Illumi's puppet soldiers—
Their most fearsome trait isn't just their enforced manipulation effect.
It's the sheer number he can control.
He routinely cultivates his Nen needles with aura, and by using these special needles to control targets, he can multiply their power output using only a small amount of aura.
In other words, as long as he has enough of these special Nen needles, Illumi can command a formidable army of puppet soldiers without a heavy drain on his own aura.
Coupled with his naturally robust physicality and refined combat technique, Illumi can coordinate his puppet army into a truly terrifying force.
This represents the upper limit of Illumi's combat system.
According to the source material, however, these special Nen needles are one-time-use items. So unless absolutely necessary, Illumi rarely uses them.
But at this moment—
In order to kill Moro here and now, Illumi didn't hesitate to stab two of the intruders with his special Nen needles.
It's easy to tell the difference between a special puppet and a regular one.
Special puppets have only one needle in their heads, but the surrounding aura is much denser.
Regular puppets, on the other hand, often have four or five needles—or even more—and their aura is noticeably weaker.
After missing his initial stab, Illumi didn't press the attack. Instead, he turned to watch Moro, who had swiftly retreated to a safe distance.
Behind Illumi, two special puppet soldiers and one regular one charged forward in formation.
"An application of 'En'… or something similar," Illumi muttered, holding a special needle between his index and middle fingers as he let the puppets rush ahead.
"But it's not that simple. If he's sacrificed attack power and accepted the risk of exposure, then it's probably a prerequisite for a counter-attack-type ability."
His eyes skimmed over the faint aura still lingering on Moro and the now-dispersing star-like glow in the air. From this, Illumi drew a baseline conclusion.
An ability like this—based on sacrificing offense for anticipation—also meant there could be a narrow window where he could end the fight in an instant.
With that thought, Illumi dashed forward, right behind his puppet soldiers.
Moro watched Illumi and the puppets charge. He frowned slightly.
He'd almost been stabbed earlier—just a single instant—but it had been enough to reveal how dangerous Illumi truly was.
In a way, Illumi was similar to Oren: both had achieved abnormal results within their own Nen categories, combining forced manipulation and quantity control in ways almost unheard of.
And layered atop that… the brutal hand-to-hand skills passed down by the Zoldyck family.
What a headache.
"Two different types of puppets," Moro muttered as he kept retreating, eyes carefully studying the three advancing puppets.
He'd noticed the distinction from the moment Illumi stabbed the four mercenaries—only one needle per special puppet, yet far more powerful aura.
He wasn't sure how Illumi had pulled it off, but the details didn't matter much now.
Illumi wasn't going to add any more puppets to the field.
One of the special puppets lunged at Moro, raising a long blade high over its head, aiming for his skull.
But Moro, through the data gleaned from his "Star Trace" ability, sensed it was a feint.
"A bluff… or is it…?"
He quickly scanned the puppet, resisting the urge to retaliate. He knew that attacking recklessly in "Star Trace" mode could leave him open.
He needed to be absolutely certain before striking.
Just then, the second special puppet—this one wielding a broad sword—circled around and stabbed at Moro's flank.
Moro lightly pushed off the ground with his toes, using his Gazelle Step technique to leap back and dodge the thrust.
At the same time—
Whoosh!
A piercing sound split the air from ahead.
The regular puppet had leapt into the air, aiming to tackle Moro. It had clearly been thrown by Illumi himself.
Moro looked up at the airborne puppet, still refraining from attacking. He instead widened the distance again.
He had to prioritize taking down the special puppets first—they were stronger and more of a threat, despite requiring less of Illumi's aura.
The regular puppet, though…
It had to stay alive.
It would become the vessel for his Star Mark—a crucial piece of the puzzle in this battle.
"Just one will do…"
Moro cast a sidelong glance at the regular puppet that had crashed to the ground, then quickly shifted his focus back to Illumi, who was moving in from a blind spot.
Illumi noted how Moro once again reacted in time, but he continued anyway, aiming a needle strike straight for Moro's face.
Moro deflected and leapt back again, narrowly avoiding the ambush.
But in that same instant—
Illumi, from his other hand, hurled four jewel-tipped needles straight at Moro.
Whizz—
A chilling, murderous aura rode in on the wind.
Moro's pupils contracted. Without hesitation, he canceled his "Star Trace" technique, redirecting all his aura.
The glowing star particles vanished from the air.
Moro's aura surged, and he swung his crimson Jade Phoenix Blade to intercept the incoming needles.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as two of the needles were deflected.
The remaining two struck his body, but he'd already focused his aura using "Ken" to block them.
They couldn't pierce his defense and fell harmlessly to the ground.
Clink.
The rounded jewel tips hit the ground and bounced.
Before they could land fully, a figure burst through them.
Illumi had already closed in, his long needle gleaming coldly as he aimed for Moro's face.
There was no time to reactivate "Star Trace." Moro had to respond bare-handed.
But Illumi's use of the jewel-tipped needles as a distraction had already created an opening in Moro's guard.
The inherent "lethality threat" of an Operator's strike—in close combat—was every bit as intimidating as an Enhancer's "Hatsu."
Illumi twisted his waist and drove a kick into Moro's gut.
Thud!
The impact was heavy. Moro flew backward, blood spilling from his lips.
Without the support of "Star Trace," the gap in their close-combat ability immediately became apparent.
After all… Illumi Zoldyck was raised by monsters—
And had become one himself.
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