Facing Aisha as she took the basic stance of the Kazama Style, the one who launched the first attack to seize the initiative was Phinks, one of the more combat-oriented members of the Troupe. Perhaps he was looking forward to the deadly battle about to begin—his aura surged as he charged toward Aisha with a vicious grin on his face.
Of course, it wasn't a reckless charge. From behind him, the Spiders moved to support Phinks.
Timing their attacks together, Pakunoda fired bullets from her handgun, while Machi launched an ultra-thin aura thread tipped with a needle toward Aisha. Phinks rushed forward trusting in his comrades' support.
Aisha evaded the coordinated assault using Shukuchi/Ground-Shrinking Step. Concentrating aura in the soles of her feet and spinning it at high speed, she moved in a circular motion and in an instant slipped behind Phinks.
Even though he had seen the movement beforehand through the memory images from Shizuku, seeing it and experiencing it were entirely different things. Unable to keep up with the sudden motion, Phinks exposed his defenseless back.
Having taken position behind him, Aisha prioritized reducing the enemy's numbers and attempted to finish him in a single strike with a Shintō Palm.
But the Troupe did not allow it so easily.
The moment Machi realized the enemy had escaped her thread restraint, she pulled back the advancing Phinks. She must have attached the thread beforehand. It was preparation born from recognizing Aisha as a formidable opponent.
Though inwardly praising the swift judgment despite them being enemies, Aisha immediately shifted her movement and aimed for another target.
At that moment, a sudden sound caught her attention. Sensing something strange in the melody, Aisha instinctively leapt backward.
A lance stabbed into the ground where she had been standing only a moment earlier.
The one attacking while wielding a double-bladed lance with blades on both ends of the staff was Bonolenov. From the many holes covering his body, he produced a variety of sounds and converted the melody into combat power—a rather unusual ability.
But as expected of one of the Troupe's combat members, his ability was first-rate. Not letting herself be distracted by the strange movements that produced those sounds, Aisha steeled her focus.
Relentless attacks from the Spiders closed in on Aisha as she continued to evade.
Machi spread her threads everywhere, attempting to restrict Aisha's Shukuchi-based movement.
Pakunoda infused her bullets with Shū, boosting their destructive power and using them to pin down Aisha's movements.
Phinks spun his arm to amplify the power of his punches, concentrating fully on offense while receiving support from his comrades.
Bonolenov played various melodies, trying to confuse Aisha with his unique movements and Nen ability.
Kortopi held a bladed weapon coated with powerful poison in his left hand, using his ability to copy objects to mass-produce it from his right hand and fire the duplicates.
It was a barrage of attacks that allowed not even a moment to breathe. The attacks were so precise that one misstep could have hit their own allies.
Yet Aisha read them, deflected them, dodged them, handled them, and redirected them—slipping through the entire assault without a single injury.
"Seriously? After all that, she's still unharmed?"
Even the Phantom Troupe showed signs of agitation at Aisha's almost godlike technique.
They had no memory of ever needing this many people to attack a single enemy at once. And yet the girl before them still stood there completely unharmed, unchanged.
"She's not even using Ten, and yet…"
"Calm down. She's probably hiding her aura with some kind of ability. It's impossible to avoid that many aura attacks without aura."
The words from their leader steadied their shaken limbs.
That was true. It was impossible to defend against aura-based attacks without using aura.
Most of the attacks hadn't landed, but a few had definitely reached Aisha. More precisely, Aisha had touched and deflected them—but aura-based attacks had certainly made contact.
Despite those attacks containing significant Nen, she had taken no damage whatsoever. The reason must be exactly what Chrollo said: she was concealing her aura so they couldn't detect it.
Having reached that conclusion, the members of the Troupe lost their agitation. If the ability had a trick behind it, then there had to be a way to counter it.
Watching the Spiders regain their composure, Aisha still didn't move to attack.
If she had acted while they were shaken, she might have been able to take down at least one of them before Chrollo gave his advice. But there was a reason she had held back.
Three members of the Troupe still had not moved.
Chrollo stood watching the battle calmly with a book in his right hand. Nobunaga maintained a stance known as iai, his En extended to about four meters. Moreover, his eyes were completely closed for some reason. Shizuku had conjured her vacuum cleaner but, like Chrollo, was simply observing.
Nobunaga had gathered tremendous killing intent despite having his eyes closed. As for Chrollo and Shizuku, they didn't even give off the slightest sign of attacking. That only made them all the more unsettling.
It was obvious they were aiming for something—most likely a surprise attack exploiting an opening. Aisha could roughly guess the methods they might use, but even she couldn't predict everything.
