The Phantom Troupe was a criminal organization that operated under principles vastly different from conventional logic.
They committed countless atrocities, slaughtered without remorse, and lacked even the most basic reverence for life. As a result, an almost obsessive culture of one-on-one combat thrived within their ranks.
Members often exhibited overconfidence, preferring to face challenges alone rather than cooperate.
This near-arrogant approach was perfectly exemplified when Uvogin single-handedly fought multiple Shadow Beasts, and when the Troupe returned to Meteor City to exterminate the Chimera Ants.
Yet within the Troupe, there existed one duo whose coordinated combat prowess far surpassed their individual capabilities.
These two were Uvogin and Nobunaga.
As an Enhancement specialist, Uvogin's wild and unrestrained personality made him relish solitary battles, seeking only the purest test of strength.
Yet even Uvogin himself never realized that he could only fully unleash the balanced offensive-defensive advantages of Enhancement when protecting comrades.
Whenever teammates were nearby, Uvogin would unconsciously adjust his fighting style, transforming from pure attacker into a balanced shield. His power no longer served solely to destroy enemies, but also became his allies' sturdiest bulwark.
Nobunaga's combat style involved covering a four-meter radius with En to detect the slightest movement, then combining it with perfected Shu to deliver fatal Iai Strikes.
While devastating in one-on-one combat, this approach carried a fatal flaw. The moment he drew his blade, he'd be completely defenseless. If his strike failed to kill, he'd be left vulnerable.
With Uvogin present, however, Nobunaga could unleash his full power without reservation.
This made them the Troupe's most complementary combat pair, creating formidable synergy when fighting together. Their coordination stemmed partly from camaraderie, but more from naturally complementary fighting styles.
Originally, had Uvogin stubbornly insisted on solo combat after deciding to eliminate Kurapika first, he would have met his end via Chain Jail.
Most Enhancers preferred brute-force approaches, and Uvogin was their paragon. Against Chain Jail's unknown ability, even Kurapika's limited Nen experience would have sufficed to defeat him.
Regrettably...
Nobunaga, despite also being Enhancement-type, possessed relatively keen perception.
When he swung his blade mid-air to sever Kurapika's chains, he immediately sensed something amiss.
Though he hadn't concentrated all his aura into that strike, chain extension should have reduced their durability. There was no reason they shouldn't break.
This realization made Nobunaga abandon his burning desire to personally kill Morrow. Valuing his comrade above vengeance, he chose to remain and fight alongside Uvogin.
This decision, in a way, not only saved Uvogin but also increased the Troupe's margin for error in this encirclement.
Facing Uvogin and Nobunaga's combined assault, Kurapika found no opportunity to deploy Chain Jail's specialized attack effect. Because Nobunaga's attack, which completely abandoned defense and concentrated all his aura into his sword, was powerful enough to sever any chain Kurapika sent his way from any angle.
It's important to understand that the offensive and defensive strength of Nen under the same attribute is extremely fair.
A value of 100 will always be higher than 99.
Thus, for Kurapika to block Nobunaga's all-or-nothing slash, he needed to concentrate an equivalent aura output at the point of impact on his chains.
Thanks to the Specialization amplification of his Scarlet Eyes, Kurapika indeed had the ability to raise his Nen intensity to match Nobunaga's, even using the properties of his Chain Jail to counterattack after successfully defending.
But the problem was... Uvogin's presence meant Nobunaga didn't have to shoulder that risk.
In this intense battle, the two sides clashed countless times.
Nobunaga could always swing his sword without hesitation, cutting down the threats from Kurapika's conjured chains while attempting to breach his defenses.
And whenever Kurapika tried to counterattack, Uvogin would immediately intervene, using his overwhelming strength to disrupt Kurapika's follow-up actions.
This seamless "offense-defense coordination" made it difficult for Kurapika to find an opening against their combined efforts, even with the boost from his Scarlet Eyes and the targeted abilities of his chains.
Conversely, Kurapika could rely on the automatic defense mechanism of his Dowsing Chain to block Uvogin and Nobunaga's counterattacks at critical moments.
