At this point, there's no choice but to grit his teeth and keep acting out this charade.
Majtani pretended as if everything was under his control, letting out a sinister laugh as he slowly turned around, revealing the second secret weapon on his back.
"A spider tattoo with twelve legs? Could he be...?!" Leorio's eyes widened instantly, and Kurapika beside him also narrowed his eyes.
"Heh, anyone aspiring to be a Hunter must have heard of the most notorious band of thieves in history!" Majtani could only hope to intimidate them with this. "The mark of the Phantom Troupe!!"
"What is that, Leorio?" Gon, who came from the rural Whale Island, had never encountered this and didn't know it was the Phantom Troupe's insignia.
"That's the mark of the globally infamous group of killers, the Phantom Troupe members." Leorio's expression turned serious, and his tone unconsciously grew heavy.
"The Phantom Troupe? Which means... Kurapika!" Realizing the implication, Gon immediately turned to look at Kurapika, and sure enough, Kurapika's eyes had turned a blood-red hue. Kurapika pressed his lips tightly together.
He hadn't expected to encounter a member of the Spiders here... or perhaps it wasn't even certain if the person was genuine!! Kurapika's emotions calmed slightly, but his eyes remained blood-red, fixed intently on the spider tattoo on Majtani's back.
"Don't worry, Kurapika. If his opponent is Morin, he won't have it easy." Leorio's face was unusually solemn, showing his concern for his companion's situation.
Encountering a member of the murderous Phantom Troupe here made him very mindful of Kurapika's current state.
"Phantom Troupe?" Killua glanced at Majtani, a hint of doubt in his eyes. Such a weakling could hardly match the highest commission level his family had ever issued.
"What's wrong, cat got your tongue? I'm one of the Phantom Troupe's Four Kings, known to the outside world as the King of Destruction—Majtani, hahaha!" On the platform, Majtani slowly turned around, feigning a bloodthirsty and cruel demeanor.
"That last move was just a greeting. If you want to surrender, do it now, before I really get angry..." Watching Majtani gloating on the platform, Kurapika's expression finally softened.
"His words are full of holes. Firstly, the real Phantom Troupe mark should have the member's number within the spider tattoo, and they've killed so many that they wouldn't bother counting."
Kurapika explained, slowly closing his eyes to hide the Scarlet Eyes, not wanting to taint them with the filth of the impostor.
"So, he's likely a fake, and a con artist using the Phantom Troupe's name." "A fake..." Leorio and Gon both had a look of realization, though they didn't seem much relieved.
Clearly, Majtani's self-proclaimed Phantom Troupe mark had stirred Kurapika's painful memories, casting a somber mood over the scene.
On the field, Majtani was still laughing heartily. "My next move won't be as simple as hitting the floor, but if you surrender, I might spare your life. How about it? Hahaha!" He continued his grand performance of laughter.
But Morin, who was supposed to play along, chose to ignore him. No, rather, he was simply watching to see how Majtani would justify himself.
"Hahaha... ha... ha..." Finally, with Morin not responding and his expression unchanged, Majtani's awkward laughter gradually faded. Even if he was slow-witted, he could sense something was off.
"Are you done laughing?" After a few seconds of silence in the arena, Morin finally spoke. He looked into Majtani's eyes, expressionless as he slowly extended three fingers:
"I have three pieces of advice for you."
"First, Phantom Troupe members have never been captured as prisoners; they fight to the last breath."
"Second, the spider tattoo on a Phantom Troupe member's back always has their number. You don't even know these basic facts, yet you dare to deceive others.
'Killed nineteen people'? Destruction King of the Heavenly Kings? The Phantom Troupe never counts their kills because there are too many to count."
"And there's no such thing as the Four Heavenly Kings. There are only thirteen members. Wouldn't that imply there are also Double Emperors, Three Heads, Five Kings, Seven Warlords, and more bizarre titles?"
"No such frivolity exists. Besides the leader and deputy leader, the rest are simply members."
"The third and most important point—" Morin glanced at the ground beneath his feet, which was indeed a significant crater, but... compared to an attack generated by Nen, it was far inferior.
