Chapter 58: Framing and Confrontation
When Uvogin saw "Franklin," his aura flared instantly.
They had come here today certain they would find clues about Ronin. After all, Ronin wouldn't pass up the Scarlet Eyes.
But they never expected Ronin to be bold enough to rob the entire auction, let alone brazenly frame the Phantom Troupe for the heist.
It didn't matter how he disguised himself. The situation was now undeniable: The Troupe was caught red-handed.
Uvogin didn't bother explaining.
He vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing instantly in front of Ronin's clone.
His massive fist hammered down with devastating force.
BOOM!
A crater exploded in the floor, but Ronin's clone had already dodged backward.
As he moved, the clone's mouth opened, shouting a location into Uvogin's ear.
Then, the clone raised a hand. Instead of forming Ninja seals, aura gathered at his fingertips, firing off rapid Nen bullets.
It looked remarkably like Franklin's ability.
However, the bullets were weak. When they hit Uvogin, they did zero damage—serving only to fuel his rage.
This was a crude imitation Ronin copied from seeing Franklin briefly before. Without a dedicated Emitter Hatsu, the power was limited.
The Mafia, meanwhile, focused their fire entirely on Uvogin's trio, deliberately avoiding Ronin's clone.
Not out of mercy, but because the clone was carrying the bag with the auction items. Their orders were strict: Do not damage the merchandise.
Confident Mafia enforcers stepped forward, cracking their knuckles. They couldn't see Nen, so they marched toward the clone and Uvogin, intending to beat them to death.
But before they got close, the stray Nen bullets—harmless to Uvogin—struck them.
Flesh and bone exploded. The enforcers dropped dead, screaming, without even knowing what hit them.
The gruesome sight forced the encirclement back.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Machi and Nobunaga flanked Ronin's clone.
After the Heavens Arena incident, they weren't going to let Ronin duel Uvogin one-on-one again. Even if Ronin didn't have rental aura this time, they wouldn't risk it.
Meanwhile, other Troupe members were sprinting up the stairs, searching for the real Ronin. Some were scouring the perimeter outside.
They were operating on Shalnark's theory that the main body must be nearby to control the clone.
But the real Ronin was already flying high above the Cemetery Building, drifting away into the night sky.
As for the Shadow Clone, unless it took critical damage or ran out of Chakra, it would keep fighting.
Despite the Transformation Jutsu, the clone maintained the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
The enhanced kinetic vision allowed it to track every attack perfectly.
The clone hurled the backpack into the air. The stolen items scattered, raining down.
Freed from the burden, the clone unleashed its Taijutsu.
His fist collided with Uvogin's Big Bang Impact. The force was nearly equal, sending both of them skidding back.
Using the recoil, Ronin dodged Nobunaga's slash and twisted his body like a snake to slip through Machi's tightening threads.
Stabilizing his stance, the clone mimicked a finger-gun.
"Bang!"
A real Nen bullet shot from his fingertip—Sydney's signature move from the arena.
It aimed for Machi.
But before it reached her, the bullet was sliced apart by invisible threads.
Ronin kicked off the ground, closing the distance to Machi in an instant.
His fist, wrapped in aura, mimicked the Big Bang Impact mechanics again.
Wham!
Machi crossed her arms to block. The impact sent her flying, her forearms numb from the shock.
Monster!
But as she flew back, she saw Nobunaga's blade and Uvogin's iron fist closing in on Ronin from behind.
With the Sharingan's insight, Ronin reacted instantly.
He drew a dagger from his waist with one hand to parry the blade, while simultaneously launching a kick at Uvogin's chest.
Clang!
The dagger snapped upon contact with the katana. The blade continued, slicing deep into the clone's body.
Thud!
The kick landed on Uvogin's heart, but Uvogin's fist also slammed into the clone.
Unable to sustain the damage, the Shadow Clone exploded into white smoke.
Uvogin staggered back a few steps, his face dark with fury as he looked at the shoe print on his suit.
"He slipped away again," Nobunaga sheathed his sword.
Ronin's Taijutsu had improved drastically. It was leaps and bounds ahead of his performance at the arena months ago.
"Check with the Boss," Machi rubbed her red forearms.
That punch was a genuine Big Bang Impact copy. To replicate Uvogin's power so closely meant Ronin had extremely high affinity for Enhancement.
His Specialist ability seemed to lean heavily toward the upper three categories (Enhancement/Emission/Transmutation).
"Not found," Chrollo's voice came through the phone. "But witnesses saw someone go upstairs and jump out a window. I found the open window on the 5th floor. Feitan, Phinks, and Bonolenov are pursuing."
Meanwhile, on the roof of a nearby skyscraper.
Ronin landed softly.
Kurapika and Neon were waiting for him.
"I spotted Troupe members inside the Cemetery Building. Looks like they deployed the whole team," Kurapika said quickly, taking the heavy backpack from Ronin.
They had rented a room on the 15th floor with a direct line of sight to the auction venue.
"Also, several people jumped from the window you used and are tracking your trail on the ground. The false tracks we laid earlier should work," Neon added her observation.
"I gave Uvogin the location," Ronin reported.
When the clone vanished, its memories returned to him.
But would Uvogin come alone after being tricked so many times?
"Let's test it. If he comes alone, dumb as he is, or if the Troupe uses him as bait thinking it's an opportunity, we can eat him first," Kurapika said confidently.
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