While Leorio was treating Dominic, Gon and the others took on the role of holding off any mafia members who might interfere with the medical procedure. Splitting up into three directions, they sealed off the alleyways leading to Leorio's makeshift clinic. That was the temporary countermeasure the three had devised.
To the trio, ordinary mafia henchmen posed virtually no threat. Whenever a suspicious mafioso approached, they were promptly knocked unconscious and tucked away in the back alleys. During this process, Killua extracted intel from one of the captives—through intimidation rather than goodwill, of course.
From this interrogation, he learned that unidentified assailants had raided the Underground Auction, slaughtered the vast majority of the wealthy guests, and that the mafia was currently scrambling in a massive manhunt for the culprits.
Based on this information, Killua concluded that the perpetrators were almost certainly the Phantom Troupe. It seemed impossible that anyone else would be reckless and insane enough to turn the entire global mafia syndicate into their sworn enemies. His mind drifted back to his father's words from three years ago:
"It wasn't worth the pay."
That had been Silva Zoldyck's mutter after assassinating a member of the Troupe on a contract. Coming from the head of the legendary Zoldyck family, that grumble was the highest praise he could give a target. He had added a stern warning to his sons: "Stay away from the Phantom Troupe."
Three years had passed since that conversation. In that time, Killua had grown and mastered Nen. He was completely different from his former self. Yet, under Aisha, Bisky, and the rigorous discipline of the Kazama-ryu Dojo, he had been taught countless times that there was always a higher peak.
Can the current me actually beat the Troupe? Opponents that even Dad struggled against?
Once trapped in that train of thought, he couldn't break free. In Killua's mind, the Troupe loomed as an insurmountable force—an enemy far beyond his ability to handle.
Then a thought crossed his mind: There's no reason we have to fight the Troupe right now.
They might be stronger today, but someday, I will definitely surpass them. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio will too. So we should pull back for now. This isn't the time to be reckless.
Killua told himself this to justify backing down, unaware that while his logic wasn't entirely flawed, it was rooted in the mindset of retreat.
◆
Lost in thought, Killua suddenly noticed that the stream of mafia henchmen had completely dried up. Previously, no matter how many he knocked out, more kept pouring in as if spawning from thin air. Now, the streets were empty. While convenient, the sudden silence felt unnerving.
Right then, a sound echoed from the alley behind him. Wondering if one of the mafiosi had awakened, Killua clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Did I mess up my strength? I thought I put him out for at least a full day."
Killua muttered to himself, but the sound turned out to be the ringing of a cellphone. It was just a phone inside the pocket of one of the unconscious men.
Relieved, Killua was about to turn away when he realized something strange. It wasn't just one or two phones. Almost every single unconscious mafia member lying in the alley had their phones ringing simultaneously.
"What's going on? Why all at once?"
Puzzled, Killua picked up one of the ringing phones and glanced at the screen. The caller ID was naturally an unfamiliar name, but Killua pressed the answer button. Normally he would ignore it, but the synchronized ringing piqued his curiosity.
"Hello?"
"What took you so damn long to pick up?! Get over here with reinforcements right now! We're under attack!!"
The frantic voice of a panicked mafioso shouted from the other end.
"Under attack? How many enemies? Where?"
"Just one guy! Along Route 3—gah-urk?!"
A grotesque, squishing sound cut through the line, followed by dead silence from the caller.
"Tch!"
Irritated that his source had been abruptly silenced, Killua kept the phone pressed to his ear. Through the receiver came the deafening roar of automatic gunfire, bloodcurdling screams, and the booming, manic laughter of a single man. It was an absolute slaughterhouse.
It's the Phantom Troupe. One of them is wiping out the mafia.
What should he do? Wait here until Leorio finished the surgery? Or regroup with Gon and Kurapika first? The mafia was gone; every able-bodied mobster had undoubtedly been deployed to that battlefield. In that case, regrouping was the only logical choice. Staying isolated or moving alone against the Troupe would lead to disaster.
Having made his decision, Killua moved immediately—all while the imagined dread of the enemy grew larger within his mind.
