Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 37.

"They managed to damage Uvogin's iron skin with nothing but body hair and teeth," Feitan comments with furrowed eyebrows.

"Must be skilled Nen users. I'm impressed," Shalnark states, calling out Shizuku when she throws a card into the pile. "Want a hand, Uvo?" the blonde calls out, scrambling to pick up the pile of cards.

Illuki lets out an enchanting giggle that echoes throughout the air as she watches the berserker thrash his arm around in an attempt to remove Porcupine from his fist. Rabid Dog lunges again, ripping skin away from the troupe member's thigh but jumping away from Uvogin's attack.

"You're tough. Did it finally kick in?" Rabid Dog questions, seething. "My fangs secrete a neurotoxin that's supposed to be fast-acting," as the Shadow Beast explains his toxin, Uvogin stumbles and falls – immobilised. "You'll be unaffected from the neck up, so you can still feel fear and pain. So sit back and enjoy."

"If he were using a lethal poison, this fight would have been over," Machi comments after hearing Rabid Dog's explanation.

"He probably enjoys torture," Shalnark debunked, shuffling the cards while his teammates watched the brawl.

Leech, the final Shadow Beast among the trio, stood behind Uvogin with his tongue on his shoulder wound and unleashing leeches into the caveman's body. "I cannot tell if I should be disgusted by Uvo, or entertained," Illuki muttered, cringing; her face scrunched up as she witnessed her cannibalistic comrade turn his head and bite down into Leech's skull, killing him and chewing on the flesh with a thoughtful expression. Feitan and Nobunaga turn to the woman with blank expressions though deep down, care for her.

"Yuck. I thought that uglier usually meant better-tasting," his comment leaves the remaining two Beasts in shock by his previous actions. "Why are you surprised? You aren't the only one who can bite, you know," Uvogin grins widely, revealing blood-stained teeth as he spoke with a rough tone. "All I need to defeat you is everything from my neck up," he glares at the pair, eyes glowing gold under the moonlight.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Nobunaga questions the former assassin, standing beside her sitting figure. Illuki turned and glanced up at the swordsman and smiled softly before nodding her head and returning her attention to Uvogin. The brutal man vacuums a piece of Leech's skull, spitting the fragment at Rabid Dog with enough strength to kill him.

Despite being an assassin for all her life and being a member of the notorious Phantom Troupe, the female was known to be cautious when it came to Uvogin's fighting style. Over time, the dichromatic-haired woman got used to his animalistic ways and felt safe around the caveman, knowing he wouldn't dare to harm the person deemed as their Web. Illuki had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realised what was happening until she felt someone softly nudging her arm with their feet. Glancing at the culprit, she finds Feitan staring down at her with his hands over his ears, indirectly prompting her to mirror his actions just in time to avoid Uvogin's deafening, ear-bleeding roar.

As the echo fades out, Uvogin throws Porcupine's dead body away from him. "Oi, Uvo! Not cool!" the Web of the troupe stood up from her spot, hands resting on her waist as she leaned to scream down at the caveman.

"Yeah, you idiot! Give us a warning first!" Franklin agrees, throwing up a fist.

"Do you wanna burst our eardrums too? Nobunaga questions his friend, picking at his ear.

"Sorry about that! But that would've given my plan away," Uvogin apologised, turning to look over at his team. "Besides, you guys had plenty of time to cover your ears before the sound reached you," he told them.

Illuki rolled her eyes, crossing her arms above her chest as she shifted her weight onto her left leg. "Whatever. Can you move yet, Uvo?" she calls down to him, noticing that the man remains seated on the ground.

"Shizuku! Would you suck the poison and leeches from my body? Your vacuum could do it, right?" he calls to the glass-wearing female who was picking up the cards.

"Blinky can suck out the poison, but nothing that's alive," Shizuku informs him.

Instead, Shalnark – being the underrated smart member of the troupe – jumps down from the ledge to inspect the situation, peeling the sucking leech off Uvogin's shoulder. "This is a spotted leech. It takes one day to migrate to the bladder, before laying its eggs and dying," the blonde informs his bulky teammate before further elaborating. "The eggs will hatch shortly after, exiting through your urinary tract. It will cause enough pain to kill you."

"Hey, don't joke around."

"However, they require a specific concentration of ammonia to hatch. If there isn't enough, the eggs don't hatch and they can be excreted harmlessly. So, until this time tomorrow, you should drink beer constantly and pee as much as possible!" Shalnark explains to his comrade, turning and popping the leech between his fingers.