Netero, of course, was one of the first to learn about the enemy's arrival.
Jogo's power was on another level—and with each passing second, more people in Yorknew City were dying. It was only natural that Netero would be the first to move.
That said, Hunters like Yorkshire and the others responded quickly too. In no time, they were working alongside the authorities to evacuate civilians and lock down the battlefield. A whole set of contingency plans were drawn up. According to Xiang Nan, physical attacks barely affected the enemy. Even if the military were deployed, it would only lead to more casualties.
So the best course of action was to use the Association's network to urgently call in any nearby Hunters for support.
"Their mission… is probably to kill us—the Hunters stationed in Yorknew."
Elsewhere, standing on a rooftop, Xiang Nan put his phone away and offered his analysis.
As a player himself—someone who also held a First Kill Badge—Xiang Nan had a much better grasp of the invaders' circumstances than anyone else.
Hunter x Hunter wasn't a chaotic, anything-goes world like Gintama. There were rules. Which meant the invaders were likely given a quest the moment they arrived. And that quest? Most likely to assassinate specific targets—namely, him and the other Hunters in the city.
In short, Yorknew City was the battlefield now.
And the worst part? There were no battlefield restrictions in place.
Jogo and the others knew that. But nobody else in the Association—except for Xiang Nan—had picked up on it.
If he hadn't been here, people like Yorkshire, Pariston, Illumi, even Netero himself, would've never realized they'd already been marked by "fate."
If it weren't for the mission, Jogo wouldn't be going this far.
But this was unfamiliar territory. Instead of wasting time tracking down each target, it made more sense to make a scene and let them come to him.
He might not know how Hunters or Nen users fought, but at the very least, he understood their position—and that they were close.
In Jogo's mind, they were just like jujutsu sorcerers. Symbols of human justice.
So why not go all out? Destroy everything.
The Hunters would come eventually.
"Even me?" Illumi asked, pointing at himself.
"Of course," Xiang Nan replied with a faint smile.
"So if I just leave Yorknew now, they won't be able to complete their mission?" Illumi asked, a thought forming.
"Technically, yeah. But you're only thinking about it because I told you. If I hadn't, you'd have never realized. That's exactly why they're making such a big commotion—to kill us as quickly as possible, before anything unexpected happens, before someone tries to escape. From the Hunter Association's perspective, no matter how many enemies show up, someone will step in. Even the cautious ones would probably come take a look, just out of curiosity," Xiang Nan explained.
"Fair point."
Illumi nodded. Without Xiang Nan's insight, he definitely would've gone to check things out, curious about Jogo and the others.
"Still waiting? I doubt Netero will make it here in time. Looks like this battlefield is theirs now," Illumi added, glancing toward the distance.
By "they," of course, he meant Pariston's group.
Right then, several kilometers away, a massive burst of Nen shook the sky—followed by a wave of dark, heavy energy erupting from the ground.
"Looks like they found him," Xiang Nan muttered calmly, smiling.
"That's the On you mentioned? Curse energy or whatever? Feels a lot like those cursed spirits," Illumi said, eyes narrowing at the two towering figures now standing tall in the cityscape. "I sensed it when I met them before… but not this clearly."
One of those figures was unmistakably Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin.
The other… was Jed.
Netero's old friend—revived through resentment and manifesting the The Grudge of One-Hundred Demons: Rakshasa.
Just by appearance and pressure alone, it was easily on par with Netero's Guanyin.
Xiang Nan had orchestrated this from the start. Illumi's task was to make contact, lure Jed and his people to Yorknew, and destroy the Association.
The targets? Chairman Netero and Vice-Chairman Pariston.
Xiang Nan had long suspected that Pariston's ace-in-the-hole was Netero himself.
And killing Netero… had always been Jed's mission and personal vendetta. Shadow wouldn't waste an opportunity like this.
That's why Xiang Nan had held back. Why he didn't immediately pass the enemy intel to Netero or Pariston. He needed time—for Jed to find and lock down the old man.
Netero had tried to use him to uncover the secrets of the multiverse. Ironically, it gave Xiang Nan more control over the battlefield.
The Association couldn't act until they received information from him. That's why Xiang Nan responded the way he did when Netero called.
"You're right—Jed's just like those cursed spirits. He can go incorporeal to avoid physical attacks. But his resentment energy is personal, not worldly—that's one big difference. And honestly, he's way stronger than the intruders. He knows how Hunters fight, how they think. His On hits hardest on the mental front…"
As Xiang Nan spoke, the sky over the city darkened. A massive cloud of black energy had taken shape.
Beneath it, the Guanyin deity shone brilliantly.
"Let's go. This is gonna be one hell of a show."
He stepped into the void and dropped from the rooftop.
"You sure this is okay? If the Association finds out, they'll label you a traitor," Illumi said, free-falling beside him.
"You gonna report me?"
"Of course not."
"Then no problem."
"Besides," Xiang Nan continued, "this is a game between me and Pariston. The old man got involved to protect him, to make him a player on the board. He should've expected this outcome."
"Because now—we're opponents."
…
"It's the Chairman!"
Elsewhere, Yorkshire and Mizaistom both stiffened the moment they felt Netero's aura and spotted the Guanyin.
"What the hell is that?" Mizaistom blurted, stunned.
A powerful enemy was preventing Netero from acting.
He could feel the dark aura the enemy was giving off.
"Wait… could he be working with that fire user?"
