Chapter 3: Crisis X Unveiled

Why—
Why would Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe be here?
And why is he disguised as Sein? This clearly indicates a targeted operation.

Staring at Shalnark, who had been stripped of his transformation ability, Moro’s pupils trembled.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
He was certain that Shalnark had come specifically to cause trouble for him.
He then considered Sein’s situation, as well as the possibility that other Phantom Troupe members might be nearby.
The worst-case scenario would be a collective action by the Phantom Troupe, with him as their chosen prey.

But—
What about the motive and reason?
Moro had never crossed paths with the Troupe before.
Could it be a whim, or perhaps they had taken a liking to his antique shop?
That seemed unlikely.
The antique shop was insignificant, not even ranking anywhere in Yorknew City. Given the Phantom Troupe’s style of boldly robbing entire auction houses, why would they bother with his shop?
A whim?
Even less likely.
If it were just a whim, they wouldn’t have bothered attacking Sein first or using such a cautious disguise.
This was obviously a premeditated plan aimed at ensuring absolute success.

Among the Troupe, the person persistent enough for such meticulous planning...
Kuroro Lucilfer.

The worst possibility.
This suggested that aside from Shalnark, at least Kuroro and Pakunoda—who was never far from Kuroro—were involved.
This was dangerous...

But in times like these, one must remain calm.
Why would the Phantom Troupe target him?
There was no point digging too deep now; what mattered was how to escape this peril.

Moro suddenly stepped back and, passing the visitor’s desk by the door, casually grabbed an ashtray.

Amid the storm,
Shalnark noticed Moro’s action but paid it little mind. Even after his disguise was exposed, he didn’t rush to attack.
He hadn’t completed the leader’s orders, but the outcome wouldn’t change.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Shalnark’s eyelids flickered.
A muffled sound came from inside the antique shop, and then the lights went out, plunging the store into darkness.

Witnessing this, Shalnark realized Moro had grabbed the ashtray to quickly destroy the circuit breaker.
But what use would that be?

Shalnark remained motionless, standing in the rain.
Inside the pitch-black antique shop,
Moro looked toward the back door and could clearly feel a surging, violent murderous intent—utterly unmasked.

He was trapped.

Moro exhaled deeply.
Judging from Shalnark’s behavior, Kuroro and Pakunoda were likely nearby, and clearly there were more than just the three of them...

Without any intention to confront the threat at the back door, Moro forced himself to calm down and then stepped out of the antique shop.

In just that short moment, three figures appeared on the street.

The leader had short black hair, a purple cross tattoo on his forehead, and dark, deep-set eyes that hid a trace of cold cruelty beneath a calm expression.

To his left was a tall, voluptuous blonde woman with sharp, cold features, though a hooked nose marred her overall beauty.

To his right was a blonde, baby-faced youth with bright green eyes and a face full of smiles.

Kuroro, Pakunoda, and Knuckle.

Certain distinctive features immediately revealed their identities to Moro, and his heart sank.

Kuroro stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at Moro as if he were a lifeless object without meaning.

Beside him, Knuckle rested one hand on his hip, smiling, “Very alert and decisive. Looks like he knows about us...”

“Let’s control him first,” Pakunoda said, folding her arms and lifting her ample chest.

Kuroro silently raised his right hand, summoning his aura into his palm.

Watching Kuroro manipulate his aura, Moro’s gaze darkened, his tone void of emotion, “Phantom Troupe... you sure think highly of me. But we’ve never had any direct or indirect contact, have we?”

Kuroro’s eyes were calm as still water, remaining silent.
The other Troupe members also showed no intention of replying.

No response...

Moro took a deep breath and strained to think of an escape chance.

At that moment, Kuroro activated his Nen ability.

“The Ultimate Thief.”

Amidst the aura surge, a book bearing a red palm print suddenly appeared in his right hand.

The pages fluttered wildly in the downpour.

When the pages finally settled, Kuroro manifested a monocle connected by golden chains in his left hand.

Seeing the monocle Kuroro had conjured, Moro’s eyes flickered with a complex emotion—uncertain whether to feel relief or anger.

That monocle was Sein’s conjured ability.

Now that Kuroro had seized it, that meant Sein was still alive.

But knowing the Phantom Troupe’s style, even if he was alive, his fate was surely grim...

Kuroro held the monocle but did not put it on.

“Not yet.”

He spoke slowly, stopping Shalnark, who was about to strike.

Originally, Kuroro intended to use the act of conjuring the monocle to shake Moro’s mind, creating an opportunity to capture him alive.

Strangely...

Moro’s reaction showed no trace of surprise or doubt.

When a companion’s ability is used by a hostile intruder, even the strongest mind would display some natural confusion.

But what Kuroro saw in Moro was not shock, surprise, or doubt—

Instead...

Relief?

Relief over what?

Kuroro guessed that the moment Moro saw the monocle, he realized the ability’s owner was still alive.

For him to make such a judgment, he must have some understanding of Kuroro’s Nen ability, “The Ultimate Thief.”

This was quite intriguing.

“Moro... as you said, we have never had direct or indirect contact,” Kuroro said with certainty, then his eyes flickered with curiosity.

“But your reaction tells me something—you know about my Nen ability.”

This was not a question or a guess, but a definitive conclusion.

Hearing Kuroro’s words, Knuckle, Pakunoda, and Shalnark all showed surprised expressions.

“...”

Moro fell silent, slightly startled himself.

Just from the brief change when he saw Sein’s ability, Kuroro had already figured it out and confidently drew a final conclusion.

This was Kuroro Lucilfer.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Moro forced himself to glance at Pakunoda.

If there was still a chance to escape, it lay in...

Information.

Moro was almost certain that Pakunoda had used her memory-searching ability on Sein to extract information about him.

Among that information was an error:

According to Sein’s understanding, Moro was an Enhancer.

But in truth, he was an Emitter.

The opportunity was hidden within this discrepancy.