After Chrollo pulled away, the book appeared in his hand, and just as he was about to turn the page—
Leo instantly caught up, grabbing the palm of Chrollo's hand that held the book, his five fingers exerting force like iron pliers.
A terrifying force struck suddenly, "Crack!"
Chrollo's eyes split with rage, and his entire palm was instantly crushed by Leo.
Intense pain surged in like a tide, and he couldn't help but let out a low, muffled groan.
Leo knew well that although Chrollo's ability was powerful and troublesome, it had a fatal weakness.
He had to hold the book to use the abilities within it; as long as his palm was broken or crushed, his combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.
Only when he reached the Late Stage of the manga and upgraded the "Bandit's Secret" ability to evolve "Bookmark Chapter," allowing him to activate abilities without holding the book, was he at his strongest.
Chrollo forced himself to focus, making an unexpected move by wrapping his arms tightly around Leo, his Nen exploding outward!
Leo raised an eyebrow, instantly discerning Chrollo's intention.
"Trying to self-destruct? Not so easy!"
Leo's Nen exploded, he pulled his head back and rammed it into Chrollo's head.
Bang!!
Stunned by Leo's headbutt, Chrollo was knocked dizzy, his body falling backward as his Nen receded like a retreating tide, his self-destruction forcibly interrupted.
Leo raised both fists!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A barrage of fists and kicks, dense enough to make one's scalp tingle, rained down on Chrollo like a storm!
Each strike carried terrifying force, and each strike destroyed his body!
Ten seconds.
Just ten seconds.
The sound of Chrollo's bones breaking was continuous!
He was sent flying like a broken sack, a trail of blood drawing a line in the air before he crashed heavily into the ruins!
He struggled to lift his body, but his bones were shattered throughout his entire frame, and his vision was blurry.
Footsteps sounded.
Leo walked up to him and looked down.
Under the moonlight, those eyes were cold, without a trace of warmth.
Chrollo opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something—
Leo reached out his right hand and gripped his skull.
With a gentle squeeze.
Splat!
The head exploded like a ripe watermelon.
Red and white matter splattered everywhere.
Leo let go, and the corpse slumped down.
A final warmth came from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Life Energy + 48%]
[Rank: 54 (19%) → (67%)]
It was over.
Leo turned around and looked at Hisoka, who was lying on the ground not far away.
He was still alive; the rise and fall of his chest proved he was still breathing, but he had clearly lost consciousness.
Leo shook his head.
"Useless," he said softly.
"I gave you a chance, but you're useless."
He turned and walked toward Biscuit and the others.
"Shizuku, it's up to you," Leo said.
"Clean it all up."
Shizuku nodded, walked to the center of the ruins, and materialized the vacuum cleaner.
She pressed the switch.
"Hayo! Hayo!"
The nozzle of the vacuum cleaner opened, and a powerful suction force erupted.
Chrollo's corpse, Machi's corpse, Nobunaga's corpse, Caesar's corpse, the remaining fragments of Pakunoda—everything was sucked clean within tens of seconds.
Bloodstains, minced meat, and traces of the battle all vanished.
Only the giant crater blasted into ruins and some insignificant rubble remained at the scene.
Leo walked up to Biscuit, nodded respectfully, and said,
"Master Biscuit, thank you for your hard work."
Biscuit waved her hand, returning to her petite appearance, with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Alright, alright, you handled it without me even needing to make a move. It seems you have truly grown up."
Leo smiled.
"Not at all, it's thanks to your teaching. Having you here to hold the line is the greatest deterrent to the Phantom Troupe!"
Hearing this, Biscuit was clearly pleased, revealing a satisfied smile.
Sophia walked over and pointed at Hisoka, who was lying in the distance.
"Master, what about him?"
Leo looked at Hisoka.
Under the moonlight, Hisoka lay quietly at the edge of the ruins, covered in wounds and motionless.
Leo was silent for a few seconds.
He had promised Hisoka a fair fight.
Although this fight might never be realized—after Hisoka woke up, he would find that the gap between him and Leo was getting wider and wider, to the point where he would never be able to catch up in this lifetime.
Forget it, let him live and quietly feel this despair.
It's more interesting than killing him.
"Leave him be," Leo turned around.
"Let him lie here. Whether he lives or dies depends on his own fate."
Sophia nodded and didn't ask further.
Biscuit shrugged, having no objections.
The four of them turned and walked in the direction they had come from.
In the night, their backs gradually faded into the distance.
Only the bottomless giant crater in the center of the ruins remained, along with the scarred, unconscious man in the distance.
The moonlight fell quietly.
The wind blew gently, kicking up a few wisps of dust.
Everything was over.
In the early morning of Niujiala City, sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the hotel curtains.
Leo opened his eyes, got up, and washed up.
An hour later, the three of them walked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi to the airport.
Biscuit was already waiting for them at the airport—she hadn't returned to the hotel last night, saying she went for a stroll; this old person's energy was still so abundant...
In the airport departure hall, Biscuit sat in a cafe, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.
Seeing Leo and the others walk in, she lifted her chin as a greeting.
"Master Biscuit," Leo walked over and sat down.
"Did you rest well last night?"
"It was alright." Biscuit put down her coffee cup and glanced at Sophia and Shizuku.
"You two are in good shape. Last night's battle wasn't fought in vain."
Sophia grinned.
"Grandmaster Biscuit is still the best. If it weren't for you pinning down Machi and the new arrival, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to succeed."
"Stop flattering me." Biscuit waved her hand, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
"Let's go, let's return to the Association to register the achievements. It's better to finish dealing with such big cases early."
The four of them boarded the airship to the Hunter Association headquarters.
A day later, at the Hunter Association headquarters.
This magnificent building was still bustling with people, and the hall was filled with Hunters dressed in various outfits.
Some were in a hurry, some were chatting in small groups, and some were leaning against the walls, quietly observing.
Leo and the others walked to the front reception hall.
The receptionist was a young woman in her twenties with a neat ponytail and a professional smile on her face.
Seeing Leo approach, her eyes lit up slightly—this young Hunter, who had frequently come to register achievements within the past year, had already become somewhat famous in the Association.
"Mr. Leo, welcome," she smiled.
"May I ask what type of achievement you would like to register this time?"
Leo didn't answer, just turned to look at Shizuku.
Shizuku nodded and stepped forward.
She gripped her right hand in the air, and Nen surged—the vacuum cleaner materialized, the uniquely shaped device emitting a cheerful "Hayo! Hayo!" sound in her hand.
The receptionist was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, Shizuku had already pressed the switch.
The nozzle opened.
Whoosh—!!!
A corpse appeared out of thin air, hitting the floor with a "bang."
It was a male corpse, wearing a black leather trench coat, about 1.5 meters tall, with its head missing, leaving only a gruesome stump at the neck—Feitan.
The receptionist's smile froze on her face.
Before she could speak, a second corpse fell out.
Phinks—a huge piercing wound in his chest, his eyes wide open, dying with grievances.
The third.
Uvogin—his massive body hit the ground, his entire chest and abdomen collapsed, his limbs twisted at strange angles.
The fourth.
Franklin—his stitch-monster-like face was full of frozen pain.
The fifth, the sixth, the seventh... one corpse after another was spat out from the vacuum cleaner, piling up into a small mountain on the floor of the reception hall.
Nobunaga, Shanark, Kortopi, Machi, Caesar... and the last headless corpse, with a bare, muscular upper body and black trousers; although the head was gone, that unique aura still allowed people to recognize his identity.
Phantom Troupe leader, Chrollo Lucilfer.
A total of eleven corpses.