Meanwhile-
Franklin had no intention of stand idle. With Uvogin being held up by Kanzai, he decisively set his sights on Moses.
Since Phinks was already engaging the 'real' Moses, Franklin can only focus on the 'shadow clone'.
As long as one person guards one, they could eventually force Moses into a corner.
Holding this thought, Franklin began firing Nen Bullets while closing the distance between himself and the 'shadow clone'.
Within the battlefield, Omokage retreated instead.
At first, Omokage intended to use this operation to test the strength of his Netero doll.
As far as the test results are concerned, the doll's strength can be said to be quite satisfactory.
After all, being able to send Uvogin and the others flying with one slap, even if its attack power was insufficient, it was still an extremely useful combat tool.
However, who would have thought that such a powerful Netero doll would be killed instantly by Moses in a single slash.
Later, Omokage also thought about cooperating with his comrades to eliminate Moses.
However, with Uvogin and the others becoming increasingly active and even assigning targets on their own, Omokage gradually felt that there was no need for him to act.
In addition, Chrollo and his group had already come out of the Snow Palace, so Omokage simply retreated.
Omokage actually has several dolls with good fighting capabilities, but he never thought of taking them out unless it was necessary.
Why?
Because those dolls were modeled after some of the main combatants within the Phantom Troupe.
Omokage hadn't sought their consent before making them and had done so secretly.
Therefore, it wasn't appropriate to bring these dolls out in this situation.
After Omokage retreated, the situation in the battle zone gradually became clear.
Chrollo faced off against Silva.
Kanzai intercepts Uvogin.
Phinks attacked Moses's shadow clone.
Franklin is closing the distance between him and Moses.
And Omokage stepped back and joined Pakunoda, Shalnark, and Kortopi as onlookers, watching the battle unfold.
That is to say, Nobunaga stood at the center of the demarcation line. He may be a spectator at one second, and may rush into the battle zone and become a combatant in the next second.
Inside the battle zone-
Moses operated on two fronts: controlling the shadow clone to evade Phinks's attacks while pulling Franklin away to maintain distance.
Facing Franklin, who only had five fingers gun, Moses didn't feel much pressure as long as he kept his distance.
On the other hand, dealing with Phinks is the troublesome one, as his fierce onslaught put Moses under significant strain.
'Just hold on a bit longer...'
'Kanzai has Uvogin occupied, this is an opportunity.'
Moses's focus was unprecedentedly intense. While dealing with Franklin, he also controlled his shadow clone to fend off Phinks's offensive.
Throughout this process, he never used his [Shadow Shift] ability again.
However, this phenomenon is normal in Phinks and Franklin's eyes.
This showed that their strategy was working.
After all, whether Moses uses his ability to exchange positions or not, his situation wouldn't change.
'With his most troublesome escape ability suppressed, his combat effectiveness plummets.'
In the offensive to suppress Moses's shadow clone, Phinks did not feel any pressure at all. He even pressed Moses's shadow clone step by step so hard that he did not even have the chance to swing his sword and counterattack. The shadow clone could only defend himself.
If they maintain the status quo like this, he estimated it wouldn't take a minute to break through Moses's defenses and strike a fatal blow.
'I must get rid of him before Uvogin breaks free!'
Having seen through the situation, Phinks was already considering how to annoy Uvogin.
As long as he and Franklin could deal with Moses before Uvogin got free, it would likely infuriate Uvogin to no end.
This amusing thought put Phinks in a good mood.
Moses naturally had no idea what Phinks was thinking. During the high-intensity dual-front attack and defense, he had always been able to spare some energy to measure the position and distance of each person.
His target is the crippled Shalnark.
However, before he could act, certain conditions had to be met.
First was the position from which he would strike, and second was the angle of attack.
The former determined the timing, while the latter ensured accuracy while avoiding Nobunaga's interception.
'As long as the shadow clone is strong enough to withstand a punch from Phinks, I can use the force of Phinks's punch to send the shadow clone closer to the attack position...'
The high-intensity mental concentration and the dual-front offensive and defensive battle that could collapse at any time put Moses in a state of tension, like a tightly stretched rubber band.
Under this premise, Moses continued to calculate and measure meticulously.
His goal was to make the Phantom Troupe understand firsthand what the price of provoking him is.
'No rush…'
'It's important to get the position right, but so is the distance I get away from it afterwards.'
Moses was like a patient hunter setting up a trap. Even though the trap could be ruined at any moment under Phinks's fierce attacks, he always maintains absolute patience.
Time passes slowly.
One minute, two minutes...
Moses's defeat seemed imminent, but he was gradually reaching the 'attack position' he sought.
Then-
Moses ended the prior 'appearance of defeat'.
He first mobilized his telekinesis to construct a Ken defense, and then withstood several Nen Bullets from Franklin with his body.
At the same time-
The shadow clone wielding the black sword had its defenses breached by a chopping strike from Phinks, who quickly turned the move into a punch, delivering a deadly blow to the shadow clone's chest.
The terrifying impact force that came with the punch not only caused the shadow clone's chest to cave in severely, but also sent the shadow clone flying towards the Snow Palace's gate.
Almost within this second, Moses and his shadow clone were simultaneously struck hard.
'It's over.'
Phinks and Franklin came to the same verdict at this moment.
It was because of their joint marking that they were able to suppress Moses's ability to exchange positions.
Though it was an unglamorous victory...
They preferred this outcome to being played with.
When Pakunoda and the others, who were watching, saw this scene, they also thought that the battle was almost over.
Now, it was just a matter of finishing off the enemy.
However, at that very moment-
[Shadow Shift]
Moses, who had withstood the barrage of Nen Bullets and barely managed to distance himself, exchanged positions with the shadow clone that was knocked away by Phinks.
Swish!
Moses appeared in the shadow clone's position, and at the same time, he raised his hand to catch the black sword falling from mid-air.
[Super Speed: Crossbow!]
In mid-air, Moses crossed his left arm in front of his body, holding the black sword with its back against his left arm, forming a crossbow stance.
Then-
Nen erupted!
The black sword on his left arm suddenly turned into a black lightning and flew across a trajectory that bypassed Nobunaga by four meters and shot directly towards Shalnark.
"Huh!?"
Everyone, including Moses's chosen target, Shalnark, barely had time to react.
Then-
Splurt!
The black sword with strong penetrating power pierced through Shalnark's chest like a flash of lightning, and then continued straight into the Snow Palace's hall.
Shalnark's body trembled, and an expression of disbelief slowly appeared on his face.
Paknoda and Kortopi next to him, as well as Nobunaga and Omokage who were farther away, and even Phinks, who thought his punch had incapacitated Moses, were all shocked by the scene before them, and their eyes widened.
'The one holding the black sword...'
'Was a clone!?'