Low Pressure × Frozen Seal × Awakening

The Weather Beast's body began to regenerate after being pierced by the spike, but through the gash in its form, one could see the flow of water still cycling within.

Though the outer wound had begun to freeze from the intense cold, the internal circulation continued uninterrupted.

This water—stored within the Weather Beast—was something Joey had preserved at the moment Feitan unleashed his ice orb.

In these extreme conditions, creating new water was impossible.

But this reserve served as the Weather Beast's perfect hidden weapon. Whether released suddenly or triggered like now by being pierced, it could deal a devastating surprise attack.

As for why the ice lance had Nen attached to it? That was easy to explain.

The entire battlefield was within Joey's En.

As an Emitter, Joey could imbue anything within his En with his aura at will.

Judging from the ice lance's result, however, Joey's assessment was that it didn't quite work as intended.

Or rather—Feitan's defense was stronger than expected.

The lance hadn't even torn through his conjured armor.

So perhaps, items conjured through materialization, when combined with Nen, were still more reliable than Joey's atmosphere-based spacesuit.

Joey's arm—the one used to block the spike—had gone numb.

Likely a result of the extreme cold penetrating through, despite Joey's quick repair of the suit at the moment of impact.

The freezing speed far exceeded his expectations—there had to be Nen mixed in.

This led Joey to a conclusion: Feitan's ability, though primarily Transmutation, included Enhancement, Conjuration, Emission, and even Manipulation—as seen in the sudden detonation of the ice orb.

Only Specialization was missing.

Feitan had incorporated five Nen types in a single burst.

Which could only mean one thing:

Feitan was a true genius.

Talk of "memory inheritance" was laughable compared to raw talent.

Joey had met countless prodigies by now—but Feitan still made him marvel.

He was short, yes—but the heavens had given him extraordinary gifts.

While Joey reached this conclusion, more spikes spun into being around Feitan.

He clearly had no intention of dragging this out.

The moment he stabilized his footing, he charged toward the only open gap in the ice-sealed corridor.

As he moved, the spikes exploded forward, blanketing Joey's position.

Joey instantly understood.

Feitan had only one option:

Escape the sealed chamber before Joey drained all the air. Otherwise, he'd face a vacuum.

Feitan was faster than Joey.

And the spikes served to delay him.

But Joey didn't pursue.

He stood still, working with the Weather Beast to intercept the projectiles.

Each spike was heavily imbued with Nen—no joke in terms of power.

But between Joey and the Weather Beast, not a single one made it past.

They were all slammed into the ground.

Feitan's Nen, while potent, was Transmutation-based—

And when it left his body, it gradually weakened.

The spikes were merely a stalling tactic.

Feitan reached the gap.

But when he stabbed his rapier into the ice wall to force an opening—he froze.

Beyond the opening wasn't freedom—

—it was another, thicker layer of ice.

Air was being siphoned through a narrow lower gap, then cycled back into the room.

His sword strike proved it—

He couldn't break out in time.

"You—!"

Feitan spun, furious.

"Did you really think I'd leave the escape route so obvious?" Joey spread his hands.

"It's already too late. You must feel it—the air's getting thinner by the second."

"Not sure if your armor can survive in a vacuum."

"Oh, and even if you beat me now? Doesn't matter. I'll have time to seal that gap before you get out."

"So you may as well use what little air's left to say your final words."

"I've always been a fan of the Phantom Troupe. Sure, you're villains—but each of you has something captivating about you."

"I even considered teaming up—until Chrollo got too suspicious of me."

"You really think you've already won?" Feitan snarled, advancing with sword in hand.

"Even if you close the gap—if I move fast enough, you won't drain all the air. And as long as it's not a vacuum, I can still—"

He broke off mid-sentence.

A wave of chest tightness, dizziness, and panic hit him all at once.

"It's no use," Joey said calmly.

"Even without full vacuum, low atmospheric pressure causes its own form of breakdown."

"And once you used your ice ability, the outcome was sealed."

"Even if Franklin comes now—it's too late."

"Your ice defenses would still take time to break through. Time I have."

Joey's voice echoed in Feitan's mind—but it felt distant, warped.

His aura wavered.

It was just as Joey said—

the disappearing air alone was enough to break down the human body.

Joey had used this trick on Yungu before.

If he hadn't stopped then, Yungu would've died.

But against the Phantom Troupe, Joey had no intention of holding back.

The moment Chrollo attacked his clone, they were enemies.

Only one of them would leave this fight alive.

Joey kept talking partly to gather intel—

—but also because his ability needed time.

If not for that, he wouldn't waste time letting "villains monologue," as they say.

Blood trickled from Feitan's nose.

He didn't speak again.

He knew it now, unmistakably:

He'd lost.

Was it because he picked the wrong ability?

No.

He'd chosen ice over fire for a reason.

They were deep in the lowest levels of the Black Whale.

