Under the night sky. The auras of the two men surged like towering flames, stirring waves of energy out of thin air.
For ordinary people, even from a considerable distance, they could feel a tangible pressure. It was as if the air had been abruptly drained by an invisible force, leaving their lungs struggling to draw even a wisp of oxygen. Their hearts felt as if gripped tightly by a pair of hands.
Faced with this situation, the usually domineering gang members found no comfort in the firearms they held. Their fingers trembled stiffly on the triggers, and cold sweat soaked their backs as they watched the two confronting each other from afar.
Though they held weapons that could easily decide life and death, it felt like clutching useless scrap metal.
Lopez had his pride and methods, refusing to let others interfere in this battle. This will was unmistakably evident in the eruption of his aura.
Morena, of course, fully supported this, stepping back to the sidelines and leaving the entire fighting space to Lopez alone.
On the field. Lopez's aura erupted like raging waves, his aura output continuously increasing, climbing relentlessly to its limit.
As for Morrow, he deactivated his "Biological Mutation" ability, his appearance and physique returning to their original state. Not only did this reclaim a portion of his controllable aura output, but it also freed him from the mental strain of maintaining the ability during intense combat.
Even so, this current state was not Morrow's full power. Before carrying out the assassination mission, he had prepared several Divine Script bronze plates. These recorded his abilities and sealed away a portion of his aura output.
However, since he had already decided to kill Lopez here, there was no need to hold back or hesitate any longer. Only one thing remained to consider: Kill the opponent as quickly as possible!
Morrow's body surged with the maximum aura output. As his Nen raged, the generated Nen pressure formed a visible wave of energy around him.
He slowly raised his right hand. The whirlwind-like energy wave seemed abruptly pulled by some force, merging with part of the Nen on his body and rapidly converging onto his right hand. In an instant, it condensed into a sharp mass of Nen.
「Deceptive Shooting Star」
The stalactite-like sharp Nen mass suddenly glowed with a fluorescent green hue from within, as if a drop of ink had spread, instantly dyeing the entire mass fluorescent green and transforming it from a sharp shape into a spherical one.
Morrow looked straight at Lopez ahead, while keeping the fully formed Deceptive Shooting Star steadily suspended in his palm. This level of controlled readiness made Lopez's eyes narrow slightly.
So this is the move. It's clearly no ordinary Nen bullet, Lopez thought to himself. Though experience told him the Shooting Star might conceal some mechanism, he charged forward at Morrow without hesitation.
This approach, embodying the advantages of the Enhancer, often exerted greater pressure on opponents under the influence of a surging aura. But Morrow was entirely unfazed.
Whoosh! Right in front of Lopez, Morrow tossed the formed Deceptive Shooting Star into the air.
Instantly, a fluorescent green streak shot through the night like a rocket. Seeing this, Lopez frowned slightly but did not slow his charge. As the Deceptive Shooting Star soared into the sky, he immediately stepped into close-quarters combat range and threw a punch at Morrow.
Throughout the entire process, his body maintained an extremely solid Ken. This was the result of thirty years of daily training.
Whoosh! The fist wrapped in solidified aura cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound.
Morrow pressed his toes against the ground, using the explosive power of Gazelle Steps to propel himself backward in a rapid retreat.
Lopez's gaze remained fixed on Morrow's movements. Seeing his opponent retreat swiftly, he maintained full-body Ken after his punch missed and stepped forward to press the attack. This was the standard combat style of an Enhancement-type martial artist.
Leveraging their offensive and defensive advantages, they maintain Ken while attacking, then decide whether to use Ryū or Ko based on the opponent's reactions. In simple terms, it's about using techniques to counter moves and then utilizing Nen type advantages to expand gains, even ending the fight in a single move.
Of course, this combat style requires solid martial skills and advanced Nen techniques. Otherwise, it would be like Gon versus the Bomber, where the gap in technique was too large, making it impossible to leverage Nen type advantages in close combat.
Lopez's aura output level, martial arts cultivation, and fundamental Nen techniques were all solid, enabling him to exert powerful combat strength in close-quarters battles. It was precisely because Morrow recognized this from their previous exchanges that he didn't give Lopez any momentum-building opportunities.
