HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 101: Long Time No See, Earthworm! The Enhanced Shadow Beasts!

Chapter 101 - Long Time No See, Earthworm! The Enhanced Shadow Beasts!

After a thorough patrol by numerous gang members, they finally spotted the hot air balloon floating in the sky.

"The enemy isn't on an airship but a hot air balloon."

"They're heading towards the Gordeau Desert! Chase them!"

...

Members of various families drove identical standard vehicles, chasing after the direction of the hot air balloon.

Kurapika and his team, affiliated with the Nostrade family, were no exception.

Originally responsible for taking care of Neon, Dalzollene and Squala also drove out from the hotel, closely following the vehicles of the mafia members.

Kurapika group was driven by Basho.

In the passenger seat sat Akira who took the place of Melody.

Melody current strength was clearly unsuitable to continue staying here, so after explaining the situation to Dalzollene, she withdrew early.

Before leaving, Melody also exchanged contact information with Akira and Kurapika.

Especially with Akira, she could be called upon anytime if he needed her help.

Even though her sensory abilities were greatly reduced, Melody Aura usage was not significantly affected.

As long as she didn't stir up trouble, she could leave here safely.

*****

Gordeau Desert frёeωebɳovel.com

Located in the outskirts of Yorknew City.

The area was filled with sand dunes and rocks, and a fierce battle was taking place in a certain canyon.

At the bottom of the canyon, Uvogin was surrounded by a group of mafia members armed with guns, seemingly "outnumbered."

However, as Uvogin companions, Machi and others stood by quietly watching with no intention of intervening.

This puzzled the mafia members.

Ordinary people who had not encountered Aura believed that the guns in their hands were invincible.

They had no idea of the terror of "Aura."

"Die!"

"Bang!"

With the sound of a gunshot, the shooter expression turned from anger to horror.

Uvogin casually spat out the bullet from his mouth, revealing his ferocious grin that seemed capable of crushing steel.

Before the man could react, Uvogin massive hand slapped his head, breaking it instantly.

"Let me warm up before the main course begins."

Uvogin was like a starving wolf, charging into a flock of helpless sheep.

He wreaked havoc.

Even sniper rifles capable of piercing steel and rocket launchers that could destroy tanks failed to inflict any damage on him.

Amid the cries of despair, wave after wave of people were annihilated by Uvogin.

The vast area was littered with corpses, blood everywhere, resembling a scene from hell.

*****

In another corner, Dalzollene and the others had also arrived.

Kurapika held a pair of binoculars, his fiery red eyes filled with rage, fixed on Uvogin who seemed unsatisfied.

"Is that the 'Phantom Troupe'?"

Dalzollene took the binoculars from Kurapika, his face tense as he looked at the oddly dressed figures in the canyon.

There was a wild man who looked like a gorilla, a pretty-faced pretty boy, and a burly man resembling Frankenstein monster...

"I never expected that the infamous A-class criminals would be the ones behind this auction attack," Dalzollene said, his voice trembling.

Baise and Squala felt the same.

After witnessing a large group of heavily armed gangsters being wiped out, they couldn't help but feel fear.

They were Nen Users, but they were nowhere near Uvogin level.

Taking a rocket launcher head-on? That was simply unbelievable.

Wait...

There was someone among them who could do it.

Thinking this, Dalzollene turned to look at Akira, who was sitting in the car.

His uneasy heart suddenly calmed down.

They had Akira here.

As one of Akira fans, Dalzollene naturally knew about his exploits.

Akira was a one-star bounty hunter, the one who had killed a member of the S-class criminals, the 'Seven Deadly Sins.'

Unlike the original story where they might have hesitated now that Akira was by their side although they couldn't help but feel a bit scared they still dared to stand here, quietly waiting for events to unfold.

"Hmm? Shadow Beasts, huh..."

Akira, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the car, slightly curled his lips, sensing four fairly strong auras approaching.

It seemed that after collaborating with the 'Seven Deadly Sins,' these Shadow Beast members had made significant progress?

"I am Earthworm of the Shadow Beasts."

"Which faction do you belong to?"

Without Melody warning, Kurapika and the others only noticed Earthworm when he emerged from behind them.

A tall, slender creature with black-purple skin, completely hairless, and extremely ugly stood before them.

'Did he come from underground?'

Kurapika looked at the raised trail on the ground, surprised that he hadn't sensed any aura at all.

"We are bodyguards employed by the Nostrade family."