—Well, knowing that much is enough—
Not knowing what the enemy would do was normal in battles between Nen users. Even more so when surrounded by multiple opponents.
Whatever they tried, she would simply deal with it.
In a sense, Aisha reached a conclusion that could be called an extreme one.
Just as at the start of the battle, Aisha maintained the basic stance of the Kazama Style. The Spiders continued to maintain their encirclement.
However, it was obvious that continuing the same attacks would yield the same result as before. Thinking this, Phinks decided—despite the danger—to try and seal Aisha's movements.
With determination, he spun his arm violently, increasing the power of his punch.
Twenty rotations—no, perhaps thirty.
The moment he stopped rotating his arm, the aura in that fist swelled explosively. From Aisha's perspective, it looked as though he were loudly announcing that he would attack with that right fist.
Still, if a fist packed with that much aura landed directly, even Aisha might not escape with mere injuries.
Was the point to make her wary? Or was he hoping her movements would be halted by his comrades' support?
Aisha couldn't tell—but she had no intention of quietly allowing the attack.
"I'm going—"
He probably meant to say, "I'm going!"
But the rest of the words never became sound.
One step.
Yes—just as he moved his foot to step forward. At the instant his consciousness shifted toward attacking movement—
Aisha's foot blade struck, crushing the top of Phinks' right foot.
"Gah!?"
The foot, stomped with a foot blade filled with aura, was shattered along with the bones—nearly crushed flat.
Without removing her foot, Aisha pressed in close against Phinks. With his opponent now completely inside his guard, Phinks couldn't even swing down the fist overflowing with massive aura.
Using the momentum of closing in, she drove an elbow into his solar plexus.
Without losing that momentum, she followed up by tracing a circular motion and striking with Kogeki/Shoulder Strike.
During that entire sequence, agonizing pain must have been surging from the foot being crushed beneath her.
The sound of bones breaking echoed through the air. The top of Phinks' right foot, half torn away, and Phinks himself was blasted backward toward Chrollo.
"Phin—!"
Pakunoda instinctively turned her eyes toward her comrade being blown away after completely losing consciousness.
That action—born from concern for her ally—became the worst possible mistake in front of Aisha.
Instead of chasing after Chrollo, who stood in Phinks' trajectory, Aisha closed the distance with Pakunoda, who had created that momentary opening.
If Chrollo had shown any sign of catching Phinks, she would have attacked Chrollo directly.
But Chrollo calmly watched the deadly battle, choosing the best action to win.
In other words, rather than catching his comrade and creating an opening for himself, he made the ruthless yet correct decision to abandon his ally and never take his eyes off the enemy.
However, the rest of the Spiders were not the same.
Pakunoda, who had created an opening, allowed Aisha to close in.
The remaining members moved to save the Troupe's lifeline, Pakunoda—but every one of them was slower than Aisha.
Forming a palm strike to drive the full impact inside, Aisha flexed her joints and struck Pakunoda's abdomen.
The shock transmitted inward by the palm strike shook Pakunoda's internal organs violently. As if delivering the finishing blow, aura was layered on top of that impact.
There was no way her organs could remain intact.
As Pakunoda collapsed, her entire body losing strength, Aisha drove another palm strike into her jaw to make absolutely certain.
Her brain and internal organs shaken, Pakunoda had not the slightest combat strength remaining. She completely lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
It was a perfect instant defeat.
Neither of them had died, but the expression still fit.
The time it took to neutralize two members of the Troupe was less than a single second.
Having lost two comrades in the blink of an eye, the Spiders felt something beyond shock—almost a kind of respect for Aisha.
"Seriously… for my bad feeling to come true this perfectly. Maybe I'm actually a clairvoyant."
"Maybe. From now on, I'll definitely trust your instincts."
"Me too. But right now—"
"Yes. We'll crush those instincts by force."
Even so, the Spiders' fighting spirit did not waver.
If anything, they turned back toward Aisha with even greater resolve and determination.
Seeing that resolve rising from their eyes—no, from their entire bodies—Aisha naturally heightened her guard.
—Enemies with eyes like that… are tough—
From long experience, Aisha knew well.
Even when the difference in strength was overwhelming, those who had resolved themselves could sometimes display unexpected power.
It was a phenomenon occasionally seen in battles between Nen users.
As if proportional to their determination, the auras of the three taking the vanguard surged from their bodies.
Without taking her attention away from any of them—the three in front or the three behind—Aisha waited calmly in a natural stance.
...
