Then again, he mused, assassins like them were all about survival. A job wasn't worth dying for.
"So, what's the plan now, Commander?" Machi's voice was cold, but there was a sliver of dread in it as she asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Leave," Chrollo said simply. "We lay low. No more moves for the next few years."
No one liked it. But it wasn't up for debate. They were staring down a force they couldn't handle. Their only choice… was to vanish.
"Tch…" Phinks spat on the floor, his face twisted in frustration, but he didn't argue. As much as it pissed him off, he knew they couldn't win this one, not now.
"So you're really going to run, huh?" Larry's tone was light, almost mocking.
"Well, it makes sense. You've already lost so many." He chuckled, watching the dust settle in the wake of the Phantom Troupe's retreat.
Half of them were dead. The rest were broken. To him, they weren't even worth chasing anymore. Let them scurry into the shadows. Let them live with the fear.
"This is the situation. From here on out, we scatter. No major movements." Chrollo's voice was calm but firm as he reminded everyone once again. His plan was to head back to Meteor City after their retreat, see if there were any potential recruits to fill in the gaping holes left behind.
Their mission in Yorknew had turned into a disaster. The Phantom Troupe had never taken losses like this before. Not even close.
What made it worse was that they couldn't even retaliate. The enemy Larry was simply out of their league.
Charging in blindly would only mean more deaths.
"Damn that Larry," Phinks growled, clenching his fists. "He killed our friends and we can't even hit back…"
His tone was angry, but underneath, he was wrestling with a different thought. Maybe, just maybe, he and Feitan should go track down Larry themselves.
Was Chrollo being too cautious?
So what if the zoldyck family refused the hit? Maybe they were just being overly careful. Maybe Larry wasn't that strong.
Just as the idea took root in Phinks' head, something shimmered in his peripheral vision. A cold glint,too fast to fully register.
A sword Drawn in an instant. Before he could move, react, or speak, the blade slashed clean across his neck.
Slash!
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, drenching the floor. Phinks collapsed, his body giving out all at once. He didn't even get to cry out. His wide eyes, still open as he lay on the ground, reflected the killer's face, Feitan.
Shock and confusion twisted Phinks' expression in his final moments. 'Why…? Why would Feitan, his closest comrade, turn on him like this?'
They'd fought together, killed together, laughed together. But now… Feitan's sword had silenced him forever.
The room exploded into chaos. No one had seen it coming. "Feitan, what the hell are you doing?!" Pakunoda shouted, voice sharp and urgent.
The others were frozen in place, their minds struggling to keep up. Feitan and Phinks were always together, they were supposed to be tight. What could possibly make him do something like this?
Machi rushed to Phinks' side, desperate to do something. She tried to weave her Aura threads, but it was too late.
The wound was fatal. There was nothing to heal.
"Are you being controlled?" Chrollo's eyes narrowed. His voice dropped, turning colder by the second. "Or… are you not Feitan at all?"
There was a long pause.
Clap… clap… clap.
"Bravo," said the one wearing Feitan's face. The slow applause echoed through the room.
"You really live up to your name, Chrollo. That was fast." But his words, though delivered in Feitan's voice, were drenched in mockery.
Then came the twist. "You're right. I'm not Feitan."
Kuroro's hands trembled slightly, his mind racing as he tried to recall the moment Feitan had been replaced.
"What about the real Feitan?!" Pakunoda shouted, her voice thick with worry. The thought that yet another comrade might be gone was almost too much.
"Well...He's not safe, is he?"
The imposter gave a strange, twisted smile, voice laced with a dark undertone. He didn't need to say it outright. The truth was clear.
Feitan… was dead.
"If I'm right, you replaced Feitan before we even gathered in Yorknew," Kuroro said, though it sounded more like a fact than a question.
The fake Feitan raised an eyebrow, confirming it without hesitation. "Yes. The real Feitan died a while ago. I've been beside you all this time, since before Yorknew."
Kuroro clenched his fists, his expression grim. Even Feitan was gone. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, voice low and steady. "And what's your reason for infiltrating us?"
"I was sent by my master to watch over you," the imposter said. "My master's name is Larry."
And just like that, he vanished into thin air, leaving no trace, as though he had never existed. But the impact he left behind… was anything but forgettable.
"He disappeared~"Hisoka held up a joker card, covering his face just enough to hide the dangerous grin stretching across his lips.
That eerie tone of his sent a chill through the room. 'I didn't expect even Feitan to be replaced by Larry… and that ability…' Hisoka's charming eyes shimmered, not with excitement, but with something unfamiliar.
If the imposter could only mimic one person, it wouldn't be so bad. But if he could become anyone... then that power was terrifying.
Perfect for assassinations, infiltration… and the worst part?
No one could be sure if the person standing next to them was really who they claimed to be.
Hisoka's words snapped everyone out of their daze.
"He said… Larry sent him?" Shizuku's voice was soft, puzzled, her wide eyes filled with confusion. She just couldn't wrap her head around why Larry of all people would do this.
"Seems that way," Kuroro muttered, eyes lowered. He sat down slowly, the weight of everything crashing down on him.
"When we went after the auction, we must've already been in Larry's sights," he said. "Feitan was taken out and replaced before we even noticed. I don't know how he pulled it off… but his disguise was flawless."
It hit him then, this wasn't just a setback. It was a planned disaster from the start. They were doomed the moment they entered Yorknew.
For the first time, Kuroro felt truly powerless like they were standing at the bottom of a canyon, staring up at a threat too high to reach. He looked over at Machi, who was still crouched next to Phinks, and asked quietly, "Machi… Phinks?"
Machi stood slowly. She didn't speak, just shook her head. Kuroro sighed deeply, as if the last bit of hope had been crushed. "I see." He wasn't surprised. Just… tired.