Kurapika's tenacity gave Uvogin and Nobunaga a serious headache.
This was the first time they had encountered an opponent like Kurapika, who could push the entire Nen System to its limits.
Thus, the battle between them reached a stalemate.
But Kurapika knew very well that in this outnumbered team fight, the only way to turn the tide in Morrow's favor was to quickly break through Uvogin and Nobunaga's combined offense.
Even so, Kurapika didn't let impatience affect his combat mindset...
Instead, he remained composed, calmly analyzing every decision and strategy in the heat of battle.
He was already performing at his best.
The problem was that Uvogin and Nobunaga's complementary teamwork had pushed their synergy to the absolute limit.
If nothing unexpected happened, this deadlock would continue indefinitely until a new variable emerged to shift the course of the battle.
And so, as both sides moved past the probing phase and into all-out combat, the first "variable" appeared.
Kurapika noticed that whenever Uvogin and Nobunaga executed certain movements, their bodies would briefly lag, their transitions between offense and defense carrying a hint of unnatural stiffness.
This observation made him realize that Uvogin and Nobunaga seemed to be carrying injuries.
That's right...
The wounds Hisoka had inflicted on them before his death were now exerting a subtle influence.
Even as Enhancers, Uvogin and Nobunaga couldn't fully recover from such injuries in just over ten days.
Normally, after more than ten days of recovery, these injuries shouldn't have significantly impacted their combat performance.
But the main reason was that Kurapika's overwhelming pressure had inadvertently amplified the effects of their lingering wounds. Upon discovering this variable, Kurapika seemed to see an opportunity and decisively shifted his offensive focus to Nobunaga's injured left flank.
Looks like I'm being underestimated.
Amid the fierce exchange, Nobunaga naturally discerned Kurapika's intent.
Trying to exploit his and Uvogin's injuries to create an opening...
Dream on.
Even if their wounds tore open, even if they bled rivers, he and Uvogin would fight to the bitter end. Even in death, they'd drag their opponent down to hell with them.
That was the resolve of the assault team.
Without needing to communicate, Nobunaga and Uvogin instinctively adjusted to Kurapika's change in tactics.
Especially Uvogin...
During their coordinated attacks, he suppressed his overwhelming aggression just to cover the openings Nobunaga occasionally exposed.
This approach, in turn, made him less prone to mistakes.
Yet despite their conscious adjustments, Nobunaga and Uvogin couldn't completely negate the impact of their injuries.
So in the relentless back-and-forth, Kurapika's offense finally began to bear fruit.
Though he still couldn't land Chain Jail on either of them, the defensive utility of his Dowsing Chain, combined with the power boost from his Scarlet Eyes, started inflicting damage on Nobunaga and Uvogin.
As long as I don't slip up... I can defeat them!
Kurapika, fueled by sheer willpower, maintained the stability of his Scarlet Eyes.
Though it came at the cost of burning his life force, this explosive surge in strength allowed him to slightly overwhelm the combined efforts of Uvogin and Nobunaga.
If nothing went wrong, once the damage accumulated enough, he could exploit Chain Jail's properties to seize an opening and eliminate one of them.
But just as Kurapika gained the upper hand, a second variable emerged.
Namely, Chrollo's intervention.
In this siege against Morrow, the Troupe had already made two missteps.
These were the openings that allowed Morrow to counterattack despite the disadvantage.
If time could be rewound, perhaps Chrollo wouldn't have insisted on meticulously fulfilling all conditions just to eliminate his enemy with absolute certainty.
After all, Morrow wasn't Hisoka...
But it was precisely because of Chrollo's approach that he still had the mental bandwidth to monitor Uvogin and Nobunaga's battle even amid the high-intensity duel.
In contrast, Morrow was under near-maximum combat pressure, with no capacity to spare for anything else. He could only place his full trust in Kurapika to handle Uvogin and Nobunaga alone.
This difference led Chrollo, after being blasted away by Abyssal Sheath's shockwave, to make the decision to break the stalemate for Uvogin and Nobunaga.
