A powerful aura emanated from the surface of that sphere.
Ron sensed a familiar presence in it.
"A Nen Spirit belonging to the Kurta Clan."
"It's in a mobile form right now."
"Just like how Dominica carried the Colosseum around."
"So this is what they're after?"
"If their goal is the Nen Spirit, that's not so hard to understand."
"It doesn't just have defensive abilities."
"It also has something like a Trial Grounds."
"For any organization, that's extremely valuable."
"The Fiola Kingdom has remained prosperous for so long thanks to the existence of Nirvana."
"Even if the successors chosen by the Three Great Dojos aren't all that gifted, they can still gain a tremendous power boost through Nirvana."
"If someone acquires this Nen Spirit, they can do the same."
"That's of great use to both the Kakin Empire and the Republic of Mingbo."
"The Kakin Empire already possesses the Urn Ritual, but nobody would ever think having two such things is too many."
"As for the Republic of Mingbo, during its long period of colonization by the Fiola Kingdom, it certainly learned of Nirvana and therefore understands its value even better."
"The relationship between the Republic of Mingbo and the Fiola Kingdom is extremely complicated."
"On one hand, the Republic of Mingbo only became a large nation thanks to the Fiola Kingdom."
"Before that, it was just tribes."
"However, people in the Republic of Mingbo regard that history as a humiliation."
"They're always thinking about how to defeat the Fiola Kingdom."
"When I went to the Fiola Kingdom, I could clearly sense the hostility between these two great nations."
"One of the Republic of Mingbo's Nen users even ended up dying by my hand."
"So, upon learning about the Kurta Clan's Nen Spirit, of course they'd want to claim it."
"And as for Meteor City…"
"In the past, it was ruled by the Elders, who simply sold off Meteor City's population to feed themselves while everyone else lived in misery."
"When the mad beast was badly wounded in that KUTO Thieves incident, the Phantom Troupe seized the opportunity to rise, so Meteor City's situation changed."
The moment that Nen Spirit sphere appeared, members of the three factions lunged for it simultaneously.
More than a dozen figures charged in from three directions:
The Republic of Mingbo.
All radiated formidable auras—each was a top-level Nen user in their faction.
On the Phantom Troupe's side, Chrollo himself decided to act, flanked by Uvogin on his left and Feitan on his right.
Those three currently had the Troupe's strongest direct combat abilities. Their overlapping aura was so intense it seemed to ripple the very air.
Observing from a distance, the outsiders' eyes went wide.
They hadn't even been going all out before.
"Even without hiring any of us, those three alone would have been enough to wipe out the Kurta Clan. They're way too powerful. I wonder who'll end up with that thing."
Some who had entertained ambitious thoughts before now felt only dread.
"But if that's the case, why did they hire us?"
"Or just to use us as cannon fodder?"
Obviously, it had to be the latter.
"Still, we did get a chance to earn a lot of Jenny out of this."
"I guess it was mutual exploitation."
They dared to slaughter Kurta Clan members without remorse, but none dared take revenge on the three big factions.
They clashed before even making contact.
Flames, water, a huge sphere of energy, frost…
"Super Destructive Punch!"
At that moment, Machi's brow furrowed sharply. Three strands of Nen thread extended from her fingertips and latched onto Uvogin, Chrollo, and Feitan, yanking them all backward by several meters.
Feitan glanced back at Machi on reflex.
Uvogin and Chrollo didn't question it; as fellow Troupe members, trust varied among them, but Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi were especially close. Uvogin trusted her completely. Chrollo remained calm, momentarily confused yet confident Machi had good reason.
Feitan, who was more closer to Phinks, voiced his doubt more openly.
"Something's off," Machi said succinctly.
Members of the other two factions hesitated, seeing Chrollo's group pull back.
A figure burst from underground.
A massive, indiscriminate attack erupted around the sphere as its center, far exceeding any previous display of power. The Heli-Ly Family members and those from the Republic of Mingbo were struck hard.
Three or four fell instantly.
Six or seven were grievously injured.
Only a few on the outskirts evaded it by sheer luck.
Feitan's pupils shrank. Without Machi's intervention, he'd have been directly in that blast zone, which he couldn't have blocked. He'd have at least been seriously hurt.
Machi nodded her head.
Everyone now got a clear look at the figure that had suddenly appeared—an elderly man, extremely aged, hunched over, aura fluctuating, white hair, bandages wrapping his torso.
"Never expected there'd be a Kurta Clan member hidden underground."
"He really concealed himself well—nobody had a clue, and he spent a long time preparing for that surprise attack. He took quite a toll on us."
"But he's just an old geezer!"
"No matter how strong, he's on his last legs."
"He can't repeat that move. If he could've done it multiple times, he'd have shown up sooner."
"Why wait until now?"
"Judging by how you look, you can't even manage it once more."
Chrollo glanced at Machi, who gave a nod.
Once again, members of the three factions lunged toward where the Nen Spirit sphere was, where the old man stood.
The old man's face darkened as he stared at the attackers.
He tore off his bandages. His upper torso came into view.
Everyone's eyes flew wide.
"Is this man even human?"
They saw that his entire upper body and left arm were covered in countless eyes—all a crimson red. Each pair seemed to possess a will of its own, darting about. A sinister aura poured off him. (t/n: So like Donzo from Naturo, if you needed a mental image)
One Nen ability after another surfaced from the old man.
More precisely, from the Scarlet Eyes embedded in his body.
Ron's mind flashed to a single individual—Danzo from the Naruto world.
But even Danzo had never gone to this extreme, grafting only a handful of Sharingan onto his arm. This old man was far more grotesque.