Chapter 93: Enemies and Shadows

The sound of horns and shouting ceased without hesitation at the sound of a gunshot.

When Squala and the others abandoned their car on the already congested road and tried to escape, they were discovered by Nobunaga and the others; no one could honk their horns anymore, and there was even a report that a woman had fired a gun.

Everyone tried to escape reality by thinking this was a film shoot or something similar, but their instincts noticed the truth.

It was that killing intent, sharp as a blade and scorching as the fires of hell, that told them this was reality.

"... Are you Sora Shikiori?"

Nobunaga called out to a white-haired woman wearing a Red Coat, his heart filled with deep hatred, an obsession born of that hatred, and the joy of being before the person he sought.

Her most distinctive eyes were covered by thick bandages, but even with her gray-white hair and most of her face obscured, there was no need to confirm that she was a rather beautiful person; it was clear she was the one in the crowd whose "presence" had suddenly vanished while they were in pursuit.

Just a few minutes ago, Kortopi's "presence" had vanished. The three of them had long since split up from their captain and were at a loss, but everyone decided not to issue orders and went to find the people in the escape car themselves; I stopped.

Considering the Prophecy, not only Pakunoda and Kortopi, but even Nobunaga, who was not very calm to begin with, knew that getting involved with this woman, Sora Shikiori, was a bad move, but precisely because of that, she was not someone they could let go. It was too bad.

Especially the supernatural eyes the commander was obsessed with, the 【Deadly Evil Eye】, which for some reason were bandaged thickly and sealed tight.

Sora did not respond to Nobunaga's words. Even if I denied it, he wouldn't believe me and set me free, so I stood in front of Squala, blocking his path; without counterattacking, I closed my eyes and looked straight at the three of them.

Seeing Sora act this way, Nobunaga let out a hum, looking as if he really didn't like it.

"From your outfit, I guess you look like a 'Red Coat'."

"... Even so, ha! Is that 'Kogyoku' really that important?"

"Hm?"

However, regardless of what Nobunaga said in the first half, Sora and Squala could not understand the second half and were completely confused.

Or rather, although Sora didn't realize it, Squala saw that the two people behind Nobunaga were also confused by his words. Even Kortopi, whose face was mostly covered, seemed to be saying, "Hm?"

However, Nobunaga ignored the two in front and did not notice the confusion of the two behind, proceeding on his own.

"Hey, you pathetic chain-using bastard, big enough to hide behind a sister's back."

"Nobunaga! No!!"

The first to react to Nobunaga's taunting words were his comrades behind him.

And having said it so clearly, both Sora and Squala understood the meaning of Nobunaga's words just now.

It seemed Nobunaga had mistaken Squala for Kurapika, the chain-using bastard, because Sora was protecting Squala.

"You idiot!? Your head is bleeding too much!! That man's face is on the Hunter Site!?"

"... Or rather, no matter how you look at it, this person is older than him and doesn't look like his younger brother; I think his ability is probably just controlling those dogs."

For some reason, when Nobunaga confirmed that the person in front of him was Sora Shikiori, the idea that the man she was protecting was that chain-using bastard seemed to have completely vanished.

"... Should we run away now?"

"... That's right."

"Wait!"

While Sora and the others were secretly trying to retreat as their companions scolded Nobunaga for being so stupid and making such a bold misunderstanding, they were, as expected, discovered.

And after being unreasonably offended by Nobunaga, Sora could only say in a weary voice, "I don't know...". This was correct. Regarding this, Pakunoda and Kortopi also felt sorry for Sora.

But I felt sorry for them, so they were not the kind of people I would let go.

Pakunoda, still holding her pistol, managed to correct the course of the conversation, even though she was uncomfortable with the loose atmosphere Nobunaga had created.

"Forget about Nobunaga's stupid remarks for now."

"Also, I will ask you some questions, so please answer truthfully. If you answer my questions, you will want me to... I can't, but I won't kill you."

As she spoke, the three of them gradually closed the distance.

Unusually, there was no lie in Pakunoda's words. Of course, I had no intention of killing Squala, let alone Sora.

Normally, if I extract information, even if I keep the person alive, they become an Obstacle, so I basically kill them; but if Sora killed the person she was protecting, even if he wasn't the chain-using bastard, she would incur her wrath, and that was the "Void" in the Prophecy, because she judged that this might lead to a situation where the "Goddess" was awakened.

However, Sora and the others knew nothing about this situation and naturally could not believe such words.