Right now, the two of them were helping evacuate civilians, seal off the area, and rescue survivors from the ruins. Per Netero's instructions, Xiang Nan was supposed to take the fight directly to the enemy—not them.
The enemy was way too strong. If they rushed in recklessly, they'd die.
"So that's your ace…" Pariston said quietly from beside Yorkshire, a slight smile on his face.
He recognized the On instantly. It hadn't shown itself to the public yet, but Shadow had been moving for years, building strength. As Vice-Chairman, Pariston was well-versed in the Association's history.
He immediately understood: the sudden appearance of Shadow in Yorknew? It was Xiang Nan's doing.
Probably a "gift" for both him and Netero.
"Didn't expect you to use it here," he muttered with a smirk.
"Should we go help the Chairman?" one of the Hunters asked, looking at Yorkshire.
"No. Our top priority right now is stopping those cursed spirits. Especially that fire one—it's wrecking the city. If we don't stop it soon, the damage and death toll are going to spiral out of control."
Yorkshire's answer was immediate and firm. But her eyes betrayed the anxiety behind her calm exterior.
Pariston watched her carefully.
She's overwhelmed. Too many unknowns, too many crises. It's only a matter of time before she walks into Xiang Nan's trap…
No sooner had he thought it than Yorkshire said urgently:
"Stall the cursed spirits. Buy time. We wait for the Chairman to wrap things up and get here."
Just as expected, Pariston thought.
Still too easy.
It was the best plan on the surface—but...
"Vice-Chairman, aren't you going to say something?" Yorkshire suddenly snapped, glaring at him. Her face was flushed, her tone sharp. "Stop pretending you're not involved!"
"I don't know what you and Xiang Nan are playing at, but right now we need to deal with those cursed spirits!"
"I hear you," Pariston said gently. "But before we came to Yorknew, the Chairman handed you full authority. I'm technically still under investigation—not the Vice-Chairman."
"You—!"
Yorkshire's face twisted with anger.
"Don't be mad. I support your plan. With so many unknown variables, keeping things contained and stalling is the smart move."
He raised a hand in mock surrender.
Yorkshire didn't have time to argue. She turned and ordered several staff members to start drafting the battle plan.
"Shouldn't we contact Xiang Nan? These guys are strong. Even probing them might take one of us," Pariston said casually.
Mizaistom quickly pulled out his phone to call Xiang Nan.
A few moments later, his expression froze.
Busy signal.
He tried again. Still nothing.
Xiang Nan had cut contact.
That meant, from now on, they had zero visibility on his location, condition, or actions.
"Could he already be fighting them?" Mizaistom wondered aloud.
He immediately tried calling the Hunters who'd been monitoring the cursed spirits from the shadows.
No answer.
They were likely dead.
By what? Possibly the cursed spirits.
"Goddammit!"
Yorkshire finally lost it.
Even she couldn't hold it in anymore.
Whether she was cursing Xiang Nan… or the smug Pariston beside her… wasn't clear.
…
"Tch."
Fifteen minutes earlier—
Jogo stood in the middle of the burning city, clearly pissed. A vein pulsed visibly on his forehead.
He had already reduced blocks of Yorknew to rubble, turned countless humans into ash—and yet, the so-called Hunters were still nowhere to be seen.
Pathetic.
To him, it was like they were hiding in their shells, too scared to show their faces.
"Oi… Are you guys sure your intel was right?" he growled, turning toward the three yellow-skinned cursed spirits. "Weren't they supposed to be in this city? Don't tell me they ran away."
The yellow spirit replied calmly, without even flinching.
"Told you. You made too much noise too fast. If they caught on, they might've bailed. If they're gone, we're screwed. We fail the mission and end up shooting ourselves in the foot."
"Tch. Who would've thought they'd be such cowards…" Jogo muttered, not even bothering to argue this time. He knew they had a point.
"Still, it's unlikely," the yellow spirit continued, eyes narrowing. "According to our mission prompt, the targets are still inside this city. And unless they realize they've been marked, Hunters aren't the type to run. They'll try to intercept us first."
He paused, voice turning more serious.
"Besides… based on how the system works, there's always a trigger that pushes confrontation. Failure due to imbalance doesn't happen at the start—it kicks in later."
"Also…" The yellow spirit looked up toward the smoke-filled sky. "There's probably someone on their side who's like us."
"Another player?" Jogo asked.
The yellow one nodded.
"Yeah. A 'messenger,' just like us."
In Jujutsu Kaisen terms, "messenger" referred to players—outsiders pulled into the system with quests and powers of their own.
Just as the two finished speaking, Jogo's giant eye twitched. His mouth curled into a sharp grin.
He had sensed something.
Without a word, both he and Hanami suddenly bolted forward—disappearing in a blur.
Seconds later, they landed in a narrow alley framed by the charred remains of two collapsed buildings, flames crackling around them.
Trapped in the middle was a lone Hunter, caught mid-escape.
Jogo licked his lips.
"Finally… found one," he said, a mix of excitement and menace in his voice. "A Hunter, huh?"
His gaze locked onto the man cowering in the alley. The Hunter's face had gone ghost-white, frozen in fear.
"Don't kill him," Hanami said coolly. "We need to know where the others are."
"Relax. I know."
Jogo raised his arm and extended his palm. A swirling ball of fire burst to life in his hand, flames dancing in his palm like a predator tasting blood.