In his view, with his intervention as the new variable, he could swiftly eliminate Kurapika, freeing up Uvogin and Nobunaga to join him in dealing with Morrow.
Moreover, his actions against Kurapika could indirectly pressure Morrow, unless Morrow simply didn't care about Kurapika's survival.
Chrollo's decision was like a scalpel. Precise and cold, slicing straight into the battlefield's critical pressure point. If the "unknown information" and Kurapika's identity as the last surviving member of the Kurta Clan, steeped in extreme hatred, were not taken into account...
This decision would indeed guarantee the Troupe's ultimate victory.
Chrollo, wielding a poisoned dagger, swiftly maneuvered behind Kurapika with masterful martial arts.
Without any unnecessary movements, he simply coordinated with equally refined Ryū, driving the Nen-infused dagger toward Kurapika's back.
At that moment, Kurapika's Chain Jail was severed by Nobunaga's full-force strike, while his Dowsing Chain, which should have countered with offense, was blocked by Uvogin's fist.
Controlling two chains simultaneously while seeking opportunities to deal damage was already the limit of what Kurapika could achieve in this outnumbered battle.
But Chrollo's timing for the ambush...
Was far too seasoned.
It perfectly exploited Kurapika's moment of weakness.
The poisoned dagger plunged unimpeded into the flesh of Kurapika's back.
Yet Kurapika's usual rigorous training proved crucial at this moment.
With astonishing Conjuration speed, the Chain Jail, just severed by Nobunaga, suddenly reappeared in Kurapika's hand.
However, the newly materialized chain struck Kurapika's waist like a bent stalk of grain.
Shhk!
As Chrollo's dagger drew a bloody flower on Kurapika's back, the force from the chain's whip sent Kurapika flying sideways.
This prevented the dagger from fully piercing his heart, leaving only a gash on his back.
But Chrollo's assault wasn't over yet.
With a sidelong glance, he decisively flicked his wrist, hurling the dagger like lightning toward the airborne Kurapika.
Clang!
Kurapika's Dowsing Chain automatically locked onto the dagger, knocking it aside with precision.
Yet at the same moment, Nobunaga, using a dragonfly-like footwork, swiftly closed in on Kurapika before he could land and abruptly threw his longsword.
The sword's hilt was connected to a chain held in Nobunaga's grip.
This chain not only extended the sword's reach but also continuously channeled Nobunaga's Nen, ensuring the blade maintained its reinforced Nen intensity.
Faced with this treacherous strike, Kurapika's Dowsing Chain intervened again, deflecting the flying blade.
But the chain's defensive capabilities had limits.
After rapidly blocking two attacks in succession, an unavoidable gap appeared.
Uvogin seized this fleeting opportunity, using explosive strength to position himself along Kurapika's trajectory.
As the Dowsing Chain clashed with the sword, his massive fist, wreathed in red light, slammed into Kurapika's body.
Crack!
A crisp fracture echoed.
Kurapika's body was sent flying, crashing and tumbling violently across the ground.
When he finally stopped, his mouth and chest were stained with blood.
Uvogin's punch had dealt critical damage.
Were it not for Emperor Time granting him 100% Enhancement-type offense and defense, that single blow would have killed him.
"Cough... cough..."
Kurapika struggled to rise, realizing his back was growing numb.
Poison, huh...
Kurapika didn't panic. Enduring the excruciating pain, he swiftly conjured his Holy Chain.
When initially developing this healing ability that also consumed his lifespan as a prerequisite, he had meticulously factored in "toxin removal" as one of its functions.
The healing chains emitted a faint green glow, visibly mending Kurapika's injuries at an observable rate.
Meanwhile.
When Morrow noticed Chrollo turning to deal with Kurapika, he couldn't possibly ignore it.
Having Kurapika face Uvogin and Nobunaga alone was already pushing his potential to the absolute limit.
Now with Chrollo intervening, Kurapika's current strength simply couldn't withstand such pressure.
Morrow attempted to provide support, but Machi desperately blocked his path.
Both battlefields had reached their most critical moments.