Using the Divine Script coin to calibrate the direction ensured that after the Deceptive Shooting Star ricocheted and amplified, it would target Neferpitou.
But Neferpitou's danger perception was too sharp.
Even while maintaining intense focus on Kite during the fierce battle, she could still detect the incoming attack instantly.
No wonder in the original story, after obtaining information about Nen abilities, she mastered the technique of a two-kilometer radius En in such a short time.
This racial talent that completely overwhelms humans is the most terrifying aspect of the Chimera Ants.
When the ambush missed, Morrow could more deeply appreciate Neferpitou's horrifying strength.
Despite this, he rushed forward without hesitation, urging Kite to immediately disengage and retreat.
This sudden support caught Kite completely off guard.
But he didn't run.
From the moment his arm was torn off, he had profoundly experienced Neferpitou's speed.
He understood that escaping was meaningless against this monster.
Precisely because of this, he had to stay and fight Neferpitou to the death.
Only this way could he buy more time for Gon and Killua.
In other words, to escape from this monster, someone had to stay behind as the rearguard.
"Don't mind me, get out of here!"
Kite steadied himself and shouted loudly.
He didn't even have the spare moment to clearly see Morrow's appearance, his sharp gaze remaining fixed on Neferpitou's direction, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
Seeing Kite waste this precious second, Morrow couldn't bring himself to blame him.
After all, Kite wasn't like him, able to connect existing information to directly piece together "future" intelligence.
But even with the original plot as intelligence, Morrow couldn't guarantee whether there were some unknown changes.
For example, in the current Chimera Ant Nest, it was possible that a second Royal Guard had already been born.
So to some extent, his intervention was somewhat of a gamble.
At this moment, there was virtually zero time for verbal communication.
Kite couldn't explain to Morrow why he insisted on staying, and Morrow couldn't convey his upcoming plan to Kite.
Therefore, as soon as Kite finished speaking, Morrow had already rapidly condensed a second Shooting Star in his hand.
Without hesitation, he shot the Shooting Star toward the side.
Instantly, the Shooting Star containing astonishing energy trailed a fluorescent green light, piercing through the forest like a stream of light, illuminating the crisscrossing branches and leaves along its path.
Both Kite and Neferpitou, who had steadied herself and was about to attack again, simultaneously detected this suddenly launched Shooting Star.
However, the direction and angle of the Shooting Star didn't seem aimed at any target, appearing perplexing at first glance.
Just then.
Clink!
A clear metallic tremor suddenly rang out.
It was Morrow flicking a Star-Marked coin with his finger, cleverly avoiding Neferpitou's direct line of sight, sending it on a diagonal trajectory toward the direction of the Chimera Ant Nest.
Under the guidance effect of the Star-Marked coin, the Shooting Star that had moved sideways a hundred meters and hovered suddenly made a sharp right-angle turn, trailing dangerous light as it shot straight toward the Chimera Ant Nest two kilometers away.
This was Morrow's confidence in daring to rescue Kite.
And in the current situation, substantive action was more direct and effective than complicated explanations.
Now, it all depended on Neferpitou's reaction.
If Neferpitou chose to withstand the Shooting Star head-on, the difficulty of disengaging and escaping afterward would plummet. Moreover, Kite would instantly grasp Morrow's intentions without wasting further time confirming each other's plans.
If Neferpitou ignored the Shooting Star, it would mean there was at least one more Royal Guard inside the Chimera Ant Nest, and that Morrow had gambled wrong. In that scenario, even with Kite covering their retreat, they would inevitably face the risk of being targeted by Neferpitou.
One could say success or failure hinged on this very moment.
Morrow stared intently at Neferpitou's movements while preparing to condense another Shooting Star.
The next instant, Neferpitou, already fully charged, abruptly abandoned her assault on Kite. Instead, she relied on her terrifying explosive power to relentlessly pursue the Shooting Star without hesitation.
"This human…" As she launched herself into the air, Neferpitou caught a fleeting glimpse of Morrow in the distance. In that split second, she noticed the faint, taunting curl at the corner of his lips. But there was no time to ponder further.
Neferpitou's focus narrowed solely onto the Shooting Star, the threat capable of collapsing the Chimera Ant Nest and even endangering the Queen's life.
How far could it travel?
How destructive was its power?
What were the odds of it destroying the nest?
None of these questions crossed Neferpitou's mind.