After a moment of surprise, Dalzollene honestly revealed their identities.

After all, since they were Shadow Beast members, they were on the same side.

"I see."

"Since you can use Nen, you might as well give up."

The Shadow Beasts in the original story didn't believe these guys could stand against the enemy, and now, after being enhanced, he felt even more so.

"Exactly, they're not your average petty thieves."

As he spoke, one Shadow Beast member after another emerged from the dark corners.

Kurapika was startled. If these four hadn't revealed themselves, he wouldn't have sensed their auras at all.

Apart from Earthworm, who had appeared first, the other three were the thin, sharp-faced Sick Dog, the obese Leech, and the seemingly hairless but actually retracted Porcupine.

All four of their auras were noticeably stronger than in the original story.

Akira also wanted to see how much Earthworm had improved since their last meeting.

Name: Earthworm

Strength: B+ (cannot be improved)

Nen: Underground Movement, Enhancement Type

He could move freely underground, completely erasing his presence in the soil, and could unleash greater strength and speed than on the surface.

At the brink of death, he could temporarily approach A-rank for up to one minute.

...

As he reviewed the information of the four Shadow Beast members one by one, it was Earthworm transformation that surprised him the most.

In just a few months, Earthworm had risen from B- rank to B+, with slight improvements in his Aura Ability and enhanced survival skills.

The other three, however, lagged behind.

Rabid Dog and Leech had reached B+ rank, but their Nen showed no significant changes.

Porcupine remained at B rank, but his Nen had evolved, granting him the power to shoot his quills.

The only similarity was that all four had the description "unable to improve further" in their strength column.

It seemed they had sacrificed their potential to reach this level.

As for Earthworm remarkable improvement, perhaps his potential was slightly higher than the others?

What Akira didn't know was that Earthworm greatest progress stemmed from his intense desire for power after witnessing Akira strength.

He had pushed himself harder than anyone else in the experiments, enduring pain beyond what the others had suffered, which led to his current advancement.

Akira found this method of improvement somewhat useful, though not entirely without merit.

At first glance, sacrificing potential and cutting off future growth for immediate strength seemed shortsighted.

But for the Shadow Beasts, whose potential was relatively limited, it was unlikely they would ever reach A-rank in their lifetimes.

Through the experiments, they traded that negligible potential for a powerful boost achievable in a short time.

For them, it was a rather favorable choice.

As Akira pondered this, Earthworm, the most sensitive to presence, detected someone else in the vehicle and immediately expanded his "En" to investigate.

*****

"Earthworm, what's wrong?"

Rabid Dog asked, puzzled.

They were about to confront their enemies, so why had Earthworm suddenly frozen in place?

Earthworm didn't respond to Rabid Dog question, instead staring in shock at the nearby vehicle.

It was as if something terrifying lurked inside!

His entire body trembled, and he couldn't help but recall the events of that day.

Could it be... that he had come here?!

"Is... is that you, Lord Akira?"

Earthworm asked hesitantly, his tone extremely humble, like a lowly servant greeting his master.

"It's been a while."

"Earthworm."

A familiar, calm voice came from inside the vehicle, and Earthworm was now certain it was Akira.

"You said Akira... the one who killed the 'Seven Deadly Sins'..."

Rabid Dog pupils contracted as he muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on the vehicle.

For a moment, the reactions of the four Shadow Beasts were strikingly similar—all looked at the vehicle with awe.

Even though they couldn't see Akira from this angle, they instinctively held a sense of reverence.

"Even the Shadow Beasts..."

Dalzollene eyes flickered with surprise.

As the captain of the Nostrade family guard, he was well aware of the Shadow Beasts' status within the mafia.

They were the secret force of the highest leaders—the Ten Dons.

Possessing immense strength!

At least, that was how it seemed to him.

Yet, even such a force treated Akira with the utmost respect, like servants.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

After all, every one of Akira feats was significant, clearly indicating that his strength far surpassed that of the Shadow Beasts.

"Did you properly convey my message to Pride?"

Akira suddenly remembered the task he had assigned to Earthworm last time and decided to ask about it now.

"I did accurately deliver your message, sir."

Earthworm expression turned serious, his tone extremely sincere, as if it was an honor for him to serve Akira.

"Good. Here's a piece of advice for you."

"The enemy you're facing is the A-class criminal group, the Phantom Troupe. Be careful, and don't even think about holding back..."

Akira spoke with a hint of implication, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, as if he was imagining some amusing scene.

