Joey's plan from the start was to force Machi into turning back.
When he entered the breach in the ship, it wasn't just to relocate—he used the brief moment out of Machi's line of sight to set traps.
The simplest one: he planted the first bomb near the breach.
If Machi ever touched a certain area during her return, it would detonate and take her out.
But Machi was cautious.
Joey noticed immediately that she wasn't moving on foot—she was launching herself forward using Nen threads anchored to the hull.
A unique way to travel—fast and capable of avoiding hidden threats.
Joey understood why.
She was trying to avoid the dangers lurking in the black mist.
So he gave up attacking her when she bypassed the first bomb, choosing a different tactic instead.
As he released a humanoid aura decoy in Machi's direction, his Weather Beast bent the surrounding light, rendering Joey invisible.
At the same time, he dismissed his distant clone and created a new one nearby with minimal aura.
Then he altered his En—sneaking around the outer edge of Machi's field and returning to the breach.
The hardest part was gauging the range of her En.
But Joey was a veteran at this, and since Machi had cast her En inside his own, he could feel its diffusion and probe-like pressure—avoiding it skillfully.
As Machi pierced the decoy with her threads, Joey had already flanked her and summoned Killer Queen.
The Heart Piercing Attack Tank launched from Killer Queen's left hand, landing with a mocking screech on the hull—
only to have its noise silenced by Weather Report's manipulation of atmospheric vibrations.
Joey knew Machi would see through the front deception.
And because of that, he also knew she'd recognize she couldn't catch him.
Given that, her best choice would be to abandon the chase and return to team up with Franklin to kill Kurapika.
At least that way, they might secure one kill.
If she made that choice, then even if she didn't trigger the first bomb, the proximity would let it detonate anyway,
coordinated with the Attack Tank and Weather Report for a triple assault.
Even if it didn't kill her, Joey estimated a 70% chance it would wound her.
And that would be enough.
But Machi made a different move—
she chased the projection.
Unexpected.
But Joey wasn't unprepared.
Creating that kind of clone—especially one with a noticeable height difference—
had drained a lot of Nen. Only by combining Golden Experience with his anatomical knowledge could he pull it off.
If he hadn't stored up Nen beforehand, it would've been impossible.
And there's no way he'd waste it.
At worst, the clone would become a bomb itself.
Joey smirked.
Machi's En radius was about 20 meters—big for a manipulator-type like her.
She likely specialized in fine control, so her En would emphasize precision over range.
Joey would have to adjust his irregular En to keep fooling her.
Now tailing Machi, Joey had Killer Queen recall the Heart Piercing Tank.
Then, once far enough away, he had Killer Queen detonate the first bomb.
Now it was time.
He pulled out coins.
One by one, they spun silently in his fingers,
morphing into swallows and soaring skyward.
The wind was wild, the air damp.
But the swallows flew true, even in the storm.
Joey grinned.
"Perfect weather, isn't it?"
Even with violent gusts, the swallows hovered at 20 meters above him—stable, unshaken.
Until one coin, launched by Killer Queen, joined them—
and the swarm reacted.
They dove—wings tucked, like bombs descending in unison.
At the same time, the running Joey and Kurapika stopped.
Above Machi, dense clouds had gathered.
Thunder cracked—
followed by hailstones the size of fists crashing down.
Simultaneously, Killer Queen, charging behind Machi, hurled the Attack Tank at her spine.
But before all that—
a wave of Nen bullets had already erupted from a newly expanded En,
blanketing Machi from all directions—
followed by wind, fire, and utter destruction.
Joey never held back.
Especially not against a Phantom Troupe veteran.
Machi wasn't to be underestimated.
Even if the manga only showed her healing abilities,
who knew what her threads were capable of in a real fight?
Bringing her outside, where she had less to anchor her threads,
was Joey's way of both respecting and weakening her.
"Now please, go ahead and die."
BOOM BOOM BOOM—
The Nen bullets burst midair—
popped by threads before even reaching her.
Still, each explosion caused shockwaves.
Weak individually, but in sheer number—disruptive.
That slowed the fire and wind—
but only briefly.
As the Heart Piercing Tank pierced the flames toward her back—
Machi's web caught it.
Nen threads formed a massive net,
blocking the tank before impact.
It roared, silenced briefly—
then flailed within the net.
Machi shouted—
the net closed around the tank, and she hurled it into the sea like a meteor hammer.
Joey frowned.
He sensed the aura on the net waning.
If it stayed in contact long enough,
the tank would self-destruct—
annihilation mode.
Either way, it was as good as gone.
More importantly—
Machi had neutralized all three attacks.
Even if she didn't fully block them, she'd survived them all.
This woman was dangerous.
Joey didn't wait to see if the hail or lightning would hurt her.
He didn't care whether the mirage-mode swallows could pierce her thread barriers.
He raised his hand—
preparing another long-range strike.
He was an Emitter, after all—this was his specialty.
But the moment he raised his arm—
his muscle twitched unnaturally.
His arm bent, and his hand slapped toward his face.
"Controlled?!"
Killer Queen intercepted instantly—
blocking the strike.
Joey focused Nen into his eyes—
and saw it.
A thin thread, attached to his arm.
No—multiple threads.
His whole arm was strung up,
his muscles tugged, manipulated.
The threads weren't just stuck to his skin—
they were drilling in, like needles.
And not just his arms—
his legs, chest, and face were all pierced.
Joey hadn't sensed any of it before.
How?
They'd even pierced through his aura shield.
This… was her ability?
Following the threads, he looked toward Machi—
dodging lightning and smiling at him.
Even though she couldn't see him—
the way her fingers danced, the confidence on her face—
it was as if she'd already won.
Killer Queen and the Weather Beast both struck out—
Killer Queen's hand sliced the threads,
but only made Joey's body jerk violently, tearing muscle.
The Weather Beast used compressed wind blades.
They screeched as they cut—
a horrible noise, like fingernails on a chalkboard.
But amidst that—
SNAP.
One thread broke.
The sharp pain disappeared—
one end curled back, the other drooped uselessly.
And then—
Killer Queen turned sharply toward Machi.
His right hand was already posed—
pressing an invisible button.
His thumb went down.
Annihilation activated.
Far ahead, Machi froze.
Shock, fear, disbelief bloomed on her face.
Then—
The wind lifted grey ash into the air.
The threads still piercing Joey?
Went limp—
like a man post-orgasm, drained and dangling.
Joey had been about to command the Weather Beast to cut the rest.
But now…
He just stared.
"That's it?"
This dangerous opponent—
neutralized by a flawed, first-bomb swallow?
It didn't feel real.
But the drifting ash said otherwise.
Light distortion faded.
Joey stepped back into visibility, frowning.
His clones and projections vanished at once.
He walked forward, brushing off the limp threads,
heading toward where Machi had disintegrated.
Then—
music.
Strange, eerie—
echoing in his ears.
He froze.
His skin crawled.
Before he could react—
darkness surrounded him from behind.
Total.
He turned—
And saw a massive planet, ringed in starlight, looming over him.
Awe and horror collided.
But it didn't matter.
In the next instant—
the planet crashed down on his tiny, human frame.
BOOM!!!
(End of Chapter)