Chapter 254 An Unexpected Turn of Events

The battles Moses has experienced so far range from easy crushing battles to difficult life-and-death battles.

In those battles where he emerged victorious despite being weaker, Moses had always exploited the tactical value of his Nen Clone.

It was precisely this preemptive arrangement of Nen Clone tactics that allowed him to consistently defeat opponents with stronger abilities.

But this time…

There was no prearrangement, no prepared shadow clones.

Just a direct confrontation with Franklin.

And with crucial assistance from Wright, he dealt a heavy blow to Franklin with only about 20% of his Potential Aura remaining.

In fact, from these two short confrontations, Moses discerned Franklin's fighting style.

When attacking at medium and long distances, Franklin will use his Nen to shoot whatever he wants.

When fighting at close range or when there are variables, Franklin would become as solid as a rock, and leaves no openings for his enemies.

Moses originally thought that merely relying on the ability of Soul Echo, which allowed him to summon shadow clones even while in Zetsu state, would create an illusion that would catch Franklin off guard.

However, Franklin was not so easily fooled.

In the final analysis, it is because of the word 'stable'.

Thus, even after learning about the existence of the shadow clones, Franklin did not overlook the threat posed by them just because Moses was in Zetsu state.

His eyes, enhanced by Gyo, remained vigilant against any potential threats.

But as steady as Franklin was, he did not anticipate Moses' trump card—the shadow under the carpet.

The floor of the entire gambling hall is covered with a carpet of this kind of complex color and pattern.

Affected by the battle, the carpet was damaged in many places, and was slightly lifted off the ground in the aftermath of the collision of Nen, creating many gaps.

The first wave of Nen bullets that swept over forced Moses to put away his Zetsu state and instead opened his Aura Nodes to release his Nen to evade the attack.

And in that process of going from Zetsu to Ten, Moses tucked the shadow under the carpet without leaving a trace.

Then, he lets the shadow come under the carpet hid behind Franklin without anyone noticing.

When the timing was ripe, Moses had the shadow break through the carpet and launch a decisive attack on Franklin.

This is the winning move Moses found amidst the adversity.

Even with only a small amount of Potential Aura remaining, it ultimately demonstrated its true value.

'I can't give him a chance to catch his breath!'

After severing Franklin's right arm with the Aura blade, Moses descended from mid-air and charged towards Franklin.

"…"

Franklin furrowed his brow.

His left shoulder was severely injured, and his right arm had been sliced off at the shoulder.

At this moment, seeing Moses approaching, he immediately retreated and distanced himself, moving towards where Ryles was.

With this level of injury, he no longer has the capital to confront Moses, so how can he give Moses another chance to attack?

'First, create distance, then figure out the plan.'

Franklin ignored the bleeding smooth wound on his right shoulder and quickly distanced himself from Moses.

Although he had lost one arm and the other arm appeared intact but hung limply at his side, no doubt also severely injured, his legs were unharmed.

Moses also didn't want to let go of this opportunity to finish off Franklin. Even though his Potential Aura was running low, he decisively chose to pursue Franklin.

The tide of battle had undergone a dramatic change.

Two figures—one large and one small—one fleeing, the other pursuing.

On the other side, Ryles, who had been in a winning position, saw Franklin, who was now fleeing in a sorry state. His expression changed when he looked at the blood-soaked shoulder.

A person who relied on both hands to wield Nen Abilities had actually had one of his arms severed in battle?

And the other arm, which seemed to be still intact, was hanging limply by his side. There was no doubt that it had been severely injured.

What did this mean?!

'That brat's strength…'

Ryles was shaken as this is the first time he had seen Franklin beaten so badly.

'What happened in those less than five minutes?'

Just as Ryles was shocked by the turn of events, Sira, whose right abdomen was sunken and half of her face was stained with blood, saw an opportunity.

She originally hoped that Fiona could restrain Ryles for a while, and she could use this time to help Koko break out of her confinement.

Unexpectedly, when Ryles noticed her actions, he could easily get rid of Fiona's restraint, and then attack her directly. This forced her to stop her attempt to rescue Koko and had no choice but to fight against Ryles.

After a few minutes of fighting, even though she and Fiona teamed up, they were still at a disadvantage due to the disparity in strength, and sustained injuries in several places.

Just as the situation became increasingly dire, Franklin's precarious situation caught Ryles's attention, presenting Sira with an opportunity.

'It has to hit!'

Sira's eyes are solemn, and she suddenly threw the lasso in her hand towards Ryles.

The lightly shiny rope drew an arc in the air and descended straight towards Ryles' body.

But Ryles noticed something. He waved his hand casually, and amidst the Nen fluctuations, a stream of amber resin flew out from his palm and wrapped the rope that came from the air.

"If trash like you could succeed with this kind of ability, I'd definitely have ten nightmares every night."

After immobilizing the lasso with resin, Ryles glanced at Sira. His gaze as if looking disdainfully at an ant.

Sira looked stunned, and a sense of powerlessness rising in her heart.

Though Fiona was more severely injured than Sira, and the large piece of amber solidified on her chest had a significant impact on her mobility, but despite this, her momentum in battle did not diminish in the slightest as she stubbornly attacked Ryles once again.

'It's really never-ending.'

Ryles simply kicked Fiona away with one foot and then turned his head to look at Koko.

The predatory gaze sent shivers down Kukyo's spine, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.

It was only after two or three seconds that Ryles reluctantly withdrew his gaze and then rushed towards Franklin.

Both Moses and Franklin, who were engaged in a chase, noticed Ryles's movements for the first time.

Franklin immediately signaled with his eyes for Ryles to prepare to strike.

He intended to show an opening and provided Ryles with a chance to finish off Moses.

Seeing Ryles approaching directly, Moses' heart sank.

'The containment force on Fiona's side is still too weak...'

Thinking of this, Moses hesitated in his pursuit of Franklin.

With his Potential Aura down to the red line, he knew it was difficult to sustain another battle.

Just as Moses was pondering what to do next, an unexpected scene unfolded.

Ryles's Nen surged out and transformed into the silhouette of a large tree in an instant.

Beneath the silhouette of the tree, there was an irregular black hole.

[The Depths of the Tree Hollow.]

This is another of Ryles's Nen Abilities.

Ryles reached out and grabbed Franklin's collar, and immediately retreated towards the black hole on the illusory tree.

Immediately afterwards, the two figures were sucked into the hole like a whirlpool of water.

Once their figures disappeared, the silhouette of the large tree also vanished.

In a desolate desert on the outskirts of Yorknew City.

An illusory tree appeared out of thin air, and Ryles and Franklin fell out of the tree hollow.

"Why?"

Franklin frowned at Ryles and questioned.

Ryles's expression at this moment was somewhat dejected, and it was as if he had aged several years.

Facing Franklin's questioning, he said expressionlessly: "I am confident that I could kill them all, but you will die."

"So what?"

Franklin looked indifferent, as if the dying man Ryles mentioned was not him.

Ryles sat down on the sandy ground, looking somewhat powerless, and said:

"Franklin, understand this. I don't care whether you live or die, but today's operation was something I asked you to help with. The situation is different now."

"…"