The joint assault launched by the Zodiac Twelve was dismantled one by one by Morrow in the blink of an eye.
However, this only meant that Botobai, Mizaistom, Kanzai, Gel, Saccho, and Saiyu had failed to land their attacks.
There were still other members of the Zodiac Twelve present on the scene.
Although Pyon (Rabbit) had immediately risen from her seat the moment Pariston's head hit the ground, she did not join the siege. Instead, she decisively retreated to the side and continued fiddling with her phone, head lowered.
Her reasoning was simple.
If even the combat-focused members like Botobai couldn't suppress the opponent when working together, it meant the assailant was absurdly powerful.
In that case, why should a non-combat type like her go up and cause more trouble?
Conversely, if the assailant was weak, her colleagues would quickly subdue him, making her involvement unnecessary.
With this self-consistent logic, Pyon had no psychological burden retreating from the front lines, feeling at ease slacking off and playing on her phone.
Like Pyon, Cheadle on the stage did not act immediately.
She was also a non-combat type Nen user. Although she had mastered solid Nen techniques, her ability wasn't suited for direct combat.
Therefore, she didn't rashly join the fray. Instead, while Botobai and the others were besieging Morrow, she calmly observed from the periphery, looking for any potential weaknesses Morrow might expose.
However, after some observation, the boldness and meticulousness he displayed left her inwardly shocked. Not only did he show no flaws, but he also maintained extreme calm amidst the layers of encirclement, formulating precise counter-strategies in the blink of an eye.
What surprised her the most was... Saccho's Manipulation ability, capable of severing the strings of emotion, failed to activate its conditions even after clearly striking Morrow.
As a fellow doctor skilled in solving difficult and complicated cases, Cheadle was quite familiar with Saccho's Nen ability, specialized for psychological therapy.
This was a Manipulation ability that would take effect even if the target defended against the slash with their "aura."
In other words, Saccho's slash itself inflicted no physical damage. As long as the blade made contact, the ability could be directly activated, interfering with the target's emotions and spirit.
The most formidable aspect of this ability was its effectiveness against Enhancers.
After all, most Enhancers had great confidence in their defenses and often chose to withstand attacks with their flesh to gain an advantage in offense and defense.
So, without knowing Saccho's ability, even if they defended effectively, they would fall victim to it the next moment.
When Morrow faced Saccho's slash, he merely used "Ryu" to promptly construct an aura defense, completely blocking the strike.
This method of coping, on the surface, was no different from how Enhancers Saccho had encountered before handled it, and should have successfully triggered the ability... Yet, the result was nothing.
The only explanation was that the opponent's willpower and mental strength, like Chairman Netero's, had reached a plant-like state.
So, it wasn't that Saccho failed to sever the opponent's strings of emotion... But that there were simply none to sever.
This person is too strong... From her observer perspective, Cheadle gained a more intuitive understanding of Morrow's fearsomeness.
But why hasn't he gone for the kill? While still reeling from Morrow's impeccable strength, she keenly noticed his restraint in both offense and defense.
A powerhouse bold enough to publicly kill Pariston in such a setting had arrived with intense bloodlust. Even if only to ensure escape, he would inevitably resort to lethal force against those blocking his path.
Yet her observations revealed Morrow repeatedly passing up opportunities to severely injure or even kill his colleagues.
This puzzled her.
Just then, Sheep Ginta stepped into Morrow's close-quarters combat range.
His large frame made his movements slightly clumsier than the others, causing him to arrive a step late.
But that wasn't entirely accurate.
Rather than clumsy, it was more that his colleagues moved with exceptional speed.
Regardless, as he pressed toward Morrow, he formed a pincer attack with Cheadle behind the podium.
Seeing the situation unfold, a subtle shift occurred in Cheadle's gaze.
Setting aside her observation of Morrow's inexplicable restraint, she could no longer remain uninvolved, if only to assist Mizaistom in materializing the yellow card again.
Thus, acting on her own judgment, Cheadle moved at that moment.
Her aura flowed steadily around her as she deliberately darted from Morrow's blind spot.
