Level 71 × Waiting × Phantom Troupe Reunited

The prediction was correct!

The Third Prince was elated, his eyes quickly turning toward his subordinate.

"What's the follow-up to that prediction?"

"Suicide!" The mafia member's face lit up with relief.

He recognized that door—the same kind he used to travel to Tier 1. Its sudden appearance here could only mean Dio was acting just as predicted!

That meant their ally might still redeem himself.

"Good. Very good!" The Third Prince's voice brimmed with joy.

He hadn't expected Dio to walk right into his trap, but this worked out even better.

Too bad he was dead wrong.

Because stepping through that door wasn't Dio at all—but two complete strangers.

And as the Third Prince turned to his bodyguard, he noticed the man's joy immediately turn into dread.

Not Dio.

And when he saw the distinctive mark on one of their arms, the prince's heart sank—members of the Ai Ai Family.

"Is the prediction still valid?" he muttered in disbelief.

But the pair didn't give him time to ponder.

The instant they laid eyes on him, they launched their attack—like two predators racing for the kill.

Their faces were twisted with anticipation, bloodlust practically steaming off their skin.

The Third Prince panicked.

He wasn't a Nen user—he had a Guardian Spirit Beast of unknown ability, but no means of defending himself. He tumbled off his chair, desperately scrambling under it.

Meanwhile, his mafia bodyguard reacted instantly.

A sharp, grating scream erupted from his throat as he ripped the watch from his wrist and flung it at the intruders—a hidden explosive device.

But they were ready.

As the two assassins burst from the doorway, one's arm suddenly stretched like rubber, lashing out toward the prince.

The watch explosion was met with a violent punch, detonating it mid-air.

Still, blood trickled from the attacker's arm—he hadn't escaped unscathed.

But this level of injury wasn't enough to stop a mafia enforcer.

He had only two ways to protect the Third Prince: kill the intruders, or stall until reinforcements arrived.

But after that brief exchange, it was clear—he couldn't win.

All he could do now was stall.

The explosion would bring Royal Guards running in under two minutes. It was the VVIP area, after all.

As he reached for his communicator, the prince's scream rang out again.

The bodyguard turned—only to see the two rubbery arms already wrapped around the prince.

"Shit!"

He spun around, determined to save the prince—but too late.

The rubber-armed attacker rushed in, closing the distance with terrifying speed.

It wasn't exactly as planned, but with only one defender, the two Ai Ai assassins were confident.

And they had already agreed—the man would land the killing blow.

He hadn't developed his Nen ability yet, but killing a prince would give him a massive level boost, which might awaken a space-based power.

That was crucial.

After Louini's death, sneaking into upper decks had become much harder. Many in the family now aimed to develop spatial-type abilities.

His partner was already Level 21, her ability a Transmutation-type that let her arms stretch like rubber.

He was above Level 10, not high, but had unlocked basic Nen.

That was how he withstood the watch explosion.

Now, as his target briefly turned his focus elsewhere, he grinned.

He drew a dagger from his belt and lunged for the attacker's lower back.

Not fatal, but extremely painful—his favorite kill spot.

The Third Prince's bodyguard ignored the dagger, even though he saw it coming.

He knew: if he defended, the prince's neck would be snapped in an instant.

He'd sensed it—that woman's killing intent was real.

Stab!

The blade sank into flesh—but the bodyguard used the momentum to hurl himself toward the prince.

He didn't scream. He simply slammed his communicator onto the woman's stretching arm.

BOOM!

Another explosion.

But it was followed by a furious roar—and wild, triumphant laughter.

The man roared in rage—he'd realized, too late, that his partner had betrayed their agreement. She was going for the kill herself.

The laughter came from her—she didn't care that her arm was mangled.

Her other hand was wrapped around the Third Prince's neck—and she crushed it with glee.

His eyes bulged. His body went limp in her grip.

He was dead.

And just then—the door burst open. The Royal Army had arrived, drawn by the explosions.

The Shu Wu Wu family guard collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from his side.

The Ai Ai male assassin, consumed by fury, lunged at the woman with his dagger.

But before he could reach her, a fist smashed into his gut.

His face twisted in shock—he was flung across the room, slamming into a wall.

That power was beyond his comprehension.

A Level 71 warrior...

