"Hello?"
After dealing with Owl, Allen didn't rush to leave. Instead, he picked up the phone that had dropped to the ground, intending to add more fuel to this already escalating conflict.
Hearing his voice, the Ten Dons member on the other end immediately questioned in a deep voice: "Where is Owl? What did you do to him?"
"Owl? Ah! Are you referring to the fellow who was carrying a fun piece of cloth? He's dead. To be precise, all the Shadow Beasts are completely wiped out."
Allen deliberately used a strange, taunting tone to irritate the other party's already sensitive nerves.
He had previously successfully provoked the Phantom Troupe's hatred toward the Mafia Syndicate; now it was time to give the Syndicate a reason they couldn't refuse to wage war.
"What? You killed all the Shadow Beasts!"
The person on the other end of the phone was clearly shocked by the news; there was even a trace of panic in their voice.
"Yep! They were too weak and just happened to all die. Now, if you know what's good for you, hand over all the auction treasures, or else we, the Phantom Troupe, won't mind coming over to steal them ourselves. At that point, it won't just be about the auction items; it'll be about your lives too," Allen sneered and issued the threat.
"Good! Very good! You Phantom Troupe really have some nerve! In that case, let the war begin. Let's see who is the king of the Dark World."
Having said that, the unidentified Ten Dons member decisively pressed the hang-up button.
Listening to the dial tone, Allen's mouth curled slightly upward. He mused to himself with a look of amusement: "It's done! Now neither the Ten Dons nor the Phantom Troupe have any room for retreat or reconciliation. This will undoubtedly end only when one side is completely annihilated. My job is to clip the Spider's limbs one by one in the coming war. As for Chrollo, I'll leave him to Hisoka."
In less than one night, he had harvested ten Shadow Beasts and two Phantom Troupe members, one of which yielded the ability he wanted most—Blinky.
Regardless of the perspective, it could be called a massive harvest.
Most importantly, all preparatory work before the official hunt was finally complete. All he had to do next was wait patiently for the Troupe to deliver themselves to his door.
Just as Allen was planning to rendezvous with Bodoro, his own phone in his pants pocket suddenly rang.
Acting on a subconscious first reaction, he pulled it out and pressed the answer button.
Instantly, Hisoka's twisted, pathological laughter came through the receiver: "Hehehehe~ Shizuku and Uvogin died by your hand, didn't they?"
"Did you call just to confirm that?" Allen countered with a calm tone.
"No, of course not. But you certainly are bold. To dare to forcefully kill Uvogin in front of so many Troupe members, and to use a dangerous bomb like the Poor Man's Rose to force the others not to approach easily. You know what? The entire Troupe, including Chrollo, has been thoroughly enraged by your provocation. Unless something unexpected happens, war will break out completely tomorrow," Hisoka stated the Troupe's next move directly.
As expected, these desperate criminals did not choose to evade or retreat.
To be precise, they had no room for evasion, or they would spend the rest of their lives subject to the Mafia's bounties and hunts.
What's more, Allen, disguised as Rabid Dog, publicly threatened to use the Rose to destroy all of Meteor City.
That was where most of the Troupe members were born and raised!
For them, Meteor City was their hometown and their roots, or else they wouldn't have specifically rushed back during the Chimera Ant arc to help deal with the stray Chimera Ants.
"So what is Chrollo's plan? Don't tell me he's foolish enough to charge into the buildings controlled by the Mafia with the remaining members," Allen's voice held a trace of curiosity and anticipation.
"They are currently looking up information on the Shadow Beasts and have already locked onto a guy named Rabid Dog. I must say, that ability of yours to perfectly transform into another person is truly convenient; even smart people like Chrollo and Shalnark were thoroughly fooled. If I'm not mistaken, Chrollo will likely divide the Troupe members into several groups tomorrow to first attempt to lure out and kill some Shadow Beasts across the city before launching an all-out assault on the Mafia after nightfall."
Hisoka truly lived up to his reputation as the quintessential unstable Transmuter; he sold out the Troupe completely in an instant.
"Got it," Allen gave swift instructions. "Keep a close eye on their movements. If Kortopi or Shalnark separates from the main group, text me immediately, provided the number of people is no more than three."
"OK! If Chrollo makes any new moves, I'll find a way to notify you right away."
Having said that, Hisoka voluntarily hung up the phone and walked straight into a dilapidated amusement park that had been abandoned for years.
Just as he was about to survey his surroundings, the blonde-haired Kurapika suddenly emerged from the darkness and asked with great vigilance, "Who were you just talking to?"
"Oh my, you've arrived quite early," Hisoka subconsciously licked his lips, his eyes flickering with chilling intensity.
"Answer my question! Who were you talking to? Was it someone from the Phantom Troupe?" Kurapika continued to press relentlessly.
"No, of course not. I was talking to a mutual friend of ours. He made quite a splash today, taking out two Troupe members in one go. One was a main combat member, and he forcefully killed him right in front of five other guys. Just thinking about the scene makes me tremble with excitement!"
Just bringing up the topic sent Hisoka into a frenzy of excitement, and the killing intent radiating from him caused the small animals nearby to scatter and flee.
"A mutual friend?" Kurapika looked confused.
Because he had personally witnessed Uvogin's death and did not consider that Shadow Beast to be his friend.
Hisoka undoubtedly detected the subtle shift in the other party's emotions and immediately chuckled, probing, "Hmm, were you perhaps present then?"
"If you're referring to the battle that took place in the suburbs outside the city, yes, I was there," Kurapika nodded, admitting it.
"No wonder~ You probably didn't know, but that guy who called himself a Shadow Beast was actually someone transformed using a special ability. His objective is actually the same as yours: hunting Spiders. And he's already successfully severed two of the Spider's legs," Hisoka hinted meaningfully.
"You mean... the Phantom Troupe lost another member before they even arrived in the suburbs!" Kurapika's face showed a look of surprise.
"Yes~ Not only that, he also successfully instigated a war between the Phantom Troupe and the Ten Dons of the Mafia. So, how about it, want to cooperate with me? I can provide you with some information on the Troupe members. Otherwise, before long, your enemies might all cease to exist. Because, as far as I know, of all the prey this guy has set his sights on, not one person has managed to escape; all of them, without exception, end up dead."
Without a doubt, Hisoka was fully aware of the young man's deep-seated hatred for the Troupe, and he intended to exploit this to pull off a little scheme of his own.
"And what is your goal?" Kurapika fiercely clenched his fists, forcing himself to remain calm.
"Simple! I want to duel the leader, Chrollo, but I don't quite trust the promise that guy gave me, so I need you to slightly disrupt or delay his hunting operation. So, what is your answer?"
Hisoka didn't hide anything and stated his motives openly.
To be precise, he wasn't sure if Allen, upon seeing Chrollo, would share the same kind of irresistible, strong impulse that he felt.
"Deal!"
Kurapika made his decision after a moment's thought.
After all, watching the entire Phantom Troupe die at the hands of others was not the revenge he sought.
————
You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]