Chapter 11: The Man Who Bears the Inverse Cross
"The man you just saw is Noah, the current leader of the Inverted Cross Legion. Like us, he's from District D of Meteor Street."
Madou seemed to be reminiscing before continuing.
"You know how harsh life is in District D—its residents handle the recycling of outer waste, and scavengers risk their lives every day. As kids, we always envied the children living in the inner districts."
Mord nodded. That much hadn't changed even now. But what Madou said next took him by surprise.
"Noah wants to change that reality."
Mord had assumed it was just a power struggle. He never expected that thick-browed guy to harbor such a grand ideal.
Still, pulling it off wouldn't be easy.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have persisted until now.
Sure enough, Madou spoke up: "Currently, the rulers of Meteor City are the Elder Council located in the Central Church. The council consists of twelve powerful Nen Ability users."
"Although Noah's current strength is no weaker than any council elder, he's still just one person. His subordinates are far from capable enough."
"Are you saying that the Inverted Cross Legion led by Noah will ultimately fail?" Mord asked.
Madou nodded.
"In the face of absolute power, numbers alone don't make a difference."
In other words, this was something doomed to fail from the very beginning. Could this be why Madou insisted on not joining them?
Hesitating for a moment, Mord still asked: "Doesn't Sister Madou want to change this situation?"
Madou took a sip of alcohol and said: "As long as Meteor City remains in this spot on the world map, even if everything changes, nothing will truly change."
"These mountains of garbage on the outskirts still need to be processed—if not by people from District D, then by others."
"Do you think Sister Madou is selfish, afraid of death, and that's why she refuses to join?" Madou suddenly asked, looking at Mord.
Seeing that Madou had clearly drunk too much tonight, Mord shook his head and replied: "I don't think that at all. I was just curious."
Another gulp of strong liquor went down her throat.
Madou's eyes grew increasingly unfocused as she slowly continued: "Actually, twelve years ago, I made the same decision as Noah."
Tonight was truly full of shocking revelations.
Mord was stunned internally.
"No, rather than saying it was my decision, it's more accurate to say I was following someone else's choice."
"That man led us all the way into the Elder Council chamber and killed three elders on the spot."
"But at the final moment, that man suddenly gave up."
"What I said earlier were his exact words at the time."
"He also said that people in closed environments always see themselves as victims—until they step outside the walls and realize everyone is a victim, abandoned by this world."
"He said those in Meteor City have lost too much, whether in District D or the Inner Circle. The Inner Circle is the product of compromise between the Elder Council and the underground world. The cruelty of life there isn't necessarily better than those endless mountains of garbage."
Gangster organizations worldwide provide Meteor City with weapons and precious metals under the guise of dumping garbage. In return, Meteor City supplies these organizations with elite members—since these individuals don't exist in society, their crimes leave no traceable records.
"Having lost too much, they want to take."
"From this world."
"So he formed a troupe with others and left Meteor City."
"Actually, the Elder Council's actions also protect Meteor City. After that incident, they began paying more attention to District D residents. The protective suits every scavenger has now originated from that event."
By this point, Mord could guess who the man in Madou's story was.
The leader of the infamous Phantom Troupe—Chrollo Lucilfer.
Who would have thought Madou had such history with him.
This makes sense now—Noah's choice of the inverted cross as the emblem for his Inverted Cross Legion was inspired by the pattern on Chrollo's back.
From this, it can be inferred that Noah was actually a devoted admirer of Chrollo.
"At the time, Noah wasn't strong enough to participate in the final battle, so he didn't know that man had given up of his own accord. In his eyes, what he's doing now is fulfilling the unfinished ambition of that time."
Madou's lips curled slightly, revealing a self-deprecating smile.
"Perhaps in his eyes, I'm the one who betrayed our ideals."
"Alright, now that you know the whole story, do you have any other questions?"
"Then, Sister Madou, why didn't you choose to leave with that man back then?" Mord asked.
"Who knows?" Madou took a sip of wine. "Maybe I just didn't want to see more Meteor Cities appear in this world."
"The Sister Machi you adored as a child—she took my place and left with that man."
"Now, you two live in completely different worlds. If you ever meet again, all those years of admiration might shatter completely."
Sister Madou's unique Nen ability, combined with Chrollo…
I should have realized this much earlier.
So the original owner of this body's obsession with becoming stronger was actually for Machi.
What Madou didn't know, however, was that the boy standing before her was no longer the Mord she had watched grow up.
There was never any admiration to begin with—how could it shatter?
Having grown up under the red flag, how could he possibly care for a notorious band of thieves?
...
Meanwhile, at the Inverted Cross Legion headquarters.
"Are you still brooding over what happened earlier today?" Noah glanced at Domen and spoke.
He knew this subordinate of his all too well.
"This subordinate wouldn't dare," Domen replied hastily.
Within the Inverted Cross Legion, Noah's authority was absolute.
"If that fight in the tavern had continued, you would have lost without a doubt," Noah suddenly said.
Domen wanted to argue but didn't dare.
Noah then explained the reason for Domen's inevitable defeat—his reasoning aligning perfectly with Madou's earlier judgment.
Domen listened the entire time, outwardly compliant but inwardly seething with resentment.
"Enough of this petty grudge. Right now, the most important thing for us is to seize the Elder Council and take control of Meteor City."
"Only then can we truly change the state of Meteor City," Noah declared.
"If you're ready, let's move out!"
"Yes, sir!"