First implant the Star Mark, then attack with a full-power Deceptive Shooting Star.
Finally, ignite seven Accretion Charges.
This series of complex and demanding conditions enabled the possibility of killing an opponent far beyond one's level.
Youpi's crimson body froze in place, completely unscathed amidst the prairie-fire-like azure flames.
But the soul forcibly torn from his body was powerless to resist the burning of these flames.
And this damage directly inflicted upon the soul brought Youpi unimaginable pain.
His face contorted, his maw gaping wide in a silent scream.
But in his soul state, he couldn't make a single sound.
He could only watch helplessly as his soul-body turned to ashes inch by inch in the azure flames.
How... how is this possible?
Amid the tidal wave of agony, Youpi sensed the aura of death, but his consciousness was filled with disbelief.
His body was clearly unharmed.
He clearly still had vast, seemingly inexhaustible life energy.
So why... why was this happening?
Such an ability... it simply defied all reason.
Youpi roared with a savage expression, his fierce eyes fixed intently on Morrow, who was covered in blood but still stubbornly standing.
He wanted to lunge forward, but his soul was imprisoned within his burning shell. No matter how intense his desire to kill Morrow, it was ultimately futile.
This ability... this ability... it might even pose a threat to the King!
Youpi suddenly realized this possibility, but what followed was an even more violent surge of azure flames.
Burning his thoughts, his consciousness, and even his entire soul... into utter nothingness.
And so, Youpi, one of the King's three Royal Guards, died.
Thud.
The crimson body fused with magical beast genes heavily collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.
Simultaneously.
With Youpi's death, a massive amount of experience flooded into the Tree Rings.
Lv.81 → Lv.82 → Lv.83 → Lv.84 → Lv.85...
The characters at the center of the Tree Rings pulsated one after another as if infused with life.
Finally stopping at Lv.89.
From Lv.81 to Lv.89, a full eight levels.
Despite the severe experience decay mechanism in the later stages, he actually managed to level up eight times in one go!
From this, one could imagine just how incredibly high Youpi's aura output level must have been.
It was certain that it absolutely exceeded Lv.100.
So, what level must the King, who surpassed even Youpi, be?
Morrow had no way of knowing.
But Youpi's aura output level was likely the highest among the Royal Guards.
To kill such a monster with a human level of Lv.81, the difficulty was simply unimaginable.
But Morrow had indeed done it.
Through the mechanics of Nen... allowing the Accretion Charges to spiral into critical mass, orchestrating this cosmic miracle, the collapse of even the brightest star.
"Huff... cough."
Morrow coughed up a large mouthful of thick blood, with no time to check the grievous injuries covering his body.
To ignite the final Accretion Charge on Youpi within the limited time... he had willingly placed himself in mortal danger.
Although he used the warning ability of Starlight Convergence to avoid vital spots at the last moment, with multiple parts of his body pierced through, such severe injuries were hardly different from being struck in a vital point.
However, he possessed the ability Shooting Star · Essence Siphon, giving him a chance to cling to his last breath.
No Post-Mortem Will...
Morrow glanced at Youpi's perfectly intact corpse.
The Royal Guards possessed a loyalty to the King rooted in their very nature and instincts.
Strengthened by Nen, such loyalty could easily leave behind a Post-Mortem Will.
But it seemed now that among the Royal Guards, Neferpitou was the most likely to leave one behind.
This isn't the time to think about that. Many of the remaining Star Mark numbers have already disappeared... They must have been killed... Fortunately, there are still some nearby...
Morrow's strength was rapidly draining away, yet he willed his body to remain standing, simultaneously channeling his aura output to condense a Shooting Star in his palm, its core glowing with a vibrant emerald light.
I have to do it before the King emerges...
As the thought crossed his mind, Morrow weakly flung the Shooting Star from his hand.
At that moment, Knuckle and Knov finally snapped out of their shock.
Killed... killed?
That monstrous Youpi, eliminated by Morrow at such a critical moment?
Even with the evidence before their eyes, they still found it somewhat hard to believe.
This alone showed how utterly inconceivable this outcome was to them.
And when they saw the horrific injuries on Morrow, injuries that could snatch his life at any second, their expressions changed drastically, a complex, indescribable emotion welling up in their hearts.
Was it worth it?
Even though they had already deeply admired the resolve and strength Morrow had displayed in this battle.
Witnessing him push himself to such extremes, just to kill Youpi... they couldn't help but ask themselves this question silently.
If Morrow could hear their internal query, he would answer without hesitation: It was worth it.
Because he knew very well that if Youpi were given any chance to recover and analyze the battle afterwards, then Youpi could potentially use the insights gained from this fight to develop his own combat-oriented Nen ability.
By then, Youpi's combat power would rise to a whole new level.
Not to mention, the intelligence regarding his abilities "Starlight Convergence" and "Stellar Collapse" would be figured out and relayed to the other Royal Guards and the King.
If Shaiapouf and Neferpitou advocated for developing an Exorcism ability, all of Morrow's previous efforts would be in vain.
So even without the safety net of the "rewind," Morrow would have made the same decision.
The Shooting Star · Essence Siphon flew from his hand, heading towards the bottom of the Chimera Ant Nest.
Morrow then half-knelt, using his right hand to barely support his body.
In mere moments, a pool of blood had gathered at his feet.
Knov and Knuckle rushed towards him simultaneously.
They didn't know how to describe their feelings at that moment, but they shared a common thought.
In this situation where every second counted to escape the battlefield, Morrow, who had spared no effort, even at the cost of his life, to kill Youpi, was undoubtedly humanity's true hero.
That resolve and courage deeply shocked both of them.
Knuckle was the first to reach Morrow's side, his voice urgent, "Hey, hey, this amount of blood loss is way too..."
Seeing the expanding pool of blood at Morrow's feet and those horrifying penetrating wounds, he was momentarily at a loss for how to handle it.
What was even more unsettling was their proximity to the Chimera Ant Nest. The King's oppressive aura hung over them like a sword suspended above their heads, ready to fall at any moment.
This stretched Knuckle's nerves to their absolute limit.
At that moment, Knov also arrived by his side.
No sooner had he arrived than several firefly-like emerald green light points flew out from the Chimera Ant Nest, heading toward Morrow.
Morrow glanced at the healing energy brought back by Shooting Star · Essence Siphon, then painstakingly condensed another Shooting Star · Essence Siphon and threw it out, immediately pointing at Youpi's corpse.
"Take... the body away..."
Before he could finish speaking, Morrow lost consciousness.
Just then, the emerald green light points seeped into his body, quickly stopping the bleeding.
Knov looked nervously at the Chimera Ant Nest right before his eyes, then trembling, opened a passage in the ground.
"You go in first, I-I'll wait a bit longer."
"Huh?"
Knuckle was taken aback.
Knov gritted his teeth, staring in the direction where Shooting Star · Essence Siphon had disappeared.