Hunter X Hunter: Tombbound Power

Ronnel seemed to be enjoying himself, flipping in mid-air and relishing the thrill of flying.

Though he made it look easy, the true master of this Nen technique—Star Moon Night Walker—had spent countless nights honing the skill to fly so freely. Now, all of that expertise was at Ronnel's disposal, making his task almost effortless.

After savoring the exhilaration of flight, he quickly headed back to where the hot air balloon had been.

Upon approaching, he landed, releasing his ability and returning to the group with a jump.

"You're back, Ronnel," Nobunaga said, sensing him from behind.

Without turning around, Nobunaga's casual tone masked his sharp focus as he continued watching the scene below.

Nobunaga wasn't the only one on edge, Shalnark and the others had paused their card game and were gathered at the edge, observing the events below.

"That took a while, didn't it?" Franklin asked, with Feitan casting a glance as well.

"Ran into the Shadow Beast along the way," Ronnel explained. "It put up a fight but wasn't too hard to handle."

As Ronnel spoke, he looked down and noticed a large hole in the field. Uvogin stood shirtless, revealing his Number 11 spider tattoo, gripping a small, bald creature by the head.

"The Shadow Beast? And you took care of it?" some of the others murmured, briefly glancing at Ronnel before turning back to the action.

The Shadow Beast—had shown off some impressive strength but was no real match for the Phantom Troupe.

"So Uvogin took out the earthworm with a massive punch," Ronnel assessed, "but got pinned down by Porcupine's quills. Sealed off his power punch, huh?"

In the field, Uvogin grunted as he worked to free himself, grimacing as the porcupine's needles pierced his shoulder.

"A big brute like you isn't that tough to handle," muttered the sick dog, spitting out a chunk of flesh he'd torn from Uvogin and moving in to attack his thigh.

"Need some help, Uvogin?" Shalnark called out, raising an eyebrow.

"Like hell! I can handle these guys on my own—" Uvogin suddenly found his body unresponsive.

The Rabid Dog's attack had delivered a paralyzing neurotoxin.

"Armed to the teeth, huh," Ronnel mused, stroking his chin. "That poison's similar to the one Chrollo used to scratch Silva."

Watching from above, he wondered, "I wonder what effect combining that toxin with corpse poison might have… Once they're down, maybe I'll test it."

In the field, Leech was attempting to plant parasites in Uvogin's body. Despite his predicament, Uvogin maintained his composure, his fighting spirit stronger than ever.

In a typical story, this would be the moment for the protagonist's miraculous comeback. But Uvogin wasn't the hero, so he'd have to fight his way out another way…

"Crunch!"

With a bone-shattering bite, Uvogin ripped off half the Leech's skull, splattering blood.

For a ruthless group like the Phantom Troupe, who had reputations and appearances to maintain, the Shadow Beasts—a group of twisted, grotesque creatures—were simply no match.

"Disgusting," Uvogin muttered, chewing the leech's remains. "As if I expected any better from something like this."

Being from Meteor City, eating corpses and other remains wasn't unheard of, and food could be scarce…

Ronnel recalled his time on the streets of Meteor City when he used to sell off any bodies he'd disposed of. He wondered how the elder back there was doing now...

Soon enough, Uvogin launched into an impressive counterattack. The villains fell one by one under his relentless assault.

"Well, when he's done, I'll be on corpse duty again," Ronnel commented, grinning at Shalnark as he jumped down to join Uvogin, ignoring Franklin's protests.

"Ronnel? I figured you'd show up…" Uvogin muttered, pausing to catch his breath. "But I'm not backing down!"

In the darkness, Kurapika watched the familiar figure from a distance, hand clenched around his chain, but quickly relaxed, activating his Nen. His chain finger approached Uvogin slowly, ready to strike.

"That kind of Leech dies after laying eggs in a human bladder. When they're… expelled, let's say, it'll feel like death would be a mercy," Ronnel mused. "No joke."

Uvogin: "..."

He might be fearless, but that kind of suffering? No one would choose a death like that willingly.

Besides, there was no reason to die here at all.

"So… what do I do?" Uvogin asked.

"Simple." Ronnel, smiling as he prepared to clear away more bodies, replied, "Just cut it off to widen the wound. That way, the eggs can exit easily."

Uvogin: "…"

The rest of the Troupe members: "…"

Shalnark: "Well… I mean, it's definitely a solution. Sort of…"

Uvogin: "You've got to be kidding me! No way!!"

"Pfft—hahaha! Perfect advice, Ronnel! Go for it, Uvogin!" Nobunaga burst out laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Boring," Machi said, turning back to her game.

Feitan remained silent, while Franklin just shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

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