Not long after Aisha rushed out of the hotel she had checked into, four figures were seen running through the streets of Yorknew—Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.
The moment they saw how pale Aisha looked as she bolted out, they sensed something was terribly wrong and immediately dashed toward the Cemetery Building, where they believed she was headed.
They figured out her destination from the PC Aisha had been using. They set off after her at once, but they couldn't catch up to her overwhelming speed. Now they were sprinting at full speed through the streets. Of course, it was only natural that they couldn't keep up with Aisha at her full power. Compared to ordinary people, their speed was already unbelievable—but even so, passersby stared at them in astonishment.
"Aisha… she looked really pale. I wonder what happened?"
Gon, who cared deeply about his friends, recalled the look on Aisha's face just before she ran out and muttered worriedly. Though they had spent quite some time with her, this was the first time they had ever seen Aisha so shaken.
"Forget that for now—we've gotta get to the Cemetery Building! Hey, Kurapika, this is the right way, right!?"
Leorio, concerned about Aisha's sudden change but thinking they should hurry first, called out to Kurapika, who was supposed to be checking the route.
But there was no reply.
Kurapika's expression was grave, as if lost in thought. It seemed Leorio's voice hadn't reached him.
"…"
"Hey, Kurapika!?"
"—! Ah, y-yeah! What is it, Leorio!?"
"What do you mean 'what is it'!? Why're you spacing out!?"
"S-sorry. I was thinking about something…"
"Oi! Aisha might be in trouble and you're—"
"Leorio, calm down! Now's not the time to argue! …We might end up fighting the Phantom Troupe!"
"Wha!?"
Leorio, who had been about to yell at Kurapika, and Gon, who had tried to mediate, both froze in shock at Killua's words.
Kurapika too.
…But the nature of Kurapika's shock was different from Gon and Leorio's.
"…So you noticed too, Killua."
Yes—Kurapika had reached the same conclusion as Killua.
Hisoka's words. The auction starting in Yorknew. The underground auction run by the Mafia Community. And Aisha's sudden change.
Connecting all the dots, they arrived at one possibility:
The Phantom Troupe might attack the underground auction.
"Really!? The Phantom Troupe's in Yorknew!?"
"When you piece everything together, that possibility emerges! Aisha must've realized it and headed to the Cemetery Building!"
"But wait! Even if the Phantom Troupe's here, why'd Aisha go to the Cemetery Building!? It's not like she's got any obligation to protect the Mafia!"
That answer was something they couldn't possibly know.
No one here knew of Aisha's connection to the Mafia. Only part of the Koza Family within the Mafia knew about that.
"I don't know either! …More importantly, you guys go back to the hotel! At this rate, you might get dragged into a fight with the Phantom Troupe!"
"Hah! Don't joke around! Do I look like the kind of guy who'd abandon a friend and run!? If I was, I'd cast [Palm Healing Technique / Hoimi] on your eyeballs!"
"That's right! And if Aisha's fighting the Phantom Troupe, of course we're going to help her!"
"Yeah. Not letting you hog all the cool points yourself."
The fight against the Phantom Troupe was Kurapika's personal vendetta. He didn't want to involve his friends.
From Hisoka's level, they could guess the Troupe's strength. Leorio might not fully grasp it, but Gon and Killua surely did.
And yet… Kurapika couldn't help but think—if it's these three, of course they'd say that.
"…Idiots. Don't blame me if you die!"
"We've gotten stronger too! I'm not the same guy who fought Hisoka back then!"
"A healer's useful, right!? And I've still got my ability!"
"…Well, maybe Aisha's already wiped out the Troupe by herself."
"Haha… scary how that actually sounds possible."
At Killua's joke, Gon and Kurapika exchanged wry smiles in agreement.
Not once had they ever beaten Aisha. Even with four of them—including Bisky—they couldn't land a single scratch on her.
At this point, none of them could even imagine Aisha losing.
"Wait! She's that strong!?"
"She's a monster."
"She's not human. I bet she's stronger than my old man."
"Do you think Chairman Netero is really stronger than Aisha? That's how strong she is!"
Words of affirmation poured out in response to Leorio's question.
There was absolute trust in Aisha. It was as if they were convinced she could never lose, no matter what.
Those confident words eased Leorio's worries. No matter how strong they said she was, Aisha still looked like an ordinary girl. Leorio had been the most worried.
If the ones who had spent far more time by her side said she was fine, then maybe she really was.
But as if mocking that relief—
A sinister aura unlike anything Leorio had ever experienced engulfed him.
