Phinks stepped forward and stomped hard.
But Machi's aura thread didn't break under the force.
"Huh?"
Phinks gave a light grunt of surprise. "These two threads feel different from before. They're unusually resilient."
"But this still isn't enough."
Chrollo looked toward Machi and Phinks. It was clear that Phinks still held the upper hand. However, compared to the past, if this had been the old Machi, Phinks would've been dominating the fight far more easily.
After all, Machi wasn't originally a combat-type Nen user—she was built for healing and support. The only explanation for what was happening now was that Machi had improved. Her strength had increased considerably compared to before.
"Nobunaga, what do you think?" Chrollo asked.
Nobunaga stayed quiet for a mont, then answered, "Machi's gotten stronger."
"Back then, Machi developed that kind of Nen ability for us—for the Troupe. But it didn't truly match her talents."
"Now, she's changing."
"She's moving toward a path that fits her better."
"Maybe… we were the ones who held Machi back."
"I used to not understand why she left the Troupe."
"But Uvogin said we should respect her decision, so I didn't say anything."
"Now, I think I get it."
"If Uvogin were still alive and saw the Machi standing here now, I'm sure he'd be happy."
In truth, the Phantom Troupe today was no longer the sa as the Troupe of the past.
At the beginning, they were just a group of voice-acting enthusiasts from teor City, hoping to bring so joy to the people there. They wanted to turn incomprehensible languages into ones the locals could understand.
But after Sarasa's death, their purpose changed.
They vowed revenge, to find her killer and eliminate them.
Then ca the goal of eradicating human trafficking in teor City—transforming the city into a den of cri. A place that would draw the world's worst criminals and beco a fearso na to the outside world.
That's why the Phantom Troupe took on the role of criminals.
But ever since boarding the Black Whale, things had shifted.
They had left teor City behind.
New people would take over their ho.
The Phantom Troupe was now headed toward the Dark Continent. Whether they would return alive was unknown. Even if they did, it would be a long, long ti from now.
Their original goals were already diverging.
But that was inevitable.
For a long ti, the Troupe lived for Sarasa, and for teor City.
But they were still people—people who eventually needed to live for themselves.
"Nobunaga, what kind of life do you want?"
"?"
Nobunaga gave a small smile. "I wanted to beco the world's greatest swordsman, and then form the strongest duo with Uvogin."
"But Uvogin's dead. That dream's no longer possible."
"So now? I just want to stay with my comrades."
Phinks still had the advantage, but Machi wasn't losing either. She was using her aura threads to completely restrain Phinks.
It was starting to irritate him.
Part of it was that Phinks didn't think Machi should be a match for him.
And the other part was that her fighting style wasn't one he liked.
Phinks preferred direct, head-on battles—force versus force. That's where he thrived.
"Let's stop here," Machi said, halting.
Phinks snorted and pulled back, clearly annoyed.
"My turn next," Misty stepped forward. "Machi, who do you think would be a good opponent for ?"
Machi glanced toward Phinks again.
His face froze.
" again?"
Machi nodded.
Among the Troupe, Chrollo held the highest overall strength, especially when prepared. Hooker, Pakunoda, and Kurapika lagged behind in that regard. Without his restrictions and vows, Kurapika didn't exert the sa pressure on others—even with his Scarlet Eyes.
Nobunaga's attacks were too straightforward. He wasn't very useful for sparring.
Feitan was more speed-oriented. His strength sat between Phinks and Chrollo. After going a few rounds with Phinks, taking on Feitan next would be the better progression.
Franklin was more suited for refining movent and reaction ti.
Phinks stepped up again, facing Misty.
"I'm not going to hold back. Watch yourself."
"If you get hurt, don't bla ."
"I'm not in the best mood right now."
Misty shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Just give it your all."
Phinks smirked—and in the next second, an intense surge of aura burst from his body. Even the ground seed to dip under the force of it.
Boom!
But Misty wasn't afraid.
She responded in kind.
Her form shifted—scales appeared across her skin, a tail extended from her back, horns sprouted from her head, and white flas danced around her.
They had fought once before in Yorknew, but the Misty of that ti had been much weaker.
Phinks' impression of her hadn't caught up.
Even seeing her aura now, his opinion only changed slightly.
Bang!
Their fists collided.
A wave of force shot through Phinks' arm. It went numb, and his body staggered several steps back.
Burns had already ford on his knuckles.
Feitan instinctively reached for his sword—but as soon as he moved, Machi looked his way.
Feitan turned his head to avoid her gaze and slowly took his hand off the hilt.
Machi withdrew her attention.
She understood his reaction.
But as Misty's current ally, Machi had to ensure her safety.
And in a way, it was also protection for the Troupe.
If they ignored the rules and killed Misty, Machi knew—there might not be many of them left by the next day.
If Ron got involved, no one could stop him.
"Let's go again."
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