First, because of being bitten by the weak, the information seemed to have become blurred, but Nobunaga still didn't know Kurapika's face; yet for some reason, he knew he was Sora's "younger brother," and "the mystery remains" as if he knew he was a member of the Kurta clan; he called out Kogyoku, so Sora did not let her guard down.

Squala knew nothing about "Kogyoku," but she had the same suspicion about the "younger brother" as Sora, so she kept her head down.

While continuing to remain silent, Squala was dominated by something that was unclear whether it was a resolution or resignation.

This intuition could only be clearly articulated by those who had survived on the battlefield and escaped from the scythe of the Death God.

(I am going to die here.)

Despite being dominated by this premonition, Squala took action.

With my tail tucked between my hind legs, although I was terrified, I still used "Ryu" on the dogs that were growling at the three of them as if protecting their master, stopped the supply of Qi, and whistled. As instructed.

"Go find Eliza."

For a moment, the three members of the Phantom Troupe were wary of Squala's whistle, but before that, they had already stopped providing Qi to the dogs, so they didn't even launch an attack.

I used to treat them as tools. Although I knew that the enemy was Deadly, there was a special attack against him, but even so, he had acquired this ability because he truly loved dogs and lived with them as if they were his own family. Because.

So even though I knew I would die, I had no intention of sacrificing a dog to buy time.

I want you to live.

I ordered her as a last resort, hoping she could live on, continue to protect her in my stead, and heal her heart—a heart that would be hurt by my actions, even if only a little.

In the end, although angered by Sora's self-sacrificing words and actions, he himself did not change; although he mocked himself for being about to die, whether Squala decided to stick to his stubbornness because he had made up his mind, or had resigned himself? In desperation, he grabbed Sora's shoulder, wanting to take a step forward.

"Squala?"

"... Don't move. What do you mean?"

Sora turned around, and Nobunaga assumed a matching stance again while asking.

Squala answered the question while scolding her startled legs.

"Hmph! I guess that's what you're saying. Although I misunderstood, I just thought it was truly pathetic to hide behind a woman of such age."

Digging up Nobunaga's dark history, he retorted.

I am prepared to die. I have given up on dying here.

However, if I am to die, I must at least Stick to this stubbornness.

If being protected by a woman around the same age as his lover could only extend his life by a few seconds, he wanted a position where he could protect himself.

After all, this is not for Sora, nor is it for Kurapika. Not even for a lover. This is for myself.

I am certain that if Eliza died to protect a stranger, she would be angry.

But, even if she abandoned the young woman she was protecting and survived, despite it being a complete stranger, Eliza would still be angry. This one would never forgive me.

Even if Squala were happy to have survived for his own sake, Eliza would surely mourn for the woman who was sacrificed, and would hate herself for feeling happy about her own sacrifice.

Squala does not remember falling in love with a woman who would not feel guilty about the sacrifice of a young woman who protected him.

So, in order not to make Eliza angry, not to disappoint her, and not to make her feel self-loathing and guilt, Squala Sticks to her stubbornness.

After digging up the dark history, Nobunaga shouted: "Forget it!"

Such a simple idiot, whether an enemy or an ally, is probably a good thing for Nobunaga.

Pakunoda and Kortopi let out annoyed sighs at Nobunaga's reaction, but they knew that Nobunaga would not kill someone or a situation without hesitation just because he liked them, so they left him alone.

Furthermore, I do not want to wake the "Goddess of the Sky," so I do not want to kill it, but I am worried about what to do with an opponent willing to use a suicide attack to kill me, but Sora blew away my worries.

"This is none of your business!!"

"Gaff!!"

"Eh!?"

Sora utilized the zero-distance with Squala, struck him with his elbow, and blew him away.

The three members of the Brigade were stunned, not expecting them to sweep away their troubles with their physical bodies. The people in the car who had nothing to do with it were also noisy.

And even if startled, Squala would easily stand up and complain: "What are you doing!! I mean, what are you thinking!?" No wonder.

However, for the completely unusual Sora, "I was just angry. I regret it now." There is no way.

He did not struggle, puffed out his chest, and said: "I just told you! There is no need to help! If you want to blow me away with my injuries, then run!!"

Although it was absurd, Squala knew that Sora's statement was correct.

I grabbed the arm of the one running away; the body temperature was significantly higher than a normal person's, and the aura on the body was weak. Even if you saved them, if you didn't, the amount of that aura would surely be painful.

Even if it was a surprise attack, Squala could do nothing, because she was blown away about two meters by such a woman who was clearly in poor condition. I wonder if I can still buy time.

