Chapter 295: Crimson Illusion! The Puppet's Terror! (Please Subscribe)

"Then, are you willing to become my partner?"

Rockruff tilted its head, Luo Ge's reflection mirrored in its azure eyes, before nodding vigorously.

"Woof!"

Luo Ge smiled, took out a Poké Ball, lightly touched Rockruff with it, and the Pokémon was drawn inside.

Returning to meet up with Kurapika, the two exited through the entrance they had come from.

He let Kurapika go back first.

He still had one place to visit.

Looking up in a certain direction, Luo Ge curled the corner of his mouth slightly.

He wondered what gains the characters from the movie could provide him...

In the northeast of the Yorubian Continent,

there lay a small town.

Everywhere within the town exuded an atmosphere of tranquility and harmony, and the people appeared very simple and honest.

The town consisted mostly of tiled houses, with an overall architectural style resembling old-era animated films from Blue Star.

This was also a microcosm of many border towns across the Six Continents.

Such towns and first-tier cities like Heavens Arena were completely different in style.

In the center of the town, similar to the layout of Western towns, stood a small fountain.

A little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes named Retz sat beside the fountain, fiddling with a puppet in her hands, her face brimming with a joyful smile.

For her, this was a hard-won moment of enjoyment.

The puppet in Retz's hands was so lifelike it seemed real, demonstrating the creator's superb craftsmanship.

From time to time, passing townsfolk would stop to watch for a few moments, involuntarily applauding the little girl's performance.

Receiving others' approval, the smile on the child's face became even more brilliant.

She couldn't help but think, if only time could pause at this moment... how wonderful that would be~

Unfortunately, happy times are always brief.

As the sky gradually darkened and the number of pedestrians on the road constantly decreased, it was also time for her to return.

Retz retracted the smile from her face and quietly walked in the direction of home.

It seemed as if every step carried a weight of a thousand pounds, making her walk exceptionally slowly.

She did not want to go back.

In a corner of the street.

Luo Ge leaned against a wall, silently watching Retz as she departed.

At his feet stood Rockruff, wearing a look of curiosity.

The purpose of his visit this time was to resolve the matter of this girl's brother—Omokage!

Omokage was a character from the movie "The Last Mission."

He was also the former Number Four member of the Phantom Troupe.

When he was dealing with the Feitan trio, Omokage had not yet joined the Phantom Troupe.

Approximately half a year ago, Omokage left the Troupe according to the original plot.

Moreover, he did so by faking his death.

The farmer Hisoka, just as in the original story, was attracted by Chrollo and thus wanted to join the Troupe.

Omokage seized this opportunity, using a faked death to break away, allowing Hisoka to become the new Number Four.

In the end, he was still seen through by the meticulous Hisoka, who realized he wasn't dead, and thus became one of the reserved fruits.

After leaving the Troupe, Omokage came to live in this small town.

He was also his target this time.

The little girl Retz of now was long no longer a living human being.

She was a puppet!

A puppet created by Omokage's Nen ability.

Omokage's Nen ability was called "Puppet Show," which could create puppets of others, belonging to the Specialist category of Nen abilities.

It usually existed in a small form but could enlarge to normal size when needed.

The puppets would possess the memories and partial strength of the original person.

If the original person's eyes were installed onto the puppet, it could deliberately unleash even more power.

Omokage and Retz were siblings.

Tragically, under the neurotic brother's so-called concept of "immortality," a perfectly good little girl

was forcibly turned by Omokage from a living human into a puppet, surviving in this world in a bizarre manner.

The real Retz had long since died; what stayed beside Omokage was merely a puppet inheriting Retz's memories.

He was also curious about what he could obtain in such a case.

"Obtained Item 【Imitation Herb】"

"Obtained Item 【Soothe Bell】"

"Obtained Trait 【Copy】"

"Obtained Skill 【Transform】"

【Imitation Herb】: Activates during battle when an opponent's stat stages are raised; consumes this item to raise the user's corresponding stats by the same amount.

【Soothe Bell】: When held, makes the Pokémon feel very calm and become easier to bond with its Trainer.

【Copy】: When facing an opponent, one can copy their abilities.

【Transform】: One can transform into an exact replica of the opponent and use their abilities.

……

Not bad.

Luo Ge automatically skipped the first two.

The last two are the main event.

Perhaps because the trait of the "Shadow" ability allows the creation of puppets of others.

Thus, he obtained the trait 【Copy】 and the skill 【Transform】.

Gathering his thoughts, Luo Ge stepped forward.

Next, he would see if defeating Shadow would drop anything interesting.

Actually, he did not need to come in person.

He could have simply ordered his subordinates to bring Shadow before him.

Shadow has some strength, but not enough to require his personal intervention.

He had far too many people at his disposal capable of dealing with Shadow.

The reason he came personally was first that this place was not far from the Kurta Clan ruins.

Second, only by arriving here could he activate his Nen ability.

Shadow counts as a 1yb.

With his own strength being far from low, yet he cowered in a remote small town, making puppets to boost his power.

Even within this small town, Shadow's house required winding through seven turns and eight twists, taking quite a while to reach.

When Reizi finally arrived before a small wooden hut and knocked on the door with a restless heart,

a voice, infinitely effeminate, rang out.

"My dear sister, did you have fun? You're finally back~"

This voice was not only effeminate to the point of being unbearable, but also brimmed with a sickly meaning.

"Q-quite... quite happy."

Reizi's body trembled slightly; speaking with a hint of fear and nervousness, she then opened the door and walked inside.

Actually, Reizi wanted to say that she would have been happier as she was before...

Usually, when Reizi went out, Shadow would install his own eyes; only after Reizi returned would Shadow reattach his own eyes.

The door stood wide open.

Shadow wore black robes, had a head of silver hair, and a tall, thin figure; he radiated a gloomy and frenzied aura from head to toe.

His pair of hollow eye sockets were even more terrifying.

Shadow, who had just retrieved his eyes inside the room, suddenly changed expression and walked toward the doorway.

Luo Ge stood quietly outside the door, making no effort to conceal his aura.

"Who are you..."

Shadow's words cut off abruptly halfway through.

Immediately, his pupils shrank violently, and memories flooded his mind like a tide.

That face!!

It's that person!

In this moment, he recalled many scenes, finally settling on the words spoken by those few Phantom Troupe members with darkened expressions.

It was also the first time he heard such a tone of apprehension in Kuroro's voice.

That person was the renowned Luo Ge Long of the Six Continents!