As Nobunaga raised his sword to finish the job, Shalnark suddenly interjected. "Hold on. Don't kill him just yet." His voice was calm, almost casual, but there was a glint of calculation in his eyes. "Judging from his ability, he materializes some kind of storage skin. He's probably the Shadow Beast responsible for transporting goods."
Nobunaga hesitated for only a second before lowering his blade. There was no need to argue, Shalnark made a good point.
Shifting his gaze, Shalnark turned to Feitan, his tone taking on a lighter, almost amused quality. "Looks like we'll need you to handle the interrogation later."
Feitan simply gave a small nod, acknowledging the request. But Owl's usefulness wasn't just limited to transporting goods. His ability itself was incredibly convenient, especially for thieves like them.
Chrollo, would no doubt want to steal it for himself. And in the original events, that's exactly what had happened.
In fact, Owl had likely been the only Shadow Beast to survive, simply because of Chrollo's ability. If a stolen ability disappeared upon the original user's death, then Owl must have lived, otherwise, Chrollo wouldn't have been able to keep using it.
The Troupe decided Owl's fate in mere seconds, as if he were nothing more than a tool to be repurposed. Owl trembled. Was this what it meant to go up against the Phantom Troupe?
As his mind spiraled with fear, another chilling thought surfaced. If A-rank criminals were this terrifying, what about the Seven Deadly Sins?
They were on an entirely different level. And then there was Larry, the man who had repeatedly frustrated the Seven Deadly Sins.'Just how powerful is he?' Owl was still frozen in shock as Shizuku let out a relieved sigh, finally able to focus on treating Uvogin.
But just as she moved toward him, disaster struck again. A chain, radiating ominous aura, shot down from above and wrapped itself tightly around Uvogin's body. Before anyone could react, the chain yanked him into the air, pulling him away like a prize from a claw machine. And then, just like that, he was gone.
The Troupe's collective attention snapped to the source of the attack, but it was too late. Machi, always observant, had the quickest reflexes. She had managed to attach an invisible thread to Uvogin just before he was taken.
"Tch… What the hell? Are there more Shadow Beasts?"
"No. There are only ten Shadow Beasts. This must be someone else."
"Damn it! They waited for us to be distracted!"
The group boiled with frustration, their anger bubbling over.
"There's still time to catch up," Machi muttered, her fingers tightening slightly as she concentrated on the thread. "I used a hidden thread. They shouldn't be able to, " Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly stiffened. She felt it. The thread had been severed. For a moment, she didn't speak. Then, without another word, she fell silent.
Meanwhile, far away from the battlefield, a car sped through the streets. Kurapika gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white as he focused on getting as much distance as possible between himself and the Phantom Troupe.
In the passenger seat, Uvogin sat bound, his hulking frame barely fitting in the space. Another figure sat beside him. Larry.
Uvogin, despite being captured, still carried himself with the arrogance of an undefeated fighter. He glanced toward Kurapika, then at Larry, and sneered. "Heh. Kid, how about you let me go? Maybe I'll spare your life."
Even now, he didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. He believed his comrades would come for him. He had no reason to be afraid. "Shut up." Kurapika's voice cut through the air like a knife. He turned sharply, and his crimson eyes blazed with rage.
A surge of Aura coursed through his fingers, transferring into the chains wrapped around Uvogin. The force tightened around him, contorting his body painfully. Uvogin's smirk twisted into a grimace. "Gah… Tch. Damn brat."
"Focus on the road," Larry interjected calmly. "No need to waste energy getting riled up."
Kurapika exhaled slowly, forcing himself to regain composure. Then, a sinister smile crept onto his lips. Unlike the original timeline, where he had hesitated, this time Kurapika had no intention of letting Uvogin live.
Finally catching his breath, Uvogin turned his gaze to Larry, eyeing him suspiciously. "…You're not like the others."
Larry smirked. "Oh? And why's that?"
"You don't look like some gang thug. You're too relaxed. But just now, you told him to calm down, right? Maybe you're not as bad as the rest of these bastards. If you help me escape, I might let you off the hook."
Larry let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Oh? So I should be grateful? Didn't you say you wanted to meet me before? Well, here I am."
For the first time, a flicker of realization crossed Uvogin's face. His eyes widened as the pieces clicked together. "Wait… No way…" A pause. And then, "…You're Larry?!"
Uvogin had always been the type who lived for the thrill of battle. He was like those martial arts fanatics in old stories, obsessed with nothing but fighting strong opponents. Even now, in an unfamiliar situation, his mind was fixed on one thing, challenging the infamous Larry. "You wanna fight me?" he asked, his voice filled with eagerness.
Larry, however, didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave a calm, almost cryptic response. "I hope you can keep that same energy later."
Uvogin frowned. What the hell did that mean? He wasn't sure, but there was no time to think too hard about it. Kurapika, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity, drove them straight to a deserted open area.
It was eerily similar to the spot where he had originally fought Kurapika in the main timeline. But this time, things were different. Larry was here, and that single change had already set off a chain of events that would alter everything.
In the original sequence of events, Kurapika had captured Uvogin and brought him back to the Nostrade family's estate under the orders of Neon's father. At the time, because of a lack of solid intel, Kurapika and his group were still unaware that the auction items had already been stolen by Chrollo.
They had planned to interrogate Uvogin, hoping to squeeze out information about where the goods had been taken. Unfortunately, their plans had been overheard by one of the Mafia's spies, who was under Shalnark's control. That had led to the Phantom Troupe staging a full-blown rescue mission.
But now, Larry had intervened directly, having Kurapika take Uvogin away before the Troupe even had the chance to learn about his capture. The entire trajectory of events had shifted. The Spiders wouldn't know who their enemy was, at least not immediately. And Uvogin… He had no idea he was about to die.
Kurapika slammed on the brakes with a loud screech, yanking Uvogin out of the car with raw, burning hatred in his crimson eyes. "This is where you'll be buried," Kurapika growled, voice trembling with barely contained fury.