◆
"Gon! Killua! You're both alright."
"Kurapika!"
"Good, we're all accounted for. Is Leorio still operating?"
Three alley entrances led to Leorio's operating location. Having each guarded one entryway, Kurapika and Killua regrouped at the central post where Gon was stationed.
"You two noticed the mafia acting strange, right?"
"Yeah, nobody's coming this way anymore, and all their cellphones have been ringing non-stop."
"Indeed, something major is happening..."
"...I listened in on one of their calls," Killua said grimly. "They're under attack again."
"What?! Is it the Phantom Troupe?!"
Kurapika stepped forward intensely, eyes wide. Seeing his reaction, Killua inwardly cursed his slip of the tongue. He should have known that mentioning the Troupe to a vengeance-driven Kurapika would trigger this exact response. But since there was no taking it back, he relayed what he knew.
"I don't know for sure if it's the Troupe, but someone is tearing through the mafia forces. According to the caller, it's just one person, but they possess overwhelming power."
"Where?!"
"Along Route 3—hey! Where do you think you're going?!"
The moment the words left Killua's mouth, Kurapika spun around and bolted.
"Don't follow me! Stay here and protect Aisha and Leorio!"
"Are you an idiot?! You're going to fight the Phantom Troupe alone?!"
"This is my fight! I won't drag you into this!"
Unleashing his aura, Kurapika sprinted away into the distance. Right beside Killua, Gon flared his own aura to give chase.
"Hey! Not you too!"
"I can't leave Kurapika alone like this! I'll be fine, Killua, so stay here!"
"Gon!! ...Dammit!"
Gon darted after Kurapika without looking back. Left alone, Killua hesitated for a heartbeat before gritting his teeth and taking off after them.
If the three of us are together, and there's only one enemy... Please, just let there be no other Spiders around.
Praying silently, Killua resolved to step into the fray.
Yet, a sharp, throbbing ache suddenly pulsed behind his eyes.
What is this...? My head hurts like hell...
The insidious needle of twisted affection buried deep in his skull refused to stay quiet.
◆
Having activated [Muscle Evolution], Uvogin's frame had expanded with colossal, hyper-dense musculature. Already possessing the strongest physical build in the Phantom Troupe, the Nen-enhanced muscular hyper-growth pushed his physical power beyond the limits of human anatomy.
He had demonstrated that raw might moments earlier: when Worm, one of the elite Shadow Beasts, had ambushed him from underground, Uvogin had obliterated him into red mist with a single, casual backhand.
By fusing explosive muscle evolution with immense aura reinforcement, Uvogin possessed offensive and defensive parameters that standard Nen practitioners could scarcely fathom.
"The rest of the squad will be here any second! We just have to hold him down until then!"
Leech, another Shadow Beast standing before Uvogin, shouted while struggling to suppress his terror. They had arrived to exterminate the arrogant punk daring to butcher the mafia, never imagining they would run into a monster of this caliber.
They had prided themselves on being the apex predators of the underworld. While not claiming to be the strongest on Earth, they believed themselves to be among the elite few.
Yet before them stood a titan whose aura alone warped the atmosphere, armed with a muscular density that defied biological reason. A single strike had pulverized their comrade Worm like a fragile insect.
In that instant, Leech's pride shattered. The only thing keeping him from fleeing was his lingering dignity as a Shadow Beast and the certainty of execution by the mafia dons if he deserted.
"Don't panic! He's just a muscle-brained brute! If we surround him and disrupt his balance, he's nothing!"
"That's right, yeah. No matter how much destructive power he has, it's meaningless if it can't hit, yeah."
Their comrades' words helped Leech regain a sliver of composure. Looking closely, the enemy was an enormous wall of muscle. A body that gigantic couldn't possibly move with agile speed.
As Rabid Dog said, surrounding him from three sides would nullify his broad swings.
As Porcupine said, even godlike power was useless if it failed to connect.
Worm had simply made the mistake of rushing recklessly into the enemy's strike zone. Thus, Leech replaced his terror with hopeful rationalization.
