Shadow Clone Technique Makes Its First Showing × Late Life Absorption

Then came the bullets, one after another, being cleaved in two!

"Yin"

A sharp, resounding sword cry rang out.

The Snow Walk seemed to sense Roy's emotions, and its snow-white blade turned a furious red... Even without Roy's deliberate command, it could always cut off every bullet flying towards Roy in time, as if the blade had eyes.

She called out to Renzi, who was silently watching from behind a tree not far away, and her beautiful eyes narrowed involuntarily.

"This guy's Swordsmanship is amazing!"

"Have you found out? What's the specific origin of this?"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

The bullets were sliced open, their surfaces smooth as mirrors. A few stray bullets nearly hit those peeping nearby, startling them.

Renzi glanced at them sideways and instantly recognized them. A man with a high nose and deep-set eyes, his hooked nose almost deadly, dressed in a dark suit, stern and unsmiling, coldly glanced at Renzi. Nicknamed "The Executioner," he was none other than Mark Wayne, the top lieutenant under the Fourth Elder, George Wood, the "Human Body Collector"...

A long, flowing red dress cascaded down to her waist, her ample breasts and hips almost spilling out, her S-curve displaying an alluring charm. Yet, her face, while undeniably beautiful, also possessed a touch of innocence. Seeing Renzi looking over, the woman pouted, blew a kiss, and gave Renzi a seductive smile... Renzi frowned, thinking, "Eve Valen." She hadn't expected even this slut to come...

"Yo... Renzi, how has the Bishop been lately?" Before Renko could even smooth her brow, a soft laugh suddenly rang out from behind Renzi. Then... a figure appeared on the thick trunk of the tree... He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing wooden clogs, a kimono, and a rope tied around his waist, dressed like a Ronin, but without a sword... His hands hung limply as he squatted down beside Renzi... Renzi's pupils constricted sharply, and she solemnly called out his name... "Otsuka Yu!"

She subtly distanced herself from him, saying, "Whether he's good or not, why don't you just ask him yourself?"

The young Ronin smiled without speaking, merely glancing casually at the man in the suit and the busty woman. Mark Wayne and Eve Valen both bowed to him, surprised that he, as a member of the Council of Elders, would personally come to the North District to investigate the situation!

"That's great..." Otsuka Yu watched Roy stroll leisurely through the hail of bullets, relying on the power of his Snow Walk technique to approach Guzman's mansion at a leisurely pace. As if he hadn't heard the coldness in Renzi's words, he smiled and asked her, "I'm in need of a knife. What do you think of the one he's holding?"

Ronin Snow Walk at Roy's hand, and suddenly a flash of light streaked across the tree, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it struck the tree and cleaved it in two with a "crack" as it fell to the ground!

"Hehehe... Priest, just kidding, don't take it so seriously."

The Ronin landed lightly on the ground, tucked his hands into his robes, and squinted at Roy. The Sun-Earring Boy, with his back to the crowd, gently Snow Walk, comforting it, "Don't be angry. I promise you I'll kill him sooner or later."

"Sing--" Another sword cry rang out, Bankai!

The Snow Walk, turned red, ignited, and then surged forth with towering flames. Roy caught it in his palm and lightly slashed it forward!

A thin, jet-black line, radiating light and heat, suddenly took shape, disappearing in the blink of an eye past the guards at the door, severing them along with their guns at the root!

"Gurgle..." Dozens of healthy heads were thrown into the air and rolled to the ground one after another. What was chilling was that the people were still standing, yet their lives withered away in the blink of an eye, without even a drop of blood spurting out. The wounds were charred instantly, forcibly stopping the bleeding. The extreme temperature was evident!

[Hint: Life Energy +5 +7 +4 +10 +12 +15...]

The panel's notification sound echoed a blood-soaked lament...

The sound of gasping for air echoed in every dark corner.

Otsuka Yu's smile vanished, Mark Wayne frowned, and Eve Valen, as surprised as ever, patted her chest in fear, exhaling as she said to Renzi, "Darling, come and comfort her."

Renzi lightly avoided Eve Valen's forceful leaning against her voluptuous body, then looked at Otsuka Yu, a cold smile playing on his handsome lips.

"Bolton Ilya are not trash. They can die, and some people... can die too!"

"Shh... Guzman can't hear this, or... he'll be unhappy." The Ronin feigned ignorance, signaling Renzi to be quiet.

Renzi Seed, her face veiled by a light gauze, turned her back in disgust, her beautiful eyes fixed ahead...

