Chrollo had presence—cool, composed, intimidating. But once the fight kicked off, he was already at a disadvantage.
Every time he dodged an attack from Zeno and Silva Zoldyck, it looked like he was barely scraping by. Each move was risky, like he was just a hair away from getting blown apart.
He wasn't known for hand-to-hand combat to begin with, so going up against a perfectly coordinated father-son duo like this? It seemed like he was just digging himself deeper into danger.
But from Xiang Nan's point of view as a bystander, it was obvious—none of them were going all-out. They were all testing each other. This wasn't just a brawl; it was a way to measure the "pressure"—that is, the enemy's true strength.
That's just how Hunters fight.
Every move is calculated. Every strike has purpose.
Nothing is wasted.
Crack!
Chrollo was knocked back soon after. But he didn't go down without a hit of his own—he managed to slash Silva's arm and coat the wound with poison.
Too bad it had zero effect on Silva. The dose wasn't nearly enough.
Chrollo knew better than to stick around in close quarters with these two. After getting a rough read on their power, he backed off—on his own terms. Though from the outside, it looked like he was being pushed back.
But that's what top-tier Hunters do. They're not just reacting to attacks—they're reading thoughts, anticipating strategies.
Zeno and Silva could tell what Chrollo was up to. He met them head-on, used their momentum against them, and slipped away—all smoothly, all intentionally. It wasn't just a retreat. It was a mental battle.
This was strategy. Real, elite-level strategy.
Zeno and Silva's expressions hardened. They knew now—this guy wasn't going to be easy.
Xiang Nan narrowed his eyes at Chrollo. He hadn't gotten his hands on Owl's ability yet, so how the hell was he planning to take down two assassins from the Zoldyck family?
Right then, Chrollo flipped open Bandit's Secret. As he turned a page, a bunch of oversized rings—plastic-looking, like something you'd win at a carnival—materialized in his other hand.
They were different colors, but their effects? Complete mystery.
Still, that alone made Zeno and Silva tense up. Because when a Nen fight hits a certain level, and skill or experience can't bridge the gap anymore—Nen ability is everything. One wrong move and it's over.
Zeno released a wave of aura, remotely controlling it to pin Chrollo down.
Meanwhile, Silva came in from the opposite direction, piling on pressure and waiting for the perfect window to go for the kill.
"Damn, this is intense…"
Xiang Nan watched as Chrollo kept evading, barely fighting back—just defending. But even then, he wasn't panicking. He was still analyzing Silva's movements, his brain running cool as ever.
On the other side, Zeno—who technically wasn't an Emitter—was flinging aura like he was born to it. Most people lose control of their aura if it gets too far from their body, but not this guy. He had insane command over his Nen.
This wasn't your typical En technique, where the aura spreads out like radar for sensing things.
No—Zeno was weaponizing his aura. Raw, solid, destructive, flexible, and fast. His Nen had direction, weight, adaptability—it was straight-up terrifying.
This wasn't just Nen mastery.
It was the embodiment of what it meant to be in the absolute top tier.
As for Chrollo? Judging from his expression, he wasn't just buying time—he was seriously considering whether he could kill them. If he got the opportunity, he'd take the shot.
In the manga, Owl's ability could neutralize stronger enemies regardless of power levels. If Silva or Zeno got caught in one of those cloth traps, it'd be game over.
And now, Chrollo was holding something just as dangerous in the form of those rings.
It was clear he came fully prepared for this fight. Surrendering? Dragging things out for time?
That's not who he is.
And it's definitely not who the Phantom Troupe is.
But again, his opponents weren't pushovers.
Zeno and Silva both saw the warning signs—they could feel that whatever Chrollo was about to pull wasn't just flashy. It was dangerous.
So Zeno kept the pressure up with pinpoint perfection, not leaving even a sliver of room for Chrollo to counter.
Eventually, after a brief exchange, one of Zeno's remotely-controlled aura attacks—Dragon Head: Dragon Lance—hit Chrollo dead-on and slammed him into the floor, leaving a huge crater.
The moment he hit the ground, Zeno was already on him, pinning him down, gripping both wrists to cut off his movement.
He shouted, "Now! Do it!"
Behind him, Silva leapt into the air, both fists surging with ridiculous amounts of aura—two massive blasts that came crashing down like meteor strikes.
BOOM!
Dust exploded in every direction. The whole building shook.
The floor beneath them cracked open. It collapsed, and the three of them dropped into the level below.
"He's still not quite on Linni's level…"
Xiang Nan thought to himself.
Makes sense, though. Zeno was technically a kid to Linne—and Linne had even gone to the Dark Continent. Lifespan alone put them in totally different tiers.
Still, Zeno and Silva were monsters. No question.
Chrollo made it look like he was going toe-to-toe with two of the world's best. He forced them to take him seriously.
But if you looked at the details—the flow of the battle, the momentum—Chrollo barely had any initiative at all. That's the real picture.
Even without Zeno, Silva alone probably had a 60% chance of beating him.
But killing Chrollo outright? That dropped to 10 or 20% at best.
And honestly, Xiang Nan being there threw everything off. Zeno and Silva were constantly keeping tabs on him, making sure he didn't step in. Even though he didn't do anything, his presence alone was helping Chrollo more than anyone realized.
"…Also—"
Xiang Nan smirked.
He had a feeling Zeno and Silva already knew that Illumi had taken the job to kill the Ten Dons. So when it came to actually finishing off Chrollo, they were definitely holding back.
They were playing mind games too.
Sure, the Zoldyck family never leaks details—not even to other family members.
But how they act? That's their own business.
To Xiang Nan, it was clear—Zeno and Silva were pulling their punches.