WebNovels

Chapter 251 - [251] Illumi: Kalluto, you?! (Bonus chapter)

In just half a year, Morrow's aura strength had doubled.

This undeniable fact was what initially shocked Illumi the most.

As an assassin raised under the Zoldyck Family's hellish training regimen since childhood, Illumi had never slacked in his Nen cultivation after awakening his abilities.

Over more than a decade of assassination work, he'd honed his Nen abilities to an exceptionally high level through countless real battles.

Yet Morrow needed only six months...

To traverse the path that had taken him eight or even ten years.

Though unbelievable, it was undeniable.

Illumi couldn't fathom how Morrow achieved this. For a fleeting moment, he even felt the bounty on Morrow's head had been set too low.

But in that situation, there'd been little time for contemplation.

Despite Morrow's terrifying growth rate, the gap in their aura output wasn't overwhelmingly large.

Yet now, at this very moment...

A storm raged in Illumi's mind.

He already couldn't comprehend how Morrow strengthened his aura to this degree in mere months, let alone imagine... he'd actually developed two new abilities!

As his severed arm and hand spun through the air, Illumi's survival instincts triggered. Using Rhythm Echo footwork, he retreated rapidly amidst shifting afterimages.

Seeing Illumi's frantic retreat, Morrow sighed inwardly at the Poultry Scarlet Knife's limitations.

Still, Illumi's reaction proved worthy of his status as the Zoldyck Family's eldest son.

Sheathing the crimson blade, Morrow lunged forward in pursuit.

"Starlight Convergence."

Brilliant starlight erupted from Morrow's body, engulfing both the afterimages and Illumi himself.

The omnipresent stars instantly gathered critical intelligence.

Morrow charged, withdrawing Starlight Convergence as he struck at the real Illumi.

His Nen technique proficiency remained second-rate; the speed between activation and deactivation still needed work.

But it sufficed here.

Because he could see Illumi's composure crumbling.

Whoosh!

Wreathed in murderous intent, Morrow closed the distance effortlessly.

Missing his right arm and left hand, Illumi stood no chance against Morrow's relentless assault.

His only option was mental fortitude.

Only by stabilizing his emotions could he maintain peak aura output.

If even that failed, death would be his deserved fate.

As a top-tier Zoldyck assassin, Illumi wouldn't collapse completely.

Before Morrow's strike landed, he stabilized his aura output. Even without hands, his mastery of Ryū could reinforce his defenses.

But Morrow was no longer the same opponent.

Capitalizing on his advantage, he shattered Illumi's guard with ease.

A single punch and kick sent Illumi reeling, blood gushing from his mouth as he nearly collapsed.

At this moment, Illumi not only sensed Morrow's intense bloodlust but also viscerally felt the aura of death looming over him.

So his earlier decision to withdraw his killing intent and cease hostilities due to the terminated contract had been meaningless.

Yet he had no intention of dying so easily here.

Facing this imminent life-threatening crisis, Illumi's brows twisted slightly as he forcefully wedged two bead-head needles into the cleanly severed wrist where his entire palm had been lost.

Squelch.

Blood sprayed as Illumi used the bones and muscles of his wrist to clamp the two needles before stabbing them into his own thighs.

Acupoint: Enhancement

Illumi's legs suddenly bulged, explosively propelling him backward at greater speed to distance himself from Morrow's threat.

But Morrow closed the gap instantly.

Because his needle extraction and insertion had been too slow.

After all, bones and flesh in a wrist wound could never match the dexterity of a palm.

Thus Morrow had anticipated the move, nearly synchronizing with Illumi's retreat.

With a sharp whistling sound, Morrow's Poultry Scarlet Knife thrust toward Illumi's vitals once more.

Illumi barely managed to twist his body aside, evading the blade.

But in the next blink...

Morrow's other fist smashed into Illumi's cheek.

Bam!

The impact instantly deformed Illumi's face, sending him flying sideways several meters before crashing to the ground and rolling multiple times before stopping.

Blood from his severed arm and hand painted a crimson trail across the floor.

Morrow reversed his grip on the Poultry Scarlet Knife, advancing with icy determination.

Yet Illumi's resilience proved astonishing; even after two heavy blows, he still managed to stand.

No doubt the Zoldyck Family's brutal training regimen had endowed him with extraordinary endurance.

