Feitan's deliberate provocation, Phinks's cold proposal, Shalnark's cautious agreement, Hisoka's relentless pursuit, and the now intense and unavoidable conflict all originated from Law.
Machi and Law were actually quite similar, as both of them deeply valued the people close to them.
However, sometimes it was precisely because they valued them too much that they developed some presumptuous views.
Machi didn't think leaving the Troupe would be difficult, as the key was only whether she was willing or not. But she underestimated how important certain people considered Law, and was disappointed by Chrollo's subtle indulgence.
Hisoka approached but did not recklessly get too close, holding two playing cards in his hand, quietly watching Machi.
Having Pakunoda search for information about Law was a good thing because he wanted to know about Law's recent situation.
For a moment, quite a few members agreed with this course of action.
Phinks and Feitan, who started the conflict, were naturally all for it. Shalnark, responsible for handling intelligence, certainly didn't want to miss this opportunity. The matter-of-fact Bonolenov wanted to reduce risks.
Kortopi and Franklin were neutral, not taking sides, but they would follow Chrollo's orders.
Shizuku and Pakunoda, on the other hand, did not want the situation to escalate too seriously.
Although they didn't show it through action, they subtly sided with Machi. But if Chrollo gave the word, they would switch sides at any time.
Uvogin and Nobunaga went without saying… even though the two of them hadn't made the decision to leave the Troupe, they would absolutely stand in front of Machi.
Moreover, from the evolution of the conflict up to now, Machi and the other two felt disappointed.
In this tense, explosive situation, the only person who could change things in an instant was Chrollo.
Machi pulled out her Nen Threads, then made them disappear. Her eyes filled with a sharp killing intent and anger, conveyed through her Aura, making everyone present feel it clearly.
"Want to die?"
Machi stared at Hisoka, her voice like the heart of winter.
Absolutely would not yield, even if it meant death.
Everyone watching Machi's reaction involuntarily came to the same conclusion.
Rather than expose Law's information, Machi would fight to the death without hesitation.
They saw this point and believed it.
Hisoka didn't care in the slightest, chuckling softly a few times, raising a Joker card to cover his mouth, and said, "If I capture you, he'll come, right?"
His attitude and tone made it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
Screech!
A blade was suddenly drawn.
Feitan's gaze sharpened as he saw a flash of sword light, and a deep, crescent-shaped gash appeared on the ground.
The one who drew the blade was Nobunaga. In an instant, he sheathed his sword again, and that sword mark isolated two worlds.
Following Machi's statement, Nobunaga also made his stance clear in his own way.
Uvogin sneered, unleashing his Aura with all his might. The air stirred without wind, and the ground cracked with countless fissures. Cars parked nearby were sent flying to the edge of the pile.
He turned to look at Bonolenov, who was blocking the path, and roared, "Get lost!"
Bonolenov frowned. Judging by the current situation, if a fight really broke out, given his position, he would definitely be the first target of concentrated fire.
He was silent for a long moment, then detoured around, moving to the opposite side of Machi and the others.
Thus, with a sword mark drawn on the ground, two groups were separated.
Hisoka glanced at the sword mark on the ground, then looked at Machi and the other two, a light of interest appearing deep in his eyes.
Machi ignored Hisoka and looked at Chrollo, saying, "What do you intend to do?"
Chrollo glanced almost imperceptibly at Uvogin and Nobunaga, then looked at Machi and said calmly, "You can leave."
From Machi's reaction, it was clear that she valued Law more than the Troupe. This seemed to be a fact that had never changed.
He could understand the motives of Phinks, Feitan, and Shalnark, but he also knew very well that the resistance of Machi and the other two would only bring more serious consequences to the team.
There were some things that, at this moment, simply could not be done.
Although they had ignored the treaty and wiped out the Kurta Clan, if Law didn't come looking for trouble with the Troupe, he wouldn't actively seek out trouble with Law either.
Chrollo, who thought this way, did not know that there was a survivor of the Kurta Clan named Kurapika.
"Leader." Seeing that Chrollo wanted to let Machi leave safely, Phinks couldn't help but step forward.
Even though this approach was not very honorable, he valued the information about Law more.
"Enough." Franklin suddenly stepped in front of Phinks. Since Chrollo had stated his position, he couldn't just stand by and watch anymore.
Shizuku materialized the vacuum cleaner, Blinky, and had somehow moved to a spot not far from Feitan.
"Tch."
Feitan glanced at Shizuku's positioning and snorted coldly.
Hisoka looked back at Chrollo, turned his hand over, and put away the playing cards.
He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but there was a sudden slight excitement.
He felt he would encounter Law before long.
Regarding Chrollo's decision, Shalnark shook his head slightly, feeling it was a pity.
But since it was Chrollo's decision, he would let it go. They could still use other intelligence channels later to try and obtain information about Law.
Pakunoda looked at the two sides who had drawn a clear line, her eyes dimming slightly, then turned her head to look at Chrollo, whose expression showed no ripples.
At this moment, she really wanted to know what Chrollo was actually thinking.
Machi silently watched Chrollo, whose gaze was calm, then turned and left once more.
Uvogin and Nobunaga looked at each other, both retracting their Auras, and followed Machi.
"Are you two planning to leave as well?" Chrollo asked.
The one who proposed leaving the Troupe was Machi, but it was clear that in the escalated conflict just now, Uvogin and Nobunaga had also acted as if they were leaving the Troupe. They just hadn't stated it explicitly, presumably because they were angry.
"Yes."
Uvogin and Nobunaga ultimately responded.
Chrollo nodded slightly and said nothing more, watching the retreating figures of the three along with the other members.
After walking several dozen meters, Machi suddenly stopped, turned her head to look at her former companions, and said, "I'll give you a piece of advice: stay as far away from Law as possible."
Despite her displeasure, Machi still didn't want the Troupe to have any further interaction with Law.
For the Troupe, that was not a good thing.
The Spider had lost three legs.
But, soon enough, it would grow three new legs.
Two days later, Machi and the other two arrived outside a small restaurant deep in an alley.
Pushing the door open, the first thing that hit them was a pleasant aroma.
A round table was laden with sumptuous dishes. Law sat at the table, looked up at the three at the door, and smiled. "You're here."
Machi was the first to enter the small restaurant, with Uvogin and Nobunaga following closely behind.
The three sat down. Uvogin and Nobunaga glared fiercely at Law, who remained composed.
Machi snuggled close to Law, sitting right next to him, pressed close.
Nobunaga and Uvogin knew that Machi and Law were already together, so they weren't too surprised by the reaction. They also knew about Law's severed arm situation, so they didn't ask much about it for now.
"We pretty much had a falling out," Nobunaga suddenly said with a sigh.
"That's a good thing," Law said flatly.
In his view, the events surrounding the Kurta Clan would ultimately lead the Troupe to a miserable end.
Since he couldn't stop it from the beginning, Machi and the others withdrawing was the outcome Law was most happy to see.
'Fortunately, it went quite smoothly.'
'This way, I could act without holding back.'
'The next time they meet, it would be a fight to the death.'
'The Yorknew City Auction...'
'Still nearly eight months away.'
'It would be best if they came. If not, there would naturally be hunters going after them.'
At this moment, the Spider had become the prey.
It would be Law's, or perhaps Kurapika's.