The fight had taken an interesting turn, much more engaging than the one-sided massacre in the original events. Of course, Larry never expected the Shadow Beasts to win.
The difference in strength between them and the Phantom Troupe was simply too vast. If anything, the only reason they had lasted this long was Uvogin's carelessness. Had he been more cautious, no Shadow Beast would have survived two of his punches.
The truth was clear: if Uvogin's Punch had landed cleanly on their bodies rather than the ground, none of them, except for maybe the earthworm, would still be standing. Any other Shadow Beast would've been obliterated in a single hit.
"Hm?" From their elevated position, Nobunaga and the others turned their attention toward the hill on the opposite side. Six new figures, each dressed in distinct attire, had silently appeared.
"Four plus six… That makes ten. So, all the Shadow Beasts are finally here?" Shalnark's innocent voice confirmed their arrival, though his tone carried no real concern.
"Tsk. Earthworm, what the hell took you so long? You spent all that time just to handle one guy?" A Shadow Beast with grotesque features and a pair of tattered wings sneered, his sharp voice filled with impatience.
"Shut it, Bat. They're up against the Phantom Troupe. Considering that, they've done well enough."Owl, the leader of the Shadow Beasts, stepped in before things escalated. Though he wasn't as strong as the others, his intelligence had earned him the position of command. Seeing their leader speak, Bat reluctantly fell silent.
The moment stretched thin, and in a blink, the newly arrived Shadow Beasts disappeared from their perch, instantly closing the distance to where their comrades stood. Now, all ten of them faced Uvogin, their postures rigid, their gazes sharp.
For the first time, Uvogin felt actual pressure. Not because he was afraid, no, the brute feared nothing, but because his body was finally succumbing to the nerve poison coursing through his system. At this point, he could barely move. Speaking was still possible, though difficult. Beyond that, his body refused to listen.
Sensing this shift, Nobunaga and the others abandoned any lingering arrogance. Their expressions hardened as they instinctively moved to Uvogin's side, forming a defensive line. It was clear now, Uvogin alone could no longer control the situation.
"Damn it… if it wasn't for that bastard…" Even in his weakened state, Uvogin seethed with rage. He spat the words through clenched teeth, glaring daggers at the Shadow Beast responsible for poisoning him, the Rabid Dog.
To someone like Uvogin, battle should be straightforward. A true fight was won through sheer strength, not underhanded tricks. Using poison? That was the work of cowards.
But in the world of Hunter x Hunter, poison was a legitimate and terrifying weapon. Many powerful fighters had fallen to its effects. Kuroro's poisoned blade had been enough to make even Silva tread carefully. And the Chimera Ant King, despite consuming two Royal Guards, had still perished from the airborne poison released by Poor Man's Rose.
'Maybe I should look into getting some poison-based Pokémon.' Larry mulled over the idea. If there were any place in this world that could breed poison-type Pokémon, it would have to be Meteor Street.
Ever since arriving in the Hunter x Hunter world, Larry had been relieved that he hadn't been dumped into that forsaken place. Meteor Street was nothing more than the world's trash heap, an endless wasteland of discarded waste and broken lives. People there had no identities, scraping by on whatever they could scavenge from the filth. The higher-ups, if they could even be called that, were nothing more than gangsters, ruthless and vile.
'A cesspool like that? It wouldn't surprise him if toxic, mutated Pokémon roamed freely there.' That said, Larry wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of setting foot in such a place. Nobody in their right mind would willingly spend time in a giant garbage dump.
While these thoughts ran through his mind, the battle below erupted into full chaos.
Shizuku was the first to react, summoning her Vacuum Cleaner to extract the poison from Uvogin's system. But before she could even begin, the Rabid Dog jumped at her, snapping its maw shut with a vicious clack. It wasn't aiming to defeat her outright, it simply needed to stall. And it was working. Shizuku was forced to abandon her treatment attempt as she dodged.
Elsewhere, the other Phantom Troupe members found themselves locked in battle, each taking on multiple Shadow Beasts at once. The fight, on the surface, looked unbalanced.
The Shadow Beasts held the numerical advantage, with two of them ganging up on each Troupe member. But anyone who understood combat knew what the real outcome would be. Numbers didn't matter here.
Once the Phantom Troupe got serious, the Shadow Beasts wouldn't last long. They might have some durability, but against the likes of Nobunaga, Feitan, or Franklin?
They were nothing more than walking corpses.
Under Nobunaga's blistering speed, the first of the Shadow Beasts fell. The one to die first was none other than Bat, who had been so arrogant when he first appeared. His confidence had been misplaced, his death was only the beginning.
Bang! BANG! BANG!!!
Franklin raised his hands, the holes in his fingers glowing dark, and unleashed a barrage of Nen-infused bullets. The shots tore through a Shadow Beast resembling a rhinoceros, riddling its massive body with gaping wounds. Blood pooled beneath the creature as it collapsed, its body now resembling a honeycomb filled with crimson.
The battle had barely begun, yet the Shadow Beasts were already on the verge of annihilation. Bat's death triggered a domino effect, and one by one, the remaining Shadow Beasts followed. Their bodies hit the ground in quick succession, unable to withstand the overwhelming strength of the Phantom Troupe.
"Huff… huff… huff…" Owl panted heavily, his eyes darting between the surviving Troupe members who had now encircled him. His heart pounded in his chest, the weight of the situation finally sinking in.
'How long had they been fighting?' It felt like only moments ago that he and his comrades had arrived to reinforce their allies. Now, he was the last one standing.
Well, almost. Somewhere beneath the battlefield, Earthworm was still alive. After suffering a direct hit from Franklin's machine-gun barrage, he had managed to activate his ability at the last second, burrowing underground to escape.
But Owl wasn't as lucky.
No matter how much training he had endured, no matter how much pain he had suffered, it was clear now, he wasn't on the same level as true powerhouses. Despair crept into his heart. Hard work meant nothing in the face of pure, raw talent.