chapter 4
Hisoka pushed open the door to his room.
As usual, his magic show had won the favor of all the audience members. Soon, his dressing room would be piled high with gifts from fans, mostly flowers, but some would also send cute little props, some even handmade. However, Hisoka just piled them up in the circus warehouse and never touched them. His favorite props were still playing cards.
Hisoka touched up the slightly faded star-shaped paint on his right cheek in the makeup mirror. Hmm, tomorrow he would use pink and yellow.
The reason he came to this Phantom Troupe circus was simple: the circus leader, Lexor, was a Nen user and had connections with some big shots in the underworld. In the few months Hisoka had been here, he often followed the circus to perform at more formal occasions, such as providing entertainment at masquerade balls like today.
The big shots were never short of money, and the environment provided for the circus this time was unexpectedly extravagant. Hisoka's dressing room was definitely luxurious for a newcomer to the circus. He couldn't even hear the cheers and applause from outside. To match his magic show, many black curtains were hung, and there were five or six black boxes of different sizes and a mysterious crystal ball. What surprised him the most was that there was a water tank more than two meters tall and nearly three meters wide in the room. Did people really expect that kind of deceptive escape act?
In short, the large room was filled with things Hisoka wouldn't use. Perhaps the powerful people had some strange misunderstandings about magicians.
After earning enough money from the Heavens Arena, Hisoka mostly looked for opponents according to his own preferences, except for occasionally taking some high-paying and challenging tasks provided by informants.
Three months ago, he went to the Yorknew City auction to join in the fun and set his sights on the performing Phantom Troupe circus. It just so happened that Hisoka couldn't wait to try out his newly created Nen abilities.
Joining the circus was easy. Hisoka easily won the approval of the leader with "Bungee Gum," and even though his personality wasn't welcome by most members, after defeating the clown who disliked him the most upon joining, no one would disobey the leader's orders and provoke him. No one wanted to lose face by being defeated by a 15-year-old kid—they just used the leader to comfort themselves.
Of course, the condition for Hisoka to perform for the circus was a fight with the leader, with a three-month deadline.
And today was the last performance within the deadline. Hisoka was eager to try, but before that, he needed to find a suitable warm-up exercise.
Hisoka took off his magician's black cloak and top hat, wearing his usual short shirt with poker patterns and a tight-fitting undershirt, casually put on a pair of loose pants, changed out of his stiff black leather shoes, grabbed a mask to cover his eyes, pretending to dress up, and then sneaked into the masquerade ball from backstage.
Under the elegant guise of a "ball," it was just a fig leaf for the upper class to cover their social circle while doing shady business deals. After all, with a layer of bizarre costumes, no matter what their status or background, no one could tell if the people inside were humans or ghosts, and no one cared if they were holding wine or poison. And there was no shortage of skilled bodyguards or Hunters protecting these money-filled heads.
This kind of ball was a good opportunity for hunting, and Hisoka wouldn't miss it.
The moment Hisoka stepped into the banquet hall, he felt a familiar aura, but he didn't dare to open his "En" to probe the person's identity or location. He sensed many Nen users, and if he startled the snake, it would take away a lot of fun.
However, he still wanted to know which little apple that familiar scent belonged to. Hisoka casually took a glass of wine from a waiter's tray and walked around slowly, imitating the others.
Illumi? Hisoka's eyes, which were scanning the entire venue, paused slightly, and then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. It was a typical Illumi-style disguise.
To be honest, a zombie was quite suitable for Illumi. He was naturally pale and had lifeless eyes, so with a little blue makeup, he would be perfectly transformed. Hisoka noticed that Illumi seemed to be in a good mood today. He even added a half-exposed knife to the top of his head, with some blood flowing down his face. He must have put some effort into it, but Hisoka still hoped that he could give him a makeup lesson next time, at least not keep his lips their original pink color just to save time.
As Hisoka walked towards Illumi, he wondered if Illumi's appearance would inconvenience his next actions. After all, the only reason Illumi could attend such a gathering was that his target was among these people. If it was the circus leader... ah, that shouldn't be possible, right?
Who could it be? Hisoka started counting from the attendees of the Morus family, the organizer of the banquet with the biggest head. The old man Morus brought his newly adult heir and was surrounded by a group of people congratulating him, with eight bodyguards in identical black suits. If he was the target, Illumi would have to put in some effort. Killing ten people without attracting attention would be a good show. Hisoka turned to several other well-known families. They were actually quite conspicuous in the crowd, fixed groups occasionally looking around vigilantly, but everyone just turned a blind eye.