Considering the battle with Aisha, Chrollo had already instructed each member beforehand on what they were supposed to do.
Without doubting those orders, they followed them.
Even as his comrades were injured and fell, Nobunaga did not move an inch from his iai stance. Shizuku, too, could only grit her teeth as she watched the battle unfold.
Of course, Machi and the others had also been given their roles.
Their task was simple: stop Aisha's movements, even if it cost them their lives.
They had been told to die if necessary—just to create even the briefest opening.
And every single member had agreed to it.
Even after being ordered to act as expendable pieces, they had answered Chrollo's command with acceptance.
They did not consider their lives their own. To them, they were all merely parts of a single Spider.
For people who had completely accepted that reality, there was neither hesitation nor fear in risking their lives.
There was only one thing they needed to do.
Then they would simply carry it out.
Bonolenov began playing a melody through the holes all over his body in preparation for an attack.
Taking that movement as the signal, Machi and Kortopi sprang into action.
They squeezed out every last bit of aura from their bodies and charged forward—
No, it was a suicide charge.
A normal attack would only result in a counterattack. Their opponent was a monster who surpassed the Spider with sheer individual power.
So they threw everything away.
With explosive power that seemed as though their very life force had been converted directly into aura, Machi and Kortopi launched a desperate charge toward Aisha at speeds they had never achieved before.
Feeling the pressure born from that resolve, Aisha raised her assessment of the enemy's threat level.
Evading this suicidal charge would be easy for her.
She could simply release aura and leap into the sky. With aerial superiority, only someone with powerful long-range attacks or the ability to fly could oppose her.
But Aisha did not choose that option.
Because once she released her aura outward, the aura would no longer be concealed by "Angel's Veil."
And what would happen then?
The negative aura born from the Nen of the dead that Aisha carried would spill out in large quantities across the battlefield, potentially affecting those with weak bodies or minds.
She didn't know exactly what would happen.
But Aisha was extremely wary of that possibility.
After all, this battle was taking place on the grounds of a hospital, filled with patients whose bodies and minds were already weaker than those of normal people.
As long as even the slightest risk existed, Aisha had no intention of removing Angel's Veil or releasing aura outward.
There was actually one more reason.
It might not even be a reason Aisha herself realized.
If she avoided this attack—one filled with such resolve—by escaping in that way, some part of her heart would feel as though she had lost.
In other words, she was simply too competitive to do that.
Aisha raised her aura and prepared to intercept the approaching enemies.
Her right hand pointed toward the sky, her left toward the earth, as she stood in an immovable stance to meet them.
Kortopi charged at Aisha empty-handed, holding no weapon at all.
He judged that with his own pitiful offensive power, any attack would be meaningless.
If so, then even if he died, he would at least grab hold of the enemy.
Treating his own body as a weapon, he charged with everything he had.
Meanwhile, Machi tightly gripped the main thread connected to the countless threads she had spread across the surrounding trees and cars.
If she pulled this thread, all the surrounding threads would converge toward the center.
And at the center of that web of threads stood their enemy—Aisha.
If she tightened the thread, Aisha would be bound and immobilized by the web.
Of course, Machi and Kortopi—standing in the same space—would also be caught in it.
They already knew that outcome.
But if it allowed them to carry out the order and pass hope on to their comrades, then both Machi and Kortopi would accept it gladly.
Bonolenov finished playing his melody in perfect timing with their charge.
The name of the song was "Jupiter."
And the ability born from that melody was likewise "Jupiter."
It manifested as a gigantic Nen projectile flying at supersonic speed.
A blow worthy of its name, one that would crush the enemy.
Of course, it would also engulf his allies.
But Bonolenov did not hesitate.
No matter which Spider stood in his place, they would have made the same decision.
That was the pride of the Spider.
But the suicidal charge staked on their lives…
The devotion of abandoning themselves for their comrades…
The strike carrying the pride of the Spider—
All of it shattered before Aisha's century of training.
Aisha gathered aura into her left hand and spun it wildly at incredible speed.
It was a further application of "Kai," a Nen technique she had used in her battle with Netero.
The violently rotating aura in her palm increased in power and density as it bared its fangs toward the approaching Kortopi.
What Aisha unleashed was not a Shintō Palm or any special technique.
Just a simple palm strike.
But that palm strike carried destructive power greater than the aura compressed within its violent rotation.
Resolve could indeed strengthen aura.
The suicidal charge filled with the determination to die might have elevated Kortopi beyond his limits.
But resolve—and emotion—had their limits.
No matter how strong the determination, it could not increase power infinitely.
