Book 7: Chapter 36: Alliance

An important calendar lost a page, the forgotten month would see a grand memorial service.

Under the performance of the mourning-clad orchestra, the Frost Month ran its steady course.

Chrysanthemums withered and fell alongside green leaves, lying next to the blood-dyed Scarlet Eye.

Even with only half your companions left, your superior position stands unchallenged.

Enjoy this intermission, go and find new comrades.

When setting out, head east; you will certainly meet the person you await.

“A grand memorial service?” Kuroro said calmly, looking at the Divination Poem in his hand. He stood up and murmured to himself, “As you wish then, Uvogin!”

“Leader, aren’t we going to kill her?” Shalnark glanced at Neon, unconscious and slumped over the table.

“No need. I’ve already stolen her divination ability. She’s just an ordinary girl now.” Kuroro put away the Divination Poem and turned to ask, “Still no sign of that person?”

“No. However, I found this in the cargo hold!” Shalnark’s expression was grave as he opened his hand, revealing a metal sphere the size of a fist resting on his palm. “Remote bomb. Powerful enough to bring down this Airship. I’ve cut off its signal receiving capability using my Nen. But I don’t know why the enemy didn’t detonate it earlier.”

“Hehe, even craftier than I imagined!” Kuroro walked to the Airship window and looked at the clouds outside. “If he’d detonated that bomb earlier, even if it didn’t wound us, Neon probably wouldn’t have survived.”

“Leader, we should get going. The Auction doesn’t have long until it starts,” Shalnark reminded him with a smile.

“Alright.” Kuroro gave a simple reply. Both men headed towards the Airship’s restroom. After entering one after the other, they opened the restroom window. Facing the biting cold wind, they leaped from the window and plummeted straight down from ten thousand meters high.

…

“Kurapika, are you really decided?” Qin Lun chuckled into his phone. “You know my style. There’s no turning back once this starts!”

Just as Qin Lun was about to trigger the bomb, Kurapika’s call came in. This made him abandon his plan to blow up the Airship. The Airship wasn’t flying high enough yet; detonating the bomb wouldn’t be very effective. By the time it reached the high altitude, the Troupe would likely have already controlled Neon and obtained the Divination Poem.

In truth, once Kuroro showed up, Neon was already beyond Qin Lun’s control. Blowing up the Airship then would only serve one purpose: to further enrage Kurapika with Neon’s death, making him abandon all thoughts of mercy completely.

However, Kurapika’s timely phone call altered Qin Lun’s plan and, unbeknownst to them all, saved everyone aboard the Airship, including the Light father and daughter.

The young man’s joining of the Nostrade Family had indirectly caused the deaths of all his former guards. Yet now, with his current employers far away, Kurapika was ironically fulfilling his bodyguard duties.

“Fate is truly strange. Every sip and peck seems preordained!” Qin Lun looked up at the night sky, where the Airship was now just a small black dot. He tossed the remote control into a trash bin beside him.

“Kurapika, where are you now?” After returning from the Airship airport, Qin Lun called the young man again.

“Melody and I are at the Graveyard Building!” Kurapika’s voice came through the phone.

“Come out. Head to the Anya ramen shop 200 meters east of the building. I’m waiting for you here,” Qin Lun said seriously.

“The Auction will start very soon… Wouldn’t it be better to face the Troupe directly at the Graveyard Building? At least there’s a team of killers hired by the Mafia here, including two killers from the Zoldyck Family,” Kurapika whispered into the phone, covering his mouth slightly.

“The Zoldyck Family is… Nevermind, forget them. There won’t be an Auction tonight. The Troupe will launch a frontal assault on the Graveyard Building after dark,” Qin Lun said flatly. “Come here first. I want to show you something.”

A short while later, Kurapika entered the ramen shop with Melody and sat down opposite Qin Lun.

“Qin Lun, what do you want to show us?” Kurapika and Melody exchanged a glance, deep confusion still written on their faces. Although they had decided to ally with Qin Lun, that didn’t mean they fully trusted him yet.

“The Troupe found Neon,” Qin Lun stated calmly.

“What?!” Kurapika shot to his feet, his pupils blazing Scarlet red.

“Kurapika! Calm down!” Melody grabbed the trembling young man’s arm. She turned to Qin Lun and asked softly, “When did this happen? How are Miss Neon and Mr. Light?”

“I’m not sure. The Troupe Leader boarded their Airship,” Qin Lun replied blandly.

“Why didn’t you stop him?!” Kurapika demanded, fury lacing his voice.

“I didn’t have the ability to do so. And this isn’t my fault,” Qin Lun stared impassively at Kurapika, his voice cold. “Neon was supposed to be under Yin and Lisa’s protection. I didn’t expose her to the Troupe. I told you before, soft-hearted leniency only gets more innocents killed by your own failures.”

At Qin Lun’s words, Kurapika paled and slumped back into his chair, clutching his head tightly with both hands.

Seeing Kurapika’s anguish, Qin Lun’s expression softened slightly. He pulled out three Divination Poems from inside his jacket and slid them across the table. “This is the dossier on Troupe members I obtained before killing Uvogin. Using video and photos, I had Neon create Divination Poems for some of them.”

