None of the Phantom Troupe members noticed the brute's movement—except for one.
The brute wasn't far from Pakunoda, and the Spider-Man immediately directed him toward her. His charge was too fast for Pakunoda to dodge.
Uvogin, heavily wounded like the brute, should have been unable to move. The brute's renewed mobility came from Spider-Man's control. Uvogin, however, stood up purely by force of will when he saw the brute lunging at Pakunoda.
He threw himself forward and shielded her.
The attack meant for Pakunoda landed squarely on Uvogin instead.
Already critically injured, Uvogin couldn't withstand it.
A series of bone-shattering sounds erupted.
His body twisted violently.
The next moment, half of Uvogin's body was driven into the ground. Both legs were buried completely.
The brute raised his fists high above his head and brought them down hard on Uvogin's skull.
There was no room to dodge.
His fists crashed down it was a direct hit to the top of Uvogin's head.
His neck snapped under the force. His head twisted grotesquely to the side. The vertebrae were severed entirely—only muscle and skin kept it attached.
Uvogin's eyes bulged.
His life faded visibly, second by second.
Pakunoda turned and froze, pupils contracting violently.
Feitan, Phinks, Nobunaga, Chrollo—every member of the Phantom Troupe turned.
It wasn't as if no Phantom Troupe member had ever died.
The previous No. 8 member had been killed by Silva. Omokage—officially, at least—was dead.
But Omokage hadn't been especially close with the others. His death didn't resonate deeply.
Even so, they all came to resent Hisoka over it.
After the former No. 8's death, Chrollo had gone to confront Silva, seeking revenge. But after fighting him, Chrollo realized he couldn't win and gave up.
Uvogin, though, was different.
He held a significant place in the Troupe. He was respected by many and had strong relationships with most members.
Especially with Nobunaga and Chrollo.
Nobunaga was closer to Uvogin than anyone else.
And Chrollo had never forgotten Uvogin's support. Without him, he might never have become the leader of the Phantom Troupe.
Uvogin had stepped in many times to keep the group stable.
Now, Uvogin was dead.
Killed in front of everyone.
While already severely wounded. He still stood up to protect his comrade, to protect Pakunoda.
Nobunaga went berserk the moment it happened.
He charged the brute, fists flying, desperate to avenge Uvogin.
Nobunaga's sword was still lodged in the brute's body.
Now unarmed, he rushed forward barehanded.
"Nobunaga, calm down!"
"You expect me to calm down now?! How?!"
His eyes were bloodshot, locked onto the brute.
Uvogin's death had shaken him. The emotional blow boosted his aura—his very presence changed. Like Kurapika empowered by vengeance, Nobunaga's anger and hatred began to amplify his energy.
"But charging in now will only get you killed."
Pakunoda raised her gun and fired at the brute.
But it barely did anything.
After killing Uvogin, the brute kept moving toward her.
Just then, Feitan arrived.
He appeared behind the brute, leaped high, and slashed hard at the back of the brute's neck.
A slab of flesh was sliced away.
Blood sprayed out violently. A massive gap opened at the base of the brute's neck.
Feitan could see part of the spinal cord was missing.
But even so, the brute didn't stop. He continued forward, seemingly unaffected.
Feitan's eyes narrowed.
"He's a puppet—someone's controlling him!"
His voice cut through the battlefield.
The Phantom Troupe exchanged looks—then unleashed their fiercest attacks on their own opponents.
Spider-Man, the woman, the two-headed one, the white-haired youth... ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
Under the assault from Shalnark, Kortopi, and Pakunoda, Spider-Man was forced to cancel his control over the brute.
The brute collapsed heavily to the ground.
Feitan moved toward Nobunaga's position, taking over his previous role and joining Franklin to battle the woman.
Feitan's relationship with Nobunaga had never been especially warm.
They often clashed—just recently, they had fought over Machi's decision to leave the Troupe.
But now, Feitan understood what Nobunaga needed. And he gave him the space to do it.
Nobunaga nodded and rushed over to where the brute and Uvogin lay.
He reached the brute first.
Immediately, he gathered his aura into his fist and smashed it into the brute's skull.
The brute's head exploded under the force.
White, red, and yellow matter burst outward—some of it splashed onto Nobunaga's face.
His fingers fractured from the impact.
The attack resembled the Worm's punch that had once struck Uvogin. This wasn't Nobunaga's usual combat style.
Expressionless, Nobunaga threw another punch.
He didn't stop until he was sure all life had left the brute's body.
Then he turned to Uvogin.
He lifted Uvogin's body.
But it was too late. No matter how he called, Uvogin couldn't answer.
Two streams of blood-red tears slid from Nobunaga's eyes.
He looked up, eyes filled with hatred, and locked onto the remaining members of the biological experiment squad.
Then he moved toward the brute's body once again.
Bomb!! I bet you all were not expecting this were you!?