Seeking profit amidst risk.
The current developments were unfolding exactly as anticipated.
Despite Hisoka's unexpected interference, the Phantom Troupe remained focused on dealing with Silva.
This decision not only gave Hisoka an opportunity but also provided Morrow with one.
The perfect moment to strike would be when Omokage let his guard down, thinking he had successfully escaped.
As for whether they'd be disrupted later, being targeted by Hisoka, that was the risk they had to face in this operation.
Morrow stopped paying attention to Silva's situation and instead turned his gaze toward Hisoka and Omokage, who were already engaged in battle. He quietly moved closer.
—--
On the street outside the square.
Omokage was sent flying backward, crashing into a parked car with a deafening metallic screech as his body embedded itself into the vehicle.
The sudden commotion frightened nearby pedestrians, who quickly scattered.
Not far away, Hisoka approached the wrecked car.
Holding a playing card between his fingers, he pressed it against the tip of his nose, concealing his faint smirk.
The cooperation from the other Troupe members had heightened his excitement.
This intense, genuine emotion radiated through his aura, exuding a captivating and overwhelming presence.
Omokage pried himself free from the twisted steel frame, breaking out of the wreckage.
With a sharp motion, he straightened his posture, shaking off shards of glass from his silver-gray hair.
"You don't exist in my memories..."
Standing upright, Omokage glared coldly at Hisoka, who was enveloped in a powerful aura.
"But asking "why did you attack me" now would be pointless."
As soon as he finished speaking, a red glow seeped from Omokage's eyes as he activated his ability under the influence of his aura.
Soul Puppet
Dolls stored within his pupils materialized in a flash of crimson light, swiftly manifesting into three figures.
Two of them were unmistakably Feitan and Uvogin.
The last was a man with arms as long as an ape's.
These were all puppets personally crafted by Omokage. Under the effects of his Specialization Ability, the puppets could exhibit roughly 30% of their original counterparts' strength, including replicating their Nen abilities.
If he could obtain the original's eyes, that percentage could rise to 50%, with a qualitative leap in flexibility.
As a member of the Phantom Troupe, Omokage had secretly created replicas of his comrades without their knowledge—meaning he couldn't equip them with the originals' eyes.
Still, even without eyes, the raw combat prowess of battle maniacs like Feitan and Uvogin was something Omokage highly valued.
The third puppet, the one with elongated arms, was a complete Soul Puppet—possessing eyes.
These three puppets specialized in close-range suppression, speed-based harassment, and long-range attacks, respectively.
Hisoka observed the lifelike puppets with interest. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
Omokage ignored him, issuing a command for the three puppets to kill Hisoka.
The moment the order took effect, the Uvogin puppet charged at Hisoka first.
Big Bang Impact
The Uvogin puppet opened with its Ultimate Move, channeling nearly all its aura into its fist, which glowed a vivid red.
Though fragments of memories served as the soul's foundation, the puppet's lack of eyes still left it lacking in flexibility. As it attacked, most of its body remained exposed, unprotected by aura. Hisoka was also a battle maniac who reveled in carnage, so how could he miss such a glaring opening that was practically offering their necks to him?
Originally, he had wanted to ask how much of the original's strength these imitation dolls could replicate.
But now, it seemed unnecessary.
Hisoka flicked a playing card between his fingers, and as the Uvogin doll swung its fist, he sent the card slicing across its neck at an even faster speed.
Since the Uvogin doll had concentrated most of its aura into its fist, the attack cleanly severed its head.
However, before Hisoka could retract his momentum, Feitan appeared like a ghost, his thin sword stabbing out with chilling glints.
Hisoka raised an eyebrow, hastily dodging in a rather awkward manner.
Ssssh...
In just a second or two, two shallow wounds appeared on Hisoka's arm and waist.
"Quite aggressive, but lacking in lethality."
Slightly surprised by the Feitan Puppet's offensive nature, Hisoka immediately grasped its thin sword upon noticing this flaw.
Bungee Gum.
The aura swirling around his palm instantly gained adhesive properties, firmly sticking to the Feitan Puppet's sword.
Just as Hisoka was about to destroy the Feitan Puppet in one move, a barrage of arrow-shaped Nen bullets suddenly rained down from above.
Hisoka glanced up and decisively retreated, evading the area covered by the projectiles.
The Feitan Puppet also stepped back.
The next moment, the arrow-shaped Nen bullets landed like a sudden downpour, triggering a series of explosions.
In just a second or two, thick dust filled the air.
Hisoka emerged from the dust, and as the distance lengthened, the pink adhesive gum holding the Feitan Puppet's sword snapped apart.
A standard coordinated squad setup.
Seeing that the last doll was an Emitter, Hisoka wasn't particularly surprised. He flipped a few playing cards into his hand, pinching them between his fingers.
Having confirmed the dolls' strength, aside from the earlier Emission attack, there was little else to worry about.
So now, it was time to go straight for the kill.
What Hisoka didn't notice was...
—--
While he was dodging the rain of arrow-shaped Nen bullets, Omokage used the dust as cover to leave behind a replica doll filled with his artificial eyeball before quietly retreating from the battlefield.
This scene was witnessed by Morrow.
Perfect.
Seeing Omokage leave behind a replica doll, Morrow knew the opportunity had arrived.
If Omokage had simply fled, it would have been hard to act.
But now, by faking his death in this manner, most of his aura output remained with the doll, leaving his true self weakened.
A glint flashed in Morrow's eyes.
The battle on the street wasn't over yet.
But Omokage had already quietly retreated a fair distance, turning into a one-way alley flanked by buildings on both sides.
This place was now outside Hisoka's line of sight.
Just who the hell is that guy…?
Omokage frowned deeply.
After just a few exchanges, he had sensed Hisoka's overwhelming strength.
To be safe, he had executed a decoy escape.
Omokage glanced back in the direction he came from, still unable to understand why Hisoka had attacked him.
Shifting his gaze forward, he stared at the silent alley ahead.
The fierce battle on the street had turned the nearby living into ostriches, and naturally, no one would be in this one-way passage. Omokage walked up a slightly steep slope, intending to find a vantage point.
Hmm?
After some distance, he reached a T-junction and suddenly sensed something. His gaze shifted to the third-floor balcony of a distant building.
On the railing of the pitch-black balcony, three glowing green Nen bullets hovered midair, arranged in a triangular formation.
Seeing this, Omokage narrowed his eyes, activating Gyo, just as the bullets abruptly shot downward. He braced himself defensively.
But he soon noticed something odd about their trajectory.
Judging by the angle of descent, they weren't aimed at him.
Who is this…?
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind before he observed the bullets' path shift slightly upward, now unmistakably heading toward him.
Just as Omokage focused on the incoming Nen bullets, a figure suddenly darted out from a narrow alleyway in front of him.
It was Morrow, lying in ambush.
Ignoring the returning bullets, Morrow closed the distance in a flash, his aura-wreathed right hand stabbing toward Omokage's heart like a blade.
Shocked but reacting swiftly, Omokage raised his hand and clamped down on Morrow's wrist.
Then, he saw it, the glowing green Nen bullets coalescing between Morrow's aligned fingers. His pupils contracted.
Whoosh...
The bullets fired from Morrow's fingertips, slamming into Omokage's chest.
Instantly, the impact sent him flying backward, a spray of blood erupting from his mouth midair.
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