Bang!
The sound of fists colliding alternated between the shadow's and their own strikes.
"Using shadows for offense and defense, huh?"
Zeno mused silently. Without delay, he expanded his En despite the nen consumption.
En is an advanced combination technique of Ten and Ren, extending one's aura outward to detect intrusions within its range. It's defined as maintaining a radius of at least two meters of aura extension for more than one minute.
The size of an En depends on individual skill, but its range doesn't always correlate to one's overall nen ability. It often reflects differences in application or intent.
Zeno's En can extend up to a maximum radius of 300 meters.
Once his En was activated, no movement on this entire beach could escape his notice.
Morin, however, had no intention of concealing anything.
Right in front of Zeno and Silva, who were locked in battle with the shadow, Morin pulled out two new tools.
These tools resembled humanoid figures, each barely the height of a palm. They were plump and entirely green, wearing ties, white spherical hands, oval-shaped sunglasses, and black hats.
Their attire gave them the aura of mob bosses from some underworld gang.
"So, the Zoldyck family is famed for assassination, right?"
Morin cast an amused glance at Silva and Zeno, who were engaged in combat with the shadow, and smirked.
"I wonder how you'll handle it when you're the targets of assassination yourselves?"
Shadow and Combat Analysis
"The shadow's strength is almost identical to the original's?"
After only a few exchanges, Silva and Zeno had a clear understanding.
The shadow in front of them excelled in attack, defense, speed, and reflexes. Its performance was top-notch.
Ordinary shadows could never achieve such a level.
"If a mere shadow can display this much power…
What kind of strength must the original possess?"
Even though the shadow lacked independent thought, it wasn't much of a threat to seasoned fighters like Zeno and Silva.
But the mere glimpse of the abilities represented by this shadow made the two reevaluate Morin's capabilities.
Even though Morin hadn't joined the fight himself, choosing instead to let the shadow fight on his behalf, Silva and Zeno didn't feel underestimated. On the contrary, they welcomed the opportunity to gather more intel on Morin.
"A small sphere appears in his hand, which activates to give the shadow autonomy. Is this a form of conjuration nen, with specific conditions attached?"
While fighting, Zeno's mind raced.
"The shadow inherits the original's techniques to a great extent, but certain limitations prevent it from fully unleashing the original's power."
"Even so, creating such a shadow must require extremely demanding conditions."
"And from the shadow's combat style… This is clearly rooted in Shingen-ryu martial arts techniques."
"Who trained him? I've never heard of a 'Morin' among the notable disciples of Shingen-ryu in this generation."
Zeno's gaze shifted briefly to Kastro.
From their earlier exchanges, Zeno and Silva had gathered that Kastro was Morin's disciple.
Given Kastro's exceptional talent, it was clear that his master, Morin, couldn't be ordinary.
It's often said, "Defeat the student, and the master appears."
Sure enough, Morin had arrived. But his youthful appearance didn't match the image of an elder martial arts master.
As Zeno pondered this, he remained acutely aware of Morin's movements through his En.
When Morin pulled out two humanoid figurines seemingly from thin air, Zeno's sharp eyes instantly locked onto them.
Not only was Zeno intrigued by how Morin retrieved these items, but he was also highly curious about the nature of these figurines.
In a situation like this, every action Morin took provided Zeno with more data to analyze.
"Once again, he's produced something out of nowhere. Similar to the sphere that summoned the shadow?"
Zeno's thoughts shifted, considering new possibilities.
"Could it be… not just a shadow ability, but an arsenal of unique items with varying effects?"
Morin casually tossed two coins, which landed precisely behind the two green humanoid figurines.
"These aren't ordinary figurines, are they?"
Zeno, even while battling the shadow, spared some of his attention to observe the new toys Morin had summoned.
The Tools
"Targets: Zeno, Silva."
Morin spoke the names of the two Zoldyck assassins and placed the figurines on the ground.
"Go on," Morin said with a chuckle. "Give them a lesson they'll never forget."
The two small green figures grinned mischievously.
