In other words, there seemed to be a mirror between Ashu's hands. Using it as a dividing line, one side of the dagger could be seen, but it was an illusion, while the other side of the dagger couldn't be seen but was the real threat.
And just now, it was the real dagger that had scratched his arm, but the dagger he saw in his eyes posed no real threat. Even if he stood still, that dagger would only pass through Noah, causing no harm.
Although Noah hadn't completely deciphered Ashu's ability, his guess was close to the mark.
In just a few sentences, he had deduced his ability quite accurately, and Ashu looked at Noah's expression as if he were seeing a monster.
In fact, Ashu's ability may seem difficult to deal with, but fundamentally, it was similar to Noah's ability, both relying on taking opponents by surprise.
Take Ashu's ability, for example, the tracking dagger. As long as the tracking device was removed, it became useless.
And the illusion-like mirror-image daggers, as long as one watched the visible dagger and dodged according to its position, it worked.
In simple terms, if the visible dagger came from the right, it meant the real attack came from the left, and if the visible dagger came from above, it meant the real attack came from below.
But that being said, in battles between Nen users, how to perceive and conceal abilities was also a significant skill. A Nen user with such a surprise ability wouldn't easily let others know the details of their abilities.
Noah was able to guess Ashu's ability so quickly because, apart from Ashu not being very proficient in Nen control, Noah was someone who had experienced the "baptism" of anime in his previous life.
In terms of imagination alone, there were probably very few people in this world who could match Noah. So, he could naturally make some reasonably accurate judgments.
"This should be your last resort," as aura rose around him, Noah, after determining that Ashu had no other means, appeared in front of Ashu like a ghost.
"You!"
Without even reacting, Ashu only saw a blur in front of him, and then he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Noah's fist had landed squarely in the middle of Ashu's stomach.
Although Noah didn't use his full strength in this strike, after estimating Ashu's aura intensity, he used enough force to make Ashu realize the difference in their strengths.
"Your ability is impressive, but if you rely solely on it, it will indirectly weaken your true strength."
Withdrawing his hand, Noah sincerely gave his opinion. There was no enmity between Ashu and Noah.
This battle was also about understanding each other's abilities to determine the path they would take from tomorrow onwards.
This was a lesson they had learned during their time as apprentice butlers: strength was everything.
Both were butlers of the Zoldyck Family. They had to meet each other every day, so Noah didn't want to hold grudges over trivial matters.
Therefore, even though he had defeated Ashu, Noah didn't engage in any mocking or taunting. Instead, he shared his insights with Ashu, hoping that he could recognize his shortcomings.
"Wait."
As Noah crossed over Ashu and headed toward the butler's room, the latter stopped him.
Ashu's thoughts were similar to Noah's, and he didn't harbor any hatred towards Noah just because he had lost.
On the contrary, coming from Meteor City, he had a deeper understanding of such matters. Being defeated due to lack of strength, or even being killed, was a normal occurrence.
He had no right to resent his opponent for that. Instead of wasting time on such meaningless matters, it was better to find a way to become stronger.
"This time's mission, you lead."
Since he had been defeated, there was nothing more to say.
"Also, thank you."
This was a thank you for Noah's advice.
Sometimes, advice from opponents could be even more precious, as they could see certain things more clearly than themselves in certain aspects.
"You're welcome."
…
Meteor City, located on the Yurubian Continent, is referred to as a "City" in name, but in reality, it's more like a country. At least in terms of land area, it can rival a nation, with around 10 million people residing here.
Meteor City is not officially recorded, or rather, in official records, it's considered a no man's land.
In the common perception, Meteor City is a gathering place for garbage, where you can discard anything—be it junk, broken furniture, weapons, corpses, or even newborn babies.
Meteor City accepts everything, and because it doesn't exist in official records, the residents here don't need to register their identities. So, the people of Meteor City are essentially like ghosts, with no trace of their existence.
In the original work, the infamous A-level criminal group, the Phantom Troupe, mainly consists of members from Meteor City. Because they originate from Meteor City, when the mafia tried to find information related to the Phantom Troupe, they came up empty-handed.
"Returning to this place after a long time, do you feel anything?"
On the outskirts of Meteor City lies a massive junkyard, piled high with countless pieces of trash. Within this junkyard, one of the two figures, dressed in tailcoats, gazed at the familiar surroundings and couldn't help but sigh.
"No, I don't feel anything," Noah glanced at a few individuals not far away wearing white protective suits, then responded indifferently to Ashu's question.
Noah was telling the truth.
Although he had once been a resident of Meteor City, fundamentally, he was a transmigrator.
After replacing the real Noah, apart from his name, age, and the scattered memories of the words "Noah" and "Meteor City," he knew nothing else.
He didn't even remember the experiences of this body over the past fifteen years. It was almost like amnesia, so in this situation, he naturally had no feelings for this garbage-filled place.
If anything, he might even feel a bit repulsed.
"Haha, you're quite open-minded." Unclear about the specifics, Ashu thought Noah was someone who didn't care at all about the past.
Hearing Noah's response, he chuckled and reminisced about his own past. In Ashu's eyes, a hint of coldness flickered.
Nearby, those who were "treasure hunting" in the garbage mountain, upon seeing Noah and Ashu, slowly stopped their actions and stood still, staring at the two.
The people who lived in Meteor City had never received any formal education and had no beliefs.
The only principle they recognized was one—strength above all else. In this place, people without strength, even if they managed to survive, would be subjected to humiliation.
When these people saw Noah and Ashu dressed in tailcoats, their first thought was to assess the strength of both sides.
If they judged the other party to be weaker than themselves, they would suddenly become aggressive, trying to snatch everything valuable from them.
However, being able to walk in a contaminated garbage dump without protective suits, Noah and Ashu were clearly not easy targets.
So, until Noah and Ashu disappeared from their sight, no one dared to approach the two.