survive.
"I surrender. Let me go," the man chattered, desperation filling his eyes.
Joey noted something else:
The man didn't use Nen like those given powers by Morena.
His mastery was refined—as if he'd trained long before.
(End of Chapter)