Ronin's objective was to stall Feitan, leaving Phinks and the unknown Troupe member to the Zoldyck duo.
He wasn't surprised to see an unfamiliar face among the Spiders.
Chronologically, the Troupe's original Number 8 shouldn't be dead yet.
Ironically, Silva Zoldyck was the one destined to kill him.
Seeing them cross paths here felt almost like fate.
As for why Ronin chose to occupy Feitan, it was simple: he considered Feitan the biggest threat.
Based on what Ronin knew from the manga, if you didn't kill Feitan instantly—if you just broke his arm or injured him—he would unleash Pain Packer, an attack powerful enough to incinerate the entire Cemetery Building.
Zeno glanced at Ronin for a split second before looking away.
Ronin's proposal was sound. The only problem was... who the hell are you?
And two minutes?
The Troupe members outside wouldn't give them two minutes. If a fight broke out, the members inside would signal for help. It wouldn't take ten seconds for the others to storm the building.
In Zeno's estimation, they had one shot. They had to kill their targets in under ten seconds. Any longer, and the question wouldn't be whether they could kill the Spiders—it would be whether they could escape with their lives.
"Dad, be careful. We strike together," Silva said, his expression grim. He was on the same page as his father.
But before they could move, Feitan raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
"Don't rush."
His words were useless.
Assassins didn't do small talk.
Silva and Zeno vanished instantly. Feitan's narrow eyes flashed with annoyance, and he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. But his reflexes were sharp—he sidestepped abruptly, his rapier thrusting out to intercept the attack.
Ronin frowned. Something felt off.
When Feitan said "Don't rush," his eyes had flicked briefly in Ronin's direction.
And Ronin could feel distinct malice in the man's aura.
Did he spot me? Impossible.
Regardless of whether Feitan had noticed him, the moment the Zoldycks moved, Ronin's shadow clone dropped all pretenses. He launched himself off the second-floor balcony.
His hands flew through a series of seals, and the screeching sound of a thousand birds suddenly filled the building.
Zeno and Silva materialized next to the unknown member, Isori.
Isori's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected these two powerhouses to target him first.
But he didn't panic.
His lean body was already in a slightly backward-leaning stance, arms hanging naturally at his sides.
Two revolvers hung at his waist.
Isori had been on high alert from the start. His stance was perfectly optimized for a quick draw.
By the time Zeno and Silva appeared, a revolver was already in Isori's hand.
BANG!
The bullet fired, aiming straight for Silva's face.
Simultaneously, Phinks—who had been standing next to Isori—lunged, throwing a punch directly at Zeno.
At the same time, a rapier darted toward Zeno's kidney from the side.
In that fraction of a second, Zeno twisted his body slightly. The rapier missed. Zeno's hand, formed into a knife-hand strike, thrust forward to meet Phinks's fist.
A loud crack echoed as the impact forced Zeno backward. The rapier pursued him relentlessly.
"Tsk!"
Zeno clicked his tongue but didn't stop moving. He pressed his arm down, releasing a burst of aura that slammed into the rapier, deflecting it downward. Without missing a beat, he kicked out at Feitan.
But Phinks was already closing in again. As he approached, Zeno clearly saw him rotate his arm at his side.
With that simple motion, the aura around Phinks's arm swelled dramatically.
Interesting!
Just as Phinks's fist was about to smash into Zeno, the screech of chirping birds erupted behind him.
Blue lightning illuminated the dim hall.
Ronin, in his Kakashi disguise, appeared behind Phinks. Lightning crackled in his right hand—Kakashi's signature jutsu, Chidori.
Phinks scoffed. In an instant, he twisted his waist and threw a punch backward.
BOOM!
Blood sprayed. Ronin and Phinks passed each other in a blur.
Zeno's eyes lit up. Dodging another strike from Feitan, he clapped his hands together, releasing a massive surge of aura.
The energy coalesced into the shape of a furious dragon head. With a whip of his arms, Zeno sent the dragon tearing toward Phinks.
A piercing roar filled the building.
But before the dragon could reach Phinks, the ground beneath them cracked open. A giant sphere erupted from the floor, knocking Zeno off balance. The dragon head missed Phinks's skull, only tearing a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.
At the same time, a massive explosion rocked the other side of the room.
It was Silva.
When Zeno was intercepted by Phinks, Silva had tilted his head, dodging Isori's bullet.
Aura surged around his fists, forming two dense spheres of energy. He brought them down toward Isori's head like twin hammers.
But Isori's gaunt face showed no fear. The bullet that had missed Silva suddenly detonated mid-air behind him.
The shockwave from the explosion slammed into Silva, pushing him down toward Isori even faster.
Isori fired a second shot.
This bullet exploded less than a meter from the barrel. The blast hit Silva, but it also engulfed Isori himself.
Isori's body was blown backward by the force of his own explosion, sending him flying out of range.
Silva, weathering the blast, slammed his fists into the ground where Isori had just been standing.
Before Silva could follow up, Isori let out a piercing whistle. Less than a second later, the floor split open, and something massive smashed through from below.
Ronin landed, taking in the chaos. He knew exactly who was attacking from underground.
Troupe Member Number 12, Bonolenov.
The object that had just erupted from the floor was his Nen ability: Battle Cantabile: Jupiter.
For him to attack this quickly meant he had been positioned below, ready to provide support, from the very beginning.
If that was the case... Ronin glanced toward the windows.
Everything happening here was likely being monitored by the rest of the Troupe.
As the thought crossed his mind, an arm suddenly burst through the floor beneath his feet, grabbing for his ankle.
Chains were wrapped around the arm. Before the hand could even make contact, the chains lashed out, attempting to shackle him.
It wasn't an ability Ronin recognized from the series, which meant the user was most likely Chrollo Lucilfer, using a stolen ability.
Ronin didn't dodge. instead, his hands flew into a seal.
Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu.
Rock quickly encased his arm, forming a massive stone gauntlet.
He raised the fist. The chakra receded, replaced instantly by a surge of Enhancement aura.
Big Bang Impact.
He punched straight down at the arm reaching for him!