In the end, Kortopi's charge could not even grab Aisha.
It could not push her body back even a single inch.
He was blown away by that palm strike.
When Aisha blasted Kortopi away, she had deliberately angled the strike so that Machi beside him would be caught in it as well.
Although she had not taken the palm strike directly, the sheer force and momentum were enough to send Machi flying.
Before that happened, she desperately tried to tighten the threads to stop Aisha's movements.
But it was meaningless.
Immediately after delivering the palm strike with her left hand, Aisha formed a knife-hand with her right and brought it down.
Her aura had been sharpened to the extreme, forming a blade-like edge.
With that descending strike, she severed every single thread converging toward her.
At the same moment Machi and Kortopi were blown away, the gigantic Nen projectile descended upon Aisha, seeking to crush her.
It was an attack meant to exploit the opening created as she dealt with the two simultaneous assaults.
But the earlier attacks had not created an opening in the first place.
The massive Nen projectile rushing in at supersonic speed was met with a kick filled with tremendous aura.
The kick, drawn back like a bowstring and released, struck "Jupiter."
But even that attack failed to damage Aisha.
The projectile shattered in midair.
Almost all of these actions occurred simultaneously, and countless advanced Nen techniques had been used in an instant during each exchange.
It was a supreme technique permitted only to Aisha, who had spent her life relentlessly polishing the fundamentals and applications of Nen.
Even Netero—who stood in the same realm as Aisha as a martial artist—would likely be unable to wield this many techniques simultaneously.
And yet, after unleashing such a supreme display…
Aisha felt shock—and admiration.
—So that was the real aim!—
At the exact moment she shattered Bonolenov's Jupiter with her kick—
A shining blade rushed toward her.
The one who unleashed that blade was Nobunaga.
Nobunaga, who had been waiting behind Chrollo in his iai stance, had somehow appeared right beside Aisha.
Aisha instantly realized that appearing beside her without any sign of movement must have been the result of a teleportation-type ability.
Such abilities were possible with advanced Emission techniques, and Aisha had fought opponents with similar powers before.
That was why she had considered the possibility of a teleportation attack from the beginning.
Even while intercepting the Spiders' simultaneous assault, she had not taken her attention off Chrollo and the others.
And yet, the ability had been activated in a way she could not predict.
Because the one who used the teleportation ability was not Nobunaga—
It was Chrollo.
Aisha, who fought by reading the intentions of her opponent, had clearly sensed Nobunaga's fierce killing intent.
From Nobunaga she sensed nothing but the sword intent to cut down anyone who entered his range.
But from Chrollo she sensed nothing at all.
He had completely become an observer of the battle.
Yet the moment Aisha moved to deal with Bonolenov's Jupiter, Chrollo activated his ability.
Until that moment, he had emitted almost no intent whatsoever.
But the instant he saw an opportunity, he acted.
The speed of that activation was so impressive that even Aisha inwardly praised it.
The moment Chrollo's ability activated, Nobunaga appeared beside Aisha.
However, Nobunaga himself was almost completely unaware of it.
The order he had received from Chrollo was simple:
"Close your eyes. Maintain your En and your iai stance. Whoever enters your range—cut them down without confirming who it is."
Nobunaga had been continuously refining his aura while maintaining the stance.
Following the order, the moment something entered the range of his En, he unleashed his battōjutsu.
There was no shock from sudden teleportation.
Because with his eyes closed, Nobunaga had never even realized he had moved.
Meanwhile, Aisha was in the middle of shattering the giant Nen projectile with her kick.
She had forbidden herself from using aura-propelled movement out of concern for the hospital patients.
Her right leg was raised skyward from the kick that destroyed Jupiter, while her left foot was firmly planted on the ground under immense pressure.
Under those conditions, she could not use Shukuchi either.
At this point—
Even for Aisha, evading was impossible.
The battōjutsu unleashed by Nobunaga, carrying every ounce of aura he had refined, moved at a speed that shocked even Aisha.
Even in her long experience, she had rarely seen an attack this fast.
The only exception was Netero's Hyakushiki Kannon.
But that was too exceptional to compare.
The secret of that speed lay in Nobunaga's Nen ability.
Within the Spider, Nobunaga's ability was said to be restricted to one-on-one combat.
Once its conditions were known, the reason became obvious.
To activate the ability, Nobunaga had to maintain his En and keep his iai stance at all times.
In other words—
He could not move toward the enemy.
It worked perfectly against enemies who approached him.
But against enemies who fled, it was completely useless.