Melody glanced at Kurapika, who still held his head, and sighed. She picked up the three Divination Poems to read.

“The first line is the same on all three. ‘The grand memorial service’ likely refers to the Troupe’s actions tonight. It definitely won’t be a small-scale infiltration. They’ll probably deploy their full strength, attacking the Graveyard Building’s district head-on.”

Qin Lun tapped his finger on the tabletop thoughtfully. “The ‘blood-dyed Scarlet Eye’ in the poem probably refers to Kurapika. Originally, judging by how things were unfolding, besides Uvogin, five more Troupe members would have died in battle. But now the Troupe has also obtained Neon’s Divination Poem. The events described in the poems are no longer certain.”

“Is… is Neon dead?” Kurapika slowly raised his head. The ferocity hidden deep within those scarlet eyes made Qin Lun’s brow tighten slightly.

“Not necessarily,” Qin Lun hesitated for a moment but decided to be truthful. “When I saw the Troupe Leader, he wasn’t resorting to the most extreme violence. While I didn’t witness what happened on the Airship, if Miss Neon cooperated with them, it’s likely she survived.”

Kurapika visibly relaxed, letting out a breath he’d been holding. Just moments before, self-loathing made him want to end his own life. Calmer now, the Scarlet glow faded from his eyes, replaced by their usual clarity.

“Qin Lun, what do you think we should do?” Melody sighed inwardly with relief and asked softly.

“Before we make a plan, I need to know Kurapika’s abilities,” Qin Lun fixed his gaze intently on the young man. “The poem suggests half the Troupe will fall to him. Clearly, he possesses Nen capable of directly opposing them. Only by understanding his abilities can I devise the most suitable plan.”

“Alright.” Kurapika looked hesitant only for a second before his expression firmed. He extended his right hand, revealing five chains wrapped around it. “My Nen Ability manifests as these five chains…”

Kurapika’s Nen Ability belonged to the Conjuration category. Each of the five chains on his right hand had distinct characteristics. However, when his eyes turned Scarlet, he temporarily shifted into the Specialization category. His Life Energy surged dramatically during these moments, a state he called “Absolute Time”.

Having learned Nen relatively recently, Kurapika’s true combat strength couldn’t match any Phantom Troupe member. But this world’s Nen system possessed a peculiar law of will, granting him the ability to effectively counter the Troupe. His Nen teacher termed it “Covenants and Vows”.

Covenants meant imposing restrictions on the use of Nen. Vows meant strictly adhering to those restrictions. The stricter the rules placed on the Nen, the harsher the Vows, the deeper the resolve of the Nen user became, resulting in immensely amplified Nen power.

Kurapika’s Covenant primarily focused on the Chain of Ensnairment on his middle finger.

This chain embodied a Sacrifice the young man made specifically against the Troupe: The Chain of Judgement had several rules: It could only be used against members of the Phantom Troupe. He intended to use it to force enemies into a Zetsu state, severing their Nen abilities, upon capture. But if he used it against anyone not in the Troupe, Kurapika would die.

(Zetsu: Contracting and isolating all aura and life force from the entire body. In Zetsu state, one’s defense against Nen attacks falls to near zero.)

Besides the middle finger chain:

– Urobuchi (Thumb Chain of Healing): Possessed healing ability, but his own defenses plummeted while healing.

Brandon Kaito (Ring Finger Chain of Detection): Guided him and tracked targets. It could also detect lies and was Kurapika’s most frequently used chain. He had used it to locate Neon using her abandoned silk tie.

When piercing an opponent’s heart with the Pinky Chain of Judgement, it forced them to obey a condition he set. Violating the condition would cause their heart to shatter. Kurapika had also pierced his own heart with this chain, making it the core of the middle finger chain’s Covenant.

Index Finger Chain of Tendril: Combined the qualities of Emission and Manipulation. He could control this chain freely, keeping it strong and effective even when separated from his body. However, directing it for one minute cost him ten minutes of his own lifespan. Omitting lengthy sections about how chains move fast enough to catch bullets/etc due to word limit concerns.

“Alright, you know my secrets. Isn’t it time you told us your Nen Abilities?” Kurapika’s gaze burned as he looked at Qin Lun, his tone calm. “I believe you possess more than one…”

“Naturally!” Qin Lun raised his head with a smile. Within his left pupil, a small black-and-red bullseye target became visible. His right pupil shimmered like a silver watch face. His dual, distinctly different pupils looked particularly eerie under the shop light.

“Most of my abilities reside in these eyes… besides, of course, my Nen-powered marksmanship you’ve seen and the Pentagram Crystal Mirror.”

“BOOM!”

While Qin Lun and the other two were deep in discussion, a muffled roar echoed outside the ramen shop window. A brilliant fireball erupted, climbing slowly into the night sky from the distant blockade surrounding the Graveyard Building district.

“Is it time?” All three turned abruptly, expressions grave, staring towards the Graveyard Building district now cordoned off tightly by the Mafia.

The phantom Troupe had finally arrived!