Item: Fall Expert
Effect: Insert a ten-yen coin and declare a target's name. The Fall Expert will pursue the target and knock them down three times.
These standard Fall Experts were merely appetizers for Zeno and Silva.
"Now for the main course!" Morin's grin widened as he revealed another set of figures.
These new humanoid toys resembled the Fall Experts in size and shape, but their design was far superior.
The figures were deep purple with golden buttons and polished shoes. Their sunglasses were dark violet, exuding an air of authority.
"Capable of transcending time and space, the ultimate assassin machine… Super Fall Expert Z."
Morin flipped two golden coins into the air. "Let's see just how deadly the upgraded version really is!"
Tool Description:
Item: [Super Fall Expert Z]
Effect: An upgraded version of the [Fall Expert], this tool is arrogant, ruthless, and prefers to operate solo, claiming its targets without hesitation. By uttering the name of the person to be defeated, the tool locks onto the target and pursues them relentlessly, even traveling through time to reach its prey. Anyone obstructing its mission will also be eliminated without mercy.
This is the advanced version of the [Fall Expert] tool.
In a recent update of Doraemon, during a scene in a futuristic studio:
A mischievous child was playing with [Super Fall Expert Z], inserting coins for fun. The studio director casually mentioned a character's name from the script, "Nobita."
Unintentionally, this caught the attention of [Super Fall Expert Z], which locked onto the name. Coincidentally, Doraemon was nearby, observing the studio.
In mere moments, [Super Fall Expert Z] activated. Using its advanced computational capabilities, it obtained detailed information about Nobita from Doraemon. Despite Doraemon's desperate attempts to intervene, the tool smirked coldly and executed a time jump, leaving the 22nd century and arriving at Nobita's time.
At that moment, Nobita was already being pursued by the standard green [Fall Expert] due to his negligence.
Upon arriving, [Super Fall Expert Z] wasted no time, turning its gaze to the green [Fall Expert] and immediately firing.
The standard [Fall Expert], equipped only with a basic impact pistol that causes targets to fall, tried to resist but was no match for [Super Fall Expert Z]'s Air Cannon.
The first shot knocked the green [Fall Expert] off its feet, and though it tried to retaliate, the upgraded version quickly adapted, swapping its Air Cannon for an Air Rocket Launcher.
The second shot obliterated the green [Fall Expert] and then targeted Nobita, who had been celebrating, thinking salvation had arrived.
If not for Doraemon's timely rescue, the rocket would have annihilated Nobita entirely. However, the explosive force still devastated the entire street, showcasing [Super Fall Expert Z]'s overwhelming destructive power.
The episode ended on a cliffhanger, with Nobita still pursued relentlessly by [Super Fall Expert Z].
Key Features:
Personality: Arrogant, cold, and unwavering in its mission.Strength: Capable of crossing time to execute its tasks.Weapons: Adaptive arsenal, including Air Cannons and Rocket Launchers.Unrelenting Nature: Stops at nothing to eliminate its targets.
Even Morin himself admitted that he couldn't currently match [Super Fall Expert Z]'s ability to travel through time. Its determination and adaptability made it the ultimate assassin's tool.
"There's no better weapon for assassination than this," Morin remarked, pleased with its functionality.
After naming Zeno and Silva as its targets, Morin placed the upgraded tool on the ground.
Meanwhile, the standard [Fall Experts] Morin had initially deployed were quickly subdued by Zeno and Silva, demonstrating their skill. The shadows Morin had conjured also vanished in the process.
Zeno commented while stepping on a defeated [Fall Expert]:
"These little things can generate a 'fall-inducing impact'—how fascinating."
Silva, having disengaged from the shadow battle, nodded seriously.
"If it weren't for the shadows distracting us, we might have been caught off guard by these things."
Earlier, Zeno, sensing danger, had tested the capabilities of the [Fall Experts]. As they raised their guns toward him and Silva, his instincts warned him of a significant threat.
Using his mastery of [Dragon Head], Zeno cleverly maneuvered Morin's shadow into the line of fire, causing it to absorb the impact from the [Fall Experts].
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