And if he faced multiple enemies, he would be surrounded before the ability could activate.
That was why it was said to be limited to one-on-one combat.
Yet its effect was extremely simple.
The moment a target entered his En, the speed and power of his battōjutsu were dramatically enhanced.
Simple.
But precisely because it was simple, it was terrifyingly powerful.
Once activated, it was nearly impossible to evade.
A strike that would always hit.
And now—
That strike, carrying the Phantom Troupe's obsession and determination—
cut into Aisha's body.
◆
The scene rewinds to a time before the deadly battle between Aisha and the Spider began.
Under the brilliant sunlight of the morning illuminating Yorknew City, four figures were sprinting through the streets.
Those four were Gon Freecss, Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika, and Leorio Paradinight.
After the strategy meeting about confronting the Troupe the previous night ended, the four of them had collapsed into sleep like the dead. They had passed through a life-and-death battle, and both their aura and mental strength had been nearly exhausted. Under those circumstances, it was only natural.
They were awakened by the ringing of Kurapika's phone.
The caller was Aisha, who had gone ahead to the hospital.
The information Aisha delivered was more than enough to jolt their still-groggy minds awake.
The Phantom Troupe was attacking.
The Spiders were planning to assault the hospital with every member they could mobilize in order to probe Aisha's weaknesses.
Not one of the four could stay calm after hearing that. They immediately woke each other up, quickly relayed the information, and rushed out of the hotel.
"Seriously? The Spiders are moving this early? If they're thieves, they should act like thieves and operate at night!"
"Yeah, I agree! They should've let us rest a little longer!"
Leorio and Killua's complaints were understandable.
It wasn't as if criminals only ever acted at night, but most criminals preferred to move when they wouldn't stand out. On top of that, the chaos had erupted before they'd even recovered from the previous night's exhaustion.
Anyone would want to complain.
"Leorio, are you okay?! You healed my injuries earlier—aren't you exhausted?"
"Yeah, I'm fine! This is nothing!"
Among the four, Leorio had used up the most stamina and aura.
Not only had he had less time to recover, he also had the smallest aura reserves. On top of that, he had used Palm Healing Technique / Hoimi earlier that morning to treat Gon.
The injuries Gon received from Uvogin hadn't fully healed the previous night, but Leorio's aura hadn't recovered enough at the time. So when some aura had returned by dawn, he hurriedly treated him then.
Because of that, Leorio's physical condition wasn't good enough for combat.
Little by little, the distance between him and the other three widened. Part of it was the difference in their base abilities—but more than that, Leorio's exhaustion was severe.
"Leorio!"
"I'm fine! More importantly, leave me behind and go on ahead!"
Even while gasping for breath, Leorio shouted at them to prioritize Aisha over him.
"Got it!"
"Wait, Gon!"
As Gon prepared to speed up in response to Leorio's words, Kurapika stopped him.
"What's wrong, Kurapika?"
"There's no need to leave Leorio behind."
"What the hell are you saying?! If we don't hurry, Aisha—! At least you guys should go on ahead!"
"Calm down! Aisha isn't someone who'll be killed that easily! Even all of us together can't defeat her!"
Kurapika's words helped Gon and Killua regain their composure.
It was true. Even the four of them—including Biscuit Krueger—hadn't been able to defeat her.
Even if the enemy was the Phantom Troupe, it was hard to imagine Aisha losing.
"Yeah… you're right. Honestly, by the time we get there, the Troupe might already be wiped out."
"Haha… that actually sounds possible. Kind of scary."
"Even so… we're still going to help her, right?!"
"Of course. But remember, Leorio—the enemy is the Phantom Troupe. For us right now, even defeating one of them would be difficult. If we interfere recklessly, we might end up getting in Aisha's way."
Uvogin wasn't actually the average combat strength of the Troupe.
But since he was the only member they had personally fought, it was only natural that Kurapika and the others used him as their reference point.
In reality, Uvogin was among the strongest fighters in the Phantom Troupe. In terms of raw offensive and defensive power, there might not be anyone in the group who could match him.
"So what are you saying we should do?"
"A surprise attack. We exploit an opening."
"A surprise attack?"
"That's right. From here on, we'll approach the hospital while using Zetsu to erase our presence. We must not let the Troupe notice us. Once we confirm the situation, we'll wait for an opening and attack simultaneously."
"I see… Aisha already said she overwhelmed three members of the Troupe by herself. The remaining ones will definitely struggle against her. While they're focused on Aisha—"
"We blow them up from behind."
"Exactly. Leorio, you can use Zetsu, right?"
