Chapter 12: Both Sides Suffer

Oboro stood up, and Illumi followed. They appeared to be taking the same flight.

Without warning, Oboro sensed a faint trace of aura behind him. His instincts flared as Illumi struck, his arm blurring with Snake Hands technique as he launched a Nen-enhanced needle toward the back of Oboro's head.

With a swift motion, Oboro tilted his head as though he had eyes in the back of it. The needle whizzed past his scalp and embedded itself in a nearby stone pillar, leaving a hole as if made by a bullet, testament to its lethal force.

When his first strike failed, Illumi immediately followed up, his arms twisting unnaturally with Snake Hands as he launched several needles at Oboro's vital points.

This time, Oboro didn't dodge. Instead, he released his aura without restraint, using Ten to create a protective layer around his body. The needles struck with sharp clinks, bouncing off his aura shield as if they'd hit steel.

Oboro turned slowly, his eyes cold behind his sunglasses as he faced Illumi.

"Hmm... you are indeed a Nen user," Illumi remarked casually, as if his sudden attack had been nothing more than a friendly test. The violation of social norms seemed irrelevant to him.

Oboro's fingers twitched before his hand shot out like a vise toward Illumi's temple. The force of his strike created a pressure wave in the air with a muffled boom.

But when his palm should have connected, Illumi's form vanished with Shadow Step, his movements completely silent as he disappeared.

The Zoldyck family's assassination techniques were legendary, Shadow Step for silent movement, Rhythm Echo for creating afterimages, Snake Hands for impossibly flexible attacks. Even young Killua was already mastering these fundamental skills.

Illumi had been taking contracts since his early teens. His body count was beyond counting.

Oboro's pupils contracted as he sensed movement behind him. Silver flashed as another needle appeared just centimeters from his ear canal, Illumi's arm coiled like a serpent with Snake Hands.

Bang!

Just as it seemed Oboro's slower reactions would cost him, he dropped and drove his elbow backward, catching Illumi in the abdomen.

For the first time, Illumi's impassive face showed a flicker of surprise. His target should have been unable to counter his speed change, the man's eyes hadn't tracked his movement, yet somehow he'd not only dodged but landed a solid hit.

Seeming immune to pain, Illumi backflipped away to create distance. He examined the hole torn in his clothes where the blow had landed. "The bones... are cracked..."

Before he finished speaking, Oboro closed the gap, fingers aimed like sword points at Illumi's throat.

Illumi twisted away with inhuman flexibility, his Snake Hands technique making his movements unpredictable as Oboro pressed forward, giving his opponent no chance to recover.

The hall erupted in chaos as they clashed repeatedly with increasing violence. Nearby civilians fled in panic, a blonde woman's scream piercing the air.

They moved so fast they appeared as blurred shadows to normal eyes, locked in frenzied combat. Steel seats crumpled like paper beneath their strikes. When Oboro's palm hit a stone pillar, it exploded into rubble.

Though Oboro seemed to have the advantage, forcing Illumi to avoid direct confrontation with his enhanced strikes, closer observation showed few of his attacks actually connected after that first surprise elbow.

Meanwhile, Illumi's Snake Hands transformed his limbs into whip-like appendages, striking at any opening in Oboro's defense. What shocked the assassin was how his usually lethal techniques failed to penetrate his opponent's defenses, the man's physical resilience exceeded his calculations.

Any normal Nen user would have been torn apart at first contact.

"His aura control is remarkable," Illumi analyzed. "He's using Ten to reinforce his body while coordinating his movements... His physical strength is exceptional. A martial artist? And he's using Ken to maintain full defense? Prolonging this fight would be disadvantageous..."

"Though his style is straightforward, defeating him quickly may not be possible."

The seasoned assassin quickly assessed his situation as security personnel approached in formation, shields and guns at ready.

Seeing no benefit in continuing with witnesses present, Illumi prepared to withdraw, not out of fear, but pragmatic assessment of effort versus reward. Exposing his Zoldyck identity unnecessarily would be problematic.

His form split into multiple afterimages as he executed Rhythm Echo, each copy moving with ghostlike irregularity to confuse normal vision.

