The young man clearly noticed that someone had swept him with Nen. He let out a tone from his nose that could be described as "rising and falling," as if expressing dissatisfaction.
"Mm-hmm~"
The corner of his eyes lifted slightly as he chuckled softly.
"Oh my, how heartless~ I was the one who invited you first, and yet you're still thinking about other people~"
Kisho had no intention of responding to anything said by someone he had already defined as having something wrong with his head.
The fist he hid at his side was already filled with Nen, but he didn't know whether he should seize the initiative— the gap between him and the person in front of him was so great it was despair-inducing. If a preemptive attack failed and left an opening— then there truly wouldn't be even the slightest chance left.
The young man laughed once. A playing card appeared in his fingertips without warning. He brought it to his lips and lightly kissed it.
"Well~ no matter what, even if the Troupe's Number Eight Spider is just a little kid, they should… be able to let me have a bit of fun, right~"
As his voice fell, suffocating Nen pressure surged toward Kisho like an overwhelming tide. Yet faster than that wave of pressure was the playing card in the young man's hand—
The card even sliced through the air, trailing a streak of light, so fast it exceeded Kisho's reaction.
Only after that flash of light did the young man's voice arrive leisurely.
With a sharp "chila" sound, the blade-like card struck the wind barrier, producing an extremely piercing friction noise. In an instant, the card cut through the wind barrier and, without losing momentum, flew straight toward Kisho's throat.
But relying on the less-than-a-second that the wind barrier bought him, Kisho barely twisted aside to avoid the vital point. The card grazed his arm, carving a bloody gash and dragging a line of blood across the ground.
The night was moonless. Thick fog rose suddenly.
"That's a bit disappointing~" Beneath the clock tower, the pervert standing there casually sighed in a deliberately lowered voice.
"I could have joined the Troupe directly, but that guy Chrollo suddenly said that the originally vacant Number Eight seat was taken by a member currently undergoing assessment."
A bored expression appeared on the pervert's face. He spread his hands, feigning helplessness.
"If Number Eight were strong enough, that'd be fine— I could kill them and still have a good fight~"
"...Honestly, making me search the central district for so long. Finally found them, and it turns out to be a kid. A kid who called someone over— who knew it'd still be a kid."
Kisho: "..."
"I don't know what Number Eight Spider you're talking about."
While silently cursing Chrollo countless times in his heart, he refuted in a low voice.
"I also never agreed to join the Troupe. You've got the wrong person."
"Well~ as the leader, that guy Chrollo probably wouldn't lie about something like this, right~"
Before Kisho could finish speaking, the young man had already closed the distance to less than half a foot in an instant.
Kisho's pupils suddenly widened, because that eerily pale face was now right in front of him. Narrow eyes scanned him up and down.
"That's right— white hair, blue eyes, mm-hmm~"
"How many times do I have to say it? I'm not a member of the Troupe at all!"
Kisho launched an attack abruptly. The punch he had secretly been charging for so long slammed with all his strength toward the young man's face.
He didn't expect this punch to injure the pervert in front of him. He only hoped to force him back. But just as his fist was about to make intimate contact with the pervert's face, his expression changed.
He felt as if his fist had smashed into a ball of cotton. The cotton instantly turned into terrifyingly elastic rubber. His force was completely rebounded, flinging him away—
The pervert hooked the corner of his mouth, extended one finger, and curled it.
"Well now, what a lying little apple~"
A rope that had stuck to Kisho at some unknown point was suddenly pulled tight. He was yanked back violently. The backward speed was so fast that he didn't even have time to adjust his posture before the pervert's smiling face was already reflected in his pupils.
Then, the pervert casually raised his hand and casually swung it. Yet the attack that landed on Kisho weighed as heavy as a thousand pounds.
His body slammed heavily into the ground with a loud "bang—".
"Ugh..." Kisho opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The intense pain inside his body and the agony in his back made his vision go black, and he almost passed out.
