Boom!
The three fire dragons completely shattered the remaining glass in the broken window frames. Rather than dissipating after charging out of the room, they pivoted mid-air, relentlessly chasing after Nobunaga Hazama as he plummeted from the high altitude.
However, the pursuit only lasted about a dozen meters before ending.
The fire dragons collapsed, leaving nothing behind but lingering, extreme heat in the air.
While falling, Nobunaga Hazama unfastened his belt and wrapped it around the hilt of his katana. Ignoring his open robe which exposed his blue boxers decorated with cartoon elephants, he exerted a sudden burst of strength and hurled the long blade forward.
The katana pierced through a wall, and the exceptionally long white cloth belt snapped taut. Under the influence of Nobunaga Hazama's [SHU], the belt did not break; instead, it swung his entire body toward the wall for a landing.
Meanwhile, back in the room, an antenna silently approached Luo Ning and lunged toward the small of his back.
Luo Ning, struck by the antenna, turned around. His pitch-black eyes met Shalnark's unreadable expression.
Before Shalnark could press a button on his phone to take control of the target, a loud pop rang out. Luo Ning exploded into a cloud of white smoke and vanished from the room.
Shalnark's hand froze on his phone.
He immediately leaped backward, retreating from the room that still reeked of heat. At the same time, a second antenna appeared in his hand, held ready to stab into his own body at a moment's notice.
He waited until his original antenna fell to the floor. When no attack followed and no trace of anyone's presence remained in the room, he frowned and cautiously stepped back inside.
The sound of chaotic footsteps echoed from the hallway as people approached.
Shalnark scanned the room, seeing only Nobunaga Hazama climbing back in through the window. Luo Ning was nowhere to be found.
He shook his head at Nobunaga Hazama and quickly turned to leave.
Nobunaga Hazama was stunned. Shalnark had failed? How was that possible? With that thought, he hurried to catch up with the blonde man.
At the exact moment the clone struck by the antenna burst into smoke, the real Luo Ning, who had been maintaining [KEN] in a room on the 188th floor, snapped his eyes open.
Sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor.
His mind was flooded with the experiences his Shadow Clone had just endured in room 2333.
He did not deactivate [KEN]. At his current level, Luo Ning could maintain [KEN] for seven minutes—though that was under the condition of having only half his total aura remaining after creating the Shadow Clone.
Milia's method of calculating aura capacity seemed identical to Knuckle Bine's system from the original story.
Based on his mastery, maintaining the [KEN] state consumed roughly 10 points of aura per second. Since half his aura could sustain [KEN] for seven minutes, his total aura capacity should be approximately 8,400 points.
Milia's estimate had been quite accurate.
Furthermore, these calculations highlighted a major issue: Luo Ning's aura output and utilization were extremely crude.
According to Knuckle Bine's logic, during battle preparation, aura consumption is about 1 point per second. Once the battle begins and techniques like [RYU], [KEN], or [GYO] are used, the consumption increases several times over, usually ranging from 6 to 10 points.
A consumption of 6 points was something only Nen users with exquisite aura control could achieve.
10 points was the rate for someone like Luo Ning, whose control was still very rough.
Though the difference was only 4 points, that gap accumulated every single second. Over time, the disparity became massive.
Therefore, in addition to increasing his total aura capacity, Luo Ning needed to constantly improve his aura manipulation during this period.
The dispersal of the clone was within Luo Ning's expectations.
After all, it was a "surprise" he had left in room 2333 specifically for the Phantom Troupe.
During the encounter, the Shadow Clone had also tested the power of the B-rank Ninjutsu, Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. While it was a pity he hadn't managed to kill Nobunaga Hazama, forcing the man into such a pathetic state was enough in Luo Ning's eyes.
However, the consumption of a B-rank Ninjutsu was still too high.
Creating a Shadow Clone split his chakra in half. Even though the clone had been active for a while, just performing the Great Fireball Technique and the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had nearly exhausted its reserves. This showed just how much chakra these B-rank techniques demanded.
Luo Ning estimated that if he were at peak condition, he could likely only perform a B-rank Ninjutsu of that intensity three or four times.
'This is the disadvantage of not having a Tailed Beast inside me!' Luo Ning couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Could he artificially create a Tailed Beast?
The thought popped into his head, but he knew it would be incredibly difficult. It would almost certainly involve a [VOW AND RESTRICTION].
Luo Ning temporarily set that idea aside.
For now, his priority was to strengthen his basic training, increase his aura capacity, and develop his own ultimate moves.
When the seven-minute mark hit, a drenched Luo Ning collapsed onto the floor.
After resting and adjusting, Luo Ning wasn't in a hurry to use the Shadow Clone Technique again. Instead, Milia called him to ask if something had happened.
Luo Ning offered a brief explanation before hanging up.
As for what to do next, Milia likely understood the situation better than he did.
The attack in the 200s residential area caused quite a stir throughout Heaven's Arena.
While everyone knew players engaged in private schemes, it was rare for things to get this loud.
The identity of the victim was quickly exposed: it was the current rising star, Luo Ning.
Uvogin, who had recently stepped off the stage, received the news as well.
He looked at Nobunaga Hazama with a hint of contempt. "If someone's going to make a move, couldn't they at least keep it clean? You didn't kill the guy and you made such a huge scene. It's actually pretty embarrassing!"
Nobunaga Hazama was already feeling stifled after being ambushed; Uvogin's lack of tact made his expression turn even sourer.
"Luo Ning is growing too fast. Don't go failing on the stage when it's your turn," Nobunaga Hazama retorted, though his words felt weak.
Shalnark had been lost in thought since their return.
He finally had a lead. "The target we attacked seems to have been a clone—a body created primarily through Conjuration."
"Transmutation for the flames, Conjuration for the clone... his Specialization really is quite unique," Nobunaga Hazama added.
"True. However, that clone's weakness is very obvious. As soon as it's hit, it bursts," Shalnark shared his observation.
After all, his antenna's physical strike carried almost no damage; it was merely a prerequisite for his ability. If such a light attack could cause Luo Ning to explode, he had to doubt the clone's durability.
Combined with the fact that the clone primarily used long-range attacks, it made sense that it would be fragile if someone managed to close the distance.
It could be considered a very practical auxiliary Nen ability created under a [VOW AND RESTRICTION].
This fit Luo Ning's established pattern perfectly: an endless array of methods for escape and disguise.
It was just that he had now added some offensive power to the mix!