The departing members of the Phantom Troupe quickly gathered together.
In their center was Bonolenov Ndongo, enveloped in black flames!
At first, Bonolenov hadn't taken the flames of Amaterasu seriously, but he soon paid the price for his negligence. The black flames burned everything and could not be extinguished. Water could not put them out. Attempting to block them with Nen only caused the Nen itself to ignite.
After thinking it over, Bonolenov could only come up with one solution: have someone strip away all his conjured equipment in a single instant. That might be enough to separate the black flames from his body. Otherwise, even if he manually deactivated his gear, the flames clinging to the equipment would instantly transfer onto his flesh.
At that point, he would be completely beyond saving!
Only one person could accomplish this: Machi Komacine. And it had to be done fast!
Bonolenov felt that the layer of equipment protecting him was like tinfoil wrapped around a roasting potato; every passing second was pure agony for the man inside.
After testing and confirming that the black flames would not spread along her Nen threads as long as she cut the connection in time, Machi began the rescue. A massive amount of Nen threads shot out like spider silk, tightly wrapping around Bonolenov's armor.
In the next second, Machi pulled with sudden force. With a violent tearing sound, all the equipment on Bonolenov's body was ripped away. But along with the armor, Bonolenov's skin was torn off as well!
Under the searing heat, Bonolenov had only barely managed to keep himself alive using Nen; he had been unable to prevent his skin from fusing with the equipment. Stripped of his gear, he was now a horrific, naked figure drenched in blood!
Bonolenov gasped for air, his eyes rolling back as he started to collapse. But before he could hit the ground, his eyes snapped open again—the pain was too intense!
Even for the members of the Phantom Troupe, who had seen their fair share of horrors, it was difficult to look at him. However, Bonolenov would have to endure it on his own. No one in the Troupe, not even Chrollo Lucilfer, possessed any abilities specialized in healing.
"I'm going to kill him... I will definitely kill him!" Amidst his heart-wrenching screams, Bonolenov's hatred for Luo Ning reached his very marrow.
Chrollo's gaze fell upon the conjured equipment now engulfed in black flames. Without Bonolenov's continuous supply of Nen, the armor was quickly incinerated. Only after everything had been reduced to ash did the black flames finally dissipate.
"Let's leave this place. The opponent set a trap using his own identity; we lost this round. Furthermore, the three pairs of Scarlet Eyes in Yorknew have likely already fallen into his hands." Chrollo told Machi to pick up Bonolenov.
Only Machi was currently capable of carrying him. If anyone else touched him, the pain would probably be unbearable. Shalnark had previously looked into ways to heal Uvogin's severed arm; it seemed those methods would now have to be used on Bonolenov instead.
As for Isley...
Chrollo had done his best. Having failed to kill the client beforehand, Isley was almost certainly dead by now.
Damned Zoldycks. They would have to be more careful in that regard.
Furthermore, the strength Luo Ning had displayed once again redefined Chrollo's understanding of him. There was only one explanation for this anomaly: they were still one step too slow.
After killing one of the Ten Community Leaders, the boy had impersonated him. The benefits gained from such a method were simply too immense. The fact that he could find a Community Leader and replace him without being detected showed that he was not only bold but also meticulous.
'Kurapika?' Chrollo already knew the name and identity of the other person involved.
A member of the Kurta clan who hadn't been in the village on the night of the massacre. He must have exposed his location on purpose, having made extensive preparations in advance. The body in front of the hotel wasn't that Kurapika youth at all.
Because when that body appeared, the real Kurapika was still in Room 1801, accompanied by mercenaries who were standing by to whisk him away at any moment. It was that Monolith Mercenary Group again! The same team that had prevented the Troupe from hunting down Luo Ning at Heavens Arena.
Chrollo didn't understand Kurapika's motive. Was it a provocation? Or did he just want to ask why the Kurta clan had been slaughtered?
'How naive,' Chrollo thought, recalling Kurapika's expression. There were no complex 'whys' for a thief's actions; it was simply because massacring the Kurta clan provided sufficient value to the Troupe.
The only regrettable part was that the job hadn't been finished cleanly. Two little rats had escaped the clan, and those rats had found a way to rapidly increase their strength, gaining a chance to turn the tables. Chrollo had to admit that Luo Ning, having grown to such an extent, was now a massive threat to the Phantom Troupe. He was a target that had to be eliminated as soon as possible!
---
When Luo Ning found Neon Nostrade, there was a woman with her whom he had never seen before. The woman had long, wine-red hair and phoenix eyes that slanted slightly upward. She wore bright red lipstick, a black camisole paired with a black jacket draped over her shoulders, and exuded an intense aura of hormones just by standing there.
She wore black athletic pants that perfectly accentuated her long, straight legs. Her mature charm was evident in every casual glance and smile.
"Let's go. Kurapika has prepared new rooms for us at the Cemeteri Building. He said we should meet there," Neon said. "Oh, this is Dalila. She's the one who disguised the fake body for Kurapika."
"Hello. Don't hold it against me; I was just getting paid for a job." Dalila had no idea what Kurapika's full plan was.
However, she had seen the massive flood that erupted near the Atoll Hotel from a distance. And the one who had caused such a flood seemed to be the remarkably handsome youth standing before her. Dalila had no desire to provoke such a powerful individual.
"Alright," Luo Ning agreed.
He had seen Kurapika and Muherr on the roof of the building earlier. With Muherr protecting him, there was indeed no need to worry about Kurapika's safety. The fact that someone was with Neon now proved that everything was within Kurapika's calculations.
"Are you part of the mercenary group too?" Luo Ning asked.
"No, I'm a Doll Hunter and a friend of Milia. She asked me to come and help." Dalila's temperament was completely different from Milia's cold demeanor.
Neon grabbed Luo Ning's arm. "Let's get moving. This isn't the right place for a chat."
"My job here is done, so I'll see you next time at Heavens Arena!" Dalila waved her hand, having no intention of following them.
Ten minutes later, Luo Ning and Neon arrived at the Cemeteri Building.
Kurapika was already there waiting for them. However, when they entered the top-floor room, Luo Ning didn't see any of the mercenaries. They must have left immediately after completing their mission. Truly efficient.
Luo Ning looked at Kurapika with a complicated expression. "I have to admit, your approach was the right one, but it didn't feel good."
"I'm sorry," Kurapika said, his expression sincere.
Despite his words, Luo Ning could read from Kurapika's earnest eyes that if given the chance to do it again, he would make the same choice. Luo Ning felt helpless, but he had to admit the result was positive.
"Thank you."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for staying alive, Kurapika." As Luo Ning spoke, his eyes shifted into the Mangekyō state.
The corners of Kurapika's mouth curled up slightly. "Thank you too, Big Brother Luo Ning!"
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