"—!? W-what… what is this!?"
If it were merely sinister, that would've been one thing.
But this was an overwhelming amount of aura—far beyond what could be considered human.
Among all the Nen users Leorio had met, Kurapika had seemed to possess the greatest aura… yet this presence dwarfed even that.
Something—somewhere in the distance—was releasing it.
No one could blame him for freezing in fear. Even ordinary civilians, who could barely sense aura, were looking around in confusion.
"Damn! Is this… Hisoka!? No—wait, it's different?"
Gon recalled the aura Hisoka had shown at Heaven's Arena.
He knew it better than anyone there.
But he immediately realized it wasn't the same.
It was just as sinister—perhaps even more so.
But this aura carried intense anger, hatred… and above all, deep sorrow.
"—!!"
Killua reacted the most strongly.
The moment he felt that impossibly dense aura, he leapt away, instantly putting distance between himself and its source.
With refined, practiced movement, he retreated—and then shouted, sweat pouring down his body like a waterfall.
"Don't go! We can't win! We'll be killed!"
His reaction was only natural.
No matter how talented they were, no matter how much they had grown in six months—it was still only six months.
Against power beyond imagination, retreating was the rational choice.
"Y-you idiot! You're saying we should abandon Aisha!?"
"—! That's not it! Who said I'd abandon her!? But against someone with this kind of aura, we'd just get in the way!!"
"We won't know unless we try!"
"Both of you, calm down! Let's regroup with Aisha first! If all five of us are together, then surely—"
The three fell into confusion before the overwhelming disparity in aura.
But one of them remained relatively calm.
Because he had experienced this aura before.
And knew its owner well.
"Calm down!! Listen carefully, all of you. …This isn't an enemy. This is… Aisha's aura."
At Kurapika's sharp command, they regained some composure.
But the words that followed left them speechless.
Not because they didn't understand the words—
But because they couldn't comprehend their meaning.
"…Huh? What're you talking about…"
"It's the truth. This aura is… unmistakably Aisha's."
"No way. Her aura was normal—! …An aura concealment ability!"
Killua's mind, sharp as ever, reached the answer.
"That's right. Aisha's been concealing her aura to hide this."
"…You knew, Kurapika."
"Yes. Don't misunderstand—I wasn't keeping it from you. I forced it out of her. She probably intended to tell you when the time was right. So—"
"So what? You think we'd look down on her? If that's the case, I'd hate that more than her keeping it secret!"
"Yeah! You think I'd start hating Aisha over something like this? Don't underestimate us!"
Gon and Leorio accepted her secret without hesitation—standing firm as friends.
Behind them, Killua struggled internally.
'Never betray your comrades.'
His father's words resurfaced.
That's right. Had he forgotten the promise he made when leaving the Zoldyck family?
Aisha was a comrade. A friend!
But another voice whispered—
'Never fight an enemy you can't beat.'
His brother's curse. A twisted love branded into his very bones.
No! Aisha isn't an enemy! She's a friend! And friends never betray each other! We promised!
Summoning all his willpower, Killua rejected the curse.
The fact that Aisha wasn't an enemy helped.
His brother's hold receded.
And stepping forward—
"…Yeah! Like hell I'd betray a friend over this!"
"…I see. Then tell Aisha that yourself. I'm sure she'll be happy."
"Yeah! We've gotta get to her fast!"
"Right!"
They resumed their sprint toward the Cemetery Building.
But no matter how fast they ran—
They would never reach it.
Not because they were obstructed.
Not because they feared the Phantom Troupe.
Not because of the Mafia.
The answer was simpler.
Before they arrived—
The Cemetery Building collapsed with a thunderous roar.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't reach a building that no longer existed.
At best, they could only reach its ruins.
"Wha—!? What the hell just happened!?"
"No way! The building collapsed!? Why!?"
"Wasn't Aisha inside!? …I can still feel her aura. She seems unharmed…"
"Either way, we've gotta hurry! Ignore the Mafia if they get in our way! Finding Aisha comes first!"
The four raced toward the site, panic evident on their faces.
From afar, they could see Mafia members gathering around the ruins—but they didn't slow down.
Then—
Someone descended from the sky before them.
The very person they were rushing to find.
Aisha.
Releasing aura from her entire body, she landed gently—delicately—as if handling something fragile.
"Aisha!! —!?"
Gon and the others rejoiced at her sudden return.
But the sight in her arms turned their joy into shock.
In her arms lay a single man—
His entire body stained crimson with blood.