The only thing she needed to consider, the only thing she must consider, was this: Stop the Shooting Star!
Yes, the motive driving every ounce of Neferpitou's strength was her supreme, overriding duty.
Watching Neferpitou chase the Shooting Star with absurd speed, Morrow knew that from this moment on, both he and Kite could retreat unscathed.
Kite, too, witnessed Neferpitou's unwavering pursuit of the Shooting Star and immediately deduced Morrow's plan. He spun around and saw Morrow calmly raise his left hand, thumb pointing over his shoulder toward the path behind them.
"…"
Without wasting the precious time Morrow had bought with the Shooting Star, Kite fell silent and decisively sprinted back the way they came.
He fully understood Morrow's strategy: by continuously using that powerful, directional Emission ability to harass and restrain, they could firmly limit the monster's mobility and movement range. To achieve this, only Morrow could stay behind as the rearguard.
Thus, Kite's task now was to put as much distance between himself and this place as quickly as possible. Every second he saved would reduce the risk Morrow faced as the rearguard.
But this person...
As Kite swiftly crossed the invisible line Morrow guarded, he glanced sideways. Morrow had already locked his entire focus onto the distant Neferpitou and begun preparing his next assault.
"He must have been drawn here by the aura of battle, yet in such a short time, he identified the only method to restrain that monster and executed this high-risk tactic without hesitation…" Kite's gaze swept over Morrow's composed profile, his heart swelling with admiration. He admired the man's astonishing insight and decisiveness, and even more, he respected the courage that led him to face danger alone to aid a stranger.
Once past that line, Kite dared not linger for even a moment. Only by putting maximum distance between himself and this place could he honor Morrow's intervention and reduce the difficulty of Morrow's subsequent withdrawal. Despite this, Kite remained deeply concerned about Morrow's situation. While maintaining their rapid pace, he kept glancing back at the gradually shrinking figure in the distance.
Boom!
At that moment, the Shooting Star hurtling toward the Chimera Ant Nest was intercepted by Neferpitou using her body. The collision of their Nen triggered a violent explosion.
A turbulent shockwave swept through the area, while dust and smoke from the blast billowed skyward.
Whoosh!
Neferpitou shot out from the black smoke, completely unscathed.
However, after blocking the Shooting Star, she had already assessed its threat level.
Speed, range, and destructive power.
All posed a threat to the Chimera Ant Nest.
To be safe, she had to eliminate this human here and now!
Neferpitou's pupils contracted sharply.
Her motivation was no longer about seeking satisfaction from battle or testing her hypotheses; it was about eliminating any potential threat to the Chimera Ant Nest and the Queen.
Boom!
The muscles in her legs abruptly swelled, and with a single explosive push off the ground, she propelled herself forward at high speed, transforming into a distorted black shadow as she charged straight toward Morrow.
The moment Neferpitou unleashed her bloodlust-filled aura, Morrow had already completed condensing his Shooting Star.
A green shooting star, the size of a soccer ball, shot upward like a rocket.
Following closely was a rapidly spinning Star-Marked coin, positioning itself in front of the Shooting Star.
But that wasn't enough.
Morrow condensed a second Shooting Star in his palm.
In that brief interval, Neferpitou had already closed in, bringing with her an overwhelming wave of aura.
Her body arched taut like a leopard's, and her right arm thrust forward with the sharp intensity of a spear.
The focus of that momentum was aimed directly at Morrow's face.
In just one more second, her razor-sharp claws would tear Morrow's face to shreds.
Yet, faced with Neferpitou's bloodlust-driven strike, Morrow neither retreated nor evaded, standing firmly in place.
His expression was eerily calm, as if the concept of death held no meaning to him.
"I can afford to gamble, can you?"
In the fleeting moment, Neferpitou saw Morrow's lips move and faintly heard those words.
This human...
He feels so weak that I could crush him with one strike.
So why...
Does he also feel dangerous?
Rational judgment and intuitive perception clashed intensely in that instant, stirring a flicker of confusion in the eyes of this newly born Royal Guard.
Should she disregard everything and eliminate the threat that vaguely unsettled her?
Or should she follow rational judgment and uphold her innate mission and duty?
With both options weighing on the scale, Neferpitou had to make a decision in an extremely short time.
That conflict, rooted in human nature, was quickly suppressed by the discipline of the ant.
Royal Guards...
Were entirely different from Squadron Leaders and Officers.