—But he couldn't pass out yet.
Clenching his teeth, Kisho resisted the overwhelming dizziness and slowly, bit by bit, forced himself to stand up.
He stared deathly at the pervert in front of him, gasping for breath one mouthful at a time.
Whether it was physical strength, Nen strength, combat reaction, or experience, he was utterly outmatched.
—There wasn't even a trace of a chance to win. What should he do… what could he do…
"Mm~ that's a pretty good look in your eyes."
The pervert returned Kisho's gaze, pleasure showing on his face.
He walked toward Kisho step by step, the playing card between his fingertips repeatedly spinning and vanishing.
Suddenly, the pervert stopped. With agility unimaginable to ordinary people, he leapt backward, lightly dodging rock spikes that shot up from the ground. However, at the instant he landed, his figure paused—
The moment the pervert's feet touched the ground, the once-flat surface suddenly collapsed. In the blink-and-you-miss-it gap before he could adjust, a streak of fire lit up the night, roaring toward him like a meteor.
"Aiyaa~~"
The pervert's eyes lifted at the corners. He stared leisurely at the little kid whose one eye had turned silver-blue, the excitement in his eyes almost becoming tangible.
The flames struck him and exploded with a thunderous boom. After the dust settled, the pervert strolled out from the other side, unhurried.
And that little kid had already vanished from the spot.
The pervert stared at the empty space.
"Mm~ now this is a bit interesting~"
...
Kisho's figure passed through the dense fog and appeared at another corner of the clock tower.
He knew that his Nen fire couldn't harm that pervert at all. It was only to create an opening to stall him briefly, and then use the Nen fire to obstruct his vision.
His current Nen had almost no real power— it could only cause minor trouble for the opponent— but that was enough. As long as he could gain a single instant, it would suffice.
Amos stood with his eyes closed, back leaning against the wall of the clock tower.
Bending down to pick Amos up and feeling his heartbeat, the emotions so dense they were almost solid in Kisho's eyes faded slightly.
Good. He was still alive.
However, just as he was about to flee with Amos as fast as possible, a playing card pressed against his neck without any warning.
"Caught— you~"
The pervert's voice carried satisfaction and delight. He slowly said to Kisho, who was pinned by Nen pressure and killing intent to the point of being unable to move, "Stand still like a good boy~ If you dare move around, I'll kill you right away, you know~"
Kisho froze in place. He remained silent, suppressing the trembling of his body as well as the urge to turn and run.
Cold sweat had already soaked through his clothes.
"What a good kid~ After finally creating an opportunity, you didn't run, but wanted to take your companion with you. Well then, I'll count you as qualified. Answer a few questions properly, and I'll let you and your little partner go~"
The pervert smiled.
"Don't worry~ don't worry, I don't want to kill you anymore~ After all, the two of you are both cute little apples~"
Kisho: "..."
The pervert's trailing tone lifted as he asked, "You know Chrollo, right~"
"...Mm."
"Ah, just as I thought~" The pervert laughed happily. "That Solzt guy was also killed by you, right~"
Kisho knew he was talking about Solzt. After a moment of silence, he said, "...Yes. It was me."
"Then that settles it. I originally thought the Troupe's Number Eight would head deeper into Meteor City. Honestly, I completely went in the wrong direction~"
The pervert paused here for a moment, then spoke.
"Alright then, that's it~"
As his words fell, the playing card pressed against Kisho's neck vanished from his fingertips.
Once the killing intent dispersed, Kisho hugged Amos and darted forward, pulling distance from the pervert. He then turned to face him, vigilantly watching for any possible movement.
"Nice eyes~" The pervert slowly crouched down.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled faintly.
"Your name is Kisho, right~~ I'll remember that name. I'll come find you again~"
He slowly stood up, his figure fading into the fog. Moments later, the terrifying Nen pressure that belonged to him gradually dissipated.
Only then did his voice reach Kisho's ears.
"Until then, don't die, okay~"
...
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