The Phantom Troupe withdrew, leaving behind their bound spoils.
The museum was now empty except for Law. After some time, perhaps once the Troupe had retreated far enough, the Nen Threads binding the collected items vanished, causing the piled-up treasures to collapse to the ground with a series of crashes.
Law could have prevented it, but he didn't. The collapse inevitably damaged many of the antiques.
Once everything had settled, scattered silently across the floor, Law walked over. Under the surveillance of countless hidden cameras, he picked up the antiques imbued with Nen, absorbed the Nen, and gently placed them back down.
After making his way through the pile, he had absorbed Nen from a total of twenty-three antiques. The average gain was negligible, as the further he progressed, the worse the returns became. Perhaps he would need to rely solely on quantity from now on, or find high-quality items like the Sonata of Darkness.
'Too bad the Sonata of Darkness wasn't among these.'
Law glanced at the valuable collection strewn across the floor, then walked out of the museum without a hint of reluctance.
Outside, aside from the corpses littering the ground, there were still around two hundred people standing guard, maintaining their combat stances when they saw Law.
He didn't bother telling them the enemy had already retreated, as the control room likely knew by now.
He looked up at the moon in the night sky, silent.
His actions against the Phantom Troupe tonight hadn't been outright ruthless, but the grudge had undoubtedly been set. How Machi would react to this was something that would probably give him a headache later.
'If only the first place I'd arrived in hadn't been Meteor City…'
Law instinctively reached for the jade pendant hidden beneath his clothes… an accessory that no longer provided him any benefit but which he still wore.
His fingers brushed over it, recalling the moment Machi had first snatched it from him.
'Should I… call her?'
The night deepened, the smoke of battle dissipating as the bodies were collected one by one.
…
On the outskirts of the city, in an abandoned construction site, the retreating Phantom Troupe gathered.
Pakunoda, who had been knocked unconscious by Law, had since woken up. She silently observed the tense atmosphere within the Troupe, which had split into two clearly opposing factions.
Feitan stood shirtless, a large bruise discoloring his abdomen. He had applied some basic first aid, but his expression was cold as he gripped his thin sword, glaring at Nobunaga, "If you hadn't gotten in the way, I would've cut him down already."
Nobunaga's thumb rested against the hilt of his sword, his right hand hovering in the air, poised for a quick-draw strike. He smirked coldly at Feitan, "If it weren't for me, do you think you'd even still be standing here?"
Feitan's expression darkened, fury flashing in his eyes. He was about to lunge forward when Phinks reached out and clamped a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
"Let go."
Feitan tried to shake him off, but Phinks' grip was firm, making it difficult to break free.
Phinks' voice was low, "If you want to fight, I won't stop you. But before that, we need to finish gathering intel."
"I don't recommend seeking revenge against Law, but giving everyone a basic understanding of the situation is beneficial." Shalnark said, hands on his hips as he observed the group.
Franklin nodded in agreement, "I think so too. At the very least, given our current capabilities, it'd be hard to gain any advantage against that man."
"So we're just letting what happened to Kirlo slide?" Shidore's weak voice sounded.
"If Feitan hadn't acted recklessly, Kirlo wouldn't have died." Nobunaga retorted, his fingers twitching as if he were about to draw his sword right then and there.
Bang!
Uvogin slammed his fist into the ground in frustration, the impact drawing everyone's attention.
He had reacted instinctively when Nobunaga brought up the topic… after all, he, too, had been furious at Feitan's impulsive actions.
Feitan's expression turned even colder at the direct accusation, his voice hoarse with suppressed rage: "So… you're all that afraid of him?"
His gaze swept across the group, but none of the members showed any reaction to his words. Their faces remained impassive, yet the tension in the air was thick enough to ignite.
It wasn't wrong to say they were wary… Law's strength spoke for itself.
On a broken slab of concrete, Chrollo sat silently as Machi stitched his severed arm back in place. Neither of them joined the discussion. Members like Kortopi, who had never met Law or had no direct experience with him, also remained quiet.
"Done."
Machi withdrew her hand, slipping the thin needle back into the small pouch on the back of her palm.
Chrollo nodded at her, then turned his gaze to the rest of the Troupe below, "This is my fault."
His words instantly suppressed the explosive tension in the air, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"It was my misjudgment and reckless actions that led to this outcome."
Chrollo first took responsibility for the failure before shifting his calm gaze to Feitan, "Law's strength was my greatest miscalculation. Testing his limits without restraint was an indulgence I can't justify."
"Feitan, you should thank Nobunaga. You know that better than anyone."
As he spoke, Chrollo's eyes darkened like an unfathomable abyss, radiating an unsettling intensity.
"If you refuse to acknowledge your own shortcomings, don't expect others to acknowledge you."
He pulled out a coin from his pocket, flicked it with his thumb. With a ding, the coin split cleanly in half, landing at Nobunaga and Feitan's feet.
The two looked down at the severed halves in silence.
The hostile atmosphere finally showed signs of easing.
Observing this, Pakunoda let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"There's one thing we must admit." Chrollo said, lowering his gaze, "This was a crushing defeat."
No one objected, while Feitan just scoffed coldly.
"And... there will likely be a second time."
Chrollo's eyes flicked toward Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Machi.
Just as he expected, the three of them reacted subtly to his words. From their perspective, they probably didn't want a second confrontation with Law.
"The losses from this operation are still within acceptable limits. But if there's a next time, I don't believe we'll lose so badly again." Shalnark said, raising a finger habitually, "That's why gathering intel is crucial."
"Right. After fighting him, we at least have some understanding now." Franklin said.
Kuroro looked around at everyone and said, "First of all, his sword isn't something created with Nen. Initial speculation suggests he has an ability to freely summon and dismiss weapons. Each time he draws or retracts it, he uses his right hand… likely connected to the flame tattoo on the back of it."
"Ring ring…"
Just as Chrollo began the intelligence debriefing on Law, the sudden sound of a phone call cut through the air.
The ringtone came from beside him. Chrollo paused, turning his gaze to Machi.
Machi calmly pulled out her phone, and her eyes flickered slightly when she saw the caller ID.
"It's him, isn't it?" Chrollo said flatly.
"Yeah."
Machi nodded slightly, only now noticing that everyone was staring intently at her phone.
She hesitated for a moment before decisively rejecting the call… expressionless, right in front of everyone.
She had no intention of answering that call in front of them.