◆
When the Phantom Troupe saw that Feitan had undergone a drastic change and donned his peculiar protective suit, they immediately chose to retreat, carrying their injured comrades with them.
Seeing that, Aisha realized what Feitan was about to unleash—an indiscriminate, wide-area attack that would not distinguish between friend and foe.
And so, the next move Aisha made was the same as the Troupe's:
Retreat.
Chasing after the Troupe was not an option for her.
If she had been alone, she would have done so. No matter what kind of attack came her way, she had no intention of letting those scum escape. She would have captured every last one of them and made them face proper judgment.
With that in mind, she was about to move to stop the Troupe from leaving—
When she heard a faint groan.
It was so faint that only someone with Aisha's sharp senses could detect it.
The sound had come from her father—Dominic.
Yes.
Dominic was alive.
Though he had been caught in the storm of death and gravely wounded, he had not yet died.
Even with his bodyguards, Darl and Zaza, throwing themselves forward to shield him, they had only managed to buy him a few seconds.
But in this world, a few seconds can change fate.
Dominic was one of those cases.
Though his abdomen had been torn open and he had lost consciousness, none of the vital organs whose damage would immediately cause death had been destroyed. He had merely fainted from pain and the shock of rapid blood loss.
If Aisha had arrived even a few seconds later, the outcome would have been different.
Believing him to be a corpse, Aisha had taken care to prevent Nen bullets from striking Dominic's body any further.
Ironically, that consideration was what allowed him—still alive—to cling to life.
Though the flame of his life was steadily weakening.
Father is alive!
The moment she realized that, Aisha moved faster than anyone present.
Using Shukuchi, she crossed the distance to where Dominic lay, carefully and swiftly lifting him into her arms.
And before Feitan could activate his ability, she escaped the auction hall.
Feitan, having lost his composure in rage, did not overlook Aisha—the very source of his fury.
He moved to pursue her as she fled the auction hall.
He would use [Pain Packer / The Unforgiven] and return her pain many times over.
His thoughts burned with wrath.
But his body betrayed him.
If it had only been his missing left arm, perhaps he could have endured.
The real problem was the wound in his abdomen.
Though it hadn't fully pierced through, there was a gaping hole the size of a fist.
Even standing caused unbearable pain. Blood continued to pour from the wound.
Normally one of the Troupe's fastest members, Feitan now staggered only a few steps before coughing up blood.
In that condition, there was no way he could chase Aisha.
But he had no intention of letting it end there.
If he couldn't pursue her—
Then he would strike from here.
Extending his arm in the direction Aisha had fled, aiming upward toward the higher floors, he converted the searing agony tormenting his body and the fury scorching his mind into power—
And unleashed his strongest attack.
The result—
The building's support pillars could not withstand the blow.
Deprived of support, the structure began to collapse.
Having escaped beyond the range of Feitan's Nen ability, Aisha burst out of the Cemetery Building.
Carefully handling Dominic so as not to strain him further, she moved away as quickly as possible.
Avoiding the Mafia gathering around the building, she headed toward her hotel.
If she handed Dominic over to the Mafia, they likely would have arranged treatment.
But conventional medical care might not make it in time.
The wound in his abdomen was massive—a hole large enough to fit a human fist.
For now, Aisha was using her aura to seal the wound and suppress the bleeding as much as possible, but there was a limit.
At this rate, he would die from blood loss.
The wound had to be closed immediately.
And then she thought of Leorio—the precious friend she had met during the Hunter Exam.
Between the Hunter Exam and their reunion in Yorknew, Leorio had mastered a healing-type Nen ability.
With that, maybe—just maybe—the wound could be sealed before blood loss claimed his life.
Clinging to that faint hope, she hurried toward the hotel—
Only to stop and turn around.
"Leorio-san…!"
On her way, she sensed the presence of Leorio—
No, all of them.
Gon and the others were heading toward the Cemetery Building.
Had they followed her?
She wondered briefly—but immediately focused on her critically injured father and descended toward them.
Whatever the reason, the fact that Leorio was here was fortunate.
There wasn't even a second to spare. Treatment needed to begin immediately.
Leaping over buildings to intercept them, she gently released aura to cushion her landing, minimizing strain on Dominic.
"Aisha!! —!?"
They were startled by her sudden appearance.
But Aisha, her expression tight with desperation, rushed toward Leorio.
"Leorio-san! Please! My father—please save my father!!"
The four of them were shaken by her anguish.
Though they hadn't known her long, this was the first time they had ever seen Aisha so distraught.
