He has the courage to not fear death together, or rather, he had long been prepared to sacrifice his life for the 'mission'.
Therefore, even if Code Four wasn't an Enhancer, he would still make this decision without hesitation.
But precisely because he was an Enhancer, this act of self-destruction can bring out the greatest value.
Not only did it shatter the critical opening Kurapika and Hisoka had found in the battle, but it also inflicted substantial damage on them.
In comparison, Code Four's injuries were insignificant.
Because from Code Four's perspective, as long as the threat can be eliminated, he will not hesitate to sacrifice his life.
After his death-
A new member would simply take his place.
This resolve, amplified by his Aura, made Code Four's presence overwhelmingly fierce in this moment.
Neither Hisoka nor Kurapika had expected Code Four to be so ruthless and decisive at the critical moment.
The exploding knives completely erased the fleeting opportunity for a counterattack. Without hesitation, Hisoka and Kurapika retreated decisively and kept their distance, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.
With their timely retreat, Code Four was unable to start an immediate follow-up attack, but he didn't stubbornly press forward. Instead, he quickly adjusted his stance and assessed his injuries.
His thigh and chest, the points of the zero-range explosion, bore the worst of the damage.
Especially the thigh, as the injury there will hinder his mobility to some extent.
Still, overall, it was within acceptable limits.
Code Four moved the knife from his left hand to his right hand, then coldly glared at Hisoka and Kurapika, who had withdrawn to a distance.
Their bodies were riddled with wounds, and in mere moments, the blood seeping out had dyed their clothes red.
After confirming the extent of their injuries, Code Four tightened his grip on the knife and lunged toward Kurapika, who was less threatening of the two at this stage.
Eliminate the weaker one first, then focus all efforts on the stronger opponent.
This is the strategy that Code Four came up with based on the situation.
Kurapika had no time to tend to his numerous wounds. His brow slightly furrowed as he braced for the incoming assault.
The enemy's tenacity far exceeded his initial expectations...
Kurapika's gaze remained sharp, watching Code Four's every move closely.
At this moment, a black flying shadow slammed heavily into Code Four's side.
Bang!
The dull sound of impact reverberated through the corridor in an instant.
"So fast…?!"
Code Four's eyes widened in shock when he received the attack. Just as he glanced over, he crashed into the wall of the corridor.
The attacker was Hisoka.
While he had retreated and created some distance earlier, he hadn't missed any opportunity to deploy Bungee Gum.
So much so that the moment Code Four shifted his focus to Kurapika, Hisoka immediately activated the Bungee Gum that he had quietly left behind, and then, using its elastic recoil to launch himself back like a returning arrow, he smashed into Code Four with full force.
The sheer power of the collision sent a shockwave through Code Four's body.
If it weren't for the Aura lingering around his body that offset most of the damage, that single strike might have shattered several of his bones.
Hisoka steadied himself, his slightly narrowed eyes filled with unrestrained bloodlust. Then, he waved his hands forward and threw out six playing cards, which flew at high speed towards Code Four still embedded in the wall.
Code Four's gaze sharpened. He pushed off the wall and swung his knife six times in rapid succession.
Each hit accurately hit the flying playing cards, destroying all six playing cards.
After dealing with the playing cards, Code Four glanced at Hisoka from the corner of his eye, and with a sudden shake of his wrist, the knife in his hand shot forward like a bullet, aimed straight at Hisoka's throat.
Afterwards, without waiting to see if it landed, Code Four charged at Kurapika once more.
The suffocating pressure of his Aura bore down on Kurapika like a physical weight.
Despite this-
Kurapika didn't panic. Instead, he used these brief moments to strategize.
'The Chain of Thorns couldn't restrain this powerful Enhancer, and the ability of the Chain of Echoes had already been exposed...'
'All I can count on right now is the Soul-Guiding Chain that can decide the outcome of the battle in one fell swoop.'
'However, the activation conditions of the Soul-Guiding Chain are extremely harsh, and it is not easy to completely entangle this Enhancer.'
[Scarlet Eyes]
Since the situation became increasingly unfavorable, Kurapika could only activate his Scarlet Eyes. Hidden behind his contact lenses, a crimson glow seeped into the edges of his irises.
At the same time-
Kurapika's Manifested Aura surged dramatically.
When the emotions of a member of Kurta Clan run high, their bloodline awakens, turning their eyes scarlet and drastically enhancing their physical abilities.
But in fact, as long as one undergoes targeted training, they can activate the power of the Scarlet Eyes independently even without relying on emotional triggers.
Kurapika is now able to do this.
However, when the Scarlet Eyes are activated, the consumption in all aspects, even mental strain, will be higher than usual.
This means that Kurapika couldn't sustain Scarlet Eyes state for long. And once it ended, the physical and mental exhaustion would leave him utterly drained.
It can be said that-
Activating his Scarlet Eyes was Kurapika's all-or-nothing gamble.
[Chain of Echoes]
Kurapika concentrated the significantly enhanced Manifested Aura into his right hand, and turned it into only the Chain of Echoes.
At the same time, Kurapika's left hand hung inconspicuously at his side, with the back of his palm facing forward.
He planned to use two chains at the same time.
By focusing more of his Manifested Aura on the Chain of Echoes in the right hand, he aimed to draw the attention of Code.
In this way, he can use In to conceal the presence of the other chain, Soul-Guiding Chain, on his left hand. Then, depending on the situation, he could see if Hisoka could cover for him to create an opportunity to fully wrap Code Four in the chain.
If Code Four could be completely entangled with the Soul-Guiding Chain, the battle would end in an instant.
Code Four noticed the sudden surge in Kurapika's Manifested Aura, but without any hesitation, he slowed his charge before coming to a complete stop.
Though he was a natural Enhancer, the environment in which he had grown up had shaped a combat style distinct from that of a typical Enhancer.
He had to be like a precise scalpel, not a butcher's cleaver relying on brute force...
Halting his momentum, Code Four reached into his inner pocket and pulled out one of his few remaining throwing knives.
All of his equipment came from the logistics division of a great country. Needless to say, the materials used to make these flying knives were of the highest quality. Being able to load bombs into the flying knives was also the result of the work of their research team.
But not every knife contained a bomb...
For example, the flying knife that Code Four took out at this moment had a hidden mechanism, but it wasn't a bomb.