Even Shaiapouf, who possessed the most human genes, regarded "Meruem" as everything.
Morrow understood this.
That's why he allowed Neferpitou's claws to come within inches of his face.
And why he willingly stood on the boundary between life and death.
Such overwhelming confidence.
It felt like a sharp needle piercing Neferpitou's eyes.
A faint sense of frustration, like ink spreading in water, stirred within her heart.
But bound by rationality, she abruptly halted her momentum, coming to an instant stop before leaping into the air and leaving Morrow behind.
Morrow watched Neferpitou leap into the air with an unchanged expression, the Shooting Star condensed in his palm already fully formed.
This might be an excellent opportunity for a sneak attack...
His eyes reflected Neferpitou's defenseless back as she jumped into the air, and Morrow hesitated for a moment.
No.
With his current aura output level, plus having already diverted part of his aura output, even if he temporarily enhanced this Shooting Star in his hand, it wouldn't be enough to inflict fatal damage on Neferpitou.
Instead, it might cause delays in aura allocation rhythm, preventing him from maintaining tight suppression against Neferpitou.
By then, escape might become impossible.
Morrow quite rationally suppressed the thought of using this Shooting Star to sneak attack Neferpitou's back.
Not yet.
To deal with a monster of this level, I need to at least wait until the 'experience harvest plan' proceeds smoothly...
The best outcome would be reaching level 81 in one go, then see if I can trigger the 'Etude of Love' level reward mechanism again.
As these thoughts circulated in Morrow's mind, his hands never stopped moving, throwing the second Shooting Star into the air.
As this Shooting Star ascended, Morrow immediately began gathering Nen in his hands again.
The suspension time for Deceptive Shooting Star could be set between 1 to 5 seconds.
So Morrow planned to launch five Shooting Stars consecutively, setting their suspension times in sequence, and through launch angles, position them in high, medium, and low spatial levels.
This way, he could significantly increase Neferpitou's interception difficulty.
Correspondingly, he could buy more evacuation time.
The only calculation needed was the throwing height and falling speed of the Star-Marked coins to ensure accuracy.
And what needed consideration was avoiding accidentally destroying the Chimera Ant Nest, which would cause the Queen's death...
If that happened, Neferpitou would most likely go into Utter Madness.
At that point, forget about him and Kite, probably even Gon and Killua would be hunted down relentlessly by Neferpitou.
Morrow condensed the third Shooting Star and launched it at an angle, precisely controlling its height.
All his actions, including his astonishing composure when facing Neferpitou's killing move earlier, were carefully observed by Kite.
In a daze, Kite seemed to see Ging's figure.
So similar, that confidence in calmly guiding prey into preset routes was exactly the same...
But the problem was, the prey he was facing was a monster that defied all reason!
Before such a monster, it was already commendable for normal people to maintain fighting spirit.
Let alone calmly setting up strategies.
This person is truly remarkable!
"It seems my luck is good, fate isn't ready to claim me yet."
Kite murmured to himself.
In the world of Pro Hunters and Nen users, resolve is a necessary condition and also a powerful weapon.
From the moment Kite embarked on this path, he had prepared to sacrifice his life at any time.
Because of this, even if he could escape death this time, he didn't feel any particular sense of having narrowly survived.
He only felt that in this originally hopeless dead end, such a powerful Nen user had appeared, intervening precisely to forcefully create a sliver of survival chance for him.
This was undoubtedly a kind of magical luck.
"Boom!"
Another loud explosion from a Shooting Star sounded in the distance.
Undoubtedly, it was Neferpitou forcibly intercepting another Shooting Star.
Kite turned back, his view already blocked by the increasingly dense trees, no longer able to see Morrow's figure.
But then, another explosion resounded with a roar.
Like a resolute response, it eased his heart slightly.
—--
At this moment.
Neferpitou crashed heavily to the ground, wrapped in lingering smoke, her eyes gleaming with ferocity.
Before she could even steady her posture, another fluorescent green meteor shot toward the towering Chimera Ant Nest that rose from the forest.
Neferpitou had already understood that the opponent intended to use this method to disengage from the fight.
Yet she had no way to break the situation, forced to dart around like a cat irresistibly drawn to a teaser toy, played with in the palm of their hand.
And from this moment on, her desire to strengthen the Chimera Ant soldiers under her command grew even more intense.
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Bonus chapter @1000powerstones