In fact, even Riina—who had known her longest—or Chairman Netero, her greatest rival in both her past and present lives, had never seen her like this.
"Your father!? I thought you were from Meteor City—! No, not the time for that! Let me see the wound!"
"Are you treating him here!? The Mafia will find us!"
"What choice do we have!? One look and you can tell this wound's deep! If we waste time finding a safer place, it'll be too late!"
"…Understood. Leorio, focus on treatment. If the Mafia approaches, we'll handle it. Right, Gon? Killua?"
"Yeah!"
"Mafia's nothing."
"Good. Aisha, stay by your father's side. Leave the rest to us."
"E-everyone…! Th-thank you…!"
They must have had countless questions.
Why did the building collapse?
What happened inside?
Was the Phantom Troupe there?
If so, where were they now?
Hadn't she been abandoned by her parents?
Even Aisha could think of that many.
Surely they wanted answers.
But none of them asked.
Each focused only on what they could do now.
All for her.
For their friend.
Understanding that, tears flowed naturally from Aisha's eyes.
"It'd be great if we had a clean room, but no point wishing for what we don't have. Aisha, hold him steady."
As he spoke, Leorio carefully examined Dominic's entire body.
[Palm Healing Technique / Hoimi] depended heavily on Leorio's own understanding. Injuries he couldn't recognize would weaken its effect.
"…Damn it! This wound's almost through! With the location, his stomach and liver are probably damaged too. But the bleeding's the biggest issue! I'll force it with aura!"
After assessing the injury, Leorio abandoned the idea of maximizing his ability through conditions and instead poured massive aura into brute-force healing.
The effect would be reduced—
But he didn't have the medical knowledge to perfectly treat internal organ damage.
Spending more time diagnosing would cost a life.
Grinding his teeth at his own lack of knowledge, Leorio activated [Palm Healing Technique / Hoimi] at full power.
"…Ugh!"
"Father!?"
"It's fine! The regeneration's started—that's why he groaned. Aisha, hold his hand. Sometimes family encouragement helps."
"…O-okay."
Gently, carefully, she took Dominic's hand.
"…Mi… Misha…"
"D-Dominic-san, don't talk!"
She had unconsciously called him "Father" earlier.
Quickly correcting herself, she used his name instead.
But he couldn't hear her correction.
He only murmured the name of his beloved wife.
"Misha… I'm sorry…"
"D-Dominic-san…!"
"Don't worry, Aisha! I'll save him! I made this ability for moments like this! So trust me! Trust your old man's will to live!"
Leorio sensed there were complicated reasons why Aisha called her father by name.
But now wasn't the time.
Even without fulfilling all conditions, his determination strengthened his aura.
Gradually—slowly—the wound began to regenerate.
The lost blood would not return.
But the bleeding stopped.
How much time passed?
Aisha, praying and holding his hand, had no sense of it.
Neither did Leorio, fully immersed in healing.
But one thing became clear.
The hole in Dominic's abdomen had vanished.
The wound was completely closed.
"…Alright! The wound's completely sealed!"
Sweat poured from Leorio's face. He was clearly exhausted.
But he smiled in satisfaction.
"Now he just needs a transfusion at a hospital… Make sure they thoroughly check for internal bleeding. The abdominal damage should be healed, but I've never treated something this severe before. Also check for infection. If everything's fine, rest and nutrition and he'll recover."
"Th-thank you…! Thank you so much, Leorio-san! I don't even know how to repay—"
Dominic was still pale from blood loss, but his breathing was steady.
Relief overwhelmed Aisha.
Even if Leorio had demanded an outrageous fee, she would have paid it.
But—
"…Heh. I don't need money. If the patient and their family say 'thank you' with a face like yours—that's the best payment."
Embarrassed, he turned away and scratched his cheek.
'No money needed.'
For Leorio, that was the phrase he had always wanted to say.
To save those who couldn't afford treatment.
To say—
'I don't need your money.'
His obsession with money had only ever been about becoming a doctor.
What he truly wanted was this.
"…Yes…! Thank you so much, Leorio-san!"
Aisha rejoiced in the golden spirit of her first friend.
She was truly glad he had been her first friend.
"They won't hold off the Mafia forever. Take your father to the hospital."
"B-but leaving you all—"
"We'll be fine. More importantly, he needs a transfusion fast."
"…Understood. But please—don't chase the Troupe. With your current strength, they're dangerous. There are thirteen… No—even excluding Hisoka and the injured, nine remain."
"…Wait. The Troupe has injured members?"
"Yes. I wounded them in battle."
