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Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Melee

Luo Ning's goal was to stall Feitan, leaving Phinks and the Phantom Troupe member he didn't recognize to the Zoldyck duo.

He wasn't surprised to see a member of the Troupe he didn't recognize here. Based on the timeline, the previous Number 8 of the Phantom Troupe shouldn't be dead yet. Coincidentally, Silva was the one who would eventually kill that person. Meeting here ahead of schedule could be considered a twist of fate.

As for why he chose to stall Feitan, it was because Feitan's ability was, in his eyes, the greatest threat. Based on the abilities shown in the manga, if one couldn't kill Feitan instantly and instead caused an injury like a broken arm, it would be enough to trigger an outburst that could burn down the entire Cemetary Building!

Zeno's gaze flickered toward Luo Ning for a moment before he looked away. Luo Ning's suggestion was indeed a decent plan, but the problem was: who exactly are you?

Furthermore, two minutes? The Troupe members outside wouldn't give them two minutes. If a battle broke out and the members inside sent a signal, the people outside would enter the building in less than ten seconds.

Therefore, in Zeno's judgment, they only had one chance to kill the target, and they had to finish the job within ten seconds. Once that time limit passed, whether they could kill the target was one problem, and whether they could escape unscathed was another entirely.

"Dad, be careful. Let's strike together," Silva said with an extremely serious expression, clearly sharing Zeno's thoughts.

However, before the two could act, Feitan proactively raised his hand to halt their movement.

"Don't be in such a hurry."

His words were useless. Assassins wouldn't waste time chatting with him.

Silva and Zeno's silhouettes vanished in an instant. A flash of annoyance crossed the squinting Feitan's face, and he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. His thin sword, however, moved with his sudden steps, thrusting violently toward the side.

Luo Ning's brow furrowed slightly because he sensed something was wrong. When Feitan said not to hurry, his narrow eyes had clearly drifted toward Luo Ning's direction. Furthermore, Luo Ning could sense a distinct malice within the other man's aura!

'Did he find me? That shouldn't be possible!'

Regardless of whether Feitan had noticed anything abnormal, Luo Ning's shadow clone had no intention of staying hidden the moment Silva and Zeno acted. He exerted force through his feet and leapt down from the second floor. Simultaneously, his hands blurred into seals, and the piercing sound of chirping birds suddenly echoed through the building.

Zeno and Silva appeared beside Isley at the same time. A hint of shock appeared in Isley's eyes; he hadn't expected these two obviously powerful men to target him.

Yet, he remained calm under pressure!

His slightly thin body maintained a posture that leaned back slightly, with both arms hanging naturally at his sides. Two revolvers were holstered at his waist. From the very beginning, Isley had been in a state of high alert, and his stance was perfectly optimized for a quick draw.

By the time Zeno and Silva appeared, Isley already had a revolver in his hand.

Bang!

The hammer struck, and the bullet shot straight toward Silva's face. Simultaneously, Phinks, who had been standing by Isley's side, moved his feet and threw a punch at Zeno. At that critical moment, a thin sword also lunged directly at Zeno's kidney from the side.

In the blink of an eye, Zeno's body twisted slightly, causing the thin sword to miss. Zeno's hand formed a palm blade and thrust directly at Phinks's fist. A loud boom erupted as the powerful force pushed Zeno backward, but the thin sword followed him immediately.

"Tch!"

A click of the tongue escaped Zeno's mouth, but his movements didn't stop. He pressed his arm down, releasing a burst of Nen that slammed onto the thin sword. While forcing the sword off its trajectory, he kicked out at the sword-wielding Feitan.

However, Phinks had already closed the distance again. During his approach, Zeno clearly saw Phinks's arm make a rotating motion at his side. That small movement caused the Nen gathered on Phinks's arm to surge violently!

'Interesting!'

But just as Phinks's fist was about to smash into Zeno, the sound of chirping birds erupted behind him. Lightning flickered, illuminating the surrounding area.

Luo Ning, disguised as Kakashi, appeared behind Phinks. Lightning was gathered in his right hand—Kakashi's signature ability, Lightning Style: Chidori!

Phinks let out a cold snort and actually twisted his waist mid-motion, turning to deliver a punch.

Boom!

Blood sprayed as Luo Ning's figure brushed past Phinks. Zeno's eyes lit up. While dodging Feitan's sword attack, a massive amount of Nen erupted between his hands. The Nen coalesced into a fierce dragon head. With a swing of Zeno's arms, the dragon head lunged forward to bite Phinks.

A piercing whistle rang through the building.

Before the dragon head could reach Phinks, the floor cracked open. A massive sphere rose from the ground, causing Zeno's body to tilt backward as the floor buckled. The biting dragon head missed Phinks's head, only tearing a chunk of flesh from his shoulder!

At the same time, a massive explosion sounded from another position. It was Silva.

When Zeno was intercepted by Phinks, Silva had tilted his head to dodge the bullet. Simultaneously, Nen surged from his fists, forming two spheres which he slammed down toward Isley.

However, there was no panic on Isley's gaunt face. The bullet that had missed Silva suddenly exploded at that moment. The blast impact pushed Silva even faster toward Isley.

But Isley's pistol had already fired a second shot. This time, the bullet exploded less than a meter from the barrel. The powerful explosive force not only impacted Silva but also engulfed Isley himself. Isley's body was sent flying backward by the blast.

Silva, enduring the impact as he landed, smashed his fists into the ground.

By the time Silva tried to move again, Isley had let out a piercing whistle. Within a second of that whistle, the ground suddenly split apart, and something crashed out from below.

Luo Ning landed and watched everything unfolding before him. He already knew who was attacking from underground. It was the Troupe's Number 12, Bonolenov. The thing currently erupting from the ground was Bonolenov's Nen ability, Battle Cantabile: Jupiter!

Since the enemy could launch an attack so quickly, they must have been positioned underground and ready to provide support from the moment the battle began.

Thinking this, Luo Ning looked toward the window. Everything happening here was likely being monitored by the Troupe members.

As the thought crossed his mind, an arm suddenly burst out of the ground beneath his feet, reaching for his ankle. There was a chain on the arm, and before the hand could even grab him, the chain had already formed a shackle-like seal.

This wasn't a Nen ability Luo Ning recognized, so the person using it was most likely the Troupe Leader, Chrollo!

Luo Ning's hands blurred as he formed seals, showing no intention of dodging.

Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu!

As the seals were completed, one of Luo Ning's arms was rapidly covered in stone, forming a massive rock fist. Lifting the fist, the chakra on Luo Ning's body receded, replaced by a surge of Enhancer-type Nen that erupted as a Super Destructive Punch.

He smashed his fist down toward the arm grabbing from below!

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