However, since he knew this and still wanted to do it, Squala was furious and roared: "Are you stupid! Do you want to die!?"

However, that Curse was immediately repelled, even more fiercely than Squala.

"I don't know what to do!! Almost all of my principles of action put 'I don't want to die' first!!"

I mean, this is the line!! If you want to die, the reason for dying has nothing to do with me! I have a reason to protect you, but I don't want to be the reason for suicide!!"

If you don't want to die like that, then you have misunderstood your stubbornness!! If you are still alive, you will have many opportunities to clear your name, so don't forget the most important thing!!"

Squala could say nothing to the words snatched back.

I didn't say anything about Eliza. But his answer was as if he had seen through it.

Prepared to die, gave up on living, didn't want to die and didn't want to struggle uglily, so I had to look away.

Sora confronted Squala, who wanted to live with his beloved.

Of course, Sora did not know of the existence of Squala's lover. I didn't know, but I could imagine.

Unlike Wese and Senritsu, he had no reason to protect himself, but considering he agreed to hide me, I think he might like Sora, but he wasn't that arrogant.

If that's the case, no matter how important the dog is, I don't want to hurt it as much as possible, and I want to protect the person, but in this situation, it's impossible to let the dog escape without using the dog.

Obviously, Squala's priority is Dog > Sora.

Especially from Squala's perspective, I know she didn't really want to protect Sora. Nine times out of ten, this man saw his lover or someone's image in himself, and anyway, if he died, it would be better to have fewer regrets. I know.

There is nothing to consider in itself. Since it's the first meeting, it would be troublesome if others thought too much.

But I don't like being used as a reason for death.

Even if I want to live, I gave up on my own, and being used as a reason to give up didn't make me feel sad.

Sora tried to keep Squala alive, no longer to "repay him for the hiding," but entirely for his own sake.

I don't want to die. In order to survive, in order to live, Sora chose to confront the Brigade, so he didn't want to leave bad memories for his life.

That is why Sora didn't even look back at Squala, who blew him away. With his back to him, I waved my hand and said: "Run, live or die, suit yourself!"

Nobunaga, not Squala, responded to Sora's words, "Don't decide for yourself!"

When I realized that Sora's words and actions were exactly the same as what the commander and Shalnark said, I was stunned, and it was absolutely unimaginable for the corner, but I think I can no longer be swallowed by the opponent's pace.

"Yes. I can't let that person go," Pakunoda said, raising her pistol.

The person Sora protected was not the chain bastard, but Pakunoda thought that if he protected him to this extent, he was worthy of being a hostage.

Moreover, if he became a colleague of the chain bastard, he would certainly be able to extract information about the chain bastard at least, and it was not only possible to become Sora's hostage, but also possible to become the chain bastard's hostage, so this occasion should be the priority to capture. Compared to Sora, who possessed the "Sapphire Guard" bomb and the "Goddess of the Sky," it was more like a Squala.

"Don't let me"

But Sora did not allow it.

The aura was still weak, but the air was tense.

Nobunaga smiled at that sharp killing intent and spoke.

"The killing intent is good, but you said you were injured yourself. Do you think you can imitate the three of us and let them escape?"

"Don't even think about it"

Sora immediately answered Nobunaga's question, maintaining a posture without iai.

"Ah, that's absolutely impossible. No matter how hard you try, if you two decide to die, I can't help you anymore. It's faster to capture Squala than to kill them, and if the other two are killed, Squala's safety can no longer be guaranteed.

... So I will do this

Sora accepted Nobunaga's words without hesitation and took action.

Sora reached his scissor-shaped right hand into his own bandage-wrapped eyes.

I poked it, as if to crush my own eyes.

"……What are you trying to do, hmm?"

"If I do not let Squala go, I will lose my eyes."

"What!?"

Only Squala was startled by Sora's declaration, and the important Brigade was also confused.

For a captain who is abnormally obsessed with eyes, this threat might work, but honestly, all members opposed the captain's obsession, and Chrollo caught Sora opposing the members. I don't think I would try to do this, but I can't help but think it's unreasonable for individual behavior, so I want it to disappear.

"What are you doing with that?

I don't know if you are Demon Eye or what, but you will only lose your best weapon."

Therefore, I inadvertently pointed out that not only was there no threat or bargaining, but Sora was at a disadvantage in every sense.

However, Sora laughed at this point.

"Eh! What? Didn't you hear the news from Chrollo?

Or you heard it, but you didn't understand."

"Ah?"

Nobunaga growled with his tongue twisted by the sudden mockery.