If true—
That meant Aisha had fought multiple Phantom Troupe members alone—and injured them.
Leorio looked at her.
She was completely uninjured.
Not even her clothes were torn.
—Could she really destroy the Troupe by herself?—
He recalled Gon and the others' evaluation.
And realized—
They might not have been exaggerating at all.
◆
Having escaped from the collapsing Cemetery Building, the Phantom Troupe now rode a prearranged escape hot-air balloon, moving across the skies above Yorknew.
"First things first—everyone alive? Feitan, how're you holding up?"
"...Daijoubu ne. …Won't die until kill that bastard."
Feitan muttered weakly as first aid slowed the bleeding from his wounds. The injury to his abdomen had narrowly avoided being fatal. By sacrificing his left arm, he had reduced the power of the Nen bullet enough to prevent it from piercing through completely. After activating his ability and nearly exhausting himself, he had been pulled from the collapsing Cemetery Building by his comrades—"safe" would be too generous a word.
Feitan's [Pain Packer / The Unforgiven] had indeed caused the building to collapse. But it had taken some time before it fully crumbled. During that window, retrieving their wounded and escaping the crumbling structure had been no challenge for the Phantom Troupe.
"As long as you can talk tough like that, you'll live. Shizuku's left arm and jaw are shattered, but she's alive. Fighting'll be rough for her though. …The real problem's Franklin."
"If Franklin doesn't get treatment soon, it'll be too late. I gave him a quick look—several internal organs are damaged. Some have even ruptured… For now, I'm using my [Black Voice / Autopilot of Another's Fate] to control him and redirect his aura toward recovery, but that's only buying time."
[Black Voice / Autopilot of Another's Fate] was Shalnark's Nen ability. By stabbing an antenna into his target, he could control them using a custom-made cellphone. By manipulating the unconscious Franklin this way, Shalnark was forcing his aura to focus on enhancing his body's healing.
"To think you guys got beaten up this badly… Just who the hell was that?"
"…From our movements alone, she roughly figured out Feitan's ability. The way Franklin and the others went down, that aura volume—she's seriously skilled. That woman."
"Why was someone like that there? Didn't feel like mafia. …Guess Machi's premonition was right."
"…I still have a bad feeling."
"Oi, give me a break. You saying there's more?"
"I don't know. Just that the bad feeling hasn't gone away."
When Machi said that, the same unease clung to the other members.
It wasn't over yet.
Yorknew's night was going to be long.
"…Could that have been the Shadow Beasts?"
"Possible. The Shadow Beasts taking the auction items, and our information leaking somewhere so they joined security—it's plausible."
"No. I don't think that was the Shadow Beasts. It felt personal. Like she had a grudge against us. Maybe revenge."
"Another one of your hunches?"
"Doesn't matter right now."
As they each pondered the identity of the mysterious girl, only Uvogin voiced a different opinion.
"The mafia are probably tearing the city apart looking for us. If we keep going like this, the balloon'll be spotted and we'll get chased down. We might survive—but these guys won't."
He jerked a thumb toward the wounded.
"Franklin and Feitan are fine. We're combatants. Dying's part of the job. But Shizuku's different. She's got a rare ability—even for the Troupe. We can't let her die here."
"So… we need a decoy."
Nobunaga answered immediately, fully grasping Uvogin's meaning. The two had been together since before the Troupe's founding, partners in battle. Reading each other's thoughts was second nature.
"That's right. …And of course, I'll be the decoy. You guys head back to the hideout."
"I'm coming too."
If Uvo stays, then I stay. That was Nobunaga's instinctive response—but Uvogin shut it down instantly.
"Don't be stupid. If you stay too, who's guarding them? Someone might ignore me and go after you instead. You wanna thin our numbers? Three injured, three guards. That's perfect."
"Tch! But that monster might still be down there! Even you alone—"
Nobunaga's voice was full of genuine concern. Of everyone in the Troupe, he liked Uvogin the most. Calling him a best friend wouldn't be exaggerating.
But—
"Oi. You insulting me? If you are, even you won't get off easy."
Uvogin's killing intent cut him off.
The man with unmatched physique and aura within the Troupe. A warrior who trained himself relentlessly and reveled in fighting the strong. To tell him the enemy was too dangerous—that was an insult.
Still, Nobunaga wasn't the type to back down so easily.
"—!! But that woman's strong, that's a fact! The mafia, that woman, maybe even the Shadow Beasts! You think you can handle all that alone?!"
It was reasonable. No one doubted Uvogin's strength. But even so, it was hard to believe he could deal with all that by himself.