If he'd unleashed fire, the consequences could've been catastrophic.

And Joey had already used fire earlier.

Not knowing how well Joey could control it, Feitan had chosen cold.

He never expected Joey to conjure a cold-resistant suit from thin air.

That kind of Nen? Even given a hundred chances, Feitan would never have guessed Joey had his own version of armor.

He thought he'd figured out Joey's ability: an Emitter who manipulated the atmosphere using En.

But how could a pure Emitter replicate Conjuration-level feats?

Feitan's knees buckled.

He collapsed.

His conjured armor shattered with the loss of aura.

Cold engulfed him.

Even before the air was gone, his body began to freeze.

Joey sensed Feitan's aura vanish.

He turned, heading toward the far end of the hallway—opposite Franklin's direction.

But behind him, a Nen bullet was beginning to form.

It condensed midair until it was fist-sized, then launched itself at Feitan's frozen body.

…

The events on Tier 5 had drawn massive attention from the Royal Army and mafia.

Franklin stood outside the ice seal, his expression grim.

It had been five minutes since Feitan's ability activated.

Normally, a fight would be long over.

But the cold still radiated outward—and there was no trace of life inside.

Franklin had scanned the area with En multiple times—no results.

He was anxious.

He and Feitan had grown up together.

They'd watched the Troupe form.

So when his Nen bullets finally broke through the frozen barricade, he rushed in immediately—despite the biting cold.

In the center of the frozen zone, he found—

Feitan's corpse.

Kneeling like a statue.

Perfectly preserved in ice.

But at the heart of the frozen sculpture—

—a massive hole, straight through the chest.

Feitan was dead.

…

Joey, after breaking free of the ice, quickly reconnected with the clone carrying Melody.

The Second Prince's three private soldiers had all perished in the cold.

With the Exorcist gone, Melody became a ticking time bomb again.

Joey didn't know how frequently the Second Prince and Queen tracked her position.

But the death of their soldiers near him likely meant their "cooperation" was over.

And if the Second Queen really was backing the Seventh Prince, as Joey suspected—then her plan had succeeded.

Feitan's death also meant Joey had now become a marked enemy of the Phantom Troupe.

They'd treat him like they treated Hisoka.

Joey remembered the Troupe's mantra clearly:

"We accept anything—but don't let anyone take even a shred from us."

Joey had violated their core belief.

Now their wrath would come for him.

But Joey wasn't scared.

If the Succession War weren't still unresolved, he'd already have teamed up with Hisoka and Kurapika to strike back.

No one understood the Troupe like Kurapika.

No one could troll and dismantle them like Hisoka.

With those two—and Joey's own support, plus Warp Abilities from the Twin Princes—and possibly help from the Hunter Association…

The Troupe might actually be easier to take down than Nasubi Hui Guo Rou.

Their current lack of unity left plenty of room for Hisoka and Joey to operate.

Most of them were solo fighters anyway—easy pickings when isolated.

Holding Melody in his arms, Joey found himself planning a Troupe takedown without even meaning to.

He shook his head.

They were dangerous—but until the Succession War was resolved, he had to put that fight aside.

Hisoka hadn't replied to his last message.

Joey assumed two possibilities:

Either Hisoka couldn't reply, or he was agreeing silently.

Two days felt long.

Especially since tonight was the banquet—and the upper tiers were bound to stir up more trouble.

Joey felt the pressure growing.

Still, Melody's condition had to be dealt with step by step.

He didn't linger in one spot long.

Every thirty minutes or so, he moved to a new location.

Tier 5 was massive, but with Golden Experience and his clones leading the way, Joey avoided most threats.

The Royal Army had enforced a curfew.

A performance planned for midnight had to be shut down.

People were sent back to their rooms under supervision.

It made Joey's movements a little harder.

The mafia was also more active now.

But most were regular people.

With Mirage Illusion cloaking him, Joey remained untouched.

Around midnight, Melody stirred—

—and slowly opened her eyes.

The sudden movement startled Joey—

—but it came with good news.

The Nen on her body was fading.

Joey didn't know if the caster had lifted it, or if it had simply expired.

Either way, Melody was no longer a burden—she could fight again.

Still, Joey remained cautious.

He needed to keep her in Tier 5 longer to be sure she was safe.

Her injuries had already been treated on Tier 3.

The more serious ones were healed with Golden Experience.

So though she looked weak, she was in decent shape.

"We're in Tier 5 right now," Joey said with a smile.

"Once I'm sure you're okay, we'll head back to Tier 3. You can't return to Tier 1 yet—but your mission wasn't a failure."

"You'll have the chance to protect Prince Kacho personally."

That was Joey's excuse.

But his real destination was Tier 4.

He wanted Bjorn to check Melody again.

"Thank you," Melody said quietly—then suddenly bowed deeply.

(End of Chapter)