"Heh! Who do you think I trained with? I'll show you the Zetsu I perfected during training with Hanzo the ninja."
Leorio immediately suppressed his aura completely with Zetsu.
Even to Gon and the others, it was perfect Zetsu. Though he stood right in front of them, his presence felt as if it had vanished entirely.
"Not bad, Leorio."
"Yes. That's sufficient. From here on, we'll move while maintaining Zetsu at all times. Once we reach the destination, we'll assess the situation before acting. Understood?"
"Yeah!"
With that, the four moved toward the hospital while keeping their presence completely suppressed.
Because they had to hide their aura, their movement speed dropped drastically. Still, they advanced steadily, trusting Aisha and refusing to rush.
By the time they reached a position overlooking the back of the hospital, the place had already turned into a battlefield.
Aisha seemed to be using the rumored aura-concealment technique, so they couldn't feel any aura from her.
But the aura emanating from the surrounding Troupe members was so intense it seemed to distort the very air.
Even from a distance, the pressure weighed down on the four of them. However, with the battlefield filled with that much tension and the Troupe focused on fighting Aisha, it would be difficult for them to notice the four approaching.
Kurapika spoke quietly.
(Listen. We'll spread out and approach the enemy while keeping our presence hidden. Once we get close enough, we wait. Don't get so close that they might detect you. When I see an opening, I'll launch a surprise attack with my chains. That will be the signal for everyone to attack simultaneously.)
(Understood.)
(Leorio, move together with Killua. When Killua uses his electricity to paralyze an enemy, follow up immediately and neutralize them.)
(Got it.)
(Gon, just attack with everything you have. Even if it fails, we'll cover you.)
(Okay.)
(Good. Then begin.)
At Kurapika's signal, each of them began moving—swiftly but cautiously.
With their presences perfectly erased by Zetsu, the Phantom Troupe—fully focused on their battle with Aisha—did not notice them.
One by one, the four slipped into cover and closed the distance.
All that remained was to wait for the perfect moment.
…Trusting that Aisha could endure until that moment arrived.
◆
Nobunaga's flashing slash certainly cut through a part of Aisha's body.
The severed piece fell to the ground, revealing its gruesome state.
"Impossible…"
Whose whisper had that been?
Was it Chrollo's?
Bonolenov's?
Shizuku's?
Or perhaps Nobunaga himself, the one who had unleashed the strike?
Or maybe… all of them.
Only one thing was certain:
the one who uttered those words of shock was someone from the Phantom Troupe.
And the reason for their astonishment was simple.
Despite taking a perfectly timed strike, launched through sacrifice and strategy from their comrades…
Aisha had blocked it completely—without receiving a single wound.
How had she defended against that unavoidable attack?
The answer lay in the black hair scattered across the ground, and in the strands of Aisha's hair tangled around Nobunaga's sword.
Yes.
Aisha had stopped Nobunaga's lightning-fast iai strike… with her hair.
One might scoff at hair, but its hardness is surprisingly high.
On the Mohs hardness scale, it measures around 3.
That is roughly the same hardness as copper wire of the same thickness.
Of course, hair can easily be cut with scissors or blades. Even if it has the hardness of copper wire, hair is still extremely thin.
But cutting thousands or tens of thousands of strands bundled together is a very different matter.
And Aisha had gone even further.
She had reinforced the hardness of her hair with aura—strengthening it beyond copper wire, even surpassing diamond.
She swung those reinforced strands between her body and Nobunaga's blade.
Even then, Nobunaga's draw-cut technique sliced through a large portion of it. But once it had cut through about half the bundle, the blade's momentum weakened.
At that moment, Aisha manipulated the hair with aura, twisting it at high speed and wrapping it around Nobunaga's sword, stopping it completely.
Thus, the Phantom Troupe's all-or-nothing surprise attack ended in total failure.
According to Chrollo's plan, even if the attack failed to kill her, it should at least have inflicted a wound.
Even a tiny cut would bleed.
Then Shizuku would use "Deme-chan" to vacuum up the blood, causing massive blood loss.
But without a wound…
there was nothing they could do.
"That was a magnificent strike," Aisha said calmly.
"The pinnacle of iaijutsu, born from rare talent and tireless effort. I truly enjoyed witnessing it."
"…You mocking me? You didn't even get a scratch," Nobunaga spat.
"I'm being sincere. Thanks to you, my hair—something I inherited proudly from my mother—is completely ruined."
Aisha glanced sadly at the hair that had been cut halfway through.
In that moment, she looked no different from an ordinary girl you might see anywhere.