Sora ignored this and pointed at the Phantom Troupe with the finger not pointing at the eyes, saying:

"Hmm, you are Nobunaga, right? Your weapon should be a katana, and your current stance is an inner grip. And that woman over there is tall, very beautiful, and holding a pistol in her hand. Is the last one a man? Very small, with nothing."

"!?"

It was simply guessing Nobunaga's position, physique, and current stance.

However, the three of them opened their eyes wide and could not speak. Of course.

The woman's eyes had been wrapped in thick bandages from the beginning.

Actually, I thought for a moment that it was just wrapped so that it could be seen through the gaps in the bandages, but if that were the case, I would not understand the meaning of this guess at all.

Even if I didn't have eye injuries or blindness, I could still imagine why I was wearing bandages, and I could explain it. One only needs to think that it makes people feel that they cannot use their eyes, precisely because they have Spiritual Power, making them let their guard down.

But if that were the case, there would be no point in revealing spoilers now.

"You guys, do you really not know anything? Don't you think it's strange?"

Looking at the three people with blank faces, Sora tilted his head and said, still holding his finger against his eyes.

"Have you heard from Chrollo what my vision is?"

Listen.

The threads of "Death" stretch endlessly, and the points of "Death" are scattered everywhere.

Not only people, but the world itself is twisted, fragile, and on the verge of collapse.

A world that cannot be endured unless it goes mad.

A woman who sees such a world says.

I am wondering from the bottom of my heart why no one knows such a matter-of-fact thing.

"If my eyeballs collapse and I go blind, will 'Deadly' disappear? If this disappears, then I will go and gouge out my eyeballs as soon as I get these eyes."

Of course, reaching it through the natural route might be the correct argument.

If you can escape by losing your eyes before you adapt to a world that cannot be endured without going mad, then you cannot say that the act of gouging out your own eyes is crazy. This is a last resort, because I have not gone mad, because I do not want to go mad.

The reason why I don't do this is because, whether lucky or unlucky, Sora knows that doing so is meaningless.

Sora has no choice but to go mad, because he knows that if he goes out, if he loses his sight, if he loses these eyes that act as a barrier, "Death" itself will overflow.

"……Can you see? Even with bandages wrapped around, are you saying you can see 'Death'!?"

Sora's words made everyone's faces turn pale, and Nobunaga couldn't help but shiver.

Squala could not understand the meaning of Sora's words and Nobunaga's words.

However, faced with Sora's cold retort and the indifferent words themselves, Squala's face turned as pale as the Phantom Troupe, and his back felt cold.

"I can see it.

The 'Death God', thinner than capillaries, emits a pale light in the Pitch Darkness even if I lose my sight, so even if I don't know your face, I can see your current position, physique, and the stance you are taking. I understand."

I don't quite understand what you are talking about.

However, I can only understand that this woman is saying terrible things.

Instinctively understand, not rationally.

This woman has accepted and adapted to an extremely terrifying anomaly as if it were a matter of course, and only then did I understand.

Once you understand, the reason why Squala wants to escape from this place now, and the reason why you cannot escape, is because you want to live with the person you love most, just as Sora said, the stubbornness of not wanting to feel ashamed for the person you love has completely changed.

I just want to run away because the woman in front of me is terrifying.

This anomaly is just too scary to move.

It's pathetic, but Squala cannot move because he is dominated by basic survival instincts and fear of living things, let alone humans.

Like Squala, the squad members were also terrified by the perversion of the woman in front of them, but perhaps because they also had a madness closer to her than Squala, Nobunaga's complexion was still the worst, but Nobunaga smiled at Sora.

"……Hmm, that's scary. But what kind of threat is that, really?

Even if you lose your eyes, even if you have one eyeball, if the risk doesn't change, isn't your useless act at a disadvantage?"

Sora laughed at Nobunaga's words.

As if saying there was no help for his own strange remarks, he laughed that he still didn't understand the intention of his own words and actions, while saying so, he ensured that he could stick to his fingertips. Entering his line of sight at any time.

"You guys, after listening to my words, what do you think of me? Don't tell me, you think I have the qualifications to persuade you to negotiate?

No matter how I struggle, once I fall into this situation, the fact that I am at a disadvantage will not change. In that case, I will not do anything that is beneficial to you.

There is no middle ground. If I do not let Squala go, I will blind my eyes, release the 'Death' that leads to these depths, and after that, I will not be willing to remain silent anymore.

——I am going to go on a rampage."

Sora, destroy your pious eyes, and make full use of this "death" without regard for the consequences; Phantom Troupe, I will shatter you all as much as I can.

