Chapter 31: As Expected, Beyond Calculation

September 1st, 23:21, somewhere in the Gorde Desert.

The surrounding hillsides and the earth itself were pockmarked with craters and fractures.

Hather, his suit slightly damaged and coated in dust, hummed a tune as he sat atop a boulder split in two. Beside him lay Illumi Zoldyck, covered in wounds. His right foot and left arm were shattered, and the golden cruciform sword, "Absolute Sovereignty," was driven through his collarbone, pinning him firmly to the rock.

"So, eldest son of the Zoldyck family, surrender or die?"

Hather, who was busy tapping out a text message on his phone, spoke without looking up. "Don't worry, in exchange for you acting as my sparring partner for so long, I'll let you choose how you want to die."

"I surrender."

Illumi was characteristically blunt. There was no helping it; not only were multiple bones broken, but his needle-manipulation Nen was nearly depleted. Most crucially, nine-tenths of his Nen had been burned away by the cruciform sword piercing his collarbone, leaving him with no strength to resist or escape.

Hearing this, Hather glanced up at Illumi before burying his head back in his phone:

"That was quick. Fine, I believe you; you don't strike me as the type to joke about your own life. Tell me, how did Chrollo get the idea to target me? Start from the beginning."

Illumi lay on the ground, motionless, his tone flat:

"It started two months ago when a rumor began circulating in the underground world and the black market that someone had obtained the legendary Sword of Fire. At first, everyone scoffed, but as more testimonies pointed toward it, the rumor became a legend, and the legend became a secret. Chrollo must have acquired the intelligence around that time."

"I met Chrollo six months ago during a job. We clashed, which led to the mission being aborted. I found him interesting, so I added him to my client list. We’ve had occasional dealings since, and he once commissioned me for a not-too-difficult task. Two days ago, Chrollo contacted me to offer another job. Uh, this job has nothing to do with you—can I skip it?"

"No."

"Fine. He wanted me to locate the meeting place of the 'Ten Dons,' the organizers of the underground auction, and wait for his instructions. Once he signaled the next phase, I was to kill the Ten Dons and use my needle-manipulation to force them to read a pre-set script over a remote video call to their subordinate gangs. The reward was seven billion Jenny."

"By yourself?"

"No, because the task was a bit troublesome, I hired my younger brother and my great-grandfather to assist. I needed to pay them five billion and three billion Jenny, respectively."

"...You really are an honest sort who answers everything asked, aren't you?"

"I am a prisoner; I have that much self-awareness. Shall I continue?"

"Go on."

"Then, eleven hours ago, Chrollo sent me another message, adding an urgent task: to track you down in Yorknew City and, if possible, capture you alive and bring you to him. He specifically requested that I not cause severe damage to your brain or limbs. The reward was five billion Jenny. Since I was already in Yorknew, I asked my brother and great-grandfather to continue searching for the Ten Dons while I acted alone. Looking at it now, this was a really bad deal."

Hather had finished his message by then. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and looked at Illumi:

"Why do you think Chrollo wants to capture me alive?"

"...To steal your Nen ability."

Illumi spilled everything without reservation: "Three years ago, my father took a contract to assassinate member number eight of the Phantom Troupe. According to him, it was a terrible deal. During that time, he witnessed Chrollo's ability. It is said that by fulfilling certain harsh conditions, he can steal an opponent's Nen ability, which makes him extremely troublesome. I assume Chrollo wants to take this materialized cruciform sword. By the way, my Nen is almost burned dry by it; can you take it out now?"

"Let it burn a while longer. You won't die just yet."

Hather propped his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment, then said: "If you had captured me, how were you planning to hand me over to Chrollo?"

"..."

Illumi’s dull eyes shifted, and he said dryly: "I will not turn against a client. If you force me to help you kill Chrollo, I will abandon my surrender and choose death."

Hather chuckled: "You've got backbone. You and Chrollo must be quite close."

Illumi closed his eyes: "Not at all. This is the bottom line of a family of assassins. Now, finish it."

Hather pulled out "Absolute Sovereignty," crouched down, and patted Illumi on the head: "Relax, I won't kill you for now, nor will I force you into a death match with Chrollo. Because this was requested by 'someone.' In fact, the information that 'Chrollo had his eyes on my Nen ability' and 'members of the Zoldyck family might come to assassinate me' were things he revealed to me. I have a win-win idea. Want to hear it?"

"...?"

Illumi opened his eyes, looking puzzled.

...

Yorknew City, a certain building, second basement level, "Interrogation Room."

Watching Uvogin, who lay on the operating table, bound tightly and unconscious, Kurapika’s face was overcast with gloom.

This guy was one of the members of the Phantom Troupe, the murderer who slaughtered his entire clan and dug out all their Scarlet Eyes.

For five years, he had rehearsed countless times in his heart how to take cruel revenge, but now that he finally saw one of them, the flames in his heart still burned fiercely, yet his mind was a mess.

Pairo, what should I do...

Buzz!

At that moment, Kurapika’s phone vibrated. A text message? He reached into his pocket, puzzled. At this hour, who would be texting him?

[I'm waiting for you at the agreed place.]

Hisoka...

Although there was no signature, Kurapika instantly guessed who had sent it. During the final round of the Hunter Exam, he had fought Hisoka, and the other man had used the "Spider's Secret" to dissuade him and suggest they cooperate.

It seemed the time had come.

"Captain, I'm going out for a bit."

Kurapika put away his phone, gave a nod to Dazone, the captain of the Nostrade family bodyguard team he belonged to, and walked out.

Half an hour later, he arrived at a slum district in the southern part of the city.

In an empty, abandoned building, Kurapika met Hisoka, who was sitting in the dark, hollow hall, his Nen aura completely unmasked.

"You're here early."

Hisoka sat lazily on a dilapidated bench, his hands resting on his chin. "Don't be so alert. You can rest easy, because I don't want to fight you right now."

Kurapika’s demeanor was cold: "I don't want to talk much. Tell me about you people."

"Hehe, alright."

Hisoka let out a strange laugh: "The Troupe has thirteen members in total. Everyone has a spider tattoo and a number."

"Members are sometimes replaced. As long as you kill a current member, you can join. Also, if no one replaces them, the leader will recruit new members."

"Our main activities are robbery and murder, though we do perform some good deeds occasionally."

"Three years ago, I replaced number 4. My goal in joining was to fight the leader, Chrollo, but I’ve never been able to fulfill that wish. He is extremely guarded; at least two members are always by his side. And every time a mission ends, he vanishes immediately—it's impossible to find him."

"Therefore, I came to a conclusion: it’s difficult for one person to achieve their goal, isn't it?"

"...So that’s why you came to me, wanting to team up?"

Kurapika’s expression remained unchanged: "However, I don't trust you."

"Oh ho~ simple and direct."

Hisoka laughed, unfazed, and turned to look into the darkness: "And what is your opinion?"

Step, step, step...

Footsteps echoed from the darkness. Kurapika immediately covered his body in Nen and adopted a combat stance. Did Hisoka bring someone else? Was it a Troupe member?

The atmosphere, which had been growing heavy, took a turn when Kurapika saw Hather emerge from the shadows. His expression froze.

Senior... brother?