Chapter 264

At the same time, a fiery red fist came straight for his face.

Simultaneously, the three members of the Shadow Beasts—Rabid Dog, Porcupine, and Leech—also sprang into action, rushing quickly toward Uvogin.

In response, Uvogin merely smirked, his lips curling into a grin:

"I noticed you ages ago!!"

With a swift backhand, he effortlessly caught the fist aimed at his face...

"The sound of you scraping through the earth was truly grating!!"

Over the years, Uvogin hadn't just improved his strength. His ability to adapt to rapidly changing situations, assess the battlefield, and respond smartly in the heat of battle had also grown significantly compared to the original version. 

The presence of Worm moving stealthily underground was something Uvogin had detected with crystal clarity.

Worm's sneak attack was entirely within Uvogin's expectations.

Bang!

Uvogin easily caught the punch Worm had thrown.

"How is this possible..."

Worm was momentarily stunned:

"As long as my body is in the ground, my strength should increase, so why..."

His punch, powered by his underground-enhanced Nen ability, was supposed to be much stronger.

Yet, even so, Uvogin caught it effortlessly.

Watching the battle from the hilltop, Nobunaga burst out laughing:

"Trying to compete with Uvogin in strength, what was he thinking?!"

Franklin found the situation amusing as well:

"Maybe he's just really confident in his own strength."

Machi offered her assessment: "Either he didn't see the previous battles and misjudged, or he saw them and still chose this course of action."

Morin chimed in, "That's either foolishness or a very unclear self-awareness."

The four of them observed the scene below, while behind them, Shalnark and Feitan were engaged in their own lively sparring match, full of ups and downs.

"With just this little strength, you thought you could ambush me..."

Uvogin looked at Worm with an expression reserved for fools.

"Are you brain-damaged, or do you have a poor understanding of Nen?"

"Can't you tell there's a world of difference between your Nen and mine?"

"Or maybe you're just too overconfident in your underground ability~"

As he spoke, Uvogin lightly exerted force with his hand.

Instantly, the sound of bones dislocating and grinding against each other echoed from his palm, a noise that made one's teeth ache.

"Ughhh!!"

Even for Worm, who had emerged from the bloody and corpse-laden world of mafia Nen users known as the Shadow Beasts, the pain inflicted by Uvogin's strength was excruciating, contorting his face.

Despite the grimace, he didn't forget to adjust his combat strategy promptly.

"As long as I can drag you underground, you'll be like a fish on a chopping board, at our mercy!!"

With this thought, Worm gritted his teeth against the pain, planning to use his tried-and-true method.

However?

"Trying to pull me again?!"

Feeling the force on his arm, Uvogin was almost amused to anger.

"I've realized you're not just an idiot, but a deaf one too!!!"

His right fist, which wasn't holding Worm's punch, slowly clenched:

"I'll remind you one last time!!"

An astonishing amount of Nen gathered on his fist, causing Rabid Dog, Porcupine, and Leech to halt in their tracks with changed expressions.

"Never compete with an Enhancer in strength!!"

Under Worm's equally horrified expression, a fist shining with Nen energy as bright as the stars in the sky loomed larger in his pupils.

Boom!!

With a thunderous crash, the world fell silent!!

Uvogin's Nen ability, the "Big Bang Impact," is essentially a simple right straight punch infused with Nen.

The conditions are straightforward: as his own Nen and aura increase, the power of the "Big Bang Impact" grows stronger.

In essence, it's not much different from Gon's "Rock-Paper-Scissors," with a similar underlying principle.

Even the naming style is almost identically aligned with the traits of an Enhancer.

The only difference is that Gon's "Rock-Paper-Scissors" includes some flashy prerequisites.

Nevertheless, it's undeniable that the more specialized a Nen user is in one direction, especially those of the Enhancement type...

The power unleashed was absolutely unimaginable. This was evident in the Chimera Ant arc, particularly during Gon's battle against Neferpitou. 

Through the use of a "Restriction and Vow," Gon accessed the peak strength of his adult self, honed through countless trials, and the might he displayed was nothing short of overwhelming!!

Against Neferpitou, it was practically a one-sided slaughter.

A massacre!

With just a single kick, Gon inflicted unimaginable damage on Neferpitou. 

If it weren't for his desire to avenge Kite by reclaiming an arm, Gon would have crushed Neferpitou to death long ago. Later, Neferpitou's death was particularly gruesome.

Speaking of which, if adult Gon could reach such heights, then Ging, who is even more talented than Gon and now thirty-two years old, must possess an extraordinary level of power~??

Uvogin's talent might not match Gon's, but he's certainly not weak. Anyone chosen by Chrollo to join the Phantom Troupe is undoubtedly at the top tier among Nen users. 

Uvogin's innate talent, coupled with Morin's training insights and his own relentless practice and battle-hardened approach, has honed his skills. 

When he unleashed his "Big Bang Impact," even if it didn't reach the atomic bomb level he aspired to, in Morin's view, it was comparable to the power of a small missile.

After all, in the original version, he could create a crater larger than that of a rocket launcher blast. It was as if a meteor had struck the earth. This made Morin feel that, given time, Uvogin wasn't far from achieving his goal.

"As expected, your strength is only at this level."

In the massive crater, Uvogin dusted off his hands, "You're really not up to par!"

Unlike in the original, where Worm was left with at least one hand, now he was completely obliterated by Uvogin.

"Who's next to meet their end?!"

Standing at the edge of the crater, Rabid Dog and his companions, who had managed to avoid the impact, looked grim.

"That guy is just too arrogant!!"

Porcupine furrowed his sparse eyebrows. Despite their resentment, they couldn't deny that Uvogin had the strength to back up his arrogance. 

They began to harbor a deep fear of Uvogin's power, with none of their initial underestimation remaining.

"Let's attack together!!"

Rabid Dog shouted,

"Let's show this guy what we're made of."

"Yeah, he's the one who's going to die!!"

"Reckless fool!!"

The three of them leapt forward, lunging at Uvogin.

"That's more like it!!"

Uvogin finally smiled, his voice booming:

"I love those who aren't afraid to die!!"

Strong Nen once again enveloped Uvogin's right fist, "Die!!"

He was confident in his "Big Bang Impact," but this time it didn't work.

"Swoosh!!"

Suddenly, needle-like spikes shot out, piercing through Uvogin's entire right arm.

"I can freely control my hair, turning it into resilient needles."

Porcupine's entire face was covered in elongated body hair.

"Your punch is powerful, but it doesn't matter if you can't hit me."

"I've sealed your most powerful move!!"

Porcupine declared confidently.

"So, a combination of Manipulation and Transmutation Nen abilities?"

On the hilltop, Shalnark, having just finished a bout with Feitan and still somewhat disheveled, stepped forward to assess the situation.

"For an Enhancer, this type of ability and user is the most troublesome and difficult to deal with."

Shalnark evaluated, "And the force, extension length, and penetration angle of his hair piercing Uvogin's fist are all well executed."

"In terms of manipulation, he's a rare Nen user, indeed quite impressive."

His analysis was quite accurate, coming from Shalnark, a fellow Manipulator.

"Unfortunately, his opponent is Uvogin."

Feitan murmured, "No matter how refined the manipulation, it's useless against absolute strength."

He hinted, as Shalnark coughed lightly beside him.

Duang! Duang!

Uvogin pounded Porcupine into the ground repeatedly, trying to crush him, but found his back was incredibly resilient.

"Offensive hair turned into tough steel needles, while the rest of the body hair becomes extremely soft, able to absorb any force."

Porcupine smiled confidently, "I told you, your journey ends here today."