Using the backward momentum from his footwork, he disrupted Lopez's intention for a fast-paced assault during their initial engagement. However, Lopez would undoubtedly press forward immediately to secure space for continuously utilizing his Nen type advantage.
Yet, just then, the Deceptive Shooting Star that Morrow had launched earlier came falling from the sky. Although its return trajectory was aimed at Morrow, because Morrow was in rapid retreat, he could dodge the descending Shooting Star at the last moment.
Meanwhile, Lopez was rapidly closing in on Morrow, wanting to reestablish close-quarters combat as quickly as possible, and happened to step through the position Morrow had just occupied. Thus becoming the target of the Deceptive Shooting Star.
A return attack... Lopez was prepared. As the Shooting Star plunged downward, he abruptly halted. The power and speed have increased. Assuming a defensive stance in an instant, Lopez clearly saw the changes in the Shooting Star within that split second.
The next moment. The fluorescent green Shooting Star landed before him.
Boom! The energy contained within triggered a violent explosion. The ground shattered violently, and the shockwave carrying numerous rock fragments instantly engulfed Lopez.
Then rose a towering cloud of dust that rapidly spread in all directions. Even Morrow, who had already retreated some distance, was enveloped by this sandstorm-like billowing dust.
Although his vision was obscured by the dust, aura fluctuations stood out like beacons in the night. But the next second. The aura fluctuation from Morrow within the dust disappeared, though another faint aura remained.
Standing in the dust, Lopez suddenly looked toward the direction of that faint aura. That scabbard... Realizing Morrow's aura fluctuation had suddenly vanished, Lopez knew Morrow had used Zetsu to conceal his presence.
But that scabbard was a Nen tool, and the aura surrounding it originated from a different source than Morrow's. So even if Morrow used Zetsu to conceal his presence within the smoke and dust, the aura lingering on the scabbard he carried would directly expose his position.
But Lopez didn't believe Morrow would make such a basic mistake. However... No matter what Morrow was scheming, Lopez intended to take the initiative and strike first.
Without the slightest hesitation, almost the instant Morrow concealed his aura, Lopez decisively charged toward the faint trace of aura and prepared to throw a punch.
Just as he had anticipated, as he closed the distance, a scabbard embedded in the ground became faintly visible amidst the swirling dust. Yet Lopez's fist still shot forward prematurely.
To any onlooker, it would have seemed as though Lopez were fighting an imaginary opponent. But at that very moment, Morrow had already slipped behind Lopez.
Although he had withdrawn all his aura output into his body using Zetsu, the airflow stirred by his movement inevitably disturbed the smoke and dust. Even with this subtle disturbance as a warning, Morrow, having seized the initiative, could still strike faster, unless Lopez had prepared a countermeasure in advance.
In fact, Lopez was indeed prepared. His earlier right-handed punch had been more of a feint. So the moment he detected the disturbance in the smoke, he immediately twisted his body and swung his left fist toward Morrow, who was closing in from behind.
What Lopez didn't realize, however, was that Morrow's approach wasn't meant for a sneak attack.
「Starlight Convergence」
Morrow opened his aura nodes, and the released aura instantly transformed into dazzling starlight, bursting forth from within the smoke.
Lopez's eyes reflected the shimmering starlight, while his forceful punch collided with one sparkling star after another. Morrow sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The punch, now striking empty air, tore a hollow path through the smoke ahead. Maintaining his evasive posture, Morrow calmly swung his sharpened, elongated hand, aiming to strike Lopez's vital points.
But this move wasn't a defensive counterattack. It was meant to deny Lopez any time to think. Morrow intended to force Lopez into a rapid assault, fulfilling the second-stage condition of Starlight Convergence in one go.
Lopez fell for it. Or rather, Morrow had seen through his fighting style from the very beginning. Lopez, as an Enhancer, habitually sought to drag opponents into fast-paced engagements to leverage his strengths.
So the moment Morrow decided to drop all pretenses, he had already crafted a tailored tactical plan for Lopez. First, he used Shooting Star upon landing to create a dense cloud of smoke and dust, laying the foundation for his strategy.
