Compared to fighting Machi, Joey held a definite advantage against Nobunaga.
Nobunaga's Battle Symphony revolved around the wind holes carved into his body—
but what if no wind passed through them properly?
What if the wind was erratic, chaotic?
Joey had thought about this from the moment he identified Nobunaga,
but deliberately attacked both enemies with seemingly predictable gusts—
until the perfect moment to unleash a fatal strike.
The result? Quite effective.
Still, Joey knew a sudden explosion alone wouldn't be enough to finish Nobunaga.
Even if the wind disrupted his Battle Symphony,
Nobunaga was still protected by solid aura—
and Machi's backup wasn't meaningless.
Joey's En remained locked on Nobunaga's position through the entire onslaught,
so he sensed it clearly—
at the moment of the explosion,
there was a second aura defense rapidly spreading across Nobunaga's body.
It was Machi's Nen threads.
He already knew she could extend them instantly—
so creating an armor-like shield mid-blast wasn't impossible.
But Joey didn't care.
A Heart Piercing Attack Tank doesn't stop until it kills—
not unless the enemy figures out the ability's mechanics.
Machi hadn't.
From her reaction, Joey could tell—his attack had hit.
He only needed to add something extra to pierce through her Nen thread defense.
And that was easy.
He'd already severed dozens of her threads.
Nobunaga was still inside Joey's En.
That meant Joey could rapidly generate wind blades right next to him.
And this time, they weren't just to cut threads—
he wanted to slice right through Nobunaga himself.
Joey pumped Nen into the blades as they formed,
layering them with more than just cutting power—
they were charged with a lethal surge of energy.
The tanks' explosions continued relentlessly.
Even with Machi's support,
Nobunaga hadn't recovered since losing the initiative at the very start.
Being bombarded,
he couldn't activate his Battle Symphony at all—
and that meant he was trapped in a purely defensive position.
Meanwhile, the Weather Beast manipulated the winds with surgical precision,
ensuring that the air flowing through Nobunaga's wind holes
produced only chaotic, meaningless noise.
His aura could only shield himself—
no counterattack possible.
When the wind blades formed,
despair flooded Nobunaga's chest.
He never imagined the air—
his elemental medium—
could be turned against him like this.
Even Machi's Nen threads,
woven tight around his body,
weren't enough.
Even as she charged forward,
exposing herself completely in a desperate attempt to intercept the wind blades—
it was too late.
Dozens of slicing gales tore through everything.
Threads.
Bandages.
All defenses shredded like paper.
The moment the wind touched Nobunaga's skin,
his aura snapped—
and blood sprayed into the frozen air.
Machi's voice echoed through the sealed chamber.
"NO!"
Raw fury and helpless rage.
As Nobunaga's body was ripped apart,
the music stopped.
The temperature, already freezing, seemed to drop even lower.
And still—
the storm didn't end.
The wind blades and tanks swirled in,
targeting Machi,
now fully exposed.
One-on-one.
Joey watched her calmly,
his space suit flickering back into view.
A small smile curved his lips.
When you come to kill,
you better be ready to die.
He didn't move forward.
Even sensing her boiling rage,
he stepped back slightly.
Not from fear—
but because Machi was now cornered prey.
Why offer her even a sliver of opportunity?
He had more than enough methods to kill her remotely—
tanks, wind blades, dropping temperature.
One of them would succeed.
He was sure.
A pity, perhaps—
but this was war.
From the moment they became enemies,
the outcome was inevitable.
The price of losing was simple.
Life.
Joey had accepted that from the start.
Had Machi?
He glanced at his watch.
Only six minutes and fifteen seconds since the battle began.
Machi was as good as dead.
Even if another Troupe member broke through the outer ice walls
and reached her in time,
they'd only find her frozen corpse.
That was Joey's confidence.
And he was right.
Two minutes later,
as the chamber dropped to -70°C,
Machi's tattered body began to freeze solid.
Once Nobunaga died and the battlefield was sealed,
the outcome held no suspense.
Machi's ability had been fully revealed.
Nobunaga's style was completely countered.
Victory was impossible for them.
Maybe,
if they'd retreated after Nobunaga's first failed attack
and regrouped with more Troupe members,
they'd have had a chance to kill Joey.
He exhaled softly.
That problem's solved.
Now it's Kurapika's turn.
Who would be chasing him?
Franklin? Chrollo? Shizuku? Kortopi?
Even if Kortopi had tracked them,
there's no way they'd realize Franklin was fighting the Chain User.
So, the rest of the Troupe would probably go after Hisoka.
That meant Kurapika still had a shot.