Hisoka suddenly didn't want to say hello. If he could see the process of Illumi killing and his surprised expression when he saw him, Hisoka might be so happy that he would give up looking for a warm-up prey.
But it was a pity that Illumi didn't seem to have learned Nen yet. As an assassin, he had mastered "Zetsu" without a teacher, but Hisoka was still looking forward to Illumi's Nen ability. It must be Manipulation type, judging from his meticulous and rigid face.
With a burst of cheers, the leader, Lexor, appeared from behind the red curtain. Lexor was the only beast tamer in the circus. The reason why the troupe didn't need any other beast tamers was that his Conjuration Nen ability usually allowed him to do the work of ten people alone. Of course, his cooperation on the stage was also seamless, which was the key to his success. Lexor's audience didn't care about his methods of performance, as long as they were entertained and had some cheerful background music as a buffer for their dirty deals.
Illumi made his move.
His target this time wasn't who Hisoka had guessed; it was the circus leader, Lexor. Of course, this was also the most difficult task Illumi had received from his father so far. And at the moment the leader appeared on stage just now, he felt the air thicken, as if someone had suddenly added thousands of tons of weight above his head, which was still a bit too heavy for someone who had just opened the third door of the Zoldyck family's trial. He decided not to wait any longer, so as not to have a long night full of dreams.
But it was impossible for Mr. Assassin, who had always kept a low profile, to kill the target under the watchful eyes of all the strong people present. Illumi originally just wanted to come to the scene to test the difficulty of the target, but when he found that it was an unfathomable pool of deep water, he immediately prepared to ambush the target in his lounge.
Having already investigated the location of the lounge and the corresponding escape routes before coming, Illumi successfully bypassed the backstage staff and sneaked into the largest room at the end of the corridor. The lighting was the warm yellow common in circuses, and several huge cages were open to the side, their owners busy entertaining the crowd on stage.
When Hisoka realized that Illumi's target was Lexor, he couldn't help but start thinking about whether to kill Illumi now or let him try to complete the task. Although in the end, it was very likely that the assassination would fail, and Illumi would be killed by Lexor.
No matter how he thought about it, Illumi was in a dead end this time. Hisoka frowned; this wasn't what he wanted to see. If he had to choose, Illumi's potential for growth was promising, while Lexor was probably already mature and unlikely to make any further breakthroughs... Hmm, let's help Illumi. Hisoka conjured a playing card and returned to his room.
As for the loss, it would be quite fun to tease Illumi later, and it would be even better to stimulate him to develop his Nen.
"Oh? It seems that someone else is interested in me besides our little magician in the troupe?"
Illumi's hand, which had turned into sharp nails, trembled as he remained hidden behind the box. It was impossible for him to kill by surprise. Illumi reviewed Plan B in his mind.
The reason he originally wanted to use his hands for close combat was that he was afraid bullets wouldn't be able to damage the target. Illumi still remembered that his father, grandfather, and even his mother were indifferent to bullets. After careful consideration, he should use his best method. Plus, now, the target seemed very relaxed and full of openings, but Illumi couldn't find a single gap to attack.
And who was the little magician this person was talking about? Illumi's assassin's intuition told him it wasn't someone worth looking forward to.
"Still not coming out? If you don't come out, I'll come and find you." Lexor tugged at the beast taming whip he had used for the performance. "There are many people who want my life, but one who doesn't even know Nen... Should I say you're too confident, or too stupid?"
Nen? A drop of cold sweat slid down Illumi's forehead, and the skin it brushed against felt as cold as an ice cellar. Even the sound of the water droplet falling and shattering on the ground was very clear, as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button.
Illumi didn't dare to move, or rather, he couldn't move. He was certain that he was pinned to the spot by something, but he couldn't see it. Only his amplified senses told him that the person in front of him was very dangerous, and he couldn't possibly kill him. Illumi felt that if he tried his best to complete the task, he would end up losing his life and becoming a wandering ghost without knowing the cause of his death.
The uncertainty made Illumi not react even when Lexor walked up to him. The close proximity made Illumi's body tremble uncontrollably. When Lexor reached out a hand, he finally stopped forcing himself and jumped to the door.