"Haha, right. We didn't even need to call the rest of the Shadow Beasts."
"Better safe than sorry. We can't afford a single blunder against this brute, especially if our normal attacks can't scratch his hide."
"Yeah, true."
Leech glanced at Rabid Dog, who bared razor-sharp fangs with a sinister nod.
True to his moniker, Rabid Dog specialized in biting attacks laced with a potent neurotoxin. Once injected into a victim's bloodstream, it completely paralyzed all motor function from the neck down while leaving sensory nerves intact—a cruel venom tailored for agonizing torture.
Regardless of Rabid Dog's sadistic tastes, a single bite guaranteed total victory. Convinced of this, Leech discarded his fear and began contemplating how to carve up the titan before them.
"Hey. Done whispering your little strategy meeting? I don't mind waiting if you want your buddies to show up first."
Throughout their conversation, Uvogin had stood cross-armed, waiting patiently. It wasn't mercy; he was simply buying time for his Troupe comrades to safely retreat to their hideout with the auction loot. Letting the Shadow Beasts gather in one place guaranteed they wouldn't pursue the others.
Everything was for the sake of his comrades!
"Don't get cocky, you giant slab of beef!"
"He's full of himself, yeah!"
"We'll wipe that smirk off your ugly face, giant!"
Taking Uvogin's words as an insult, the three Shadow Beasts split into three directions, maintaining a measured distance outside Uvogin's immediate reach. Despite their bravado, their cautious footwork betrayed their deep wariness.
Porcupine struck first.
Manipulating the hair across his body, he extended his follicles by several dozen centimeters, hardening each strand into needle-sharp, aura-reinforced spikes, and fired a massive volley of hair needles straight at Uvogin.
Though surprised by the bizarre ranged attack, Uvogin recognized that the aura imbued within the hair was far too weak to pose a genuine threat.
Without even bothering to dodge, Uvogin let his aura-clad skin deflect the volley like raindrops on steel. Yet, the barrage successfully drew his attention for a split second.
In that opening, Leech lunged forward from Uvogin's front, surging with aura as if to strike. It was a feint—a decoy to draw Uvogin's full focus while Porcupine kept him distracted.
The true killing blow belonged to Rabid Dog from behind. With the neurotoxin ready, he would pierce the titan's blind spot.
Uvogin's body was armored in dense muscle and reinforced with Ken. Concentrated aura might deflect Rabid Dog's fangs, but when launching a frontal attack against Leech, Uvogin's aura distribution would naturally shift toward his fists and legs, leaving his back relatively vulnerable. That was where the lethal fangs would strike!
It was a textbook ambush.
...And against absolute, overwhelming power, it was completely pulverized.
The assumption that an oversized body couldn't move with high speed was shattered instantaneously.
As Leech closed in, Uvogin lunged forward. His titanic legs stomped into the pavement, obliterating the concrete and propelling his massive frame forward at a velocity that defied physics.
"Eh?"
That dumbfounded syllable was the last sound Leech ever made.
Before he could process the impossible speed, Uvogin's fist connected, detonating Leech's upper torso into crimson mist just like Worm before him.
Having witnessed another ally get obliterated in a heartbeat, Rabid Dog didn't falter. As an experienced underworld killer, he saw Leech's death as the ultimate opening. Pouring everything into his leap, he snapped his venomous jaws toward Uvogin's back where the aura was thinnest.
Got him!
The thought barely registered before Rabid Dog found Uvogin already turned around, a massive fist winding back right in front of his face.
"So... fast—"
Before the words could fully form, Rabid Dog's skull was crushed into pieces, and his lifeless corpse collapsed into the rubble.
Left completely alone, Porcupine stood paralyzed in sheer horror.
Why?! How?! How can a body that massive move with that kind of agility?!
To the Shadow Beasts, it was as if a gigantic elephant possessed the speed and reflexes of a cheetah. It was absurd.
Yet they had fundamentally misunderstood: Uvogin's bulk wasn't bodybuilder fluff for display; it was combat muscle forged purely for destruction. Stripped of all excess fat and reinforced with immense Nen mastery, his muscle fibers acted like high-tension steel cables.
