Chapter 206: The Worst-Case Scenario
Ronin sensed that this dangerous new presence had nothing to do with King
Nasubi's standardized security units.
Drawing on the deep-dive analysis threads he had read in his past life, a
specific memory surfaced. He recalled seeing a man with similar geometric
tattoos standing beside the Fourth Prince in the manga—an enforcer who handled
the Prince's more "creative" extracurricular activities.
That man was a specialist in flaying, tanning, and tattooing human hides.
More importantly, Ronin remembered a theory linking a man with tattooed arms to
the abduction and torture of Sarasa in Meteor City years ago.
If Tserriednich's personal inner circle was connected to that atrocity, then the
Prince himself was irrevocably stained by it.
A new, chaotic idea took root in Ronin's mind.
What happens if the Phantom Troupe finds out that the Fourth Prince of Kakin is
the man behind Sarasa's death?
Would they drop everything to hunt him? Would they try to leverage the Prince's
power to get to Ronin? Or would they simply descend into a frenzied, suicidal
rage to tear the Empire apart from the inside?
Proving the connection wouldn't be easy. In a world before the Hunter
Association's oversight reached Kakin, the only trail was the dark web.
Chrollo Lucilfer had always suspected that the perpetrators uploaded their
"performances" to a restricted network. But tracing the source through a decade
of digital encryption was a task that had stumped even Shalnark.
However, with the "Tattooed Man" now in his sights, Ronin held the first
physical link.
He didn't need to explain the Meteor City lore to Kurapika. He simply pointed
his strategist toward the enforcer. "I have a suspicion about that tattooed
guard. He feels... wrong. Investigate his background, but don't get too close.
He's a predator."
Kurapika nodded. He didn't need a reason. If Ronin flagged a target, Kurapika
would peel back their history until the bone showed.
Ronin knew that with Kurapika on the trail, the truth was only a matter of time.
And once they held that truth, they held the leash to the Phantom Troupe.
Unbeknownst to Ronin, while he was stalking the "Tattooed Man," Chrollo Lucilfer
was already in the capital, harboring his own suspicions.
The Spider had successfully infiltrated Kakin.
Chrollo had reached a grim realization: against an opponent like Ronin, waiting
for a "100% success rate" was a delusion. Ronin evolved too quickly. Every time
they encountered him, he manifested a new, illogical power. To wait for
certainty was to wait for their own execution.
The best move was a hard-counter. Since Ronin's powers were fundamentally tied
to his eyes, Chrollo had been scouring the underworld for a very specific
Hatsu—an ability to strip sight.
He had found a lead. A specialist capable of inducing permanent blindness had
recently arrived in Kakin.
Securing the ability through Skill Hunter was his primary objective, but the
Prince's recent assassination attempts had complicated the logistics.
The Spiders were currently operating in total anonymity.
They were wearing disguises and staying in low-tier safehouses—a mode of
operation they found deeply distasteful. Since leaving the Junkyard, the Spider
had always walked in the light, daring the world to look them in the eye.
To be forced into the shadows by a single boy was a source of simmering,
poisonous rage for the entire team.
"Assassinating the Princes is a waste of resources," Shalnark noted during a
regroup. "We should be looking for the vaults. That's where the eyes are."
But Chrollo and Shalnark both knew: if the vaults were easy to find, Ronin
wouldn't have resorted to public assassinations. The "terrorist attacks" were a
lure designed to flush the Troupe out of hiding.
"He's setting traps at every turn," Nobunaga growled.
The Troupe was diminished. The Spider currently consisted of a "Head and six
legs." Chrollo, Shalnark, Pakunoda, Kortopi, Franklin, Nobunaga, and Machi.
Uvogin, Omokage, Isley, Feitan, and Bonolenov were gone.
"If he wants us to die so badly, why don't we just give him a proper fight?"
Nobunaga's hand rested on his katana. He was tired of the cat-and-mouse game.
"If we all charge him, we might win," Franklin said, his voice a low rumble.
"But we'll lose more legs in the process. At this rate, there won't be a Spider
left to protect the Head."
Nobunaga glared at him, but he didn't draw his blade. "I'm not looking to be the
next one to die for nothing. So, what's the move, Boss?"
Chrollo looked at Shalnark.
"We shift priorities," Chrollo announced. "Before we settle the score with
Ronin, we handle Sarasa's business."
He had seen the "Tattooed Man" in passing during his initial recon of the Fourth
Prince's estate. It was a flicker of a memory—a shape of a tattoo seen in a
grainy, decade-old video.
In Chrollo's mind, the "Worst-Case Scenario" wasn't being killed by Ronin.
It was dying before he could look into the eyes of the man who took Sarasa and
show him the meaning of Meteor City's creed.
"We find the man with the tattoos," Chrollo ordered. "If he's who I think he is,
Kakin will burn before we leave."
☆☆☆
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