"Knock it off, Nobunaga. …You're the only one objecting."
"Ghh!!"
Unlike Nobunaga, the others had no strong objections to Uvogin staying behind. In a crisis threatening the entire Troupe, losing a replaceable combatant—if it meant the Troupe survived—wasn't considered fatal.
Nobunaga understood that.
But understanding didn't make it easier to accept possibly losing his longtime partner.
"You're talking like I'm guaranteed to die! Listen up! I've got a trump card none of you know about. Mafia, Shadow Beasts… even that woman—I'll smash 'em all myself. Then I'll march back in victory. Just sit tight and wait!"
Uvogin grinned like a feral beast, brimming with confidence. No bravado—everyone knew he meant it.
Even among comrades, there were abilities kept secret. If Nen abilities became known, it could be fatal. Even if no one betrayed them, capture meant interrogation—and there were countless ways to make someone talk. Especially with Nen involved.
Uvogin was no exception.
"…You bastard… Fine! But if you don't come back, I won't forgive you!"
"Hah! Keep talking, idiot."
They traded insults casually. Even if this might be their last farewell, they weren't the sentimental type.
They simply trusted each other—and did what they must.
"Alright then! I'll be back after a quick stroll!"
With the casual air of someone going for a walk, Uvogin leapt from the balloon.
For his comrades to retreat safely.
To fulfill what he must do.
Landing on a Yorknew street, Uvogin spotted several mafia members searching an alley. Likely looking for those who attacked the underground auction.
"Yo."
"Huh!? Who the hell are you!? We're busy! Get in the way and I'll kill—huh!?"
The mafia man barked aggressively. Understandable. The auction had been attacked, and the hosting building had collapsed—a massive incident.
Every mafia family was hunting the culprits with bloodshot eyes. Of course they'd react violently to some random man speaking casually.
"Now, now. Don't be like that."
"—!?"
Uvogin swung his arm lightly.
All but one of the mafia men burst apart like paper dolls.
Before the last man could even process it, Uvogin casually grabbed his head with one hand and lifted him, as if picking up an apple.
The overwhelming strength told him everything—this man could crush his skull like clay.
"Got a question. The one who attacked us at the Cemetery Building—know her? Shadow Beast or something? Answer quick if you don't wanna die."
"I—I don't know! All I know is someone attacked the underground auction, and we're supposed to find them and retaliate!"
From his response, Uvogin realized the man misunderstood.
"No, no. We're the ones who attacked the auction."
"W-What!? Y-you're—GYAAAH!!"
"I'm not done asking. Say one more useless word and I'll really crush it. The one who attacked us at the auction. Female. Pretty good-looking. Late teens to early twenties. Black hair—long, tied back, down to her ass. Shadow Beast?"
"I don't know! But I've never seen the Shadow Beasts—there weren't any women among them! So she shouldn't be one!"
"I see. Next question. Where'd you hear the Phantom Troupe was targeting the auction?"
"The Phantom Troupe!? Y-you're them!? Something that big was after the auction!?"
"…You didn't know?"
"N-no! If we'd known, security would've been way tighter!"
Judging the man wasn't lying, Uvogin sank into thought.
—What's going on? Our movements didn't leak? Then how the hell—
"L-Look! That's all I know! Please, let me—ghk!"
His plea ended abruptly.
"Tch. Worthless small fry. Whatever. Doesn't change what I gotta do. Alright! Time to let loose!!"
Aura engulfed Uvogin's body.
And with that as the signal—
Tragedy descended upon Yorknew once more.
◆
To stand out as a decoy, Uvogin had begun by slaughtering every mafia member he came across. But now, there was no longer any need for him to search for them. Without asking, without hunting them down, they were gathering of their own accord. There could be nothing more convenient.
Anyone with a sharp mind might have realized that Uvogin's rampage was a decoy tactic. But the mafia, driven by fury at the deaths of their comrades, were far too emotional to think that far.
They surrounded the lone fool rampaging through the streets, determined to reclaim the stolen treasure and avenge their fallen. Not just him—his comrades and even his family would be targets of retaliation.
But—
"What the hell is this monster!?"
"Ghh! The guns—guns aren't working!? We're hitting him, I know we are!!"
"Call for backup! Call for backup! At this rate we'll be wiped out!!"
Ants and an elephant.
That was the most fitting comparison for the mafia and Uvogin. The difference in power was so overwhelming that anyone could see it. His honed body and aura deflected not only bullets but even bazooka shells, and his fists tore people apart as if they were made of paper.
