Overwhelmed, tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. The gratitude hit her all at once, raw and overwhelming. Without Larry's help, she would've been trapped in that cursed form for the rest of her life. She clutched the mirror tightly, unable to hold back her emotions.
Larry watched her reaction in silence, understanding the weight of the moment. People often only realized the value of something after they had lost it.
After a few minutes, once she had calmed down, he asked, "How's your ability? Can you still sense emotions?"
If Melody's ability remained intact, there were a lot of ways to make use of it. She hesitated for a moment before softly replying, "It's still there... but it's weaker than before."
Larry nodded, finding the answer reasonable. The Dark Sonata's curse came with a price, and now that the price was gone, the benefits had naturally weakened as well. In a way, it was already fortunate that she retained any of her power at all. Losing a little strength in exchange for getting her old self back seemed like a fair trade.
Kurapika, meanwhile, was still processing everything. He had known about exorcists before, but seeing it in action was something else entirely. Watching Melody change before his eyes made him realize just how powerful some specialists could be. And Larry… he wasn't just some ordinary exorcist.
After a moment, Larry's gaze shifted toward the night sky. In the distance, a hot air balloon drifted away, disappearing into the darkness.
Onboard the balloon, a tense conversation was taking place.
"So that's what happened," Uvogin muttered, his expression dark with frustration. "Looks like they moved the target ahead of time." He scowled, annoyed that his effort had been wasted. "Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?" he continued, his voice laced with suspicion. "Like they knew in advance... There's a rat among us."
Feitan listened in silence, his face unreadable. He had nothing to say. There was no rat. Just someone different.
Chrollo remained unfazed by Uvogin's suspicions. "No," he said firmly, dismissing the idea that there was a traitor among them. After analyzing the situation from every possible angle, they found no solid evidence to suggest that anyone had leaked their plans.
Still, as he spoke, Chrollo's gaze drifted toward the windowsill where Hisoka sat, the usual playful smirk on his face. A flicker of something dark crossed Chrollo's eyes. Before discovering Nostrade's ability to predict the future, he had already considered Hisoka the most likely suspect. And even now, he wasn't entirely convinced otherwise.
"So, did you find out where the merchandise went?" Chrollo asked, shifting his focus back to the matter at hand.
"Yeah," Uvogin grunted. "Apparently, the Ten Dons sent their Shadow Beasts to move it."
"And it only took one of them to haul away an entire warehouse's worth of goods," Machi added, her voice laced with mild interest.
"Another Nen user, huh?" Chrollo mused, his tone indifferent. He acknowledged it but didn't find it particularly concerning.
"Can I kill them all?" Uvogin grinned, his bloodlust flaring at the thought of a good fight.
"Of course."
***
"It looks like they're all dead," Larry commented, raising an eyebrow, but there was no real surprise in his voice.
"What?!" Melody and Kurapika both flinched at his words, their shock mirrored in their wide eyes. Almost immediately, a commotion erupted outside, the noise of hurried footsteps and frantic voices growing louder.
Kurapika grabbed a pair of binoculars and quickly scanned the entrance of the auction building. A steady stream of gang members was pouring in, their numbers increasing by the second. His grip on the binoculars tightened as he connected the dots.
"You mean they killed all the guests? Right here? In front of this many people?!" he asked, disbelief laced in his voice. Security had been airtight, no, beyond airtight. The Ten Dons had anticipated an attack and had reinforced every possible entry point. And yet, despite all of that, someone had slipped in.
Larry, unbothered, casually added, "Oh, and the ones responsible are our targets, the Phantom Troupe."
Kurapika's shock quickly morphed into seething anger. His scarlet eyes burned in the dim light, glowing with an intense, vengeful radiance. Even with Melody's weakened abilities, she could still sense the overwhelming hatred roiling inside him. It was suffocating.
After several rounds of security sweeps, the gangsters finally spotted the Phantom Troupe's escape vehicle, a hot air balloon drifting silently through the night sky. "They're not using an airship," one of the gang members reported. "It's a hot air balloon."
"They're heading toward the Desert! After them!" Without hesitation, convoy after convoy of black cars peeled away from the city streets, kicking up dust as they sped toward the outskirts. The Nostrade Family's forces, including Kurapika and his team, were among those giving chase.
Dalzollene and Squala, who were originally assigned to guard Neon, had also left the hotel, trailing behind the other vehicles. Kurapika rode with Basho, while Linssen, the guy with the watermelon-shaped head, sat in the passenger seat. Larry took Melody's place.
It was obvious that Melody, in her current state, was no longer fit to be on the frontlines. Before leaving, she had exchanged contact information with both Larry and Kurapika, especially emphasizing to Larry that if he ever needed her help, he could call anytime. Even though her ability had weakened, her aura was still functional. As long as she avoided unnecessary risks, she should be able to leave the city safely.
The Gorde Desert, an unforgiving landscape of endless sand dunes and jagged rock formations, located on the outskirts of Yorknew City.
Uvogin stood alone in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by a swarm of heavily armed gang members. They had him completely encircled, their fingers poised on the triggers of their firearms, yet he looked utterly unfazed.
Despite his position, Machi and the others made no move to assist him. They merely watched from the sidelines, their expressions unreadable. This confused the gang members, weren't his allies going to help?
Their ignorance was laughable.
Ordinary people who had never encountered Nen before still believed that their weapons were the ultimate equalizer. They had no idea how terrifying a true Nen user could be.
"Die, bastard!" one of the gangsters snarled, pulling the trigger.
A loud gunshot echoed through the air. But instead of seeing Uvogin collapse, the shooter's face twisted in horror. Uvogin casually spit the bullet out of his mouth. It clinked against the ground, rolling away harmlessly.
The gunman barely had time to react before Uvogin lunged. A massive hand swung forward, smashing into the man's skull with sickening force. His head was obliterated in an instant.
Uvogin grinned, licking his lips. "Now that's more like it. Let's warm up before dinner." With that, he charged into the crowd like a starving predator unleashed upon a field of defenseless prey.
Gunfire erupted from all directions. Bullets rained down on him, but they might as well have been pebbles. Even sniper rounds designed to pierce steel and rockets meant to obliterate tanks had no effect.