A new round of assault commenced.
If Ginta and Cheadle could restrain Morrow for even one second, the other scattered Zodiac Twelve members could quickly regroup and form a tight, steady encirclement once more.
This time, they would not fail again.
Morrow's gaze swiftly swept over Ginta charging forth like a tank while simultaneously detecting Cheadle's stealthy approach from his blind spot.
Facing this pincer attack, he unhesitatingly exposed his back to Ginta and shifted to an offensive stance against Cheadle.
Witnessing Morrow's choice, Cheadle remained exceptionally calm, rapidly running through several possibilities in her mind.
The best scenario: she could barely withstand Morrow's assault, holding out for at least one second.
Her companions would never waste this brief moment she bought.
The worst scenario: she couldn't last even a second, dying instantly by Morrow's hand.
But even so, she would use her body to hinder Morrow with her dying breath, restricting his movement space however briefly.
Theoretically, these were the only two outcomes.
However, Cheadle had already vaguely confirmed Morrow's reluctance to kill.
So regardless of what happened next, she actually had some margin for error.
Without hesitation, Cheadle advanced toward Morrow, initiating her attack first.
She raised her right arm in a straightforward, steady palm strike, as upright as her character, directly thrusting toward Morrow.
The trajectory was too direct, easily readable.
Morrow sidestepped effortlessly, his footsteps never ceasing as he brushed past her side, instantly circling behind her.
A sharp glint flashed in Cheadle's eyes behind her glasses.
Having noticed Morrow's intentional restraint, she had anticipated his combat choices.
More precisely, this seemingly simple palm strike had subtly "forced" the unwilling killer into her predicted response.
Cheadle pivoted her waist preemptively, spinning her body to deliver a fierce elbow strike aimed at Morrow's torso.
Thud! Swift and precise, the Ryu carried a wind-splitting force as it slammed heavily into Morrow's body with a dull thud.
Morrow was sent flying backward from the impact.
A direct hit. As expected, he's holding back from killing intent...
Cheadle used the residual momentum from her elbow strike to pivot, just in time to see the direction of Morrow's flight.
Perfectly aligned, right toward Mizaistom's position.
At that moment, her eyes met Morrow's face, which was unnervingly calm, devoid of even a ripple of emotion.
Could he have anticipated my strategy and deliberately used the momentum to close in on Mizaistom?
A sudden tremor shook Cheadle's heart, but she had no way to confirm it.
A gust of wind roared past her side.
Ginta's massive frame charged forth like a battle tank, rushing past Cheadle in pursuit of the airborne Morrow.
Watching Ginta's retreating figure, Cheadle quickly steadied her emotions.
For that brief moment, she had truly felt completely seen through.
But now, having confirmed that Morrow would rather endure disadvantage than resort to lethal force, her concern about the situation worsening faded.
However, Ginta didn't share this insight.
Like the other Zodiac Twelve members, he believed the assailant must be subdued, even killed if necessary.
Only then could the escalation be halted.
—--
Elsewhere, Mizaistom Conjured a yellow card for the third time, only to see Morrow hurtling through the air toward him.
They say trouble never comes alone.
Without hesitation, Mizaistom flipped the card, aiming its prominent "X" emblem directly at Morrow.
Even knowing the risks of forcing the activation, he chose to act.
"Restr–"
Before the word could fully form, Morrow abruptly released his aura mid-air, using an Emission burst to propel himself into a second acceleration.
This turned him into a blur as he closed the distance to Mizaistom.
Mizaistom's ability was interrupted once more.
But even if he had completed the incantation, the ability would have failed regardless.
Before Morrow accelerated forward, he had repeated his earlier tactic, piercing the yellow card in Mizaistom's hand with an inconspicuous Nen bullet.
This was his contingency plan.
And it minimized the risks to the lowest degree.
Morrow descended before Mizaistom, spinning mid-air as a sharp horizontal kick swept toward the other's arm.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted. Mizaistom grimaced, a bone-cracking pain shooting through his arm as he was sent flying uncontrollably.
Simultaneously, