Death Notice Book 7: Chapter 54: Shizuku

Release Date: 2026-05-15 03:22:39

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Shizuku rolled across the ground, avoiding the whipping chain. Rising to her feet, she pushed up her large black-framed glasses, staring with surprise at the billowing cloud of dust rushing towards them from the distance.

“Paku… Did that guy cause this?” the beautiful girl murmured, lowering her head. For the first time, a hint of worry crossed her big, dull eyes.

“No time to worry about others! Look after yourself first!”

Kurapika’s icy voice cut through the air. With a sharp clang, another silvery white chain shot towards her.

Both fighters had witnessed the massive explosion just moments before. However, because their battlefield was separated from the collapsing buildings by roughly thirty meters of empty ground, the fight had paused for only seconds before resuming.

“Blinky!” Shizuku yelled, leaping aside to dodge the chain. In her hand, she swung the materialized form of her vacuum cleaner – “Blinky”. Its flat suction head, complete with razor-sharp teeth and a long tongue, pulsed open and shut. Then, with a burst, it shot out its own barrage of rocky debris, knocking away Kurapika’s chain and the incoming shards.

Shizuku could command her materialized “Blinky” vacuum cleaner to suck in almost any non-living object. This specifically excluded things materialized by other Nen Abilities. She defined “non-living” as anything without a soul, because Blinky could actually absorb toxins and blood. Microbes and human cells definitely counted as life forms, although they depended on the host body.

“Blinky” represented a spatial ability. It could absorb objects and later spit them back out. Shizuku possessed an extremely rare Nen Ability. While she might not be the physically strongest in the Troupe, she was arguably their most indispensable member.

Shizuku fought in two distinct styles: relying on her raw strength for close-quarters combat, or utilizing “Blinky” to eliminate enemies. A Nen user fighting Shizuku risked having their blood completely drained by Blinky if they got injured.

Yet, this terrifying ability failed against Kurapika. The thick chain wrapped around his thumb glowed softly as the “Holy Chain”; it could heal even grievous wounds in mere seconds. This frustrating defense left Shizuku powerless to finish him off. Early in the fight, she’d even tried exchanging wounds with him, hoping to quickly end it despite mutual injury. That attempt hadn’t worked.

After that setback, Shizuku had no choice but to resort to skirmishing tactics. Thankfully, Kurapika’s chain attacks, however powerful, were fairly straightforward – mostly direct strikes. Leveraging her agility, Shizuku danced around him, barely managing to keep the fight locked in a stalemate of close-range exchanges.

But focusing most of her Nen aura into her legs to maintain her agility came at a cost: it weakened her defenses elsewhere. The stones constantly thrown up by Kurapika’s chains had already torn numerous gashes through her long-sleeved sweater and jeans, revealing patches of her pale white skin beneath.

“I wasn’t worrying about my companion, you know. Paku would never lose!” Shizuku gripped Blinky tighter, speaking with her usual flat, somewhat vacant tone. “But… if that guy managed to escape in the chaos… The mission the Leader entrusted us with would fail. That is utterly unacceptable to me!”

“Qin Lun was right. The bonds between you Troupe members truly are your greatest weakness!” Though Shizuku’s voice held firm refusal, Kurapika sensed something more in her stubborn reply, a sliver of unspoken tension.

The boy’s expression then darkened sharply. “Why won’t you extend any of that faint care to others?” he demanded, his voice hardening. “What about all those innocent people you murdered? What did you reduce their lives to?”

“Nothing,” Shizuku answered flatly, adjusting her glasses with a habitual push. Her eyes remained unfocused and blank. “A job is just a job.”

“Is that so…” Kurapika closed his eyes briefly, a flicker of pain crossing his face. “Just for that… that very reason… I chose to cooperate with Qin Lun.” His voice hardened into iron. “Only by facing true demons, only by suffering the loss of your own precious comrades… will scum like you finally understand the value of life and think twice!”

“It seems their fight might be over. Time we finished ours!” Kurapika snapped his eyes open. The dense cloud of smoke and dust had now rolled over them entirely, swallowing the area. Their figures flickered within the haze, becoming indistinct ghosts. This sudden shift in visibility clearly favored Kurapika.

Kurapika flicked his right wrist. A silvery chain – the “Judgment Chain” – snaked silently through the swirling gray fog, homing in on Shizuku. The battle reignited with escalating fierceness.

DING! A gunshot cracked! A single bullet ripped out of the heavy haze, striking Kurapika’s chain just in time. The impact sent the chain veering wildly off course.

“Paku!” Shizuku’s eyes brightened instantly. She whipped her head around, calling into the murkiness behind her. “Is that you?”

“Shizuku!” A tall, lean figure bolted towards her through the thickening fog. Though her features were blurred shapes in the smog, the voice was unmistakable. It was Pakunoda, rushing to her aid.

But the tall, beautiful woman looked badly shaken. Her usually vibrant blonde hair was now coated in gray dust. Her smart suit jacket was ripped in several places – even one strap of her bra had snapped, exposing a startling expanse of smooth, pale skin beneath. Her right hand held her gun steadily, while her left rested uselessly against her side, completely limp and unmoving. It looked broken.

“Paku, are you alright?” Shizuku blinked her large eyes, a flicker of concern momentarily displacing the dullness. “Where is that guy?”

“He used the cloud from the explosion to get away!” A visible wave of relief washed over Pakunoda as she saw Shizuku unharmed. She visibly slowed her sprint, walking towards her teammate now.

He got away? Kurapika’s expression registered disbelief. Deep down, the boy knew Qin Lun was the type to bail on him at the first sign of serious trouble. But facing the stark reality of that betrayal? Anger and shock still flared hot inside him despite the expectation.

“That bastard!” The boy swore through gritted teeth. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent his chain surging towards the two closing Troupe members – but rather than attack, he used the momentum to launch himself backwards in a powerful leap. Pakunoda’s sudden arrival shattered his chance of capturing Shizuku. Retreating was now his only viable option.

“Paku, be careful! His chains are infused with some intense mental conviction,” Shizuku warned urgently, vaulting through the air toward her friend. “The focused power can break through the surface layer of our defensive Nen!”

“Understood.” Pakunoda gave a sharp nod and increased her pace, running to meet Shizuku halfway.

BANG! Right at that instant, a bullet screaming with brilliant golden Nen energy materialized out of nowhere! It streaked directly at Pakunoda! The sheer, overwhelming power radiating from the bullet instantly carved a clean, smoke-free corridor through the haze – creating a sudden, clear line of sight.

At the far end of this unexpected, temporarily cleared “tunnel” made by the bullet’s passage, another frantic voice rang out. It sounded like Pakunoda’s voice too… but the source was different!

“Shizuku! Be careful, that guy is…”

“I told you… you wouldn’t make it in time.”

The “Pakunoda” who had already reached Shizuku’s side suddenly flashed a chilling, unnatural smile. Her left hand snapped up, revealing a bizarre glove made of dark, scaled leather – the “Glove of Sacrifice”. Her fingers splayed wide, aiming to intercept the golden Nen bullet. Simultaneously, her supposedly injured right arm abruptly surged with potent energy – a crimson Nen aura entirely different from Pakunoda’s signature blue. This tainted arm moved like lightning, clamping down around Shizuku’s slim, pale neck.

Just as that deep crimson Nen started devouring Shizuku’s protective Nen aura, something else happened beside Kurapika’s momentarily deflected chain. A slowly rotating crystal shield, shimmering like polished frost and shaped like an intricate five-pointed star – the “Pentagram Crystal Mirror” – blinked into existence beside the chain.

KRAK! The Pentagram Crystal Mirror shattered instantly! The concussive power from the incoming “Elemental Burst” detonation violently altered the trajectory of the chain at the last second. It surged towards Shizuku once more!

Meanwhile, the golden Nen-imbued bullet reached the figure impersonating Pakunoda. THUD! With a meaty impact, it pierced straight through the black glove and drilled a clean hole through the gloved left palm! The bullet continued its deadly path towards the “Pakunoda’s” famously large chest.

But a flash of dark light erupted at her chest! Scales shimmered beneath the light – the “Earth Drake Leather Armor”. Faced with the lethal projectile, the armor automatically activated its innate “Earthen Bulwark”. A thick, earthen-yellow layer of protective aura pulsed outward. The intense golden Nen aura surrounding the bullet clashed violently against the armor’s shield of earth power. Both auras disintegrated against each other. With a final sputter, the now-mundane bullet simply lodged itself into the scaled leather armor, wisps of white smoke curling from the impact point.

“You…” Shizuku stared, eyes wide open with shock at the “Pakunoda” still holding her. The crimson Nen encircling her neck was actively devouring the protective layer of her aura, leaving her powerless to resist. Without her Nen defense, and with powerful fingers choking her air supply, she went limp instantly. Helplessly, she could only watch as Kurapika’s “Restraining Chain” finally coiled around her trapped body.

“Did you really think I’d just leave you all behind and slip away?”

The “Pakunoda” finally released Shizuku’s throat and stepped towards Kurapika. As they moved, his form shifted dramatically. The impressive “bosom,” the torn suit jacket, and the miniskirt – all dissolved like melting wax, flowing unnaturally back into the folds of the armor beneath. In an instant, the illusion melted away, revealing underneath the distinctly ordinary face of Qin Lun, sporting his usual faint, unreadable smile.

This “Pakunoda” had been Qin Lum all along, meticulously disguised using the shape-shifting abilities of his “Flesh Golem”. Pakunoda, being a remarkably tall Western woman with Aryan-like features, actually stood slightly taller than Qin Lun himself. Combined with the thick cover of smoke, this perfect replica had managed to deceive Shizuku long enough to close the distance.

“Hmph. You definitely looked better before,” Kurapika retorted, his eyelid twitching as he turned his head aside, annoyance clear.

Qin Lun gave a helpless shrug, inspecting the fresh hole punched clean through his left Glove of Sacrifice, and the smoking dent in the Earth Drake Leather Armor over his chest. A flicker of genuine relief crossed his features. That bullet had been terrifyingly potent, stronger than he’d anticipated.

The Glove of Sacrifice, though unable to channel its original magical energies since his arrival in this world, was nevertheless forged from the hide of an “Archdemon.” Its inherent defensive properties were nothing to scoff at. As for the Earth Drake Leather Armor, its function was purely protective – a true Purple-Gold rated defensive item. The earthen-yellow aura that had manifested represented the armor’s innate “Earthen Bulwark” energy shield.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to claw your way out from under that rubble quite so quickly,” Qin Lun remarked conversationally, turning his gaze towards the real Pakunoda approaching from the distance.

The genuine Pakunoda looked far worse than Qin Lun’s disguised form had appeared moments ago. Her hair, once a bright blonde, was now completely grayed by dust and grime. Her clothes hung in tatters. Blood smeared visible patches of her skin, and angry purple bruises covered large areas of her body from countless impacts. Escaping the crushing weight of several collapsed high-rise buildings in such a short time had demanded a steep price.

“Let Shizuku go. Then you can leave.” Pakunoda positioned herself before the trio, her face devoid of any emotion, her voice colder than the deepest winter freeze.

“Paku…” Shizuku began, brows knitting into a slight frown. She seemed about to argue, perhaps to demand they fight or question the order. But Qin Lun’s hand shot out instantly, clamping down hard on her throat once more. Her face flushed red instantly. Any words died in her throat. She could only glare up at the young man with those perpetually dull eyes, barely masking a surge of pure fury flashing deep within.

“Kurapika. We’re moving,” Qin Lun announced, his attention flickering briefly toward the direction where Franklin was likely battling Chrollo. He met Pakunoda’s icy stare with his calm smile. “If you want her to live, follow us. But be warned; if I detect any traps you set along that path… I’ll snap her neck without hesitation.”

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