But though Illumi could still rise at such a moment, he teetered precariously, swaying as if about to collapse again at any second.

Seeing this, murderous intent swirled in Morrow's eyes.

Close the distance, strike.

The gleaming scarlet blade aimed directly for Illumi's lifeline.

Illumi's battered body barely responded.

As the razor-sharp crimson point thrust toward him, he could do nothing.

Then...

A serpentine whirl of paper scraps lashed through the air, striking Illumi's side first.

Like taking another heavy blow, Illumi went flying sideways again amidst fluttering paper fragments. From his peripheral vision, he recognized the attack's signature, Kalluto's technique.

Kalluto, you...?!

Shock and confusion marked his final conscious thought before darkness claimed him.

When his body slammed heavily to the ground, he was already completely unconscious.

Nearby.

Kalluto stood frozen mid-swing, fan still extended, momentarily stunned after watching his elder brother get sent flying by Dance of the Serpent's Bite.

Even as the attacker, he seemed uncertain why he'd acted.

Beside him.

Kurapika had already deactivated his Scarlet Eyes, regarding Kalluto with surprise.

After killing Pakunoda, he'd immediately assessed the other battles, then decisively moved to assist Kalluto in eliminating Amanda.

With Amanda's death, Kalluto finally had the mental capacity to focus on the battle between Morrow and Illumi.

Upon seeing Illumi severely wounded and on the brink of death, forced into a desperate situation...

Kalluto's only thought at that moment was to separate Morrow and Illumi.

Thus came the Dance of the Serpent's Bite.

But acting in haste, Kalluto had no time to think and instinctively directed the Dance of the Serpent's Bite toward Illumi.

Though it worsened Illumi's injuries, even rendering him unconscious...

In the end, it did succeed in separating Morrow and Illumi.

Kurapika observed Kalluto's stunned, slightly agape expression; aside from surprise, a question mark slowly formed in his mind.

He could tell Kalluto's original intention had been to rescue Illumi.

Under normal circumstances, if one wanted to stop Morrow from delivering the killing blow, the Dance of the Serpent's Bite should have been aimed at Morrow instead.

After all, Morrow was unharmed. Even if he failed to react in time, an attack of that level wouldn't have injured him.

...

But Kurapika never expected that, in the heat of the moment, Kalluto would instinctively choose to strike Illumi rather than redirect the attack toward Morrow.

Though, in terms of the outcome...

It didn't seem to cause any real issues.

Kurapika silently averted his gaze, realizing that Kalluto, like himself, placed Morrow in a position of great importance.

Snapping back to reality, Kalluto panicked and rushed toward the severely wounded, unconscious Illumi.

Meanwhile, Morrow was equally stunned by Kalluto's move.

When the Dance of the Serpent's Bite lashed through the air, his first thought was that Kalluto was trying to block him from finishing Illumi.

In that instant, he didn't blame Kalluto at all.

In truth, when he decided to exploit the "self-defense" opportunity to kill Illumi, he had already anticipated Kalluto's reaction.

His plan had been to eliminate Illumi before Kalluto could intervene.

Once it was a done deal, no matter how Kalluto reacted, whether he accepted Morrow's "self-defense" justification or not, Morrow would accept the consequences.

But he never expected...

Kalluto did intervene.

Just not in the way he had imagined.

Morrow watched Kalluto's panicked, guilty expression and felt a complicated mix of emotions, along with an undeniable urge to laugh.

At that moment, the intense bloodlust in his eyes receded like a tide, unwilling to let Kalluto catch even a glimpse of it.

Illumi...

He would find another opportunity to eliminate him.

But given the circumstances, he couldn't very well finish off a critically wounded Illumi right in front of Kalluto.

If he did that...

He might lose Kalluto as an important friend.

Need to find another way...

Morrow silently sheathed the Poultry Scarlet Knife, lost in thought.

Tap. Tap.

Kurapika approached, glancing at Kalluto, who was frantically checking Illumi's injuries. From his angle, he could see Kalluto on the verge of tears.

"Morrow."

"Hm?"

Morrow turned his head toward Kurapika.

Kurapika shifted his gaze away from Kalluto and met Morrow's eyes, whispering, "Should we help treat that person?"

"?"

Morrow was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Kurapika with an expression that clearly said, "Are you out of your mind?"