I said I would take everything I could from you."

This time, no one in the Phantom Troupe could respond to Sora's words; biting their lips, clenching their teeth, they fell into silence.

If not for this woman, if Hisoka had not heard of the existence of "Karna" as a "Defender," and if there had been no Prophecy, the three of them would certainly have said: "A bold threat." I did not think much of it, but given all the information I possess about the woman named Sora Tokiori, I cannot take such a statement lightly.

Even if her eyes are a bluff, this woman has a "Defender" powerful enough to "play" with the eldest son of the Zoldyck family.

Chrollo did not bring out the guardian Karna, the first time he encountered Hisoka and Sora in the final battle of the Hunter Exam, even in a scenario that would have been better, so some conditions were met. Without it, a personality change is impossible. In reality, Sora's stubbornness is the only reason he did not appear, but Chrollo's guess was correct; it would not appear so easily.

Therefore, Chrollo ordered that if Sora is found or encountered, "never hunt him down," but he did not say "never engage," so Nobunaga and the others bandaged their eyes. I found Sora, he had an eerie low aura, and I tried to grab him, thinking this was my chance, but as expected, one should not be greedy, one should not pursue too much, just as the captain said.

I do not know under what conditions Karna will appear, but if "self-harm" is the trigger for a personality change, then even by next week, the Prophecy for Nobunaga and Boyuetian might be fulfilled here. Obtained.

No, if Sora's words are all true, if a person with "eyes" has to go mad, and a "supernatural ability" gouges out those eyes until they overflow, I even feel that the meaning of this sentence is, "The Goddess of the Sky has awakened."

The impact of Sora's unknown situation on her threat was greater than Sora's hypothesis; Nobunaga released his iai-nuki stance, and Pakunoda lowered her pistol.

"……Fine. Let's go."

The copy of the Scarlet Eyes used to find their whereabouts was destroyed, so I knew that if I let them escape here, the Chain Bastard and Sora would never be found again, but since there was no other choice, Pakunoda said with frustration.

However, Sora remained motionless with his eyes pinched between his fingers, only saying "but" to Squala behind him, urging him to escape first.

This was a natural decision. Sora is the only person the Phantom Troupe fears, so they did not give up the chance to catch Squala.

Not understanding the meaning of Sora's words and actions, Squala was instinctively afraid and terrified; even if he wanted to escape from the bottom of his heart, he could not, but when Nobunaga and the others lowered their weapons, Sora's madness erupted. The killing intent faded, and the Constraint binding Squala in place was released.

Squala no longer considered protecting Sora for his own self-satisfaction.

This woman was beyond her control. It was not a question of whether it needed protection. Squala could only view her as a creature of a completely different dimension, so he fled from Sora, not the Phantom Troupe.

But Sora said

"Squala"

He must have known that he was fleeing from him, not from the Brigade.

The voice sounded somewhat lonely and apologetic. Completely different from before, a human voice from someone living in the same world pointed straight at Squala's back and reached her ears.

"Thank you for your help"

That woman's voice, even though she had been flung two meters away from the fleeing Squala, declaring it unnecessary help, still lingered in Squala's ear.

The world she lived in, the things she saw, were completely different from what he saw; even though she was a madman he did not understand, no matter how desperately Squala sprinted, he could not shake her off.

I could not get rid of the Shadow of the lover Sora saw.

＊＊＊

Even after Squala ran away and disappeared, Sora still kept his fingers in his eyes, ready to gouge them out at any moment, confronting the three Phantom Troupe members. Unless the range of the "Circle" was wide, he could not be found, and he finally lowered his hands.

From there, the three of them readied their weapons again, worried about whether they were fleeing or launching an attack, but Sora still drove diagonally at any time and place.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to catch me?"

"Hm?"

Sora tilted his head and asked strangely, but I wanted to ask that.

So when Nobunaga was a bit weak and puzzled, he asked: "On the contrary, why don't you run away?" "I would be knocked down by it," he said.

I don't know why I and Squala had to make such crazy threats to escape, but Sora did not seem to have any intention of running away.

"……In the end, it's just a bluff."

"No. It's not like that. I meant everything I said before."

Nobunaga was even weaker at Sora's answer, but Sora denied this answer.

Denying, and why she chose to be caught instead of running away, she answered without a doubt.

"So even if you say you don't like it, I will follow you.

Because oh previous and other all extinction difference height like blood a um acrimonious is death"

The fading madness overflowed.