"You were impressive as well," she continued.
"The speed at which you activated your ability after revealing its intent was remarkable. The rest of you are also fighters one rarely encounters."
She paused.
"That's why it's such a shame. If only you used your strength for the benefit of others…"
Her praise contained no deception.
Nor did her lament that they had misused their power.
"Too bad," someone replied.
"I'm not the kind of guy who changes how he lives just because someone tells me to."
"I see," Aisha said.
"Then perhaps you'll have to be forced to change."
While speaking, she removed Nobunaga's sword from her hair.
But instead of returning it—
she snapped it at the base and tossed the broken blade onto the ground.
"You bastard! My sword!"
"Destroying your opponent's weapon is basic combat strategy, isn't it?"
Her voice was cold.
In a match or formal duel, perhaps things would be different. But this was a lawless street fight against criminals.
Aisha had no intention of showing mercy.
"Damn it…! Leader, run! I'll buy time!"
"Yeah. I couldn't help much, but I can at least give you time to escape."
"As long as the Leader survives… the Spider wins."
The remaining members stepped forward to shield Chrollo.
Even without his sword, Nobunaga stood ready.
Shizuku still fought despite her injured arm.
Bonolenov had exhausted most of his aura.
All of them were prepared to risk their lives.
If Chrollo lived, the Spider could be rebuilt.
But Chrollo stopped them.
"No. I'll hold her off. You all scatter and retreat."
"What the hell are you saying?! If the head dies, what happens to the Spider?!"
"Nobunaga… don't misjudge the situation."
That single sentence carried everything Chrollo needed to say.
Long ago, when the Phantom Troupe had just formed, he had told them this:
Even if the head dies, another can replace it.
What must survive is not the individual—
but the Spider itself.
If he bought time and the others scattered, at least one of them might escape.
Then they could regroup with the members waiting at their base—though only two remained, and one was critically injured.
Later, they could slowly gather new legs for the Spider.
With the others already exhausted, Chrollo concluded that he alone had the best chance of buying time.
But before his plan could unfold—
someone else intervened.
"Hello, Chrollo♥
Looks like you're having quite the time♦"
"…Hisoka."
The arrival of the clown threw the battlefield into further chaos.
At some point he had appeared on the hospital rooftop.
Now he leapt down and landed in the center of the battlefield, standing directly before Chrollo.
"Hisoka! The bastard who sold us out shows his face again! Perfect! I'll cut you down right here and avenge Uvogin!"
"Ooh, scary♠
But let me correct you—Uvogin's death had nothing to do with me♣"
Hisoka shrugged casually.
"The information I sold was only about this attack and a few members' abilities. I never told anyone about yesterday's incident♥
So his death was simply his own fault♦
Besides… you've lost your sword. How exactly do you plan to cut me down? I'm curious♠"
"You—!"
"Nobunaga. Be quiet."
Chrollo stopped him before he could fully take the bait.
"So this was your plan, Hisoka."
"Exactly♥
I joined the Troupe—or pretended to—because I wanted to fight you, Chrollo, without anyone interfering♣"
"I see. So everything has gone according to your script."
"Better than expected, actually♦"
Hisoka was already fully prepared for battle.
A sinister, dark aura poured from his body.
He opened his shirt and peeled the spider tattoo off his back.
The mark had been a fake all along, created with Texture Surprise.
The tattoo vanished in midair.
It was his declaration of severing ties with the Spider.
"Aisha♥"
"Could you stop putting that strange emotion into my name? It gives me chills."
"Impossible♠
Anyway, I'll handle Chrollo. You can take care of the rest of the Troupe♣
You weren't planning on letting them escape anyway, were you?"
"Well, that's fine… but…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"You're both so focused on the feast right in front of you that you haven't noticed, have you? My condolences."
Then she added:
"And you too, Chrollo. You're far too fixated on me and Hisoka. Though given the circumstances, I suppose it's understandable…"
"What? What do you mean—?!"
Chrollo and Hisoka both frowned.
But the moment they realized what she meant—
it was already too late.
◆
The moment for the ambush had finally arrived.
When Nobunaga suddenly appeared right beside Aisha, everyone nearly panicked. But his iaijutsu draw had been so incredibly fast that they hadn't even had time to jump out.
Ironically, that worked in their favor.
Having endured that moment of tension, the opportunity had finally come. There was no way they could let it slip away.
Facing both Hisoka and Aisha, Chrollo's attention was completely focused on them.
Taking advantage of that, Kurapika launched his chain—made almost impossible to see through In.
