The Strongest Assassin of the Zoldyck Family!

One side faced the Phantom Troupe's leader. The other faced the captain of the biological experiment squad. Both were the strongest members of their respective teams. They had not truly attacked yet, but just standing there made the atmosphere around them heavy—so heavy it seemed almost solidified.

Chrollo assessed the situation around him. The members of the biological experiment squad were extremely powerful, and all of them possessed combat-type Nen abilities. This differed from the Phantom Troupe, where several members had support-oriented powers. Uvogin and Nobunaga against the brute were more or less evenly matched. Neither side had any immediate chance of gaining the upper hand.

Feitan and Phinks had gained a slight advantage against the female opponent, but it was not enough to convert into a winning position; more time was needed to find a way to break through. Franklin appeared to be suppressing his opponent on the surface, but as time passed he would begin to weaken unless the opponent made a mistake.

Shalnark, Kortopi, and Pakunoda—these three were facing the Spider-Man. They held a clear numerical advantage, but Kortopi's and Pakunoda's strength was too weak. They could only block and stall. In fact, their numbers and weakness exposed them to being picked off one by one by the Spider-Man. If the Spider-Man found an opening, Kortopi and Pakunoda could easily be in mortal danger.

Hooker and Hisoka were evenly matched against the two-headed opponent. Chrollo noticed that Hisoka was not using his full strength, but he did not comment on it. In the current situation, this was the Phantom Troupe's toughest challenge in years.

Ever since Sarasa's death, the Troupe had grown rapidly. Every member had solid talent and had improved quickly. They had faced almost no major setbacks or challenges. The only time they might have gotten in a tough situation, they luckily were not the prime target. The KUTE gang of thieves had attacked Meteor Street—not the Phantom Troupe—and the Troupe had not intervened. Likewise, the KUTE gang of thieves saw them as nothing but lowlifes that could be dealt with at any time.

The city elders had hired the Zoldyck family along with Ging Freecss from the Hunter Association, who wiped out the KUTE members completely. Two members were killed, two captured.

In the subsequent genocide of the Kurta Tribe, while that group had indeed been powerful, there were others involved: other residents of Meteor Street, forces from the Kakin Empire, the Minpo Republic, and many mercenaries. Thus, the Troupe's situation at that time was not as dire as it was now.

The Phantom Troupe had no trouble against the Shadow Beasts—they were too weak. Uvogin alone killed four of them, and Phinks and Feitan finished off the remaining six quickly. One was captured, the rest killed.

But the biological experiment squad was completely different. Their strength was overwhelming. Even standing there, their intense aura was palpable. They were not comparable to the Shadow Beasts. It took only one Troupe member to handle several Shadow Beasts, but against a single member of the biological squad, several Troupe members were needed to engage. If the Troupe were to suffer an internal collapse now, it would mean total destruction.

Chrollo did not know what Hisoka was planning, but the Troupe needed Hisoka's power now.

"I have to break the stalemate starting from me."

Chrollo looked at the white-haired youth opposite him. He produced a book—it was his Nen ability, Skill Hunter. After meeting the complex prerequisites, he could steal other Nen user's abilities. With his own considerable strength, he could even use the stolen ability at a higher intensity than its original owner.

However, the ability had strict conditions. The stealing process required multiple prerequisites; if any were missing, the ability couldn't be stolen. Also, to use it he needed to open the book and hold it with one hand, this meant he was always handicapped when using this ability. The page he opened determined which ability he could use. On this basis, Chrollo had added a bookmark ability so he could use two abilities simultaneously. But if the stolen ability's original owner died, that ability would vanish too.

The pages flipped. In the next moment, Chrollo vanished. When he reappeared, he was standing behind the white-haired youth. This ability was teleportation—a Spatial-type Nen power with high utility. It was somewhat similar to the position-exchange ability of Ron's Nen Beast, Natsu, but with key differences: one only moves the user, the other swaps positions with the target. Each had its own strengths; neither was superior. The key lay in how it was used.

The pages flipped again. A cloth appeared in Kuroro's hand. It began to expand at a visible speed, growing so huge it completely enveloped the white-haired youth.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a rushing sound tore through the air. White projectiles, like bullets, shot from the white-haired youth toward the cloth in Chrollo's hand and struck it. Immediately, a hole appeared in the cloth.

Chrollo's pupils constricted. He had tested this ability before. The cloth could wrap and shrink a massive object, and its strength was considerable. Ordinary attacks could not destroy it. Yet the white-haired youth's attack had easily punched a hole through it. Even though Chrollo could use Nen to repair it, the impact still affected his offense significantly.

The white-haired youth flickered away, moving out of range. The instant he landed, a blade appeared in his hand—a white sword. Its appearance did not look particularly sharp, but Chrollo could sense its formidable nature. The white-haired youth lunged at Chrollo, and the battle between the two officially began.

They traded blows in rapid succession—attacking, defending, dodging—fighting while their minds raced to find openings. In terms of scale, the clash between Chrollo and the white-haired youth was substantial with nothing held back.

To Ron, this was the most intense battle here. Both opponents were exceptionally powerful. Neither dared to slack off, and both were using their full power. His gaze was fixed on the fight, and Hisoka's attention was drawn as well.

"This one looks interesting," Hisoka said, watching the white-haired youth with growing interest.