Chapter 253 An Indescribable Feeling of Suffocation

Moses didn't recognize the blond man with sinister temperament.

But he knew that since he acted together with Franklin, he is most likely be a member of the Phantom Troupe.

And to become a member of the Phantom Troupe, formidable strength was a prerequisite.

And this blond man's strength was indeed formidable. Even Fiona, a Single-Star Pro Hunter who studied under Shingen Ryu School, couldn't gain the slightest advantage against him.

Moses noticed that Fiona's situation was critical, but he was unable to provide assistance.

For him, seizing the opportunity to potentially take down Franklin was crucial.

This was almost the only turning point to reverse the situation around.

Otherwise, once the sinister man freed up his hands, the situation would become even more unfavorable.

Moreover, before taking down Franklin, Moses could only pray that there were no other members of the Phantom Troupe outside.

'Four minutes…'

Moses closely watched the fight between Wright and Franklin.

Although he asked Wright to strive for three minutes, Wright seemed to be aiming for five minutes.

Being able to hold on until four minutes was already quite difficult.

Just as Wright's momentum waned, he gradually began to feel overwhelmed.

Moses, observing from the sidelines, could clearly see that Wright was starting to fall into a disadvantage.

Yet Moses still had no intention of intervening, still maintaining his Zetsu state until now.

Because-

He only gets one chance.

So Moses was very patient, like a spider patiently waiting for its prey to be trapped in its web.

Although Wright didn't understand what Moses was planning, he completely trusted him.

Even as the tightly stretched string began to show signs of breaking, Wright had no intention of backing down.

Before he falls, he will thoroughly implement Moses's request.

Naturally, Franklin was also unaware of Moses's intentions, so he could only stay constantly vigilant of Moses's actions while dealing with Wright.

'Still not moving?'

During this four-minute confrontation, Franklin gradually gained the upper hand, but he also becomes more and more concerned about Moses's actions.

'There is no shadow around...'

Franklin suddenly increased his speed, forcing Wright to retreat steadily.

In these countless collisions, the advantages accumulated by Franklin would eventually force Wright into a situation where he couldn't fend off anymore, revealing a fatal flaw.

This is inevitable.

Because Wright's inherent strength was inferior to Franklin's, not to mention the numerous wounds bleeding from his body.

'I can't hold it much longer.'

Wright's breathing became rapid, his punches no longer as precise and powerful as at the beginning, and his footwork began to become chaotic.

Franklin keenly sensed Wright's exhaustion.

'Since you're not moving, I'll take care of one first.'

Seizing on a slight mistake in Wright's footwork, Franklin took the opportunity to knock Wright back several meters.

「Double Machine Gun」

Immediately afterwards, Franklin raised his hands, his Nen surged like a ball of light, and the finger gun barrels were aimed directly at Wright.

However, Franklin didn't immediately shoot Nen bullets at Wright. Instead, he played a little trick and carefully stepped on the line where he could switch between offense and defense at any time.

In this situation, he believed that Moses's only choice was to use the same trick again.

That's why he paused for a moment, just in case Moses made any sudden moves.

At the same time, he also gathered Nen in his eyes and quickly checked the movement around him.

'Still no presence of shadows…'

Franklin was puzzled and could only activate the Double Machine Gun that were fully charged.

Bang, bang, bang-!

Most of Franklin's Nen flowed into his hands, and the Nen bullets shot out from the finger gun barrels like a torrential rain, shrouding Wright.

In an instant, a rain of blood-colored Nen splattered in front of Wright, and the continuous impact forcing his body to tremble and retreat.

It was at this moment—

A slit was cut in the carpet behind Franklin, and a shadow flew out from the slit, hovering behind Franklin. At the same time, it quickly transformed into the form of a mimicked shadow clone.

Gyo.

The shadow clone in the air concentrated its Nen on its fist, and then hit Franklin on the back of the head with all its strength without any scruples.

From appearing to hovering and condensing Nen to throwing a punch.

Throughout the entire process, Franklin would inevitably sense the fluctuations in Aura.

But Moses's long-prepared illusion had to some extent reduced Franklin's reaction time.

'How did he get here...?!'

Franklin was in disbelief for a moment. Unable to mobilize his Nen to defense in time, he could only awkwardly shift his body to one side.

Bang!

The shadow clone's punch struck Franklin's left scapula.

With a grating sound, Franklin grunted and his sturdy body fell forward.

Once again, he was tricked by Moses...

Franklin was filled with shock and anger, but still made the most rational judgment.

Using the momentum of his forward charge, he intended to redirect the 'counterattack force' onto Wright.

Wright was in very poor condition at this time and was covered in blood.

If he were hit by Franklin's counterattack, it would be a disaster.

Moses initially wanted to press his advantage, but upon seeing Franklin's decision, how could he just watch Franklin drag Wright down with him?

But this is exactly what Franklin wanted to see.

In this perilous situation, he unhesitatingly put both his own life and Wright's on the line.

And then, he made the right bet.

Franklin's right foot slammed to the ground to halt his momentum. After turning off his ability, he focused the mobilized Nen on his right arm.

Half-turning his body, he thrust his elbow towards the shadow clone's chest.

Bang!

The shadow clone was struck by the elbow, flying backwards as if on the verge of dispersing.

At the same time.

Wright, who had been severely injured and knocked back by the Double Machine Gun, staggered backwards and fell to the ground, unable to provide assistance to Moses.

During this extremely brief change of offense and defense, Franklin, with excellent on-the-spot reaction, defused this wave of attacks.

However, Moses's 'combo' wasn't over yet.

'Shadow Shifting.'

Moses endured the intense pain and used his final Shadow Shifting.

In an instant…

Moses and the flying shadow clone swapped positions, and Moses's real body abruptly appeared in front of Franklin, who had just half-turned and waved his hand.

At this time, Moses and Franklin were only several meters apart.

Floating in mid-air, separated by a distance, with Moses' Nen Ability, he shouldn't have been able to pose a threat to Franklin anymore.

But-

Moses still had an ace up his sleeve that haven't been revealed yet.

「Aura Blade」

Moses, who was in the air, turned his hand into a knife hand and slashed out a crescent-shaped Aura blade towards Franklin.

'This kid...!!'

Franklin's pupils shrank sharply, and waves of turmoil surged in his heart.

At this moment, he felt as if he had fallen into a spider's web, and he even seemed to see the shadow of Chrollo on Moses.

The crescent-shaped Aura blade, full of dangerous feeling, struck towards him. In the critical moment, Franklin could only complete a full turn.

Although this response allowed his chest to avoid the Aura blade's attack range, it exposed his right shoulder to the Aura blade.

Splurt!

The Aura blade slashed through Franklin's right shoulder.

Amidst the splattering blood, a sturdy arm tumbled and flew into the air.

Time seems to come to a still.

In a moment of indescribable suffocation, Franklin's gaze pierced through the splattered blood, and firmly locked onto Moses.

'I'm obviously vigilant enough...'

'What kind of ability is it?!'

'This little kid…'

'He's too dangerous!'