There was not the slightest hint of killing intent.
It was the perfect ambush, aimed directly at the opening created by Chrollo's focus on Aisha and Hisoka.
Even someone like Chrollo, caught completely off guard, had no time to evade.
The chain bound him instantly.
With his movements sealed, Chrollo could no longer use Nen, and the conjured book he had been holding vanished.
"...This is—"
Chrollo realized what had happened.
But his body was restrained, and he couldn't move at all.
"Boss!"
"Not gonna happen!"
"Uah!?"
As Shizuku tried to rush forward to help the suddenly captured Chrollo—
a bolt of lightning struck down from above her.
Caught completely off guard, there was no way she could evade an attack that fast.
The electric shock froze her body in place.
"Sorry, big sis!"
Leorio seized the moment.
Dashing in close, he delivered a precise punch straight to Shizuku's jaw, rattling her brain and completely destroying her sense of balance.
"An ambush!?"
"First comes rock!"
"Huh—?!"
Gon had also launched his attack the moment Kurapika's chain struck.
Bonolenov, distracted by the sudden restraint of his leader, reacted too slowly.
From behind him, Gon approached with a massive amount of aura gathered in his right hand.
"Jajanken—Rock!"
"!!?"
Exhausted from the prolonged battle, Bonolenov had no chance to evade.
The devastating body blow slammed him straight into the hospital wall.
He lost consciousness instantly.
"What the hell are these guys!?"
"They're my wonderful friends," Aisha replied calmly.
"Also, showing an opening during a fight. That's a deduction."
Nobunaga, shocked as his comrades were taken down one after another by the sudden ambush, turned back toward Aisha.
But Aisha wasn't kind enough to ignore such a massive opening.
She grabbed his left arm.
With a sharp sweeping kick, she took out his legs.
The moment she swept him, she twisted his arm.
Nobunaga's body flipped into the air.
Carried by the momentum, he spun rapidly in midair.
Then—
his head was slammed straight into the ground.
As a finishing blow, Aisha drove a knife-edge kick into his throat.
Nobunaga's body twitched violently for a moment before going limp and collapsing onto the ground.
Only a few seconds had passed since Kurapika's chain signaled the ambush.
And yet the remaining members of the Troupe had already been completely neutralized.
The outcome was so abrupt that even Hisoka could only stare in stunned silence.
"…No… this… this isn't fair, is it, Aisha?"
"I don't know anything about that."
"…And please stop making that about-to-cry face. It makes it look like I'm the bad guy here…"
"I thought I'd finally get to fight Chrollo properly, and then this happens. I'm allowed at least one complaint…♦"
After all, he had infiltrated the Phantom Troupe for more than three years just to fight Chrollo.
Ending up with this result would make anyone complain.
As for Aisha, she had no intention of releasing Chrollo even if Hisoka protested. She couldn't risk letting even one Troupe member escape.
There was a saying in Jappon about having the fried tofu snatched away by a kite.
It perfectly described the situation.
"So does that mean I won't get to fight you either?"
Hisoka had promised Aisha that once he settled things with Chrollo, they would fight one-on-one.
But this situation hardly counted as settling things.
In reality, Hisoka hadn't done anything.
"…Well… fine. I understand. I'll fight you later."
Seeing Hisoka looking genuinely saddened, even Aisha couldn't help feeling a bit sympathetic.
Without thinking, she ended up promising him a death match.
Immediately, Hisoka's gloomy expression vanished.
He spoke again, sounding cheerful.
"That's wonderful♥
Then it seems I won't have to kill your father to draw out your fighting spirit♦"
"—! …Don't tell me!"
"Oh? 'Father' was just a guess… but it seems I got it right? Dominic, was it? …Did you really think that arranging for you to fight the Troupe was the end of my plan?"
After bringing Aisha and the Troupe together, Hisoka had secretly searched the hospital for something.
Something that served as Aisha's lifeline.
If she defeated Chrollo but then refused to fight him because of their earlier promise, he had intended to force her hand.
"If anything happens to him—!"
"Yes, yes! That killing intent! It's thrilling!
Kukuku… don't worry, Aisha♥ I haven't laid a finger on your father♠
But if you really refuse to fight me… who knows what might happen?"
"…Very well."
Aisha's eyes hardened.
"You choose the time and place. Wherever and whenever you want, I'll fight you."
Hisoka's obsession with Chrollo had ended in frustration.
But his fixation on Aisha had succeeded—thanks to the precautions he had taken.
Standing before the finest fruit he might not even be able to consume…
the clown smiled eerily.
=======================================
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