Then, by using Zetsu to conceal his presence and leaving his scabbard behind, he guided Lopez's line of thinking. This allowed Morrow to determine his next move based on how Lopez reacted.
If Lopez had chosen to hold his ground or retreat beyond the smoke's range, Morrow would have launched aggressive long-range attacks, making Lopez believe he was avoiding close combat, thus setting the stage for the next phase.
If, however, Lopez decided to play along with the ruse, Morrow would immediately proceed to the final step of his plan. Just as he was doing now!
Lopez saw Morrow's sharp palm thrust coming and, with no time to think, decisively swung his other arm, fiercely meeting it with his armored bracer. Morrow naturally couldn't withstand the impact head-on and had to forcibly retract his move, giving off the impression of being out of sync with the rhythm.
This inevitably left an opening. Lopez almost instinctively followed up with an attack, aiming to strike the opening and secure victory. He began his rapid assault rhythm.
His fists, wrapped in aura, wove an overwhelmingly oppressive offensive, enveloping Morrow. Morrow, relying on his Starlight Convergence ability, always managed to dodge the attacks at the last moment.
As the number of evasions rapidly accumulated. In just two seconds, a golden chain materialized out of thin air, restraining Lopez's body. But in less than a second, the golden chain abruptly dissipated and vanished.
The two had nearly the same level of aura output, so the binding time of the golden chain was almost zero. Yet even if it were only 0.5 seconds, Morrow could quickly distance himself from Lopez while deactivating Starlight Convergence.
Whoosh! Morrow's figure retreated from the dust, trailing a slender tail of smoke. Simultaneously, he began gathering Nen in his hand.
Without using my "ability," I really can't kill you. Morrow swiftly channeled Nen into the Shooting Star in his hand, looking toward the dust ahead.
In his view, Lopez was undoubtedly an Enhancement-type expert; his solid foundation in Nen techniques alone showed years of dedicated training. So, to quickly eliminate an opponent of this caliber, relying purely on Nen techniques was impossible, only the combined use of "Starlight Convergence" and "Deceptive Shooting Star" would suffice.
Swoosh! Morrow threw the formed Deceptive Shooting Star into the air, essentially eliminating the possibility of it being intercepted and destroyed prematurely.
At that moment, Lopez rushed out from the dust with a furrowed brow. He then saw Morrow launch a fluorescent green Nen bullet into the air. It paused and expanded.
The next instant. The empowered Shooting Star sliced through the night sky, heading straight for Lopez.
It changed from a ricochet trait to a homing one... Is it because of that En-like ability earlier? Seeing this, Lopez faintly sensed he had been set up, but there was no time to ponder further. He immediately mobilized all his aura output to construct a defense.
The fluorescent green Shooting Star arrived moments later. Upon touching Lopez's body, it violently exploded. Intense light accompanied by a savage shockwave, like countless hammers striking Lopez's body simultaneously.
Then a surge of turbulent air rushed out in all directions. When the air settled, a large crater was left on the ground.
Lopez stood in the crater, maintaining his defensive stance. His clothes were torn all over, revealing numerous bloody wounds, suggesting he was seriously injured. But for some reason, the aura output on his body had instead grown stronger.
「Blooming Rainbow」
This was Lopez's ability, named after a type of lustrous white ore from the Kakin Empire. The ore's texture was very hard, but if damaged and cracked, rainbow light would burst and bloom from the fissures, hence the name.
Lopez named his ability Blooming Rainbow because it was an Enhancement-type, will-based ability. In a one-on-one duel, as long as he harbored no fear of death, did not retreat from pain, and remained utterly unwavering. The more severe the injuries inflicted by the opponent, the greater the increase in aura output, but the recovery speed afterward becomes significantly slower.
Morrow, just by seeing Lopez's suddenly and drastically enhanced aura output, deduced the mechanism of his ability. Then he couldn't help but smile.
If he hadn't changed his mind at the last moment and decided to kill Lopez here... Then if Lopez were to investigate thoroughly afterward and become wary of his ability's characteristics, it would indeed lead to many complications.
"Come, this is the full power you wanted." Morrow slightly lowered his eyelids and condensed another Deceptive Shooting Star. It was brighter and more powerful than the previous one.
