Chapter 217: The Antenna!
Saiyu looked up, his mind a cold calculator. He estimated at least six Nen users were actively participating in the hunt.
The Emitter raining bullets from above (Franklin), the swordsman pinpointing him from below (Nobunaga), the puppeteer managing the distractions (Shalnark), the architect of the building (Kortopi), and the two front-line specialists (Chrollo and Machi).
He wasn't worried about raw power; he was a Zodiac for a reason. But the sheer variety of utility-type Hatsu was becoming a professional headache.
He thrust the Nyoi-bo upward, vaulting his way back toward the upper floors.
Behind him, the Spiders were ascending with predatory speed.
While Kortopi maintained the building and Shalnark managed the "waiter" puppet from the lobby, the first wave—Nobunaga and Franklin—closed the gap.
Franklin's Double Machine Gun unleashed a torrent of Nen bullets.
Mizaru (See No Evil) materialized behind Saiyu. The monkey spun the staff like a propeller, deflecting the hail of bullets meant for its master.
Nobunaga seized the opening. He didn't bypass the monkey; he lunged, his katana blurring through the air in an Iai-draw aimed at Mizaru's throat.
But a microsecond before the blade connected, Mizaru raised its hand and ripped the red ribbon from its eyes.
In that heartbeat, Nobunaga's focus shattered. A pair of radiant, multifaceted eyes locked onto him. The swordsman's vision went white, his concentrated focus dissolving into a hazy mess.
Using the moment of blindness, Mizaru hurled the staff back to Saiyu and threw itself directly into the path of Franklin's gunfire.
The monkey was shredded by the Nen bullets, but its sacrifice allowed a guttural shout to erupt from the floor above.
Nobunaga and Franklin both felt a sharp, burning heat in their eardrums. Their balance failed, and their minds descended into a nauseating fog.
Kikazaru (Hear No Evil) and Iwazaru (Speak No Evil) had triggered their secondary conditions.
One removed its headphones; the other released its zipper.
The spectral headphones on Chrollo's head vanished instantly as the Nen beast's focus shifted. He could hear again.
Chrollo watched as Nobunaga and Franklin collapsed to their knees. Blood leaked from their ears, and they swayed as if the floor were a rolling deck at sea.
In front of them, the three "Great Apes" had been reduced to tattered remains by the crossfire.
They haven't vanished yet, Chrollo noted. They persist as 'corpses' before dissipating.
Without stopping to check on the wounded, Chrollo, Pakunoda, and Machi continued the pursuit.
During the climb, Chrollo finalized his analysis of Saiyu's Hatsu:
Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru were not just sensory thieves. They functioned on a "Restricted-Release" mechanic. By removing their symbolic restraints, they could project high-tier status effects on a group.
However, the cost was shared with the host. If the monkeys were defeated while their restraints were off, Saiyu would suffer a massive backlash.
And more importantly, the "Death" of a Nen beast would put the ability into a prolonged cooldown.
If all three monkeys are out, what state is the master in? Chrollo wondered.
If I see him, I'll know.
Saiyu's condition was critical.
His eye sockets were hollow pits of darkness. His ears were gone, replaced by smooth skin. Even his mouth was a featureless expanse of flesh.
He was currently blind, deaf, and mute—the ultimate price for his monkeys' failed release.
But he didn't slow down. He had memorized the layout of the hotel before the fight. He was navigating through a combination of floor-vibrations and internal spatial mapping.
45... 44... 43... He counted the seconds in his head.
The "Backlash Phase" lasted exactly one minute. If he could reach the roof before the countdown hit zero, his senses would return, and he could summon a fresh set of guardians.
He thrust his staff upward. The ceiling shattered.
Saiyu felt the debris rain down around him. He bent his knees and leaped, clearing the gap to the 16th floor.
The hotel was 24 stories tall. The "Architect" below couldn't change the floor plans in real-time; he could only copy existing geometry. This static nature was Saiyu's only operational advantage.
Two more steps. Another thrust. 17th floor.
From the floors below, Chrollo couldn't see Saiyu, but his En provided a clear map of the intruder's position.
He noted that the three monkey corpses were still lingering. This gave him a burst of confidence.
14th floor... 15th floor...
When Chrollo's unit reached the 18th floor, Saiyu was on the 21st.
They were now within each other's sensing range.
Chrollo frowned. Saiyu's movements were too fluid, too coordinated for a man who couldn't see or hear. He began to doubt his "backlash" theory.
Pakunoda didn't share his doubt. She leveled her revolver.
BANG.
The bullet tore through the ceiling, screaming toward the floor above.
Saiyu's pace faltered for the first time. The countdown hit 17. He stomped the floor, and a chunk of Nen-reinforced masonry rose up to intercept the bullet.
In that heartbeat of distraction, a silver thread snaked through a vent and whipped toward his waist.
Machi.
She had used In to hide the thread. To sense it with En would be difficult for anyone; to see it required Gyo.
But as the thread was about to bind him, Saiyu's Nyoi-bo reversed. He didn't even turn his head. He drove the staff between the thread and his body a millisecond before it tightened.
The staff's aura rippled, shifting into a high-frequency cutting edge that sliced through the Nen-silk instantly.
Even so, by the time Saiyu reached the 22nd floor, Chrollo's team was on the 20th.
The gap was closing.
And then, Saiyu's body suddenly locked.
He froze mid-step. His hand was reaching for his belt, where he held a severed thread of Machi's Nen. But he never finished the motion.
Ten centimeters from his fingers, a small metallic antenna was already buried in his side.
The antenna he was holding belonged to Machi. But the one in his side... it had seemingly appeared out of thin air.
If Saiyu could see, he would have noticed a perfect circle drawn in Nen-thread on his belt. The antenna had "appeared" within that circle via a spatial relay.
Chrollo stepped onto the 22nd-floor landing.
In one hand, he held Skill Hunter, a bookmark marking a page. In the other, he held a specialized Blowgun.
"Found you," Chrollo's voice was a low, satisfied murmur. He had finally landed a hit with Shalnark's Black Voice.
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