Although she confessed that she did not have enough aura to exhaust her strength before running away, this woman said that the threatening words she said just now, her statement that she would take everything from the Brigade, were serious. Said casually, too ordinary tension.

I know how disadvantaged I am.

Of course, I don't want to die. No matter how ugly she is, even if she bears the pain of dying, even if she bears a sin that can never be forgiven for a lifetime, Sora can only continue to struggle.

However, I don't want to die, but I also don't want to become an immortal existence.

Despite losing so many things and bearing huge trauma, the Phantom Troupe Spider I cannot forgive Kurapika; he thinks he can put down one of the burdens through death, and can even find peace in a very short time.

Sora does not intend to let the Phantom Troupe continue to torture him.

The reason I quietly wanted to be caught is because, as stated here, I can only kill three people at most, so in order to annihilate this woman, I personally intend to jump into the spider web.

I know it is too dangerous to bring a woman who claims she is a bomb that can annihilate us to Chrollo, or even to a hideout where other members are gathered.

However, letting her go and running away would be a pity.

If Sora's physical condition were a little better, I would simply give up running away, but if my aura is already exhausted to the point where I have no confidence in escaping them, now might be the best time. Catch or kill this woman, yes, rather than waiting for a while to recover and being attacked, why not keep it where we can see it? Nobunaga and the three of them could not reach a conclusion because this idea crossed the line.

So they decided to let their heads decide.

Sure enough, if we continued to ask and answer in the middle of the road, the police would come soon, and things would become complicated, so we did not specifically restrain Sora, and the three of us surrounded them to ensure they did not do anything unnecessary. Pakunoda called Chrollo on the way back.

"What happened? Did you find it? Did you run away?"

When they separated, the distance should not have been that far, but the contact time was longer than expected, so Chrollo asked without even saying "hello."

"No, I found and caught it, but... not the Chain Bastard, but Sora Tokiori.

I am following you. With the goal of annihilating us."

Responding to Pakunoda's answer, Chrollo was silent for a few seconds before murmuring: "……She is a woman who is always on the positive side."

Chrollo seemed to know Sora's madness better than Pakunoda and the others, because they had met before, and the conversation was faster than I imagined, saving me the trouble of explaining.

Therefore, Pakunoda immediately requested instructions on what they should do.

What is certain is that Sora was angry when announcing "annihilation." In case something happens, the 【Goddess of the Sky】 might have awakened, so I let Pakunoda decide whether to bring him.

"Perfect. I have also captured those who were following me. The child Nobunaga mentioned."

"We can determine if these guys have any connection to Sora, and even if they don't, that woman wouldn't abandon her child."

Just as Chrollo said, he could protect Squala and let him escape; by then, Sora would not let her go, and at the very least, that child would likely not be dragged into this atrocity.

However, thinking of the woman's strength, after joining Chrollo, she suddenly did something unexpected to save the child, so Chrollo moved while holding Sora's arm, and while sealing, he ordered them to leave immediately and escape if they thought it was dangerous.

Pakunoda hung up the phone as instructed, grabbed Sora's arm, and finally began to work on his initial primary goal: collecting information.

"Hey, there's no time, but do you know anyone who uses chain abilities?"

"……Is it a psychometrist?"

Sora did not answer the question, turned his bandaged face slightly back, and asked Boyuetian in return.

Pakunoda was surprised by Sora's self-disciplined behavior and asked, "I'm the one asking the questions, but what about it?"

So, just as I was doing that, when I asked him why he didn't resist even though he knew so much, Sora gave a firm answer.

"Before we can utilize this information, we will eliminate it."

Strictly speaking, what Pakunoda possessed was the ability to read memories, not minds, so even if she activated the ability, she didn't know how serious Sora's words were, but the "Chain Bastard" memory she read from Sora—the memory of Kurapika, the beloved younger brother of Kurapika—added authenticity to Sora's remarks.

In Pakunoda's view, it was only natural that Kurapika owed Sora, and it was more natural for him to use everything he had to protect him. To this Chain Bastard, he was more of a hostage than anyone else.

Although it was not a memory processed by emotion or prejudice, but a pure, raw memory, it clearly showed how much Sora loved Kurapika. No more impressions were produced.

If I used this ability to empathize, my heart would have collapsed long ago, so Pakunoda only acknowledged that the memories she read were information, and first of all, she seemed able to empathize with others. Compared to those she recognized as her own kin, if you had proper sensitivity, you wouldn't belong to the Phantom Troupe.

So although Pakunoda was terrified by Sora's words, he had no thoughts about the relationship between Sora and Kurapika. Realizing that this data was merely information on the Chain Bastard and data on Sora's weaknesses and anger, he quickly moved to the next question to obtain information.