Having lost control of their minds, the dozens of headless guards seemed to finally remember they were headless. As Roy, knife in hand, strolled through them, they collapsed to the ground with a series of "thumps," like wheat fields broken by the scorching heat.

"Toro,"

"Exist,"

"Stand guard the gate; no one is allowed to leave, and no one is allowed to enter."

"Yes!"

Kastro watched as Roy stepped into the villa. Then, he turned around, his white hair flowing, and stood like a rock at the villa's entrance, facing a group of spies lurking around. Dozens of corpses lay at his feet, effectively blocking Mark Wayne, Eve Valen, and Otsuka Yu from entering. A gust of wind blew, ruffling the Sun-Earring Boy's bangs, and simultaneously... suppressing the restless, eager-to-peep hearts of the group.

"That's really domineering,"

"However, I like it."

Otsuka Yu flicked the wide sleeves of his kimono robe. "Children, time to eat..."

rustling and breaking...

Suddenly, tens of thousands of flying insects flew out from his sleeve, transforming into dozens of jet-black insect mists that surged towards the dozens of headless corpses at Kastro's feet... The Ronin smiled and said to the approaching Kastro, "Don't misunderstand, I think there's no use for you keeping these corpses. You might as well let my child have them."

The flying insect swooped down, raised its long proboscis, and plunged headfirst into the ground...

Kastro frowned, keenly sensing a trace of "Nen Qi" from these tiny flying insects. He clenched his right fist, preparing to unleash [Entangle]. [Otsuka Yu, suspected "Manipulation" Nen user, Nen Ability [Parasite]. As the name suggests... he can manipulate mosquito-like Nen Qi flying insects to take root in the host, absorbing Nen Qi from the host's body to strengthen himself.]

The intelligence gathered by Ziva in the Republic of Padokea, the Zoldyck Family's territory, Kukuroo Mountain Tsubone, was casually tossed onto Silva's desk by Roy. The pages were scattered and one corner was visible, on which was pasted a photo of a young Ronin smiling and playing with a flying insect.

Beneath the photo, there was a detailed note stating a quote from this "Parasite" to his subordinates. "I am the parasite, and the parasite is me. Humans are nothing more than Parasite residing within each other..."

"Pfft~" The mouthparts pierced the skin, penetrating deep into the flesh, and began to suck...

Meteor City, North District, outside the Guzman Mansion, Kastro remained vigilant, silently observing the scene. At a certain moment, however, he noticed something strange about these tiny flying insects—

No "medium" flowed into their slender mouthparts. Not a drop of blood, a piece of flesh, or even the "qi" hidden deep within the human body could be extracted. This made Dajia Xiong, who was even more perceptive than Kastro, pause in surprise!

"I missed... My insects missed... These people's flesh and blood energy are all gone!"

As expected, tens of thousands of flying insects, having failed to catch their prey, fell into a deep state of confusion... so confused that they began to slowly dissipate...

They couldn't understand why there wasn't a trace of Life Energy inside the corpse. As they buzzed and hovered around, Otsuka Yu reached out and pulled them into his sleeve!

"That [Priest], he's ruthless... He drained all these people dry!" The playful smile vanished, replaced by a shadow of gloom...

Otsuka Yu's face darkened as he looked past Kastro and onto Roy, who had entered the villa alone. Along with Renzi and Mark Wayne, they tacitly activated [En] to capture the interior of the villa. "Buzz..." One spherical Nen Barrier after another spread out. Sensing the Nen fluctuations, Eve Valen, who had failed to master [En], stomped her foot in anger, her hips and flesh rippling, looking incredibly alluring.

"Tap... tap..."

Fire burned, swords clashed. After dealing with Kastro, Roy strolled through the villa's spacious hall, knife in hand. He immediately spotted the green-haired Sun-Earring Boy, [Mental Morphine] Guzman, reclining leisurely on a leather sofa, watching him with an air of nonchalance!

You've arrived...

You shouldn't have come...

"I didn't call you, so you're basically... showing up uninvited."

Guzman abandoned his leisurely demeanor, poured himself a glass of red wine, and coldly watched the approaching knife-wielding Sun-Earring Boy through the crimson liquid. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Priest, we've only just parted, and you're already missing me?"

Or... do you miss my candy?

A surge of Nen Qi erupted from Guzman's palm, and pieces of candy scattered across the floor.

