"Haahh…"
Chrollo adjusted his breathing slightly, then raised his hand and conjured the Bandit's Secret, gripping it tightly in his hand.
Kurapika saw that Chrollo used his ability again, and subconsciously became alert.
Adhering to the idea of not letting Chrollo get close to and hurt Moses, Kurapika focused all his attention on protecting Moses. If necessary, he is willing to use his physical body to shield Moses from harm.
Chrollo's expression remained cold as he quickly flipped through the pages of Bandit's Secret.
Rustle-
The pages flipped quickly before stopping abruptly.
[I Defy All Things]
On the page that stopped was the Emission-Type complete interception Nen Ability that Chrollo had previously used to block the first wave of 100-Type Guanyin.
After this ability takes effect, it would enter a brief cooldown period.
But now, the cooldown was over.
Hiss-
The Aura surrounding Chrollo surged outward at an incredible speed, forming an oval-shaped, pale golden barrier that enveloped him.
Kurapika's gaze swept towards the pale golden light shield, and his expression changed slightly.
Although he wasn't sure about the exact nature of the barrier, he could infer from its form that it was likely a defensive-type ability.
With this basic understanding, he could roughly deduce Chrollo's intentions.
It was highly probable that Chrollo was planning to use thus pure defense-type Nen Ability to create an opportunity to directly threaten Moses's life.
Since Moses was currently in the Zetsu state, even if Chrollo could pour the majority of his Aura to this defensive ability, he can still use the remaining Aura to easily take Moses's life.
95% of the defense would block Kurapika's attempts to interfere, as well as any potential variables from Moses.
The remaining 5% of the offensive power would be enough to end Moses's life before the defense faded.
Kurapika's sharp mind quickly picked up on this.
[Chain of Thorns]
Without any hesitation, Kurapika controlled the Chain of Thorns to wrap around Moses again.
Clink, clink-
The thorny chains, now in the shape of a birdcage, tightened even further, forming a nearly enclosed protective shield around Moses.
While setting up defensive measures, Kurapika deliberately redirected a greater portion of his Manifested Aura to the chains, leaving his personal defense in a precarious state.
This was a calculated move to tempt Chrollo into focusing his attacks on him instead of Moses.
In doing so, Kurapika might end up severely injured or even on the verge of death, but it could buy a few extra seconds.
Judgment, decision-making, execution...
Kurapika delivered a flawless response at this moment.
However, just as Kurapika could deduce Chrollo's intent from using I Defy All Things, Chrollo could also discern Kurapika's intentions from his defensive setup.
Boom!
Chrollo crushed the shattered stones beneath his feet as he charged toward Moses, who was protected by the thorn chain, with his oval light shield protecting him. He had no intention of attacking Kurapika at all.
Kurapika frowned, then he tried to stop Chrollo's advance.
However, their disparity in Aura allocation, and even the application of Nen Abilities, was glaring.
With most of his Aura poured into the Chain of Thorns, Kurapika couldn't even slow Chrollo down.
The next moment…
The pale golden light shield covering Chrollo smashed forcefully against the protective shield formed by the Chain of Thorns.
To a certain extent, the barrier's hardness was absolute before it shattered.
This violent impact immediately shattered the Chain of Thorns cage.
Moses, who was still sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation, once again faced the deadly threat from Chrollo.
Kurapika's face changed and he manipulated two chains at the fastest speed.
One aimed to attack Chrollo, while the other attempted to pull Moses out of Chrollo's attack range.
However-
The pale golden light shield on Chrollo's body has not yet broken.
Because of that, the chains attacking him struck the barrier with a metallic clang and was deflected without even causing a ripple.
As for the other chain meant to pull Moses away, Chrollo consciously positioned himself to use the barrier to block it.
At last…
Chrollo finally had a genuine opportunity to kill Moses!
But just as he was about to strike, Moses suddenly opened his eyes, but he was still in a Zetsu state when he opened his eyes.
In this situation, Chrollo only needed a minimal amount of Aura to twist Moses's neck effortlessly.
However, there was no emotion such as fear or panic in Moses's eyes.
Instead, he gazed calmly at the approaching threat, exuding a serene composure, as if entirely unbothered by the prospect of death.
For a fleeting moment…
It seemed as though Moses had transcended life and death.
"Chuu-"
Amid the fragments of broken chains and golden light, a faint, soft sound emerged.
It was the squeak of Rat Jewel.
[No Entry]
Following the cry came the ability activated by Rat Jewel.
In an instant, a red No Entry symbol and a timer displaying '1 second' appeared around Chrollo.
Under the influence of this ability, Chrollo suddenly went from moving to stillness, as though his body was trapped in a time-stopping phenomenon.
I Defy All Things could defend against attacks, but it could not immunize him from this ability that restricts 'movement'.
Chrollo was frozen in place, and his heart was shocked. He didn't expect that even up to this point of battle, Moses actually still had a trump card hidden...
One second passed.
The No Entry effect ended.
Chrollo regained his mobility, but the pale golden light shield on his body was now on the verge of shattering completely.
Before he could think about it, Chrollo continued with his killing intent.
But at this time, another Nen Bullet came from the side and hit the pale golden light shield on Chrollo's flank.
Bang!
At this moment, I Defy All Things, which was on the limit, shattered. The impact of this Nen Bullet, while it did not hurt Chrollo, it knocked him back a short distance.
This seemingly crucial Nen Bullet had come from Menchi.
Although it pushed Chrollo back, he still posed a threat to Moses, who is still in Zetsu state.
And even though his attacks were continuously blocked, Chrollo's composure remained unshaken.
But Menchi and Rat Jewel weren't the only ones lending a hand.
Whoosh-
Suddenly, a suction force swept through the battlefield.
It was the ability of Shizuku's Blinky. Shizuku controlled the suction force and forcibly pulled away the stone slab beneath Moses.
Whoosh-whoosh-
The slightly strong suction force sucked the stone slab that was supporting Moses into the air.
The combined efforts of his allies successfully pulled Moses out of harm's way, and for the first time, Chrollo's steadfast composure showed a crack.
He, who had led the multi-player team to encircle Moses, now also felt the pain of frustration of being 'ganged up on' himself.
Through it all, Moses remained composed, as if the previous dangers had been mere illusions.
Perhaps it was his trust in his companions' abilities, or perhaps he was truly unafraid of death in that moment.
The stone slab on which Moses was sitting landed in front of Shizuku.
Boom.
The stone slab shattered on impact, and Moses landed gracefully amid the flying debris, steadying himself with ease.
Kurapika, who was not far away, and Menchi, who chose the time to enter the fray at just the right moment, both breathed sighs of relief when they saw that Moses was safe and sound.
They couldn't understand Moses's calm demeanor, but as long as Moses was safe, it was enough.
In the swirling dust and fragments, Shizuku glanced at Moses's back and exhaled lightly.
Moses, his back turned to Shizuku, lowered his gaze.
Although the short duration of his Zetsu state hadn't restored much of his Potential Aura, it had allowed him to 'retain' the invaluable experience and sensations from using the 100-Type Guanyin.
'What an incredible feeling... but it feels as though it might vanish in the next moment.'
Moses thought to himself, then turned his attention to the slightly disheveled Chrollo.
From this moment on, the Phantom Troupe no longer held the upper hand and completely lost the chance to kill him, and at the same time, they were standing on the edge of the cliff called 'annihilation'.
"It's time to end this."
Moses's eyes were calm.