At the edge of the battle circle.
Moses looked calmly at Chrollo, who was besieged by Kurapika and the others.
From his perspective, Moses could clearly see that Chrollo's current state was far from optimal. His attacks lacked their earlier ferocity, and his defenses appeared increasingly desperate.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Chrollo fell.
So, whether Moses takes action or not, the outcome would be the same, as Chrollo would fall sooner or later.
With this thought, Moses shifted his gaze and first looked at Kastro's side, who was making the loudest noise.
The two Enhancers, Kastro and Wapol, were locked in a fierce battle. They were evenly matched, and the surrounding area was littered with the wreckage of destroyed chairs.
Moses retracted his gaze and turned to look at Hisoka's side. Even from a distance, he could see a faint smile on Hisoka's face, and it was obvious that he enjoyed his duel with Machi.
'Really enjoying yourself, huh?'
Moses raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering whether he should snatch Machi from Hisoka after his Potential Aura was restored more.
He brushed the thought aside and shifted his focus to the battle Biscuit's side. He then saw two black shadows moving and fighting at high speed.
'Hmm…'
Moses rested a hand on his chin.
He concluded that there was no need for him to take action on Chrollo's side.
He felt that it would be a good thing to let Chrollo experience the feeling of being besieged like him before, and then go to hell with resentment.
On the contrary, the other three battle zones in the venue...
None of them seemed likely to reach a decisive conclusion anytime soon.
Once his Potential Aura recovered to certain extent, Moses considered intervening in one of the battles.
In Moses's judgment, the battle between Kastro and Wapol should be the easiest to intervene.
Since the two Enhancers are evenly matched, then just giving a single push can tip the scales, and then snowball into a decisive victory.
However, when Moses saw that Kastro was also enjoying the fight so much, he didn't want to intervene.
As for the battle between Hisoka and Machi...
While Moses might consider Kastro's feelings, he wasn't about to do the same for Hisoka.
But then again, considering that Hisoka had proven himself a reliable tool person on many occasions, and he had even provided valuable intelligence as a double agent within the Phantom Troupe, it would be a bit unreasonable to ruin his fun at this moment.
Moses shook his head slightly, thinking that he should just let Hisoka savor the rare opportunity for enjoyment.
After all, the target he wanted to attack most right now was neither Chrollo nor Machi, but Feitan, who was currently occupied by Biscuit.
But before acting against Feitan, Moses planned to focus on recovering his Potential Aura while providing support for Kurapika's group.
Although in Chrollo's current state, it is impossible for him to cause any trouble…
But there is no guarantee that Chrollo still has a trump card hidden for a desperate counterattack, or a trump card for escaping.
To ensure such scenarios didn't occur, Moses felt it necessary to keep an eye on Chrollo before taking action against Feitan.
…
Under the siege of Kurapika, Menchi and Shizuku, Chrollo's situation grew increasingly dire.
Kurapika's eyes were bloodshot as he tirelessly sought an opening to bind Chrollo with his chains.
The Scarlet Eyes state can amplify Kurapika's Aura, but it will also put his body in a high-load state.
Kurapika is now at his limit.
However, he relied on his extremely strong willpower to grit his teeth and hold on.
I won't stop until I kill Chrollo!
This was the only thought running through Kurapika's mind.
Although Kurapika's Nen Ability has been operating at a high intensity, Chrollo is still able to keenly perceive Kurapika's deteriorating state.
He wasn't aware that Kurapika had only trained in Nen for a few months. Instead, he judged that Kurapika's condition was unstable based on the changes in the battle situation.
'A breakthrough...'
After making this judgment, Chrollo seized an opportunity. He first avoided the entanglement from Menchi and Shizuku, and then used his ability to teleport to Kurapika's left side at the exact moment Kurapika launched his chains.
Using his dominant hand to control the chains left Kurapika's left side vulnerable.
With his left hand enveloped in Aura, Chrollo struck decisively, aiming a sharp hand chop at Kurapika's neck.