To overcome the friction and weight of a colossal frame, he had simply stacked on even more absurd amounts of explosive muscle.
It was an outrageous philosophy that ignored conventional logic—made possible only by his supreme Enhancer talent and psychotic dedication to martial might.
"Eep?!"
In less than three seconds, the ambush had devolved into a one-sided massacre. Left as the sole survivor, Porcupine couldn't help but let out a pathetic shriek.
Not that Uvogin was the type to show mercy.
"Well then, just you left—"
"Hey, look at that. You got wiped out by just one guy, Porcupine. Pathetic."
"—Huh? Who the hell are you clowns?"
As Uvogin stepped toward Porcupine to finish the job, six figures emerged from the dust. Every single one emitted an aura far surpassing standard underworld mercenaries.
"You guys! You made it in time, yeah!"
Porcupine gasped in relief.
The entire Shadow Beast unit had assembled in Yorknew City due to a grim prophecy from Neon Nostrade—a 100% accurate fortune-teller—warning that all auction attendees were fated to die. Taking no chances, the Ten Dons had mobilized all ten Shadow Beasts in advance.
"Oho. The rest of the Shadow Beast circus came to save their pet? One, two, three... seven! The whole damn squad is here!"
Saved me the trouble of hunting them down.
Uvogin grinned maliciously. Gathering the remaining seven in one place saved him from wasting stamina tracking them down across the city.
As an Enhancer who trained exclusively in physical output and raw aura, Uvogin's growth was monstrously specialized. He couldn't emit refined Nen bullets or shape his aura, but he compensated by brute-forcing his aura reserves to the absolute pinnacle of human limits.
Even so, sustaining [Muscle Evolution] consumed immense stamina. Wiping them all out at once was the most efficient outcome.
I've bought plenty of time. Once these bugs are squashed, I can head back to the hideout.
Steeling his resolve, Uvogin began gathering his aura at full throttle.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
The air warped as a titanic crimson shroud erupted from his body, vibrating the cracked concrete around him.
"What an absurd aura output!"
"He's not just a big guy, yeah! One slip-up and we're dead, yeah!"
"Kill him together! Don't let him build any more momentum!"
The remaining Shadow Beasts encircled him, preparing their respective Hatsu—some charging emission blasts, one taking flight, another preparing conjured cloth, and others enhancing their bodies.
Uvogin didn't wait for them to coordinate.
"Surrounding me so I can't escape? That's my line! Taste this! [Big Bang Impact ]!!"
His action was terrifyingly simple: channeling his fully gathered aura into his right fist with Ko, he slammed it straight down into the earth.
In his normal state, Big Bang Impact created a crater capable of burying dozens of men.
Fueled by [Muscle Evolution] and concentrated through Ko, the resulting strike tore a colossal crater into Yorknew City's district.
The shockwave blasted the earth open, obliterating two Shadow Beasts on impact and shattering the foundations of the surrounding skyscrapers.
"M-Monster!!"
Hovering in mid-air, the winged Shadow Beast Bat froze in sheer disbelief.
"Dodge, Bat!!"
Bat didn't understand the warning in time. The shattered skyscraper beside them lost its foundation, tilted sideways, and collapsed directly on top of him, crushing him beneath thousands of tons of steel and rubble.
Within seconds, half of the elite Shadow Beasts were dead, and the remaining four were battered and disoriented.
"Ha! Not bad. I don't hate guys with guts! But die anyway!!"
Uvogin roared, continuing his rampage.
◆
Guided by the tremors and gunfire, Kurapika sprinted through the shattered streets of Yorknew City, his Scarlet Eyes burning with unyielding determination.
Arriving at the perimeter of the battlefield, he witnessed a mountainous man slam his fist into the earth, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
What absurd destructive power! Is his raw striking power higher than Aisha's?!
While Aisha's aura volume and refined control were far superior, this man's brute physical devastation was terrifying.
Then, Kurapika's eyes locked onto the tattoo on the giant's exposed back: a twelve-legged spider stamped with the number 11.
