"We're being underestimated!" Machi's voice was soft, but it reached everyone's ears.
"Let's split them up. I'll take the woman, you take the man."
Although Qiao Lun had spent more than ten years living in the Zenin Clan, a family that heavily favored men over women, he would never underestimate any woman.
Practically everything about Uvogin was already public knowledge, making him easier to deal with. Besides, according to the manga, Kurapika was sure to win.
There was still no telling what tricks Machi could pull with her ability, so dealing with her required greater caution. In particular, he had to make sure she could not support Uvogin, or she might well upset the balance and change the outcome.
He also had to guard against Machi escaping. To ensure neither of them got away, Qiao Lun considered himself the best choice to deal with her.
Qiao Lun's proposed division favored him most, but unfortunately, Uvogin had no intention of following it.
The instant Qiao Lun finished speaking, Uvogin vanished from where he stood.
"Quit kidding around!"
Amid Uvogin's furious roar, the black and white Divine Dogs lunged out together.
Qiao Lun had no intention of giving Uvogin a chance to get close. He knew all too well where their respective strengths and weaknesses lay.
As an Enhancement user, Uvogin excelled most at close combat. His physical toughness, the effects of his ability, and his combat experience could all be brought fully into play at close range.
As a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Qiao Lun was no slouch in close combat, but his strength lay in using the Ten Shadows Technique to wear his opponent down from a distance and deliver a fatal blow when necessary.
Thus, Qiao Lun's strategy against Uvogin was to establish complete ranged suppression in the first phase, making Uvogin understand the gap between them.
Qiao Lun had been prepared for a sudden battle from the start, so he had never dismissed the Divine Dogs.
Uvogin's charge now was not beyond his expectations, either.
But this meant leaving Machi to Kurapika. He did not know whether Kurapika could handle her.
Still, Uvogin was not entirely unprepared for the Divine Dogs' attack. His fist continued forward unchanged, colliding directly with the lunging black Divine Dog.
He tilted his head to dodge the white Divine Dog's bite. Even more astonishingly, after dodging, Uvogin turned his head, opened his mouth wide, and bit toward its neck.
Everything happened in a flash, but Uvogin's counterattack never reached the white Divine Dog.
The moment he moved to counterattack, Great Serpent shot out of Qiao Lun's shadow, sank its fangs into Uvogin's abdomen with tremendous speed, and carried him away from the Divine Dogs, even lifting him into the air.
In battle, Qiao Lun could summon at most two types of shikigami at once.
When Uvogin moved, he had already formed Great Serpent's summoning gesture with one hand.
The Nen he had only just learned was of little use at a time like this. Mobilizing cursed energy and using the Ten Shadows Technique came far more smoothly to Qiao Lun.
However, he could clearly see that Great Serpent's bite had not even broken Uvogin's skin. Evidently, Uvogin had already mobilized his Nen to defend himself before its fangs reached him.
Now Uvogin struggled fiercely, and his hands looked ready to break free of Great Serpent's jaws, even pry its mouth open!
He truly was a monster of the Enhancement category, the kind best suited to battle.
Still, judging by his struggle, Uvogin was clearly no match for Sukuna. After all, Sukuna had burst Megumi Fushiguro's Great Serpent apart from within, while Uvogin could not do the same to Qiao Lun's.
Of course, that might also have been because the Great Serpent Qiao Lun summoned was stronger than Megumi Fushiguro's.
Either way, Qiao Lun would not pass up such a good chance to attack. The Divine Dogs swiftly disappeared into the shadows, while Nue instantly shot out of Qiao Lun's shadow.
Before Uvogin could escape Great Serpent's bite, Nue's claws swept toward his head, crackling with lightning.
Restrained by Great Serpent, Uvogin became a sitting target. As Great Serpent whipped its body around to increase the force of its bite, Nue attacked him relentlessly.
Yet Great Serpent and Nue could not fully penetrate Uvogin's defenses. Instead, their attacks only made the wounded Uvogin increasingly irritable in midair.
Qiao Lun was in no hurry, though.
He had ample cursed energy. At this level of intensity, he could keep attacking for another ten minutes without tiring.
But could Uvogin really hold out for ten minutes in those jaws?
Qiao Lun glanced to the side, where Kurapika and Machi still showed no intention of fighting.
Kurapika was in no rush to act. Even though he had already wanted to kill the Phantom Troupe's members countless times in his heart, there were still things he needed to ask before the fighting began.
He had also noticed something else: although Qiao Lun had the ability to restrain Uvogin, he did not seem to have a way to finish him quickly.
Uvogin, a pure Enhancement user, had defenses that were far too strong!
With Qiao Lun's abilities, it seemed his only option was to wear Uvogin down little by little.
But if Kurapika intervened, he had a chance of taking Uvogin down immediately. It would require coordination, though. They could not let Machi escape during the opening created when he acted.
In other words, he could not fully expose his abilities to the Phantom Troupe.
"There's a question I've always wanted to ask you." This was Kurapika's first encounter with the Phantom Troupe, and one question had always troubled him.
Machi did not answer, but she could not help glancing high into the air.
Up there, Uvogin was still struggling with all his might, but held in check by the opponent's two Nen beasts, he had been reduced to taking a one-sided beating.
Machi was not worried, though, because that situation should soon change.
Seeing Machi remain silent, Kurapika asked outright, "Do you remember the people you've killed?"
"Some of them," Machi answered honestly.
"What about the Kurta Clan? Those..."
Kurapika never finished, because Machi raised a hand to interrupt him. "Stop. I remember. So you're a survivor looking for revenge against us?"
Machi's tone was utterly flat, as though she had long since grown accustomed to this.
The aura around Kurapika began to intensify. Machi's attitude sent the anger in his heart climbing steadily. "Why?"
"Let me think... it was probably because the boss was quite fond of the Kurta Clan's eyes." Machi gave an answer Kurapika could not accept at all.
Just then, an explosive boom came from the sky.
It was Uvogin.
Great Serpent crashed toward the ground, and Nue stopped attacking, because Uvogin had landed on the ground along with the falling serpent.
Though he looked battered upon landing, he burst forward at tremendous speed, charging straight toward Qiao Lun.
Amid the relentless attacks, Uvogin had finally freed one arm. Ignoring Nue's assault entirely, his first priority had been to escape Great Serpent's restraint.
Thus, once his arm was free, he unleashed his ability, Big Bang Impact, which was essentially a punch enhanced with all his strength.
As he hammered away with that tremendous explosive force, he finally knocked Great Serpent unconscious, making it release its jaws.
Although this result fell somewhat short of what Uvogin had wanted, he understood all too well the principle of taking down the leader first. The moment he landed, he set his sights on Qiao Lun.
But as Uvogin moved, Great Serpent, which had crashed onto the ground, sank into the shadows!
Qiao Lun did not immediately use the Ten Shadows Technique. Instead, he settled into the opening stance for close combat.