Even as he attacked, Chrollo remained wary of Moses's movements.
If not for the pressure Moses exerted, Chrollo wouldn't have been forced into such a disadvantageous position.
But now, as long as he could take a hostage, he could use that person as bait to set a trap for Moses later...
As Chrollo's lightning-fast strike descended, Kurapika's pupils shrank in alarm. In the limited time he had to react, Kurapika chose not to defend himself but to counterattack recklessly.
'Even if it means death...'
'I will drag you to hell with me!'
Chrollo saw Kurapika's resolve reflected in his counterattack, but he didn't care at all.
The hand chop aimed at Kurapika's neck did not waver because of Kurapika's counterattack.
However-
The hand that was supposed to land on Kurapika's neck suddenly flew upwards.
To be more precise, the entire arm flew upwards with a stream of blood.
"Huh!?"
Chrollo's face, which is as cold as ice, couldn't help but reveal a hint of astonishment. He looked in the direction of the flying arm and saw Moses holding the black sword.
Despite having been on guard the whole time, Chrollo wasn't able to sense any Aura or killing intent before the strike landed.
The slash was so fast that he couldn't react at all.
Amid his shock, Chrollo vaguely sensed that something about Moses had changed, something he couldn't quite understand.
At the next moment…
Chrollo felt a slight pain in his chest and looked down, only to see a chain piercing straight into his chest.
He slowly raised his gaze, following the chain back to Kurapika, whose scarlet eyes burned with hatred.
The fury and loathing in those eyes...
It has something Chrollo had once felt himself.
Feeling his vitality slipping away, the astonishment on Chrollo's face faded away, replaced by a calm acceptance. It was a tranquility devoid of fear, even as death loomed closer.
Yet-
In the depths of his mind, fragmented images surfaced inexplicably, the tortured, mutilated bodies of his childhood friends.
'So, this is the end…?'
Chrollo murmured in his mind.
Kurapika's heavy breathing became visibly labored, his chest heaving violently as he stared at Chrollo's eerily serene reaction.
He wondered.
When this man was killing his clansmen, was he also like this… so cold and indifferent that he didn't even care about his own life, like a cold robot without any human emotions.
'Why… why...!'
Even after piercing Chrollo's heart with his chain, Kurapika did not feel the slightest sense of pleasure from revenge. Instead, an indescribable rage welled up in his chest.
Blood trickled from the corner of Chrollo's mouth. He ignored Kurapika, who was in a state of intense emotion, and turned his head to look at Moses.
"If you don't want him to suffer… you'd better… kill me yourself."
Chrollo's voice grew weaker, and in his blurry vision, he could see traces of ash-gray fragments began to float in the air.
These ash-like things are not Post-Mortem Nen, but the remnants of evil spirits.
Once their numbers grew sufficient, they would become vessels of evil spirits...
When Chrollo stole the Voodoo Doll ability, he had also inadvertently transferred the evil spirits that were entangled with the original owner of the ability to his Bandit's Secret.
Unexpectedly, these evil spirits would show up just as he was on the verge of death, and showed a tendency to transfer to Kurapika.
Still, if he could choose-
Chrollo sincerely hoped that these evil spirits would torment Moses instead, that was why he said those words to Moses.
Kurapika could also see the ash-like fragments drifting from Chrollo's body, but he paid them no mind and kept his gaze locked on Chrollo's face.
In just one or two seconds, the ash-like objects floating around turned into evil spirits with grotesque blackened features at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The evil spirits crept along the chain toward Kurapika.
At this time, Moses flashed over, glanced at the evil spirits of various shapes, and then looked at Chrollo.
"Your desperate hope before death..."
Moses took a step forward and raised his hand to block the evil spirits.
The evil spirits, that were wriggling in the air, looked at Moses's palm, and their empty facial features suddenly twisted slightly, revealing human-like fear.
Then, under Chrollo's dimming eyes, the evil spirits quickly melted into nothingness like snow under the sun.
Moses met Chrollo's gaze and said calmly:
"Is it useful?"