"Haa—ha ha haaa!! What's wrong, what's wrong!? Is this all the mafia's got!? Just big talk and easy jobs where you throw your weight around!? Must be nice livin' easy like that!!"
His contemptuous taunts were obvious provocation—but they weren't enough to rally the mafia's fighting spirit. Of course not. Who would willingly rush toward certain death? The sheer gap in violence was enough to crush their will entirely.
"U-waaahhh! Th-this is hopeless, run! We can't win!!"
"Y-you idiot! If you run, I'll kill you myself!"
"Relax. Whether you run or not, I'll kill you all the same!"
It was a scene straight out of hell.
The mafia, who had gathered like swarming clouds, were slaughtered one by one—whoever happened to be closest. Pop, pop, pop. Those fleeing, those frozen in shock, those still resisting—without discrimination, all were crushed alike. The hell unfolding across Yorknew grew worse by the moment.
Non–Nen users were utterly incapable of even challenging him. Then what about Nen users?
Only Nen users can oppose Nen users. Naturally, the mafia maintained Nen users of their own to counter hostile ones. Whether they had trained their own members as Nen users or recruited existing ones didn't matter. What mattered was whether they could fight.
And yet…
Every single Nen user under mafia employ hesitated. Watching that hellish scene, they could only stand there, unable to bring themselves to approach the man at its center.
"Y-you've gotta be kidding! You expect us to fight that!? We'll be killed!!"
"I agree! He's beyond us! We should withdraw instead of clinging to pride! At this rate we'll all be wiped out!"
"…But we can't just abandon the mission."
This group was a team of Nen users hired by a particular Family. After the underground auction was attacked, the Mafia Community placed a bounty on the attackers. As a result, each organization began acting independently to claim the reward, losing the ability to coordinate. This team was no exception.
Their leader had been operating separately, aiming for the bounty without maintaining contact with the others. But faced with the overwhelming strength of the target, he found himself unable to act. The rest of the team were even more shaken than he was. Compared to that man's aura, theirs felt pitiful—like challenging a tank with a handgun. No, the disparity was even worse than that.
"So you're telling us to walk to our deaths? No thanks!"
"…Veze. Can't you control him with your Nen?"
"Get close enough to kiss that thing? Do you really think that's possible? I barely survived one death trap earlier. I'm not diving into another!"
Veze had been one of the guests at the underground auction. She had barely survived the first hell that unfolded in Yorknew. There was no way she would willingly rush into another of equal magnitude.
"If we support you, maybe we can—"
"Wait!"
"—What is it!?"
"There's another Nen user near him! And a strong one! Just from the footsteps I can tell he's no ordinary fighter!"
At one member's shout, all of them turned their gaze toward the center of hell. Several men were approaching Uvogin.
"Who the hell are they…?"
"No idea. But for now we observe… Our strength is nowhere near enough. We wait for an opening."
Though the leader did not look resigned, the others accepted his decision for the time being. If they disobeyed and fled, the mafia would surely retaliate. And since even the leader did not believe they could win, they prayed he would choose the next best option.
More than that, they prayed.
They prayed those Nen users would kill the monster for them.
—
Seeing the three men approach without hesitation, Uvogin understood instantly.
"The Shadow Beasts, huh."
The Shadow Beasts—an elite execution squad proudly fielded by the Ten Dons, the heads of the Mafia Community's major organizations. The mafia's trump card. Their strongest Nen user unit.
At the sight of them, Uvogin tensed and entered a complete combat stance.
Ordinarily, he would have relished such a fight to the fullest.
But now was different.
Behind him were his comrades. If he were killed here—or worse, manipulated by some Nen ability—it would cause trouble for the remaining members.
To protect his comrades.
That resolve stripped Uvogin of all carelessness and leisure. He recognized the Shadow Beasts as dangerous enemies that had to be eliminated.
"What happened to the guards and the guests?"
Ignoring the sharp-toothed, gaunt man who spoke—clearly one of the Shadow Beasts—Uvogin began to knead his aura to its absolute limit.
"OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!! It's a waste on the likes of you, but I'll show you!! This—! This is my full power!!"
—[Bakuniku Kōtai / Muscle Evolution]!!—
In that instant, his aura swelled—and beyond that, his body swelled. No, his muscles swelled. They bulged to a degree that hardly seemed human. Combined with the pressure of his aura, he appeared several times larger than before.
This was Uvogin's Nen ability: [Bakuniku Kōtai / Muscle Evolution].
It had been inspired by an ability described in a certain book once stolen by the Phantom Troupe. That book, known as the Black Book, detailed numerous Nen abilities and their training methods in meticulous depth. Some training methods within were unknown even to the Troupe, and they had used it to refine their own efficiency.
Yet none of the Troupe had directly modeled an ability after those written in the Black Book.
Why?
There were certainly many useful abilities within. Many concepts they had never even imagined.
But those were abilities conceived by others. The fact that they were recorded in a book meant duplicates could exist—revealing their details to outsiders. In fact, the Troupe had stolen two copies: an original and a transcription. Who could say there weren't more?
No one in the Phantom Troupe would willingly create a Nen ability that others might already understand.
There was another reason.
Nen is deeply tied to the user's personal feelings and individuality. An ability created by oneself holds power. But copying someone else's design, unless it perfectly aligns with one's own inspiration, rarely results in something truly formidable. Besides, at the time, each member of the Troupe had already developed their own unique abilities. There was no need to create new ones.
The transcription of the Black Book had been sold off. The original remained in the hands of their book-loving leader out of curiosity. At most, it served as training reference material.
For everyone—
Except one man.
That man was Uvogin.
A man who honed his body and aura with the ultimate goal of raising his punch to the destructive force of a nuclear missile. While casually reading the Black Book, he discovered [Bakuniku Kōtai / Muscle Evolution].
A restriction so absurd that anyone properly trained in Nen would laugh at it. And yet, through mastering it, one could reach a new realm of musculature. Combined with its Enhancement-type nature, the ability secretly captivated Uvogin's heart.
From that day forward, his life became endless training.
His comrades questioned his inefficient methods time and again. He never once changed course.
After learning of [Bakuniku Kōtai / Muscle Evolution], he devoted all 365 days of each year solely to its training. And now—after more than seven years—this was the first time he would unleash it upon an enemy.
"W-what the hell!? He just got bigger!?"
"It's a bluff! Getting bigger just makes you slower!"
As if to disprove that claim, a man suddenly emerged from the ground behind Uvogin. One of the Shadow Beasts—Worm. A Nen user capable of moving freely through the earth. Not just soft soil—even concrete was as navigable as dirt to him.
Using that ability, he struck from Uvogin's blind spot.
But that decisive blow… didn't inflict even the damage of a mosquito bite.
Instead, Worm received a counterattack that reduced his body to fragments.
"Kukuku! You should feel honored. You're the first to see this form. Even my comrades don't know my full power… Can you withstand it!?"
His shout was one of exhilaration.
The exhilaration of finally unleashing his strength.
It was also a plea—
A plea to be allowed to fully display the power he had cultivated.
"Leech! C-call the others! We can't handle him unless we attack all at once!"
"That's a smart call! I recommend all of you come at me together! But even then—do you really think you can stop me!?"
The already overwhelming gap in strength widened into utter despair.
And thus, the execution began.
The tragedy of Yorknew was far from over.
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Note:
His father wasn't dead, by the way. I never explicitly said he died in the previous chapter.
The one who stole the Black Book was the Phantom Troupe. However, as explained in the story, they didn't drastically alter themselves because of it. Aside from Uvogin, the others have only improved their base abilities slightly compared to canon.
As a result, Shalnark's control precision has improved to the point where, when he manipulates a Nen user, he can also control that person's aura to a certain extent. Maybe he could already do that in the original work—but judging from the mafia members controlled by Black Voice, it didn't seem like he had that level of fine control. So in this story, that's how it works.
The next "enhanced" character was Uvogin.
If I had to describe current Uvogin in a simple way, it's like taking Younger Toguro at 80% and putting Uvogin's head on that body.
Ability Details
[Bakuniku Kōtai / Muscle Evolution]
Enhancement-type ability
A Nen ability that explosively strengthens the user's muscles. That's all it does. However, because Uvogin already possessed top-tier musculature to begin with, its power becomes overwhelming when he uses it.
Normally, affinity training follows a balanced structure: focusing primarily on one's natural category while rotating through other categories on a daily basis in a gradual curve. This ability ignores that entirely, adopting an extremely inefficient training method as a restriction.
It is the result of Uvogin's resolve to become a distorted Nen user if necessary—and his obsession with staking everything on Enhancement.
The longer he continues to obey the restriction, and the more time he dedicates each day exclusively to Enhancement training, the greater the muscle amplification rate becomes.
〈Restriction〉
He must not perform category training for any system other than Enhancement.
〈Vow〉
If he conducts category training outside of Enhancement, the amplification rate of this ability resets to its initial value.
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