"You're good," multiple Illumis spoke simultaneously, their voices making it impossible to locate the original by sound alone.

"You seem familiar with my methods... Have we met before?"

When Oboro didn't respond, a needle shot toward his feet with deadly precision, embedding in the tile.

"Illumi Zoldyck. If you need someone killed, contact me. First-time clients receive a discount based on job difficulty. With sufficient payment, I can kill anyone."

"Since you know who I am, nothing more needs saying."

"Until next time."

The Illumi copies scattered in different directions, the Rhythm Echo making it impossible to distinguish the real one.

Bang! The floor beneath Oboro's feet exploded as he channeled aura into his legs, veins bulging beneath his skin. He launched himself forward with devastating force, crossing ten feet instantly to soar over one retreating Illumi.

His massive aura-enhanced hand seized Illumi's head and drove it into the ground with crushing power. The impact cratered the floor like an explosion.

Illumi's head remained trapped in the rubble, his body severely damaged as his Rhythm Echo afterimages vanished.

Confusion rippled through the assassin's normally empty heart. Again, that discordant feeling, he was certain this man's reactions couldn't match his speed, that his combat experience was limited. If not for his robust body and aura control, he should already be dead.

Yet just like that first elbow strike, how had he attacked so precisely when his eyes couldn't track the movement?

"Stop!"

"Both of you, stop! Can you hear me, you bastards?"

The security captain shouted, his men training their weapons on the fighters.

"Disobey and we'll open fire!"

As the dust settled, they saw the scene clearly, one man in torn clothes and sunglasses straddling another whose head was pinned to the ground. The long-haired man's neck twisted impossibly with Snake Hands, bones audibly grinding. One of his contorted arms drove a needle into his captor's forehead, drawing blood.

The wound was shallow, penetrating less than two centimeters.

Oboro glanced at the armed security team, then down at the pinned Illumi. "3, 2, 1..."

They separated and stood.

Oboro had no intention of fighting to the death, the Zoldyck family was too dangerous to truly antagonize. Besides, though he'd managed to pin Illumi, neither had fought all out.

He'd wanted to teach the assassin a lesson, but killing him was never the goal. In a true death match, Oboro suspected he'd be at a disadvantage.

Illumi's superiority was clear, speed, assassin techniques, and his true Nen abilities still unrevealed. He'd clearly planned for a quick kill at first, but underestimated Oboro's capabilities.

Oboro knew he'd benefited from surprise. His understanding of Illumi's abilities had given him an edge.

The assassin never underestimated prey, it was his principle. But Oboro's disguise had been too perfect. His year and a half of training had given him exceptional aura control.

His heightened aura sensitivity let him track Illumi's presence regardless of visual tricks. Though his reactions lagged and his eyes couldn't follow, his other senses constantly warned him of danger.

Even when Illumi suppressed his aura to nearly nothing, Oboro could still detect it.

Blood trickled from the needle in Oboro's forehead, his new clothes ruined. Illumi's abdomen showed a clear hole, half his face deformed and raw.

Neither had emerged unscathed.

"Hands up! Don't move!"

The security captain approached cautiously, finger on his trigger.

But ordinary humans had no chance against Nen users.

Oboro watched as Illumi blurred past the security team with Shadow Step, inserting needles into their brains with surgical precision. Their faces went blank as his Nen ability took hold, turning them into his puppets.

He did the same to the approaching managers.

"The flight's leaving..." Illumi checked the hall clock.

He passed Oboro, handed his ticket to a puppet staff member, and entered the boarding passage.

"Dear passengers... the disturbance at Gate 5 has been contained. Please prepare your tickets for boarding."

One of the controlled administrators made the announcement through drool-slicked lips.

Oboro's tension eased. He couldn't afford another ticket and dealing with authorities would mean missing his flight. Illumi's Needle People ability had solved the problem neatly.

He took his ticket from a needle-controlled woman and followed onto the airship.

Shortly after takeoff, all of Illumi's puppets committed suicide.

The incident caused brief excitement in Glam Gas Land, but in the crime-ridden Yorbian continent, where bloody incidents occurred daily with staggering death tolls, it was quickly forgotten.

This world's chaos was complex, yet somehow pure.