Hearing the commotion, several "zombies" suddenly emerged from the corner of the living room. Emaciated and hunched over, they were clearly not human, yet the moment they saw the candy, a rare glimmer of light flashed in their lifeless eyes. They crawled and rolled, scrambling towards the candy like dogs seeing a bone, grumbling, "Mine... all mine... I want candy, give it to me!"

They scrambled and stumbled, grabbing candies and stuffing them into their mouths. The natural energy emanating from their heads visibly thinned... thinned... thinner... until one little boy, unable to grab any, was knocked to the ground by a man who pounced on him from behind, his head hitting the corner of the coffee table, blood spurting out!

His body convulsed uncontrollably, and as the Nen Qi above his head dissipated, his life... faded away...

"What a pity... Why were you in such a hurry?" Guzman sat on the sofa in front of the little boy, staring at Roy with a smile... He slowly stood up, and just as the zombies were scrambling for candy and frantically stuffing it into their mouths, he accidentally stepped on the little boy's head, crushing it. He smiled, took a sip of red wine, and said to Roy, "Summer is coming, Priest, aren't you hot?"

A raging fire swept out from Roy's center... After his Bankai, Snow Walk lost its snow-white color and was stained with a crimson red... a redder than even the Bright Red Nichirin Sword!

"Hot?"

Roy pointed the tip of his knife diagonally downwards, and "whoosh~" the luxurious marble floor was instantly burned with a hole.

He looked calmly at Guzman. "Wait a moment, you'll be cool soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and unleashed a flying fiery slash, trailing a long tail of flame, aimed straight at Guzman's heart!

The green-haired Sun-Earring Boy sipped his red wine elegantly, as if drinking human blood, and chuckled softly with a shrug. Then he looked up and pointed at Roy, saying, "Freeze!"

"Whoosh--" A roll of cable tie suddenly emerged from his fingertips, and in a flash, it wrapped around Roy's right hand, binding him and his knife to the spot!

[Stainless Steel Zip Tie]: A "Conjuration" Nen Ability. These cable ties, made of stamped and bound stainless steel, possess extremely strong binding power.

This was also Nen Ability "contributed" by a zombie that was at Guzman's feet years ago!

"[Magic Shadow], hurry, you know what to do."

The strong cable ties bound Roy tightly, but... facing the fire and the intense heat, Guzman noticed his Nen Qi evaporating at an alarming rate. His brow furrowed for the first time; he hadn't expected to underestimate... Roy's right hand, fueled by the surging flames that the Snow Walk had unleashed!

"Leave it to me, Lord Guzman..."

The firelight illuminated Guzman, casting his shadow diagonally across the ground.

As a hoarse voice echoed, the instant Guzman restrained Roy, a shadow suddenly emerged from Guzman's shadow, spreading rapidly along the ground to Roy's feet. Halfway there, it picked up a piece of candy that had fallen to the ground and reappeared... abruptly emerging from Roy's shadow, transforming into a gaunt Nen user draped in a black robe. It grabbed Roy's neck, attempting to pry open his mouth and stuff the candy inside. However, to the surprise of both Guzman and the shadow, with a "bang!", before either of them could pry Roy's mouth open, the shadow did not even manage to force it open.

Roy himself exploded!

The shadow was stunned, not yet understanding what had happened.

Immediately afterwards, Guzman shouted, "Idiot, get out of the way!"

Immediately, he felt a chill in his chest, and when he looked down... he was stunned to see a bright knife tip piercing through his heart, from his back to his chest, instantly cutting him through to the core!

"You...

"I...

Blood trickled from the corner of the Magic Shadow's mouth. It stiffly turned its head and met Roy's calm eyes, where it faintly saw a crimson glint, accompanied by three jet-black tomoe... Its head lolled to the side, and it lost its breath.

"Tick-tock... tick-tock..." The dim, yellowish revolving lantern emerged amidst the fading light...

In his final moments before losing consciousness, he heard the Sun-Earring Boy's mutterings and suddenly understood everything.

Roy flicked his knife around as if throwing away trash, sending the Magic Shadow flying. He looked up at Guzman and uttered a curt remark. "Shadow? Sorry... I know a little bit about [Shadow Clone Technique]."

Shadow Clone Technique... So... your shadow is the real shadow, and mine... isn't...

[Hint: Life Energy +37]

"Thump~" Another corpse fell to the ground...

The Sun-Earring Boy's long, black hair swayed in the wind as he drew the blade in a semi-circle. Guzman straight, "Your turn."

Xiao Dan ac