A heavy silence fell over the Shadow Beasts. For a mont, all four of them reacted the sa way, standing still, stiff with tension, as their gazes locked onto the vehicle.
Even though they couldn’t see him from where they stood, the re knowledge that Larry was inside was enough to make them instinctively lower their heads.
Dalzollene watched this unfold with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He was the captain of the Nostrade family's bodyguards, and he understood very well what the Shadow Beasts represented. They were the hidden weapons of the Mafia’s supre leaders, the Ten Dons.
Among the underworld, they were legends. Symbols of power. Beasts that carried out the Ten Dons' will without question. And yet, here they were, acting like humble servants before Larry. But then again... It wasn’t surprising when he thought about it.
Larry’s feats weren’t small. His strength was already beyond what the Shadow Beasts could ever hope to reach. Suddenly, Larry’s voice cut through the silence. "Did you deliver my ssage to Pride?"
Earthworm straightened imdiately. His expression was solemn, his tone serious, as if being entrusted with this task had been the highest honor of his life. "I delivered your words exactly as you instructed, Lord Larry," he said without hesitation.
Larry nodded slightly. "Good." Then, his lips curved into a faint smile. "I’ll give you a piece of advice."
The Shadow Beasts listened intently, their focus entirely on him. "You’re about to face the A-rank criminal group Phantom Troupe. Be careful. Don’t get ahead of yourselves..." His words carried a deeper aning, but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he chuckled softly, as if recalling sothing amusing.
In the original tiline, the Shadow Beasts had only realized who they were fighting after spotting Uvogin’s spider tattoo.
This ti, Larry decided to give them a heads-up. Not that he expected much, but… with their enhancents, maybe they’d actually be able to put up a real fight against Uvogin?
"Yes!" The four Shadow Beasts answered in unison, their voices laced with tension.
The weight of Larry’s warning sank in imdiately. They had been arrogant before, thinking the enemy was just another group of thugs. But now that they knew it was the Phantom Troupe, a real A-rank criminal organization, they weren’t so sure anymore.
If they had gone in with their previous mindset, they might have been slaughtered. ‘Good thing Lord Larry warned us...’
On the other side, Uvogin narrowed his eyes as he sized up the approaching enemies. "Huh... Looks like we’ve got so tougher ones this ti," he muttered, his lips curving into a grin.
The mont he sensed their presence, he could tell they weren’t ordinary fighters. "The real fight is finally starting," he said with a low laugh. "Damn sha we didn’t even get a proper warm-up."
His body tensed with anticipation. He lived for battles like these. Standing opposite him, Rabid Dog stared up at him with a cold expression. "What did you do to the guests?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
He was already analyzing the battlefield. Above them, six mbers of the Phantom Troupe watched the scene unfold with amused expressions, lounging as if they were just there to enjoy a show.
Rabid Dog’s grip tightened. If they were truly up against the Phantom Troupe, then the four of them alone wouldn’t be enough. But they weren’t going in alone. The mont Larry warned them, he had sent out a call.
The other Shadow Beasts were on their way. Once they all arrived, they’d have a real shot at winning. "Huh?" Uvogin scratched his ear. "Oh, that? Yeah, killed them all." He said it so casually, like it was nothing.
Just a bunch of weaklings. He didn’t even think twice about it. To the Phantom Troupe, human life wasn’t sothing worth caring about.
No, correction. They did value life. But only the lives of their own. Their comrades.
Everyone else? Expendable.
Rabid Dog clicked his tongue in irritation. He had expected as much, but hearing it outright still made his blood boil. Uvogin, on the other hand, was getting impatient. His muscles flexed, his entire body brimming with aura, his rough face lighting up with the thrill of battle.
He was ready to charge. But just as he was about to make his move,
BANG!
Sothing unexpected happened.
Uvogin had barely noticed the earthworm lurking underground before it suddenly erupted from beneath his feet. Its once-soft, pliable body had hardened into sothing unnaturally strong, wrapping around him in a constricting grip, much like a python coiling around its prey. It was a move designed to fully utilize its imnse strength, and for a mont, Uvogin found himself truly caught in its vice-like hold.
The unexpected turn of events quickly grabbed the attention of Machi and the others, who had been lounging around and playing poker. Their boredom vanished as they turned their focus toward the battlefield. “Opportunity,” Rabid Dog thought to himself. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, and in the next instant, he was gone.
"Huh?!" Uvogin barely had ti to react.
By the ti Rabid Dog reappeared, a deep wound had already opened on Uvogin’s shoulder, blood streaming from the fresh gash.
“Tch, he dodged?” Rabid Dog muttered, his expression darkening. He hadn't aid for the shoulder, his target had been Uvogin’s throat. His accuracy had been near perfect, a calculated strike with a 2.7-degree precision, yet sohow, Uvogin had managed to evade a fatal blow.
"You actually managed to cut through Uvogin’s defense? That’s impressive! Too bad, though. If you’d aid straight for the neck and bitten down, he might actually be in trouble," the baby-faced Shalnark teased, thinking Rabid Dog had underestimated his opponent.
"No, he did aim for the neck," Nobunaga interjected, his tone more serious than before. His dull, half-lidded eyes sharpened as he analyzed the scene. "Uvogin forced himself to dodge by burning a massive amount of aura."
That realization shifted the atmosphere among the Phantom Troupe mbers. Those who had been more focused on support rather than combat suddenly understood the weight of the situation. The Shadow Beasts weren’t pushovers.
Uvogin, anwhile, could feel sothing else spreading through his body, a foreign sensation creeping into his internal organs. He glanced at his wound, blood still trickling, and scowled.
“My nerve toxin’s been enhanced. In just a few seconds, you won’t even be able to move,” Rabid Dog said smugly, though a flicker of regret passed through his eyes. If he had known he'd be up against the Phantom Troupe, he would have gone straight for a lethal poison instead. Still, things were under control.
Uvogin, however, just grinned. "Hah! So that’s how it is," he muttered. Then, without warning, a massive surge of aura erupted from his body.
The earthworm constricting him felt it imdiately. “Shit,” it hissed.
Reviews
All reviews (0)