"Will the members of the Troupe really show up?" Neon asked, sounding a bit uncertain. She fidgeted with her mechanical pencil, looking eager to try something.
She had already performed a fortune-telling for Luo Ning this month. However, if she switched the subject of the prophecy to a member of the Phantom Troupe, she might still have a chance to produce verses detailing the events of that day.
"They'll come. It was in the prophecy poem you gave me," Luo Ning replied with absolute certainty. He adjusted his aura, bringing himself to his absolute peak state. "Calculating the time, they should be arriving soon."
"Then we'll go into hiding first. Contact us once you've handled things here." Kurapika knew deep down that staying behind would only make them a liability.
According to Luo Ning, while he and Neon might stand a chance against the Shadow Beasts, facing members of the Phantom Troupe would mean certain death. The gap between them was still far too wide. To bridge that gap, Kurapika's Holy Chain was the most critical factor. Only that chain, which could assist in relieving fatigue and restoring physical strength, could allow someone to return to their optimal state more quickly after intense cultivation.
While the effect didn't quite reach the level of the "Cookie-chan" ability created by Bisky, it wasn't far off. At the very least, it was sufficient for Luo Ning and the others. What followed would be the accumulation of actual combat experience and the slow, steady grind of hard work.
At that same moment, racing toward the Gordeau Desert alongside the Phantom Troupe was the strongest combat force under the Ten Community Leaders—the Shadow Beasts!
The incident at the Cemetery Building had naturally alarmed the top-level decision-makers of the ten largest mafias across the six continents: the Ten Community Leaders. The Phantom Troupe's unbridled recklessness prompted them to make the immediate decision to deploy the Shadow Beasts for combat.
As for how the Shadow Beasts determined that the Phantom Troupe would appear in the Gordeau Desert, it was all thanks to a local mafia leader.
Zenji.
He was a bald man who favored a pair of round black sunglasses. He was short and somewhat overweight, but he carried an air of thuggishness and ruthlessness. He had been in charge of security for the auction held at the Cemetery Building previously, but because he had been inside the building at the time, he luckily escaped the meat-grinder of a battlefield outside.
It was his choice that allowed him to survive. The reason he had stayed inside the building was that someone had sent him a message in advance, telling him not to go out or he would die!
Zenji hadn't originally intended to follow the instructions in the message. However, while in the first-floor lobby, he encountered the person who had packed up the auction items. That person killed the mafia members around him but spared him alone. As they passed by, they gave him one last warning: "Don't go out!"
So, Zenji listened.
Outside the building, blood flowed like a river; inside, Zenji was drenched in a cold sweat. After the battle outside concluded, that mysterious number sent him another time and location, informing him where the Phantom Troupe would appear. The message told him that if he wanted to make up for his failure, he should take all the credit for discovering the location himself.
Zenji was a smart man. Thus, he reported the information as instructed. According to his report, the source of the intel was simply his own local connections as a "land snake."
The Ten Community Leaders' side did not doubt him, and the Shadow Beasts all rushed toward the Gordeau Desert according to the intelligence he provided. Yet, Zenji felt uneasy, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Inside the Gordeau Desert, Luo Ning dressed in light casual clothes and waited patiently for Uvogin's arrival. Uvogin arrived at the desert and appeared before him just as the time Luo Ning had predicted approached. However, Nobunaga and Machi followed closely behind him. Furthermore, Luo Ning could sense eyes watching from the shadows; it seemed other Troupe members were hiding nearby as well.
"Coward." Luo Ning's first words caused Uvogin's temper to flare instantly.
"Are you going to borrow someone else's power again this time?" Uvogin took a step forward. This time, unlike their previous battle, he didn't start with his usual boastful threats.
"What about you?" Luo Ning's gaze flickered seemingly by accident over Uvogin's new arm.
Uvogin let out a dissatisfied grunt.
"You're not planning a three-on-one, are you?" Luo Ning didn't care about Uvogin's attitude, instead turning a teasing look toward Nobunaga and Machi. "Are they your parents? I didn't expect someone so big and ugly to still be unweaned."
"You're looking for death!" Machi and Nobunaga's expressions darkened simultaneously.
Uvogin's aura exploded, and his silhouette blurred as he was the first to charge at Luo Ning.
Luo Ning also took a step forward, but in that instant, four other figures suddenly erupted from the sandy ground. They were four individuals with different appearances, but in essence, they were all Luo Ning's Shadow Clones. Their appearances corresponded exactly to the Sound Ninja Four, who were responsible for assisting Orochimaru in trapping Hiruzen in the Naruto manga!
[MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU], an A-rank ninjutsu.
It was a technique capable of creating multiple physical clones simultaneously. The moment these four clones appeared, they performed hand seals in unison. Purple flames rose from their bodies simultaneously, quickly spreading and forming a rectangular barrier that encased both Luo Ning and Uvogin.
B-rank ninjutsu, [FOUR VIOLET FLAMES FORMATION]!
The reason Luo Ning had arrived early was to set this preparation. He used the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu to create four clones, then had them use Transformation Jutsu and Earth Style ninjutsu to hide underground. Once Uvogin approached, he triggered the Four Violet Flames Formation to lock them both inside.
This way, no matter how many people the Troupe brought, they would be blocked outside the barrier. They could only watch as he and Uvogin fought one-on-one inside.
Another benefit of preparing the clones in advance was that during the wait, Luo Ning could use [ZETSU] to speed up the recovery of his energy after splitting off his chakra. By now, while he wasn't at his absolute peak, he had recovered to at least eighty percent. In his view, that was more than enough to deal with Uvogin!
It was a pity he had possessed the fifth pair of Scarlet Eyes for such a short time; otherwise, he could have made even more arrangements. After all, the fusion of the fifth pair of Scarlet Eyes had, as he expected, granted him the authority to use S-rank ninjutsu.
Small barriers rose in front of the four Shadow Clones to protect them, ensuring that even if Uvogin tried to break the formation from the inside, it wouldn't be easy.
The sudden change made Uvogin stop in his tracks, and it also stopped the two outside the barrier.
"The only way you're getting out of this barrier is by defeating me." Luo Ning loosened up his body, his hands forming seals in front of him as electric currents began to flicker across his skin.
It was the [LIGHTNING STYLE CHAKRA MODE].
However, his claim that Uvogin could only leave by winning was only a partial truth. According to Luo Ning's estimates, the amount of chakra held by those four clones could maintain the Four Violet Flames Formation for about an hour, provided there was no external interference.
Amidst the flickering blue electric arcs, Luo Ning's hair shifted slightly, making him look more aggressive and sharp.
Uvogin, however, smiled. "That suits me just fine."
Powerful Nen erupted from his body, but in the next second, Uvogin's pupils shrank. Luo Ning's figure had vanished in a flash and was already right in front of him.
Uvogin instinctively unleashed his Big Bang Impact, punching toward his side. But there was no sensation of hitting a target. Instead, in Uvogin's eyes, the very arm he had just swung went flying into the air!
[HELL STAB: FOUR-FINGER NUKITE]!
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