That thought flickered through his brain before his eyes rolled back, body sliding down the bloodstained wall.

Then, another body fell atop his.

It was the Shu Wu Wu guard—the one who'd been stabbed earlier. He was clearly dying as well.

The woman who'd crushed the prince's throat didn't spare either a glance.

She turned, her body flattening like paper, and vanished through a crack in the ceiling.

When the Royal Army rushed in, they found three corpses.

...

Fugates, sensing the channel had closed, shut the door.

Joey chatted briefly with her and Kajou, then sent them back. Afterward, he met with Pyorn for a quick exchange before returning to Tier 1.

Whether the Third Prince survived or not—it wasn't Joey's concern.

He'd played his piece. If the prince survived, it meant he was lucky. If not—he had it coming.

After all, the prince struck first.

But while his fate didn't matter, Joey's insect spies in the VVIP area continued monitoring.

If the prince was dead, the VVIP section would soon descend into chaos.

And with Hisoka still lurking inside, now was the perfect time to probe deeper.

Once his insects confirmed they could infiltrate, Joey would dispatch bugs equipped with microphones and cameras into VVIP.

He might even use Fugates again—but not yet.

Both women were exhausted, especially Fugates, who bore the strain of activating portals.

They needed rest.

Joey also awaited news from Hisoka.

But the silence worried him. Hisoka hadn't contacted him at all.

Joey tried reaching Hisoka's clone—no response.

It seemed the connection had been cut.

He had no choice but to wait.

By the next morning, around 8 a.m., he still had nothing.

Neither his insects nor Hisoka's clone delivered any intel. Worse—around 6 a.m., Hisoka's clone vanished.

Joey began to worry something had happened to him inside VVIP.

Thankfully, his own clone hadn't moved, so he sent it in as a replacement.

But that meant Joey was now stuck in Tier 1 for the time being.

...

While Joey puzzled over VVIP events in Tier 12, members of the Phantom Troupe gathered below.

They stood around Nobunaga's corpse. Chrollo's expression was grim.

Nobunaga had been one of the oldest and most respected members of the troupe.

"I didn't sense it," Kortopi said calmly to Phinks.

His paper tags had been discovered—expected, but annoying.

Phinks had hoped to use his ability to trace the killer, but Kortopi hadn't sensed his tag.

"Nothing? That doesn't make sense. That guy didn't seem like he had a clue what he was doing," Phinks muttered.

"Two possibilities," Kortopi replied. "Either they removed the tag—or they're hiding in a space I can't reach. You said their power might be space-type, right?"

"If it's the latter," he continued, "as long as they show up somewhere on the Black Whale—I'll find them."

Phinks nodded. "Alright. If you sense anything, let me know. That ability of his could be useful."

He glanced at Chrollo, who nodded silently—space traversal would be valuable here.

Kortopi agreed, albeit reluctantly. He didn't like Phinks' tone, but he'd been caught red-handed tagging everyone, so he had no right to complain.

"Looks like Hisoka has help after all," Chrollo muttered. "We'll need to adjust tactics. From now on—always move in pairs."

He had expected resistance, but not to lose a member so fast.

And for Hisoka to kill Nobunaga in just minutes... it was shocking.

Maybe Hisoka was even stronger now.

A serious threat.

"If Hisoka's ally can teleport at will," Feitan growled, "we're at a disadvantage until they're dead."

"I interrogated a few Xi-Yu gang members. They said Hisoka's partner, Joey, is hiding in Tier 3. Ai Ai Family turf. They've helped Hisoka too."

"Then we kill them all," Chrollo said, resting his folded hands on the table.

No one objected.

"If we make our intentions clear," Feitan added, "the Xi-Yu and Shu Wu Wu families will back us.

Their young master is already investigating Ai Ai on Tier 3.

We'll probably get dragged into a gang war—but some of Kakin's mafias seem to idolize us. We can use that."

"Useless trash," he snorted. "But good enough as spies."

With Shalnark gone, Feitan had taken over planning.

Clearly, if Hisoka wanted allies—they would respond in kind.

Chrollo nodded.

"I don't care how you do it. I just want Hisoka's and Joey's heads.

They want to help him?

Then they can die together.

And anyone who's ever aided Hisoka—kill them all."

(End of Chapter)