"Every Phantom Troupe member possesses strength at least equal to that of a seasoned Hunter, if not the higher-ups of the Hunter Association's Zodiac Twelve."
"With your level of destruction, claiming to be the King of Destruction is laughable at best."
---
As soon as Morin uttered his first sentence, sweat began to bead on Majtani's face. With each word Morin spoke, the perspiration on Majtani's forehead increased.
"One last piece of advice: among the Phantom Troupe, everyone looks pretty good. Even the least attractive member is far more handsome than your botched plastic surgery face!" As Morin finished, Majtani was already drenched in sweat, and his iron-plated right hand started trembling uncontrollably.
"How embarrassing, to be exposed so thoroughly." The candle-wielding Sedokan sat against the wall, spitting disdainfully at Majtani after hearing Morin's string of revelations.
"You always said my deception skills were low-level, just relying on small props, but you're even worse."
Indeed, failing to grasp even the most basic information about the criminal group he was impersonating and then trying to deceive others was truly laughable.
On the other cliff, Leorio and the others nodded as if gaining new knowledge after listening to Morin's explanation. "I see, so that's the real marker of a Phantom Troupe member. Now, if we encounter them, we'll recognize it." The single-minded Gon also nodded, having no other thoughts.
However, the more observant Killua was somewhat curious. "Does every member of the Phantom Troupe really have strength comparable to a seasoned Hunter?" he pondered, leaning back with his hands behind his head.
If that's the case, it barely meets their family's standard for top-level commissions. But it still seemed lacking somehow.
Back in the arena, "Hahaha... haha... ha..." After Morin exposed his web of lies, Majtani could do nothing but continue his dry laughter, realizing he was powerless.
Morin shook his head and stepped forward, causing Majtani to instinctively step back. With each advance and retreat, everyone knew what the outcome of this match would be.
"Crack?" When Majtani finally retreated to the edge of the platform, the sound of small stones falling made his body suddenly stiffen. With nowhere left to retreat, Majtani's body started trembling uncontrollably, his ugly face twisted further in terror.
By this time, Morin had already reached the center of the arena. "You know, among the Phantom Troupe members, there's one called Uvogin," Morin suddenly said. "He's the strongest in arm strength and physical power within the troupe. His most prideful technique is a punch called the 'Big Bang Impact.'"
As he spoke, Morin slowly raised his arm. "What is that?!" In front of the screen, Sedokan's pupils shrank dramatically. Using [Gyo]
he could clearly see the aura gathering on Morin's fist! "Such a level of Nen, such an amount of aura," Lippo murmured, "truly deserving of the title of one of the world's top five Nen users."
In the scene, Morin's arm was raised high. Even those who didn't understand Nen could feel the terrifying aura emanating from Morin's fist, enough to make one's heart quiver with fear!!
"He's the one stronger than Director Sedokan!!" Over at the prisoner's cliff, Bendot's expression changed dramatically. He was now certain that Morin was the formidable examinee Lippo had mentioned.
He felt the same aura from Morin's fist that he had sensed when Lippo arrested him! In fact, this examinee's aura was even stronger than Lippo's back then!!
"Good thing I didn't go up there." Bendot felt immensely relieved. Indeed, for this third match, the opponent had sent out their strongest member. Poor Majtani had unwittingly hit the jackpot.
On the platform, Majtani, the person in question, was already too frightened by the scene to say anything. He could only watch as Morin gathered aura and Nen into his fist. And then?
"Let's give it a try." Morin smiled lightly, bringing his fist down toward the ground. "Wah!!" Majtani suddenly screamed hysterically and charged at Morin in a desperate leap!!
Boom!! A massive sound erupted from the platform. The boundless wave of aura surged, carrying storm-like debris shooting outward.
The intense roar echoed throughout the entire arena. Although Morin wasn't using Uvogin's version of the [Big Bang Impact], the principle was the same—a right straight punch infused with Nen.
Read 140 chapters ahead at:
[email protected]/NenMaster