"So it's a child. No wonder you don't know Nen. The person who gave you this task probably wants your life more."
Illumi wasn't used to communicating with targets. In the past, they were all deprived of their lives in the blink of an eye, without even having time to open their mouths. This was the first time Illumi had seen a living target speak, and their condescending attitude made him very unhappy, but he could only watch as the other person slowly approached him again, unable to move at all. The oppressive feeling that had been building up from the ball made Illumi feel like he was about to be crushed.
"If you don't come out again, this little friend will die here."
Hisoka watched from the shadows as Illumi raised his foot and then put it down again. Every strand of aura emanating from Lexor rushed towards Illumi with a tearing sensation. At this rate, his body wouldn't be able to bear it and would forcibly open its aura nodes, followed by the most unstable and dangerous period. Hisoka would never allow such a thing to happen.
Although it wasn't the kind of fight he had imagined, in order to have a more exciting duel with Illumi in the future, Hisoka could only passively respond to Lexor.
"Oh, I've been discovered." This voice sounded familiar to Illumi, but he didn't think about it too much and kept his attention on the source of danger in front of him.
"You suddenly used Zetsu just now, it was hard not to be suspicious."
From the moment Illumi noticed the oppressive feeling around him disappear to the moment he lunged forward with his fingers turned into weapons aimed at Lexor's heart, only a thousandth of a second had passed, and there were still beads of sweat on his chin that hadn't had time to drip down. The adjustment period needed by normal people was like a decoration for him. Having been buried alive so many times in Kukuroo Mountain, Illumi was adept at handling sudden changes in air pressure.
However, he also underestimated the target's reaction speed. At the same time that he touched the thin fabric outside the heart, a shock wave like the aftermath of an explosion erupted from Lexor's body. Illumi didn't have time to react and was slightly shaken, his hand piercing Lexor's right shoulder, his forearm stuck.
"You're still a capable little one."
Illumi's facial features twitched subtly, wanting to move his hand directly from the other person's body to his heart and dig it out, but as soon as he was about to move, he found that he was completely immobilized, unable even to pull his hand out. He felt his forearm being twisted tighter and tighter, even having the illusion that it was around his neck.
How could human flesh have such hardness and power? No, that spine-chilling aura appeared again, this time even more obvious than before. Illumi's clothes were completely soaked with sweat, sticking to his body and making him uncomfortably shift slightly.
To outsiders, Illumi still looked terrifyingly calm, as if the forearm that had just been broken by the excessive squeezing didn't belong to him. Illumi was still looking for an opportunity, waiting for the next time Lexor would release that terrible ability and then twist his palm to dig out his heart.
"Hmm, it seems you've also discovered Illumi's good points. So I'm sorry, but can we move up the time we talked about tomorrow morning to now? I kind of want to save my friend here."
Hisoka felt that if he didn't show up, Illumi, who hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation, would have one of his arms permanently disabled before he even developed Nen—just look at those trash on the 200th floor. Illumi, such a perfect toy, couldn't have any defects.
He walked out of the shadows outside the door, and although the corners of his mouth were raised high, the smile didn't reach his eyes. Hisoka was threatening Lexor with his aura and protecting Illumi from further erosion.
"What, are you going to die in his place? I originally wanted to spare your life so you could continue working in the circus."
Illumi, who had been enveloped by Hisoka's "Ken," was punched by Lexor into the iron cage, causing the bars that could trap ferocious beasts to dent inward. However, Illumi had never felt so clear-headed before. The pain was completely pushed out by the frustration and unwillingness in his heart. He was grateful for Hisoka's help, but he didn't want to admit his weakness and didn't know how to face his first mission failure.
"Well, that doesn't sound bad, but I'm actually looking forward to a different ending."
Hisoka glanced at the figure slumped beside the cage. Illumi's expression with his nose and eyebrows wrinkled up was really exciting, and he kept staring at him, making him eager to find someone to cut open to relieve the pressure.
The suddenly elongated whip brushed past Hisoka's face with a whistling sound, followed by another whip with afterimages. Hisoka let his center of gravity shift to dodge, using the momentum to roll on the ground, his legs gracefully passing by the flying whip, and secretly attached "Bungee Gum" to it. He climbed up the wall and ran towards Lexor as if he were on flat ground. Hisoka saw Lexor transform the long whip in his hand into Nen and retract it, attaching it to his hand. He smiled, tore off a curtain from the room, and landed lightly in front of Lexor.