The memory of the Kurta Clan massacre surged within his soul. His Scarlet Eyes blazed with intense crimson fury.
A pure Enhancer. With that kind of raw destructive force, he likely doesn't possess complex secondary abilities.
Suppressing his boiling rage, Kurapika coldly analyzed the target, remembering Aisha's teachings: Never underestimate an enemy. Discern their ability before they discern yours.
"Incredible..."
"What in the world is that...?! A monster?!"
Gon and Killua arrived at Kurapika's side, staring at the crater in shock.
Before their eyes, Uvogin finished off the remaining Shadow Beasts with contemptuous ease, shattering Porcupine's needles and bellowing a sonic shockwave that ruptured the eardrums of the cloth user.
With all ten Shadow Beasts annihilated, the surrounding mafia squads fled in terror.
"Kurapika! We have to retreat and regroup with Aisha and Leorio!" Killua pleaded frantically. "You saw what he did—he destroyed a skyscraper with his bare hands! We can't beat that!"
"That changes nothing," Kurapika replied with icy resolve, stepping forward.
"Are you insane?! Gon, help me knock him out and carry him back!"
"Wait, Killua," Gon said softly, turning to Kurapika. "Are you really going to fight him, Kurapika?"
"Yes. You don't have to get involved, Gon."
"If you're fighting, I'm fighting too," Gon declared without hesitation.
"Gon, this is my revenge. You have no reason to risk your life."
"Fighting alone is painful, but together we can get through it. We always have!"
"He's an anomaly, Gon! A single clean hit could kill you!"
"Compared to Aisha, he's not that scary! Aisha is way stronger!" Gon smiled with absolute faith.
Kurapika let out a stunned laugh, his tension easing.
"Haha... You're right, Gon. Aisha is far stronger than this man. Alright, fight with me."
"Yeah! Leave it to me!"
Behind them, Killua was practically hyperventilating.
"Are you two out of your minds?! Even if Aisha is stronger, this guy is still far beyond us! The two of you will be slaughtered! We need Aisha and all five of us together!"
"There's no guarantee he won't escape while we do that," Kurapika said calmly, his aura swelling to immense proportions. "I have a few hidden cards of my own. I will not lose."
Even so, we shouldn't fight unless victory is guaranteed!
The assassin conditioning in Killua's mind screamed at him to flee. His head throbbed violently as the internal conflict tore at his sanity: Abandon my friends and run? Or stay and die?
"Let's go, Gon."
"Yeah. We won't die, Killua. We're going to win!"
Gon stepped forward beside Kurapika, trusting Killua completely.
Killua reached out a trembling hand, his throat tight.
I... I want to fight too...
Yet his vocal cords refused to obey. By the time he found his breath, Gon and Kurapika were already standing directly before Phantom Troupe #11, Uvogin.
◆
Having wiped out the Shadow Beasts, Uvogin deactivated [Muscle Evolution], feeling thoroughly satisfied. As he turned to leave, two figures stepped into his path.
"Who are you runts? You don't look like mafia."
"You're the Phantom Troupe."
"Yeah, and? I'm in a good mood, so if you're not with the mob, get lost... Wait. I don't know your face, but I know those eyes! A survivor of that clan, huh?! Gwahaha!! So there was one left after all!!"
Uvogin grinned with bloodthirsty delight.
"What's so funny?" Kurapika asked coldly.
"Because guys like you are the best to kill! You train like dogs for revenge, and crushing that desperate hope is the greatest thrill in the world!!"
The pure malice in Uvogin's laugh disgusted Gon.
"Hey," Gon asked earnestly. "Why... why do you kill people who have nothing to do with you?"
"Because they have nothing to do with us. Why should I care what happens to strangers?" Uvogin answered without an ounce of remorse.
"...I see," Gon whispered, his fists clenching.
"If you cannot comprehend your sins," Kurapika's chains rattled ominously, "then I shall teach you through pain and humiliation!!"
"Done talking?! Then let's get started! Try to entertain me more than those Shadow Beast clowns!!"
Aura flared across the ruined street, and the battle began!