"I'm feeling absolutely wretched in this state right now."
At that moment, Kurapika and his team were on another hillside.
"Is something wrong, Kurapika?" Melody asked, a bit puzzled, glancing at Kurapika, who was holding a pair of binoculars.
She suddenly sensed the intense, fluctuating emotions emanating from Kurapika.
"It's nothing," Kurapika replied, but his mind was replaying the words shouted by Uvogin below just moments ago.
"Did he just mention the name 'Morin'?"
There were indeed many people named Morin in this world, but when paired with 'tools,' there was only one Morin.
"Could it be the Morin I know?" Kurapika murmured to himself.
The impression Morin left on Kurapika during the Hunter Exam was one that would be etched in his memory for a lifetime, especially the miraculous tools Morin wielded.
"If Morin is also a member of the Phantom Troupe..."
Kurapika's mind drifted back to the information Morin had shared about the Phantom Troupe during the third round of the Trap Tower test.
"No wonder he knows so much about the Phantom Troupe."
Kurapika exhaled deeply.
Things seemed to be moving in a direction unknown to him.
"Should we go down there and take this opportunity to capture them?" Basho suggested ambiguously.
"Facing such a monster... are you sure we're not just marching to our deaths?!" Squala was the first to express his opposition.
"Kurapika?" Melody looked at the decision-maker more suited to leadership beside her.
"Let's go," Kurapika said, glancing once more at Uvogin below before withdrawing his gaze.
"The enemy has other companions; doing this would indeed be too risky."
Yes, if that man were present, no matter what we did, it would be to no avail.
To that man, any situation could be effortlessly resolved without the slightest difficulty.
If they did anything, it would only be in vain, unnecessarily attracting the Phantom Troupe's animosity and firepower.
Kurapika, who didn't harbor much hatred for the Phantom Troupe, remained calm.
He took one last look at the distant high slope, where the silhouette of that man might appear.
Kurapika then led his colleagues back the way they came.
"Hurry and take a look at this, these neurotoxins are the most troublesome!!" Uvogin was turning his head uncomfortably.
Meanwhile, Morin had already taken out the [Doctor's Briefcase], letting Shalnark assist in diagnosing and prescribing for Uvogin.
"Although the development of your Nen abilities is barely passable, your performance in actual combat leaves much to be desired." Feitan disdainfully kicked the porcupine corpse aside.
"If all the Shadow Beasts are at this level and strength, then there's not much to worry about."
"Is that so?" Machi looked into the distance with a calm gaze, "It seems the other Shadow Beasts are heading this way."
On the distant horizon, a peculiar human with wings was rapidly flying towards them.
Simultaneously, below him, several powerful auras of Nen could be felt, bursting with strong energy.
U!
Five,
Have all the remaining Shadow Beasts arrived?
Not one aura more, not one less.
"That saves us the trouble of finding them or having them come out one by one to meet their end."
Feitan transformed his hand into a blade, gathering equally astonishing Nen.
"Six more weirdos are coming?!" Uvogin expressed his excitement, "Those guys are still my prey, I want to keep fighting!"
"Calm down!" Shalnark chided, patting Uvogin on the head, "First, deal with the toxins in your body."
"Leave these guys to us then."
Nobunaga stepped forward, his thumb pushing against the hilt of his sword.
"Seeing you fight for so long, I've got a bit of an itch myself."
While they were talking, the remaining Shadow Beasts had quickly arrived on the scene.
However, upon arrival, they greeted Morin and the others.
---
A massive tarp descended from above, aiming to cover Morin and his group. Naturally, such an overt and straightforward attack had no effect. Morin and his companions easily dodged it. Even Uvogin was pulled out of the tarp's range by Shalnark.
"Hmph... judging by appearances, they do look as bizarre as before," Feitan commented dryly. "You can tell they're from the same group just by their looks."
Not only were Feitan and his team observing the Shadow Beasts, but the Shadow Beasts were also sizing them up. Owl stood in front of Morin's group, while other Shadow Beasts members on the high slope, revealed themselves under the moonlight.
One was covered in air sacs resembling swim rings, another had steel needles like a porcupine, one appeared androgynous, and another had unusually long, thin arms with nails sharp as steel blades.
"Perhaps they're mimicking the Zodiac Twelve of the Hunter Association?" Morin speculated, observing this peculiar group.
"They've got the names down, but in terms of appearance and strength, they're far from the Zodiac Twelve."
The Shadow Beasts' names included the character for 'beast,' naturally relating them to animals: Worm, Porcupine, Leech, and Rabid Dog. And now, the Owl with his middle-parted hair and small round glasses.
In terms of gaze, he did resemble a real owl. Standing on the high slope, the leader, with his body inflated with air sacs, surveyed the crowd below.
"They seem ordinary~" His eyes gradually filled with disdain. "Are these guys really the Phantom Troupe? Only the one with the sword seems interesting; the others look like kids who haven't even grown up."
"Don?"
He also focused on the intimidating-looking Franklin. "The big guy seems quite formidable," he said slowly. "I hope he's not just all bark and no bite."
"As for the others, they're either women, a pretty boy with a baby face, or a short kid. None of them seem to match the infamous Phantom Troupe."
Machi: "What's wrong with being a woman?"
Shalnark: "...Sorry for being a pretty boy!!"
Those two were fine with it, but... shorty?!
Shalnark was the pretty boy, Machi was the woman, and since Morin wasn't short, that meant the 'shorty' was...
"This bunch..."
Feitan's face, hidden under his cloak, grew darker, his narrowed eyes flashing with murderous intent. A strong aura of killing intent spread from him.
"Who are you calling shorty?!"
This Shadow Beasts member had unwittingly hit Feitan's sore spot. During the Chimera Ant arc, when ants invaded Meteor City, it was the Phantom Troupe who went to exterminate them.
Feitan faced off against a so-called queen, who, like now, had also called him short, provoking him to unleash his full Nen ability in a fit of rage.
So, how many steps does it take to provoke Feitan to the point of self-destruction? The answer: just one. Simply comment on his height.
"Among the Phantom Troupe, there's someone you recognize, right? It's Morin, isn't it?"
"Hey! Don't underestimate them. That's how Rabid Dog and the others got taken down!" Owl, the nominal leader of the Shadow Beasts, cautioned, but his well-meaning advice fell on deaf ears.
"Shut up, their lives are ours to take!"
The air sacs on the Shadow Beasts member's body instantly inflated as he leapt forward. Although Owl was the leader in name, that was just a title.
The Ten Dons had chosen the ten Shadow Beasts as Nen users from different regions, all with backgrounds in the underworld. Expecting them to respect others was impossible. At most, they would cooperate in battle.
Without hesitation, the air sac Shadow Beasts member charged at Morin and his group. The other three followed suit, their bodies enveloped in Nen.
"You guys..."
Owl, helpless with his team, could only randomly pick an opponent.