"Forget it. Let the other two escape."Vega dispelled the Nen threads blocking his path and calmly walked toward the corpse impaled by the Red Shrike.
He crouched down and looked at the pale, lifeless face. A gaunt, gray-haired man—Omokage.
"Huh... didn't expect you to be the one who died."His tone was indifferent, almost bored.
Among the three, Omokage had the least combat value. In the future timeline Vega recalled, this guy even faked his death with Hisoka's help—so eliminating him now wouldn't impact the Phantom Troupe significantly.
Still, between killing Machi, Uvogin, or Kortopi, this outcome wasn't terrible.At the very least, Omokage death netted him nearly a thousand experience points.
Vega gripped the hilt and yanked the Red Shrike free from the corpse. At the same time, he sheathed Phantom Severance, its ghostly glow dimming slightly.
He sighed to himself.
His strength still wasn't enough. If it were, all three Troupe members would be dead now instead of just one.Worse, their sudden appearance had completely caught him off guard.
From Machi's expression back in the battle, it wasn't clear whether they came for personal reasons or because they'd accepted a bounty.
But Vega had his suspicions.
Meteor Street had deep ties to the underworld. The Ten Elders had connections with the Shadow Council, and the Phantom Troupe maintained a good relationship with both.It wasn't unreasonable to suspect they were hired by one of the Elders.
That thought put Vega on edge.
If the Troupe had ties to the Ten Elders, then the Pengellet family in Nacro City might already be in danger.
And now… Vega had a personal grudge with the Troupe. He'd killed one of their own.
Back in Yorknew City, Kurapika slaughtered Uvogin and the Troupe turned the city upside down for revenge.Now? The same might happen—for Omokage sake.
If they decided to retaliate, the Troupe could march straight into Nacro City and wipe out the Pengellets in a single night.
Of the whole family, only Kevin had been granted a Fire Glove—an enhanced ability, but still not enough.If Chrollo led the Troupe himself, there was no way the Pengellets could survive the assault.
"I'd better head back to Nacro City and reinforce the family," Vega muttered.
He scooped up all the rings and loot he'd taken from the Etro family's stronghold and turned to leave without hesitation.
Meanwhile…
Machi and Uvogin sprinted through the ruined buildings, not slowing until the battlefield had vanished from view.
Only when they reached a safe distance did Machi finally stop.
"All right, Uvogin," she said, scanning their surroundings. "No one's following us. We can stop here."
"Dammit…"Uvogin smashed his fist into a stone wall, blasting out a crater-sized hole.
"Omokage is dead… and we just ran. We ran like cowards without even trying to retrieve his body!"
He wasn't particularly close to Omokage, but still… the Troupe was a family. Every death mattered.
Machi didn't respond with comfort.People from Meteor Street didn't need sympathy. They needed revenge.
"If a comrade dies," she said coldly, "we kill the one responsible. If we can't kill them now… we get strong enough to do it later."
She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
—Beep. Beep.
"Have you completed the mission?" came a calm voice from the other end—Chrollo Lucilfer.
Machi rarely contacted him during an assignment unless it was done. That made him suspicious.
"No, boss," she said bluntly. "We engaged the target. He's far stronger than expected. Omokage is dead."
A brief pause.Chrollo's voice didn't change, but his tone darkened just slightly. "Tell me everything."
Machi gave a full report—how the battle began, Vega's unusual equipment, and most importantly, the armor known as Phantom Severance, which had blocked almost all their attacks.
Chrollo listened carefully.
After a moment, he gave a simple command. "Withdraw. Meet up with the others immediately."
No decision yet about revenge. That would come later—when the full group had reconvened.
He gave Machi the rendezvous point and ended the call.
Then he sat in silence, deep in thought.
This wasn't what he expected.
Vega had displayed power beyond what Chrollo anticipated. The fact that he had defeated three Troupe members—two of them core fighters—was unprecedented.
Even if Uvogin had managed to crack the helmet with his full-power Super Destruction Fist, Vega still came out on top.
If the Troupe wanted to continue this mission, they'd have to assemble all members and come to a collective decision.
Because if they didn't kill Vega now, he'd become a massive threat to every Troupe member going forward.
Their squad usually operated in pairs. But if Vega could eliminate three at once, then any encounter between him and a Troupe duo could end in disaster.
The longer they waited, the worse it could get.
With that, Chrollo made his decision.
He tapped a message into the group channel.
Four simple words:
"All members, assemble."