The questions to be asked were about Sora's own abilities and the rearguard Kortopi, what happened to Uvogin, and the child captured by the captain yesterday.

The one I chose was Uvogin.

When I asked him about the Chain Bastard, I only glanced at him. Pakunoda asked, because it was certain that the reason for Uvogin and the Chain Bastard had to do with her.

"……By the way, do you know a person named Uvogin?"

First of all, this was just a question that needed confirmation.

However, along with this question, those memories deep in Sora's heart that should have sunk, surfaced, and floated to the surface, as well as the memories from two days ago, reappeared in Pakunoda's mind.

Between these memories, Pakunoda listened.

"That is the name of the person I killed."

I heard an emotionless, inorganic voice.

＊＊＊

"Nobunaga!!"

It was Kortopi who stopped him.

Hearing Sora's answer, I shouted at Nobunaga, who had carelessly placed his hand on his beloved Sword, stopping him.

I had just lost myself to the point of ignoring that voice, but for some reason, the killing intent I had forgotten revived.

Just like stopping Sora and the others from getting off, Nobunaga spat out a bloody thirst that seemed ready to erupt at any moment, and I glared at Sora with a face full of rage.

"…Is that so?

You are the one who killed Uvogin, not the Chain Bastard!!"

Nobunaga did not like that he hadn't noticed his enemy was right in front of him, and the carelessness of the enemy's life, finally saying he would be annihilated. Among them, I was sure that I would draw my beloved Sword now and try to cut Sora's thin neck.

These two barely connected Nobunaga's reason, but Sora ignored Nobunaga's killing intent from the beginning and didn't deal with Nobunaga at all, somehow losing the thread of reason that held him together.

Nobunaga shouted: "Say something!" No matter what Sora said, there was no doubt that everything was infuriated, the silence was extremely annoying, but the response was Pakunoda, not Sora.

"……Nobunaga."

"Huh?"

Pakunoda stopped Nobunaga, holding Sora with one hand and supporting his head with the other to endure the headache, but Nobunaga directed his anger at Pakunoda and shouted at him.

"Ah, don't forget! It's that guy who didn't see the enemy and was burned to death!!"

"What! What!? Are you saying I would let this guy escape, not seeing him!?! This guy!! Are you saying you're going to let the person who killed Uvogin go!?!?"

It was precisely because he remembered the content of the Prophecy that Nobunaga felt insulted by Pakunoda's words; he snorted violently and was pacified by Kortopi.

However, no matter how unreasonably Nobunaga insulted her, Boyuetian still frowned as if enduring a terrible headache.

Kortopi, who was calming Nobunaga down, asked: "……Paku? What did you see?" noticing and calming down slightly.

When Nobunaga finally understood what he meant, Boyuetian sighed and began to talk to herself.

"……I feel that if I show you, it will be counterproductive, but if your head is steaming with hot blood, you will 'see' it without knowing it, and you will likely get lost and hit the Prophecy."

"Hmm?"

I barely understood what Pakunoda meant, but I understood the nuance that he was being criticized for the time being, so when I was about to lose my temper again, Kortopi calmed down.

Watching it, Pakunoda rubbed the breath and made it with that breath.

"……It's troublesome to explain with words, and they might not understand the meaning of the words, so I will shoot the memory into the two of them."

"Shoot...?"

To the questioning Nobunaga, Boyuetian showed him a materialized pistol. There was a time when he materialized a pistol as a weapon, but because the Specialization System worked well with the Materialization System, I thought the main ability had no combat power, so I just used it as a byproduct, so Nobunaga and Kortopi raised their voices with a bit of admiration.

Pakunoda pointed the muzzle at the two people in the middle of the road and asked: "I will shoot you, but if you are worried, why don't you stop?" he replied.

His heart cooled down slightly, but Nobunaga, whose head was still bleeding, did not notice.

It was the same communication as Pakunoda, but I didn't realize that her voice "if you are worried" was not a joke, but genuine concern.

"………………Yes."

Saying that, Boyuetian shot the two of them with Memory Bullets.

The information about the Chain Bastard Kurapika and Uvogin's final moments, read from Sora, was loaded into the center of Nobunaga and Kortopi's brows, and just like that, it exploded and melted in their minds, becoming a part of their memories.

……Pakunoda would not sympathize with others, let alone the memories he read.

However, it was different for those identified as kin.

Vowing not to read a comrade's memories is largely because doing so would shake the trust between comrades, and he would fall into suspicion; one simply must not do it, because it is too Heavy.