But while gathering aura, he remained vigilant of his surroundings. After all, there were still many Nen users around, including members of the Shadow Beasts.
Inside the large crater. Lopez was covered in blood and clearly heard Morrow's words.
At this moment. His mind held no other superfluous thoughts, only the determination to shatter Morrow into pieces before his blood drained completely.
Boom! Lopez erupted with powerful aura all around him, kicked off the ground, leaped out of the crater, and charged toward Morrow.
At that moment, Morrow threw the fully charged Deceptive Shooting Star behind him. And now, he only retained 20% of his aura output on his body, making it absolutely impossible for him to withstand even a single finger from Lopez.
So when Lopez leaped out of the crater, Morrow rapidly retreated backward.
Lopez now had information about the Deceptive Shooting Star, but since Morrow had thrown it behind him, he still couldn't destroy it in advance. In that case, let's see whose life is tougher!
Lopez's "Blooming Rainbow" ability operated at an unprecedented intensity, with streams of rainbow light flowing within the aura bursting from his body. He chased after Morrow like this.
But Morrow's retreat allowed the Deceptive Shooting Star to return faster. Thus, the Deceptive Shooting Star swept past Morrow's side, heading toward Lopez who had already closed in.
Facing this more powerful Shooting Star, Lopez showed not a hint of retreat or fear, fearlessly charging straight toward it. After all, if his will showed even a trace of cowardice, the Blooming Rainbow ability would instantly fail.
The next moment. Lopez collided with the Deceptive Shooting Star, causing another violent explosion. Frenzied energy surged outward in all directions.
Morrow, who was nearby, was even affected, his balance slightly disrupted by the impact of the turbulent aura waves.
Clang. Amid the explosion, a few faint metallic clinking sounds could be heard, as if some bronze object had fallen to the ground.
And at that moment, a blood-red figure shot out from the center of the explosion like lightning, it was Lopez, enveloped in a powerful aura. His eyes blazing with fury, he pierced through the terrifying power of the Shooting Star and finally managed to step onto Morrow's line of death.
「Ko」
An aura output as high as Lv.80 gathered like a vortex of flowing light, concentrating on Lopez's right fist. This was a close-range killing move that Morrow absolutely couldn't defend against at this moment.
Yet, facing Lopez's terrifying strike fueled by his very life, Morrow's expression remained completely unperturbed.
Sss. A faint sound echoed within the area. It was a cross-shaped Nen glow that abruptly appeared on the surface of a bronze plate on the ground.
This was a Divine Script bronze plate that Morrow had casually left on the ground when he was pushed back by the aura waves, pre-recorded with his ability beforehand. There were five in total.
The ability recorded within the bronze plate was Insidious Shooting Star. Thanks to the auxiliary effects of the Divine Script, Morrow did not need to perform the Limitation action of "pressing his palm against the ground" to activate and release the Insidious Shooting Star ability from the bronze plate remotely.
Simultaneously, the weaker the power of Insidious Shooting Star, the faster its release speed. Thus, when Lopez threw that punch gathering nearly all of his aura output, the Nen wave shot from the bronze plate effortlessly pierced through Lopez's chin, which had no defensive strength.
It then penetrated his skull and shot out from the top of his head. As blood mixed with brain matter splattered, Lopez seemed to have all his strength abruptly drained. With a stunned expression, he collapsed forward as if all strength had left him.
In his wavering vision, Morrow's face flashed by, along with those perpetually unchanging calm eyes, as if he had long anticipated this outcome.
"Satisfied?" Before his consciousness sank into darkness, Lopez heard these words.
Thud. His body heavily hit the ground, clearly incapable of any response.
「Lv.73→Lv.74」
Morrow welcomed a long-awaited level-up. From start to finish, this battle was filled with ferocity and brutality. Yet, in reality, it ended in less than a minute.
The Nen users witnessing this scene around them were all stunned into silence.
—--
Only one person nearly called out Morrow's name. That person was Gon.
But Killua reacted swiftly, covering Gon's mouth, then shifting his gaze back and forth between Lopez's corpse and the completely unharmed Morrow. A look of admiration surfaced in his eyes.