Omokage was well aware that Luo Ning possessed large-scale fire attacks like the Great Fire Annihilation. However, he believed that even if Luo Ning unleashed a massive blaze within the church, it wouldn't pose a threat to him. He never expected the first strike to come from the sky rather than the ground outside!
Clay smashed through the church roof, raining down into the interior with no sign of stopping.
'Does Luo Ning have another Conjurer by his side?'
This thought flashed through Omokage's mind for only an instant before flames ignited outside the windows. Glass shattered, the temperature inside the church skyrocketed, and the falling clay began to solidify rapidly. He couldn't stay in the church any longer.
A swarm of puppets crashed through the windows to charge outside, only to be met by the sound of them being smashed to pieces upon hitting the ground. Omokage's heart bled. Although ordinary puppets were easy to make, he had crafted each one with a significant amount of cold, hard cash. To lose them like this without even seeing the enemy's face made him furious.
Yet, amidst his rage, a nagging thought surfaced: Had he underestimated Luo Ning?
No.
The aura on the Uvogin puppet suddenly exploded. Grabbing a church pew with one hand, it charged toward the wall. With a thunderous boom, the wall was smashed open by the truck-like momentum of Uvogin. The clay failed to stick to the puppet's body through the shattered wall, and the flames were swept aside, creating a path through the debris.
Omokage followed closely behind Uvogin with more puppets. However, just as they exited the church, a massive lid shaped like a boar's head with bared tusks plummeted from the sky toward the ground.
Earth Style: Dropping Lid.
It was another B-rank large-scale ninjutsu, a move originally used in the anime to deal with giant summoned beasts. Luo Ning's shadow clone had used its remaining chakra to launch this preemptive strike.
Boom!
The Uvogin puppet unleashed its Big Bang Impact, but in the next second, both of its arms shattered. However, thanks to Uvogin's obstruction, the Phinks puppet—which had been hiding behind it and preparing to strike—erupted with the immense power generated by its spinning arm. Cracks spread across the boar lid before it shattered completely.
A barrage of Nen bullets surged from beneath the collapsing lid, heading straight for the top of the tree where Luo Ning's shadow clone was positioned. Meanwhile, on the other side, sparks of electricity flickered. Amidst the lightning, Luo Ning's figure moved like a bolt of electricity, closing in on Omokage's position in an instant.
At that moment, Omokage raised his head, his hollow eyes staring directly into Luo Ning's eyes, which were currently active in Lightning Style Chakra Mode.
But a second later, a cry of shock escaped Omokage's mouth: "How can this be!"
Eye contact had been established, but the condition for stealing the eyes had not been met. The reason was a pair of sunglasses Luo Ning was wearing. The Nen blooming from Omokage's hollow sockets failed to connect with Luo Ning's Sharingan, blocked by the sudden appearance of the glasses.
For a Sharingan ninja to need to avoid an enemy's gaze was a brand-new experience for Luo Ning. However, Omokage's ability clearly had flaws, and this point had already been tested during the shadow clone's earlier actions!
Luo Ning held his fingers together like a blade, Lightning Style chakra coursing through his extended hand. Contact with Omokage was made in an instant.
Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite.
Omokage's body was sliced straight through the middle by the lightning power. Blood sprayed out, but the sense of danger in Luo Ning's heart did not diminish. His Sharingan's insight showed him that although the severed "Omokage" was bleeding, its internal structure was identical to a puppet's.
The puppet Omokage had been wrapped in so much Nen that it had actually deceived Luo Ning's Sharingan!
'Is this the puppet Omokage used to fake his death in the movie?'
As he thought this, his Sharingan caught sight of several Nen threads tightening rapidly in front of him! It was Machi's Nen ability. Simultaneously, a figure quietly appeared by the church—it was the real Omokage. Behind this Omokage stood three other figures: Machi, Nobunaga, and a middle-aged scarred man Luo Ning didn't recognize.
In other words, while the previous puppet had Omokage's appearance, its abilities belonged to Franklin! This man, standing with three phantoms behind him, was the true Omokage.
The lightning around Luo Ning's body quickly faded as he came to a halt before the Nen threads. The sunglasses on his face were gone, having been sucked away by the Nen from the puppet's eyes when they passed each other. Consequently, Luo Ning's crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan now looked directly into Omokage's eyes.
In that same instant, both of them acted. Omokage's fingers twitched as he pulled a blind puppet in front of him with Nen threads, while simultaneously tightening the razor-sharp lines to tear Luo Ning apart.
But all of Omokage's movements froze in the next heartbeat. Though Luo Ning was still before him, massive, rusted iron spikes had suddenly pierced through his limbs.
Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.
A giant Sharingan, looking like a moon on the horizon, rotated slowly in Omokage's vision. Pain hit him in waves like the tide. Luo Ning felt a massive amount of chakra being drained by the Sharingan, but the Omokage not far away was now completely rigid. A kunai appeared in Luo Ning's hand.
With his other hand, he formed a one-handed seal. Chakra rapidly converted into wind attribute and flowed into the kunai, forming a layer of blue energy around it. In the next second, the kunai flew from his hand, heading straight for Omokage's heart.
At the same time, Luo Ning could no longer maintain the illusion. The Shackling Stakes Technique ended!
Puchi!
The kunai pierced accurately into Omokage's chest. The awakened Omokage hadn't even recovered from the phantom sensation of being pinned by stakes when he felt the agonizing pain in his heart. He looked down in disbelief to see a kunai that had pierced through his defensive Nen and buried itself in his heart.
"To think... I would fall here..." Omokage's eyes were filled with total shock.
He was supposed to be the perfect counter to his opponent; why was he the one who lost!
Blood flowed from his heart, and he began to cough up crimson spray. The phantoms behind Omokage vanished instantly, and the puppets collapsed one by one like wheat being harvested.
'Maybe I shouldn't have come.' This was Omokage's final thought before he fell.
But it was too late!
Luo Ning panted heavily. He had truly been nervous when he threw the kunai, worried that Omokage might break out of the Genjutsu in time to dodge the final blow. Fortunately, the kunai infused with Wind Style chakra had pierced Omokage's defenses, killing him in front of the church.
Adjusting his breathing, Luo Ning stepped into the church. The fire had died down, but the temperature remained high. He hurried upstairs and found the Pairo puppet encased in clay. The puppet was still in a posture as if it were about to head downstairs. Luo Ning deactivated his Sharingan, but Nen covered his palms, allowing him to easily tear through the clay shell.
With two swift movements, he plucked the pair of Scarlet Eyes from the Pairo puppet's eye sockets. Even though they were stained with dirt, Luo Ning could feel a sense of warmth emanating from them. At this moment, a sense of relief finally washed over him.
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