I impose such a promise upon myself precisely because I believe it can never be broken down into mere information.

This is why I can no longer read Pakunoda.

Despite knowing there was still information that had to be obtained from Sora, Pakunoda could no longer read her memories.

Sora's memories cannot simply be identified as "information."

Realizing that the overflowing memories were merely "information" and "memories" that Boyuetian could not forget, he carved them into his own brain.

And of the two who shared the same memory, Kortopi was momentarily speechless, took a deep breath, and only let out a "—ah."

It was a reassuring sound, as if he had already become convinced of something.

Nobunaga's initial reaction was also speechlessness. However, unlike Kortopi's speechlessness, Nobunaga wanted to shout something, anything, but could not think of what he should say; yet the words convinced him, as if regretting they hadn't come out, he twisted his face, swallowed hard, and then glared at Sora with an expression as if he were about to cry.

After answering Pakunoda's question in a very inorganic way, he continued to stare at Sora, who remained silent and unresponsive, and finally squeezed out only one word.

"............ You..........."

Just after squeezing it out, Nobunaga suddenly punched the asphalt ground.

The emotions in his chest were in a mess, unable to control his breathing, he continued to strike the asphalt road with force, but at the same time, Nobunaga's fist was covered in blood.

A man who was still alive after being struck in the forehead by a comrade, his face ferocious as he continued to hammer the ground; I just watched silently, pitifully.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!"

Nobunaga thought it was the person on the ground, not knowing who was venting his nowhere-to-go anger, and continued to punch recklessly.

Continuing to hit, I wanted to shake it off my head, but the memories engraved in my mind returned.

The first thing that came to mind was a gentle man who had not yet reached the stage of a young man with a dignified, woman-like appearance.

Chain Bastard.

Sora's memory of fighting Uvogin with the Chain Bastard.

I thought Uvogin would never lose a match in a head-on fight. Just as I thought, it was a 2-on-1 situation, Uvogin was already completely injured, and a well-prepared Sora rushed in.

I thought I regretted it to death with my dirty hands.

But in my memory, Uvogin was laughing.

The 2-on-1 situation, already wounded by the Chain Bastard, was a great pleasure for him, and he laughed with satisfaction.

Even when he was entangled by the Chain Bastard's Chain on his right arm, he was still laughing when he tore his own arm off.

Even when pierced by Sora's mysterious ability, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

I firmly believed I would lose.

I really wanted to shout that such a memory was a lie, but I knew very well that Pakunoda's ability could not commit perjury.

So this memory is real.

Uvogin fought happily, died content, and died without regrets.

And I noticed a fact I did not want to admit.

Nobunaga did not want to admit it more than anyone, but Nobunaga was the first to notice it; this is an undeniable fact.

Nobunaga understood better than Pakunoda or Kortopi why it was Sora and Kurapika who survived, rather than Uvogin winning.

After punching a hole several centimeters deep, he calmed down a little; although still gasping for air, Nobunaga finally stopped hitting and glared at the still indifferent Sora.

A woman who doesn't care, slow to react.

The enemy who said "I killed him" was too inorganic.

He glared at Sora, who had killed his best friend, with an expression on his face as if he were about to cry.

"Do you know a person named Uvogin?"

I don't know what to say to a woman who commits suicide, letting her die there, but never forgetting the name of the person she killed, and mourning with her memories as a grave marker. Only things will Emergence.

Nobunaga understood why Uvogin failed.

Uvogin lost because he was alone.

What Kurapika won was Sora and the Chain Bastard. My best friend lost because he had someone to protect.

He accepted this and died.

Although I don't want to realize it, if I didn't know him, I might have hated him without hesitation, but because he was Uvogin's best friend, Nobunaga understood him better than anyone. I cannot even deny it.

I cannot distort his self-esteem, which no longer exists, with my own will.

Although Nobunaga did not want to know these memories, he could not bring himself to hold a grudge against Boyuetian.

Just as Pakunoda said, the effect was counterproductive, but it was better than not knowing.

I just noticed.

The enemy and Shadow he was hunting in the Prophecy were not those children called Chain Bastard and Gon.

I saw it.

In the woman who killed his best friend, the enemy he hated, he saw the image of his best friend stronger than anyone else.

I just discovered she looks like Uvogin.

Imagine Sora's current Sight Vision is human blood vessels glowing in the Pitch Darkness; he looks like a person (they all look the same).

In the manga version of "Garden of Sinners," Shiki's vision in the cathedral cave was like this.