Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 28.

Machi and Illuki walked out of Heaven's Arena, the pink-haired thief turning to face the Web with a straight face. "When do you plan on meeting with the boss?" she asked, the town's skyline glittering behind her figure, the pouch she carried slung over her left shoulder and her free hand resting naturally on her hip. Standing in front of the entrance doors of the arena, Illuki crossed her arms under her chest, humming in thought at the question while subconsciously shifting her weight onto her left foot.

"As of now, I have personal matters but afterwards, I should be with her," the former assassin said, tapping a manicured finger on her pale cheek, head tilting slightly with a slight grin. "Estimate between late July to early August. Until then, I'll be here," she informed her friend, habitually uncrossing her arms and linking them behind her back. "If ya need something, come visit me~!" Illuki childishly says to Machi, winking at the indifferent woman who merely nods.

"Got it. I'll tell the others when I see them," Machi says, ignoring the prominent pout on her friend's face and pivoting on her heel, walking away from the troupe's Web.

Illuki stands outside Heaven's Arena, watching the back of her comrade fade into the night, staring momentarily at the skyline before sighing heavily. 'She can be such a buzzkill sometimes' the dichromatic-haired woman thought, turning around and entering the building. Her heels click silently against the pristine tiles, advancing towards the elevator where her finger jabbed the up button. 'I guess I should check on those two' she exhaled as the elevator doors opened.

She enters the chamber, pressing her floor and stands in the middle of the symmetrical space; a loud sigh escapes from the woman's rose-tinted lips as she leans her head back, her eyes focusing on the light above her. "We've been discussing this mission for a while now...Hopefully, nothing goes wrong," Illuki muttered to herself, leaning her head straight when the elevator chimes, indicating the arrival of her chosen floor.

Exiting the steel box and wandering down the hallway to her private room, the Floor Master is stopped when someone calls out to her from the shadows. Turning towards the direction of the voice, Illuki found one of Heaven Arena's workers coming closer to where she stood in the middle of the empty floor; the worker wore the association's uniform, her hair was dishevelled and had prominent eyebags underneath her dead-looking eyes. "I kept an eye on those children you were interested in," she began, standing in front of the dichromatic-haired woman with her hands held in front of her. "They're scheduled to fight on May 29th and 30th, respectively," she concluded the information.

Illuki nods and smiles gratefully at the worker, dismissing the tired woman from her post at the reception before retreating to her room. Before she had left for Hisoka's brawl against Kastro, she had asked the receptionist on her floor to keep an eye out for her brother and his precious friend, along with their activities within the association; from afar, she kept track of their progress from the comfort of her private room. 'They've progressed faster than I expected.'

Those mentioned fights on the 29th and 30th never ended up happening as the instigator for the brawl had been a no-show to the organised fight, leaving the two kids to win by default. The month of June arrives quickly with Illuki merely monitoring the duo's fights through the wide-screen television while she indulged in pints of ice cream and tea. Her receptionist visited her door often to inform her about new fights Killua and Gon were scheduled for, and unlike other times, their recent fight intrigued the dichromatic-haired woman to witness it upfront with Hisoka.

Today's fight was between Killua and another 200th-floor fighter by the name of Riehlvelt, a man restricted to a wheelchair. Illuki sits in the back row of the audience, smirking as she intently observes her younger brother. As the fight begins, the young assassin moves quickly to get close to his opponent, disappearing in a flash only for Reihlvelt to activate his wheelchair to dodge Killua's attack. The spiky-purple-haired fighter silently reaches to the back of his wheelchair, pulling out two whips he calls Twin Snakes and begins whipping them around him; creating a barrier. Song of Defence it was called.

Illuki hummed with interest, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she witnessed her brother grab the whips with ease, stopping the Song of Defence and Riehlvelt's attack however was shocked in the process through the fighter's Thunder Snake attack. Slowly, the woman's lips curl into a pleased smirk as her brother reveals his immunity to electricity to his opponent, whipping the paralyzed man high into the air; the female had great joy in watching the deceiving man be electrocuted with his electric currents.

As her brother's win was announced, the female stood from her seat and left the arena, walking through the 200th-floor hallway where she saw her redhead acquaintance standing and watching her brother and his friend as they walked down the hall. "Just about ready for that fight," she said, earning the magician's attention as he turned his gaze down at her before returning to the fading figures. Hisoka smirks, letting out a pleased chuckle before turning on his heel and leaving Illuki. Huffing at the man, Illuki too retreats to her room on the 245th floor.

The next day, the Floor Master stood beside the magician inside the arena where her brother and Gon were scheduled to have another fighter; only this time with each other's opponents from yesterday. Killua was given a win by default since his opponent Gido was injured by Gon yesterday, leaving the spiky-green-haired boy and Riehvelt. Illuki stands beside the redhead magician with her back against the wall, hands linked behind her and her head hung slightly down as she listened to the commentor. Her blue eyes opened when the boy was said to lift a tile from the ground, throwing it at his opponent who blasted away from the large square. Though Riehvelt managed to escape, Gon was quick to appear in front of the wheelchair-bounded man and stop him from moving, gripping his wrist so Riehvelt dropped his whips. The child hops off the wheelchair and grabs the whips, attaching them to their owners and turning the electricity on high, though faked it which caused the weapon's owner to fall unconscious; ultimately winning the fight.

Illuki giggled at the boy, covering her mouth with a hand before it stopped when she felt Hisoka's presence leave her side; she turned to see his figure exiting the venue, probably to confront Gon on the conditions for their well-awaited fight, the one Gon was determined to land a hit on the magician.

After the fight between Gon and Riehvelt, Illuki returned to her private room and rested for the next few days, bored out of her mind until she received a call from the receptionist on her floor. The worker had informed the Floor Master of a fighter who had challenged the woman to a brawl for the 245th floor that she inhabited. Interested, she accepted the challenge and asked her receptionist to compile a file of information on her opponent for her to study.

The worker did not disappoint the female as the following day, she was met with a thin file with information on the challenger. A young man who came to Heaven's Arena to get stronger and help protect the sacred village from bandits. In his file, the challenger was said to have won all his fights on the 200th floor and was friends with the deceiving trio consisting of Riehvelt, Gido and another fighter named Sadaso. 'His ego must be big' the woman chuckled at her thought, slapping the file down on her coffee table and standing from the spot on the cushioned couch.

Killua and Gon had been together inside the former's private room when they heard a familiar name coming from the television. They turned their attention to the screen where they saw the assassin's older sister being displayed beside a portrait of a young man who was smirking, though their eyes were trained on the dichromatic-haired woman who glowed with elegance in the photo that was being shown.

"The fight of the century has come! Mark your calendars for the Yin-Yang Master of Heaven's Arena to be leaving her coven to fight a challenger for the 245th floor! Tickets are available now! Get them while you can folks!" the worker continues with the predictions for the fight, their voice turning into white noise as Killua and Gon turn to each other with wide eyes.

"Nee-chan/Iris-san!" they both yelled in unison, pointing at the screen that soon switched to a commercial.