Chapter 107: I Want You to Become the Uncrowned King of the Underworld
Any one of them could shake the underworld—but the Ten Elders, who once lorded over everything, are dead.
They sat in their chairs, nails driven through their heads, dying in ease—slain by an assassination ordered from the Zoldyck family. None survived.
When your own strength is insufficient—especially in a world where the supernatural exists—no matter how lofty your status, a single moment is all it takes.
Here, individual power can decide the outcome of an entire war.
"Hey, Phantom Troupe brat—make sure you've transferred the money into the account."
Silva spoke tersely, then prepared to leave with his father.
At that moment, amidst their departure, Yamcha called after them.
"That call just now—was that Illumi?"
"I'm his client. We met during the Hunter Exam."
Compared to Silva's taut nerves on seeing Yamcha, Zeno's tone was much more relaxed.
"I've heard about you from young Illumi—big spender, aren't you?"
"If everyone were as generous as you, we'd save ourselves a lot of trouble."
A client is also an assassination target—truly being handed the job on a silver platter.
"There are a billion jades on this card. Illumi knows the PIN." Aluka withdrew a black card from his pocket.
Instead of showing delight at business arriving, Silva's brow furrowed deeply. "What's this for?"
As the saying goes, rewards come only with achievements—one can't just take money for nothing. And Aluka's tone didn't sound like he was commissioning them.
"It's a courtesy gift for my visit. I intend to go to Kukuruku Mountain to pay respects to the Zoldyck family—and spar with you, Mr. Silva, while I'm at it."
Anyone else hearing that would think Aluka had lost his mind. Kukuruku Mountain—the Zoldycks' stronghold—no sane person would volunteer to visit such a place.
Unless he was mad, it meant he had supreme confidence.
When neither man replied, Yamcha's smile vanished, and his voice cooled. "Well? Not welcome?"
Silva felt a chill run down his spine, as if a fearsome beast had fixed its gaze on him. If Geno hadn't gripped him firmly, he would have struck in a reflex.
"Of course you're welcome. It's been ages since the Zoldycks have had visitors."
Zeno said.
"How delightful."
Yamcha's smile returned. Immediately, Silva's tension evaporated, as though the last moment had been an illusion.
The card floated down into Silva's hand. He said nothing, merely stared at Aluka.
Assassins are most sensitive to aura—Silva was certain nothing he'd just experienced was a mirage. This youth was far more powerful than his son had implied.
He glanced at Chrollo, then at Yamcha. How were these youngsters training? Each seemed more of a monster than the last.
Yamcha's purpose in visiting Kukuruku Mountain was simple: to test strength. He knew roughly where his power ranked in the Dragon Ball world, but not in the Hunter world. The Zoldyck family would be a perfect benchmark—undoubtedly strong.
And a chance to reclaim a bit of face. Illumi once tried to kill him—so he'd visit, spar with Silva, and call it even. After all, a son's debt is repaid by the father.
Yamcha considered himself generous.
After the two Zoldyck experts departed, Yamcha stopped the Troupe's leader.
"Mr. Chrollo," he said, "I need confirmation: the Ten Elders really were taken out?"
Once Chrollo confirmed it himself, they left.
The matter was simple. Before the Ten Elders commissioned the Zoldycks to kill Chrollo, Chrollo had secretly commissioned the Zoldycks to kill the Ten Elders.
And the Zoldycks had accepted both contracts—without telling either side. A surprisingly effective secrecy measure.
They simply waited to see which side would hold out. If the Elders endured, Chrollo would die; if Chrollo endured, the Ten Elders would die. The latter happened.
Chrollo weathered Zeno and Silva's attack, while the Ten Elders were felled instantly. They had grown complacent once their own assassination job was done—never considering the possibility that the same hitmen had a second contract.
Complacency cost them their lives.
"The time is ripe."
Yamcha turned to Mojito's bodyguard, Kalluto, standing respectfully behind him. "My student will lend you help, and I'll provide all the gear you need. I only ask one thing: take every chance to seize territory! Before the auction ends, I want you to become the Underworld's Uncrowned King!"
As for the Phantom Troupe hiding in Yorknew City?
Don't worry—they're busy enough dealing with one—or, rather, two—formidable enemies now.
On the night of September 4, the Mojito family suddenly began expanding their territory massively, unleashing heavy weapons with devastating power, steamrolling every gang in sight.
Overnight, countless gangs were decimated; many survived only by being absorbed.
Several top-tier gangs tried desperately to contact the Ten Elders—without success.
With the Ten Elders unreachable and internal undercurrents stirring, numerous ambitious gangs long eyeing the Elders' power began to move.
At the same time, Killua and Gon were both captured by the Phantom Troupe.
Kurapika and the Night Owl joined forces in a battle of wits to rescue them and counterattack.
In that fight, one of the Troupe's thirteen legs was severed—only ten remained.
The casualty was Pakunoda, the Troupe's information specialist. Her Nen ability, Memory Bullet, was troublesome: by touching a target, she could extract their memories and materialize them into bullets for her allies. Conversely, she could shoot the victim with their own memories to erase their mind to a baby's state.
She was the first to fall—killed by the Night Owl. Her body drained of blood, then reanimated as a corpse ghost under the Night Owl's control to attack the other Troupe members.
In fact, the Troupe lost more than that—their leader, Chrollo Lucilfer, was captured by Kurapika's chains.
Losing two information operatives was like snipping out the Troupe's eyes; without their leader, they were like a spider without a brain. The remaining legs—nine of them—didn't know how to function, and among those legs was an insect leg: Hisoka's.
"Divide and conquer—take them one by one."
That was the strategy set by the Night Owl and Kurapika.
The spiders were not an iron disc.
The hunter-and-hunted game had officially begun.
By September 6, Yorknew City—ablaze just a day before—had returned to peace. In just one day, the local gangs had effectively unified. Gangs elsewhere, unable to reach the Ten Elders for days, followed suit and established their own domains.
This continued until the auction's end on September 10, by which time the Mojito family had achieved meteoric growth—leaping to world-class status and becoming the stuff of legend among smaller gangs.
(End of Chapter)