"And they aren't particularly strong," Chrollo continued. "Nen users are rare to begin with, let alone Nen removers."
Loki sat down, smiling slightly, without elaborating. Chrollo looked at him from afar. "You... it's not too late to turn back."
Loki's eyes narrowed.
What did that mean? Was he trying to dissuade him, scare him, or both?
Loki looked up. "What are you trying to say?"
"If you want to hear it, I'll tell you everything," Chrollo replied. "You've already found the 'key.' Even if I don't tell you, there's nothing I can do to stop you. You have Pakunoda now. What can stop you?"
Loki paused, confused. What did he mean by 'you have Pakunoda'? That woman... wasn't she forced to follow him because he was captured?
Seeing Loki's questioning look, Chrollo laughed. "Did you really think the Spider's members would submit for a comrade?
If I were still the head of the Spider, she might have submitted for me, but I'm not anymore. The Spider is dead."
Abengane, sweating profusely, looked at Loki. "His Nen is very strong. I can remove it, but if..."
"If what?"
Abengane wiped his sweat. "My Nen removal method uses the target's Nen to conjure different Nen beasts that devour it. If the target's Nen is too strong..."
"Then the Nen beast, after consuming the enemy's Nen, will immediately attack everyone around, including me."
"So if we can't kill the Nen beast, we're all..."
Devouring the enemy's Nen and then attacking! Interesting! 'A final test, huh?' Loki thought, shrugging. "Don't worry, leave it to me. There won't be any accidents."
Abengane swallowed hard. Disobeying Loki meant death, but performing the Nen removal might also kill him.
The Nen beast, after consuming the Nen, would become exponentially stronger. He couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be.
"Should I start now?"
Loki nodded. "Begin."
Upstairs in the living room, Baise was making juice, Hisoka was building a card tower, and Pakunoda was cleaning her gun—each occupied without disturbing the others. Suddenly, Hisoka's card tower collapsed.
"So close! Too bad."
Pakunoda glanced at him. Hisoka looked up, his eyes playful, as if he'd found something amusing.
"You're not worried at all?"
Pakunoda, cleaning her gun, looked at him. "Worried about what?"
"About what happens after the Nen removal. Aren't you worried at all?"
Pakunoda put down her gun, turning to him. "What's there to worry about?"
"If Chrollo loses his value, you'll..."
Before Hisoka finished, Pakunoda interrupted. "What do you think I'll do? Avenge Chrollo?"
Without the memories, Pakunoda would have done so. But learning that Chrollo's actions might not have been entirely his own, she felt a desire to free him. If he was a puppet, death might be preferable.
During their last meeting, Pakunoda had wanted to see Chrollo's eyes. Despite his skill at deception, his eyes couldn't lie to her. She saw a scene of a sunny garden, free from worries, a carefree stroll.
This confirmed something to her about Chrollo's situation. He was better off now; she didn't need to do anything.
Hisoka was surprised by Pakunoda's casual response. "Even if you're not worried about Chrollo, aren't you worried about yourself, Pakunoda?"
Pakunoda smiled faintly. "Doesn't matter." She resumed cleaning her gun.
Hisoka understood why Pakunoda was with Loki. The Troupe was gone; Chrollo no longer needed her.
The meaning of her life seemed lost. Loki needed her strength, even if it was just for use. That's why she was with him.
Boom! A loud bang echoed from the basement, shaking the mansion. Dust fell from the ceiling.
"What happened?" Baise asked.
Hisoka and Pakunoda both frowned. If it was the Nen removal, it meant Chrollo's Nen was very strong. If not, it was worse. If it was a fight...
Before they could think further, the mansion shook violently, and wave after wave of powerful energy erupted. The three of them jumped out of the mansion, onto the lawn.
Looking back, they saw a terrifying black aura erupting from the mansion, shooting straight into the sky like a black flash, radiating an incredibly powerful energy. Their expressions turned grave.
"That Nen... isn't Loki's or Chrollo's."
They wanted to investigate, but Loki had told them to wait; he hadn't said they could go down.
Down in the basement, in Chrollo's room, Abengane cowered in a corner, terrified by the monstrous Nen beast that had suddenly appeared.
After devouring Chrollo's Nen, it went berserk—a blurry black monster radiating an evil aura, its gaze fixed on Loki, its powerful Nen pressing down on him. It hissed, opening its gaping maw and roaring at Loki.
Loki looked up at the Nen beast. It resembled a swirling mass of black smoke, lacking a solid form, seemingly pure Nen.
'This raging aura is indeed powerful!' Loki was surprised by the beast's sudden strength after consuming Chrollo's Nen.
However, it was unfortunately just Nen.
Loki raised his hand, spreading his fingers.
"I thought there would be a bit of a fight, but I didn't expect this form."
"Kai!!"
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