Then again—
Joey figured Kurapika might prefer to flee.
But at this point,
the Troupe was running out of members.
If Chrollo and his team couldn't regroup quickly,
they'd be reduced to just him, Shizuku, and Kortopi.
Barely a "Troupe" at all.
Joey suddenly had another thought—
what would all those mafia scum who idolized the Troupe think
if their idols were reduced to three?
Besides the suit still active on his body,
Joey had deactivated all other abilities.
But the cold would last for a long time.
Even if someone shattered the ice walls,
bringing the temperature back to normal would take time.
Only once he was sure both Machi and Nobunaga were dead
did Joey walk toward the ice wall.
He wasn't leaving the ship just yet.
First, he'd find Kurapika.
With most of the Troupe eliminated,
they were no longer a serious threat.
Even Chrollo wouldn't be able to stop him if he chose to leave now.
That confidence was real.
He scanned beyond the ice wall.
No presence.
Suspicious, but Joey was ready.
Even if someone ambushed him,
he could escape easily.
Especially since he didn't intend to leave with his real body.
He created a clone.
It cost some aura—
but worth it.
The Nen beast Ming on his arm looked a little drained,
but not dead.
He'd been relying heavily on it.
The better skin came from the living "Ming,"
but the handkerchief Joey used to craft it
was still with Hisoka.
If he wanted Hisoka to join him on the journey to the Ancient City,
he couldn't take that back yet.
In fact—
Joey would have to test Hisoka soon.
Hisoka had schemed against him several times.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
Back when Hisoka used clones,
he needed Joey's inscribed kanji to suppress them.
There was a time Joey feared Hisoka's clone experiments
might even corrupt his own soul—
but now, he wasn't so sure.
Regardless,
he had a plan.
If he could delete the Kanji from Hisoka's body,
then the next time Hisoka tried to use that handkerchief—
he'd instantly suffer soul contamination.
That way,
Hisoka would be forced to accompany him.
He'd have no choice but to help—
even if he had his own goals.
Unless, of course,
Hisoka didn't care if he died.
But that kind of gamble was worth it.
Even if it meant Hisoka turned on him—
Joey didn't care.
After killing multiple Troupe members,
he now had a very clear measure of his own strength.
He was an elite.
If he joined the Hunter Association,
he believed he could qualify for a seat among the Zodiacs based on power alone.
Though the Zodiacs weren't just about strength.
You needed contributions—
to the Association,
to the world.
Joey wasn't interested.
He didn't care for the Zodiacs.
Even if there was an empty seat now.
Without Gon's dark awakening,
Leorio, though recruited, had no right to take Ging's old spot.
Shaking off his thoughts,
Joey commanded Killer Queen to shatter the ice wall.
A circular tunnel opened through the thick barrier.
His clone walked through into the hallway beyond.
The instant the clone exited the cold zone,
he felt the temperature spike.
The corridor stretched long and straight.
And at the far end—
Joey saw a face he didn't expect,
but didn't find surprising.
Kortopi.
Dressed in traditional clothes,
he looked more like a delicate girl.
Joey wasn't even sure—
like Alluka, Kortopi's gender was ambiguous.
Not that it mattered.
Kortopi stood at a distance—about eighty meters.
A good range, Joey noted.
His presence confirmed Joey's suspicions—
the tracking earlier had been his doing.
So that device on Machi's body—
maybe it wasn't tech at all.
But Joey discarded the thought.
How she alerted the Troupe didn't matter anymore.
"You took out Machi and Nobunaga?"
Kortopi asked quietly as he walked closer.
His voice was so soft,
Joey's clone had to amplify hearing with Nen to catch it.
Joey nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah. So what now? What's your move?"
He wasn't eager to fight Kortopi.
The guy was Troupe—but also a Zoldyck.
There were at least four Zoldycks on this ship.
Only Milluki was irrelevant.
But Illumi and Kalluto—Joey didn't want to cross them.
They were heading to the Dark Continent together.
Best not to burn bridges yet.
He wasn't sure if Kortopi knew their plan—
but as Joey watched him,
he quietly considered changing routes to find Kurapika.
Just then, Kortopi reached into his sleeve
and pulled out a string of paper dolls—cut into human shapes.
He looked at two dolls whose heads had been torn off,
then tore away one symbolizing Franklin.
Kortopi raised a fan from his sleeve,
waved it gently—
and let the paper doll float toward Joey.
Joey blinked,
then understood.
He used wind manipulation to stop the doll midair.
Kortopi gave him a faint smile—
then turned and walked away without another word.
(End of Chapter)