Because Worm clearly felt that his punch hadn't landed on flesh, but on something hard—something harder than steel.
"Crack!"
He even heard the sound of his own finger bones breaking.
"What?"
It was hard for Worm to believe. He was an Enhancement-type Nen user. His specialization was strengthening his body and lungs to freely breathe underground. He had punched Uvogin directly in the face. So why?
Could this guy really be that much stronger than him?
Before Worm could finish thinking—
"Bang!"
A fist slammed into his face. Uvogin's counterattack.
"Not a bad hit. I actually feel a little warmed up now."
When Uvogin's fist landed on Worm's face, the effect was completely different from Worm's punch earlier. The sheer force of it caved in Worm's face instantly, even altering the position of his eyes. Worm clearly heard the sound of his facial bones shattering.
One exchange was all it took to reveal the difference in their strength.
Ron's gaze moved between Uvogin and the four Shadow Beasts.
"Compared to when I infiltrated the Underworld Mafia, the current Shadow Beasts seem slightly stronger—but only slightly. If I had to rank their Nen levels, they'd fall between B and C tier."
Despite taking such a heavy blow, Worm didn't go down without a fight. He grabbed onto Uvogin's arm and leapt.
"Splurt!"
His entire body dove underground, pulling Uvogin's arm with him. If Uvogin hadn't reacted in time, his whole body might've been dragged down.
But even in this situation, with one arm underground and restrained by Worm, it was not uncomfortable for Uvogin. Even when in the underground, Worm's strength seemed much greater.
The key problem was: aboveground, three Shadow Beasts remained. With his body unable to move freely, how was Uvogin supposed to deal with all three?
Leech and the other two moved, surrounding Uvogin from three directions, cutting off all escape routes.
But instead of panicking, Uvogin smiled. His free arm raised high, aura condensing around his fist.
All three Shadow Beasts tensed.
"Such incredible aura…"
"What is he trying to do?"
Even Worm below felt something was wrong.
At that moment—
Uvogin slammed his fist downward.
"Big Bang Impact!"
The enormous force exploded downward into the earth. Instantly, the ground split apart.
Worm's pupils shrank. He immediately let go and retreated deeper underground.
Squala's face twisted in shock.
"That's insane. Is this really something a Nen user can do?"
Kurapika's eyes flickered. He was calculating. Calculating how he could possibly defeat Uvogin if they were to fight.
Ron, however, didn't think the attack was anything extraordinary.
Ron, Natsu, Sasuke Uchiha, even Killer Queen's bombs—they could all do this much.
The problem wasn't Uvogin's power—it was that Worm was just too weak.
For Worm, the damage was devastating.
When the dust settled and the tremors ceased, a massive crater had formed in the ground. Worm was nowhere to be seen.
Uvogin stood alone at the bottom, rolled his shoulders, then looked at the remaining three Shadow Beasts.
"Next!"
The ordinary Mafia members had been far too weak for Uvogin. Fighting the Shadow Beasts was the first time he felt a bit of pressure, the first time he felt any excitement. Finally, he could vent some of the rage and frustration pent up inside him.
"Who's next?"
Even while fighting, Uvogin's mind was drifting towards what had happened to their group. He respected Machi's decision to leave. But deep down, he didn't understand it. He felt uncertain about the future.
This was a fear of the unknown.
He had his life all planned out. He was ready to live that way forever. But then, things changed. That change made Uvogin shut down emotionally. He tried to drown his thoughts in the moment—to not think, to not feel.
Humans were like that.
When faced with major setbacks, with the collapse of plans, people would get overwhelmed. Some fell into despair and anxiety. Others numbed themselves with repetitive, mechanical actions.
Uvogin was the latter.
All he wanted was to fight. As long as he was fighting, he didn't have to think. And if he wasn't thinking, then he wasn't anxious.
"You're the ones who are going to die!"
Uvogin's display of strength shocked the three remaining Shadow Beasts. But they didn't believe they would lose. They had the numbers.
The next moment, the three of them charged at Uvogin together.
Uvogin threw a punch—
"Splurt!"
It hit one of them—but it didn't feel like a hit. It felt like punching into cotton. All his strength had been absorbed.
At the same time, Uvogin felt sharp pain shoot through his arm. Countless tiny needles seemed to pierce into him.
His pupils narrowed.
"What…?"
Porcupine smirked.
"My ability is to enhance all the hair on my body. I can make it incredibly tough—and razor sharp. Your skin and muscle may be hard, but when it comes to my hair, it's useless."
"I can even make the rear side of the hair soft as cotton."
"Your strength is meaningless if it can't land on me."
"My ability counters yours perfectly."
As Porcupine tied up Uvogin, a figure suddenly dashed past.
Rabid Dog.
In a flash, he swept by Uvogin and opened his mouth. His fangs sank into Uvogin's shoulder.
"Splurt!"
A chunk of flesh was ripped from Uvogin's shoulder.
At the same time, Rabid Dog injected venom into his body through the bite.
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