Kurapika sensed the aggression in Morrow's gaze and hesitated. "Did I... say something wrong?"

"No."

Morrow shook his head.

It suddenly occurred to him that only he, having experienced the rewind, knew the atrocities Illumi had committed in the "future." At this point in time, neither Kurapika nor Kalluto had any idea.

"There's no need to heal that 'thing.' Even if Kalluto begged; well, Kalluto wouldn't do that."

As he spoke, Morrow glanced at Kalluto, who was already using paper scraps to stop Illumi's bleeding.

Kalluto was one of the few who knew about Kurapika's Holy Chain ability and understood that the cost of healing was Kurapika's lifespan. So, unless Illumi was on the verge of death, Kalluto would likely only approach Kurapika with a heavy heart.

Hearing Morrow's choice of words for Illumi, Kurapika recalled the earlier fight between Morrow and Illumi. Though he hadn't sensed any bloodlust from Illumi, he now had a rough understanding of their relationship.

They were enemies.

Kurapika confirmed this in his mind.

Morrow and Kurapika stood by, watching as Kalluto frantically tended to Illumi's wounds. The ongoing battle elsewhere and Hisoka, lying unconscious on the ground, seemed forgotten for the moment.

After a while.

Using his ability, Kalluto finally managed to stop Illumi's bleeding, barely. But Illumi's injuries were severe, and he needed proper treatment immediately.

With this in mind, Kalluto hesitantly approached Morrow.

"Morrow, I..."

Standing before Morrow, Kalluto kept his head down, his bloodstained hands nervously clutching the hem of his kimono, staining the purple fabric a dark red.

Morrow glanced at Kalluto's hands, which had twisted the kimono into crumpled, bloodied folds, and sighed imperceptibly. Then, in as normal a tone as he could muster, he said, "Do whatever you want. Don't worry about me."

"..."

Kalluto fell silent for a moment. While treating Illumi, he hadn't sensed any of Morrow's earlier bloodlust toward his brother. He understood that Morrow had already let go of his intent to kill, but still...

"Big Brother Illumi, why...?"

"Chrollo put out a hit on me. Illumi took the job."

Morrow didn't hide the truth from Kalluto, even though it sounded like he was explaining Illumi's motives.

Kalluto suddenly understood.

No wonder his brother had attacked Morrow out of nowhere, only to inexplicably withdraw his bloodlust later. With Chrollo, the employer, dead, the contract was effectively terminated.

But even with this clarity, Kalluto couldn't help feeling anger and resentment toward Illumi. In his eyes, his brother could have refused such a job.

Taking a deep breath, Kalluto looked up at Morrow, hesitating before asking cautiously, "Morrow, I... I want to call home and have Tsubone come take Big Brother back... Would you... be mad at me?"

"How could I ever be mad at you?"

Morrow reached out, gently placing his right hand atop Kalluto's small head.

Kalluto lowered his head slightly, quietly feeling the warmth emanating from Morrow's palm. Though he knew Morrow wasn't angry, he couldn't calm the unease in his heart.

"Go make the call."

Morrow withdrew his hand and spoke.

"Mm."

Kalluto nodded and reached for his phone, only to find it missing.

"Morrow..."

Kalluto looked up to see Morrow already holding the phone out to him.

Before setting out, Morrow had instructed Kalluto not to bring his phone. So of course, he knew why Kalluto had spoken up now.

Shoving the phone into Kalluto's hand, Morrow strode straight toward Kanzai and Machi, who were still locked in combat.

Judging by the battle's progress, Machi was already exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

Morrow had suppressed the bloodlust Illumi had stirred in him earlier, but that didn't mean it had disappeared.

He needed an outlet for his rage.

And Machi, still resisting stubbornly, naturally became his target.

Astral Step

Seizing the perfect moment, Morrow teleported behind Machi without warning.

Thunk!

The razor-sharp blade of the Poultry Scarlet Knife plunged straight through Machi's back and into her heart.

The strike sent a violent tremor through Machi's expression.

Her stunning eyes, so beautiful they could inspire envy even in others of the same sex, turned toward her fallen comrades in her final moments.

With despair, she closed those naturally exquisite eyes forever.

---------

Bonus chapter @450 and next one @550

Sorry for increasing the number of Power Stones required to unlock the bonus chapters, but I can't guarantee good translation quality with such a fast release schedule for now

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