Hisoka was finally able to use his new skill.
The moment the curtain fell into his hand, with his back to Lexor, Hisoka used "Texture Surprise" to turn it into several playing cards, then wrapped them with "Bungee Gum." He turned around, swinging his arm and throwing them towards Lexor.
Hisoka watched as Lexor sneered and reached out to swat the "playing cards" away, looking at him with a mocking expression. But soon, Hisoka noticed the change in expression he had been looking forward to: a moment of shock, followed by fear of the unknown and anger at being deceived. See, no matter how strong a person was, they would panic for their lives.
The playing cards, which were supposed to be as hard as blades with Hisoka's Nen infused into them, suddenly became soft and were completely covered on Lexor's right hand by his movements. Then, he couldn't get rid of them anymore.
"New ability, Texture Surprise, got you, didn't I?" Hisoka hooked his fingers and calf connected to "Bungee Gum," and Lexor's hands were lifted forward, his right hand completely wrapped and unusable. "I originally wanted to introduce this ability properly before fighting you, but unfortunately, it's more important to get rid of you first."
Hisoka enjoyed Lexor's distorted face. "It can perfectly turn into any material. Of course, if you had used Gyo earlier, it would have been completely exposed. Oh, I suggest you don't try to pull me over, after all, you can see under my feet."
"Alright, Illumi, you should go find a doctor now."
"What was that?" Illumi was still staring at Hisoka, who was licking the blood off the playing cards with his tongue.
"Hmm, I'm not sure this is a good place to discuss this. You see, we'll have guests soon." Hisoka nodded towards the door.
Illumi's cat-like eyes narrowed, and before Hisoka could see clearly, he shot out of the room, using his intact left hand to take out the hearts of all the people he passed backstage, then returned to Hisoka with them.
"Can you tell me now?"
Hisoka shook his head in admiration, his eyes resting on Illumi's suddenly pursed lips. He suddenly withdrew any expression from his face and frantically released the aura within his body, surging towards Illumi.
The six hearts in Illumi's hand fell to the ground. The aura emanating from Hisoka was completely different from the gentle feeling that had surrounded him for protection before. This time, he truly felt that Hisoka wanted to kill him, a coldness that he hadn't felt at all from Lexor, who had collapsed to the side. There was still a thorn in Illumi's heart, and he didn't even have the desire to escape like before. He just let Hisoka pour that aura called "Nen" into his body, filling his pores bit by bit, almost overflowing, just like the tightness in his chest when he was thrown into deep water.
"Ah—"
The energy accumulated by Illumi burst out with a roar, directly pushing Hisoka back, making him fall to the ground with a smile and admire the mist rising from Illumi's body. It was a surprising amount, enough to make him excited.
"What is this?" Illumi felt a sudden clarity within his body, as if everything in his body had come to life. He could hear the beating of every cell, the flow of every blood vessel, and even see the broken bones in his right arm.
"This is aura, the basis of the Nen abilities I mentioned earlier. How does it feel?"
Hisoka's smile was a little sly. Illumi narrowed his eyes and observed the pink circle covering Hisoka's surroundings. It wasn't like his own volcanic eruption at all, but instead quietly wrapped around Hisoka's skin about a centimeter away, like a blanket. Intuition told Illumi that he needed to control the gas emanating from his body, so he tried to change the aura around his body to Hisoka's current state.
"Wow, as expected of you, Illumi." Hisoka clapped his hands. "You were able to learn Ten on your own, ah, I want to fight you more and more."
Illumi met Hisoka's cannibalistic gaze for a long time. Seeing that the other party didn't explain Nen further, he awkwardly took out his phone from his right pocket with his left hand and sent his father a "mission completed" text message.
"It's not very nice to take my work results like this, Illumi?"
"Ah, I can share the money with you if you want it, but your initial goal couldn't have been money." Illumi's fingers paused. "If Hisoka had also taken the same assassination mission, he should have killed me first and then taken the reward for himself. The best explanation is that you just happened to take my target as your prey."
"Hmm, you still remember my name, that's good." Hisoka sat on the ground, propped his face on his hand, and looked at him with a smile as he finished his analysis, his eyes burning. "By the way, Illumi, give me your phone number?"
"I don't have a phone." Illumi put his phone back in his pocket. "If you don't want the money, I'll take my leave."
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