In the original story, the group only realized it was the Phantom Troupe after seeing Uvogin spider tattoo.

Akira decided to give them a heads-up in advance.

He hadn't expected much initially, but now it seemed that the Shadow Beasts might actually pose some threat to Uvogin?

"Yes."

The four Shadow Beasts responded in unison, a trace of fear flashing in their eyes.

They hadn't expected the enemy to be the A-class Phantom Troupe. If they had maintained their original arrogant mindset, they would have likely suffered greatly.

Thankfully, Lord Akira had warned them.

*****

"Oh, more people coming to die?"

Uvogin narrowed his eyes, looking at the solemn faces of Rabid Dog and the other two, sensing that they were different from the ordinary people.

"The main course has finally arrived, hahaha, but I haven't even warmed up yet."

Feeling the aura fluctuations of the three, Uvogin began to get excited hoping that these people could provide him with some entertainment!

"What have you done to the guests? Phantom Troupe."

Rabid Dog questioned Uvogin, who was solely focused on fighting, while subtly glancing at the six members of the Troupe watching from above.

If it was the Phantom Troupe, the four of them might not be enough.

Fortunately, when Lord Akira had warned them earlier, he had notified the remaining members of the Shadow Beasts to come together.

Only by joining forces could they win.

"Huh? Of course, I killed them all."

Uvogin dug at his ear, speaking indifferently.

Just a bunch of trash, killed them and that's that.

For the Troupe, human life seemed to be a trivial matter.

In fact, they did value life, but with their experience in Meteor City, they only valued the lives of their comrades.

Everyone else was expendable!

"Tch."

Rabid Dog spat, though he had already mentally prepared himself, he hadn't expected them to actually kill everyone.

Uvogin, who couldn't wait any longer, tensed his muscles, his rough face filled with a fervor for battle.

However, before he could act, an unexpected situation arose.

"Boom"

Earthworm, who had been lurking underground, suddenly emerged from beneath Uvogin feet.

His usually soft body was now extremely sturdy, wrapping around Uvogin in a constricting manner similar to a python.

This posture is typically used by pythons to subdue larger prey, allowing them to exert their full physical strength.

At this moment, Uvogin was indeed temporarily restrained by Earthworm.

Seeing the sudden change in the situation, Machi and the others, who had been idly playing cards, immediately shifted their attention to Uvogin.

'Opportunity' thought Rabid Dog inwardly, as he dashed forward and vanished in an instant!

"Huh?"

Uvogin was startled.

When Rabid Dog reappeared, a large wound had already appeared on Uvogin shoulder, blood continuously flowing out.

"Did he dodge it?"

Rabid Dog expression darkened as he muttered in a low voice.

Unlike his underestimation in the original story, this time he directly aimed for Uvogin throat.

Unexpectedly, Uvogin who was already restrained, managed to evade the fatal blow.

"Can he really break through Uvogin defense? Impressive! Too bad, if he had aimed for the neck, Uvogin might have been in trouble."

The baby-faced Shalnark still teased Rabid Dog, thinking he had underestimated his opponent.

"No, he did aim for the neck, but Uvogin used a significant amount of Aura to forcefully dodge it!"

The more experienced Nobunaga saw it more clearly than Shalnark, the man had no intention of underestimating his opponent.

Nobunaga dead fish eyes began to focus seriously, carefully examining the Shadow Beasts, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

Shadow Beasts, huh... seems like they have some skills.

Hearing Nobunaga explanation, Shalnark and the others, who were more support-oriented and relatively weaker, finally realized the situation.

Glancing at the continuously bleeding wound, Uvogin also felt something else affecting his internal organs.

"My neurotoxin has been enhanced, it can paralyze someone completely in a short time!"

Rabid Dog said triumphantly, though a hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

If he had known he would face the Phantom Troupe, he should have used a lethal poison instead.

But still, the situation was now under control.

"Hahaha, I'm really being underestimated!"

Uvogin suddenly exerted force, and a massive amount of Aura surged from his body, his bulging muscles seemingly containing infinite power.

Earthworm, who was currently restraining Uvogin felt this the most.

"Damn it!"

Seeing that Uvogin strength was about to break his body, Earthworm quickly retracted himself and swiftly burrowed into the ground.

Uvogin took this opportunity to gather a large amount of Aura in his hand and delivered a straight punch.

Nen — Big Bang Impact

"Die, you disgusting creature!"

------------------------------

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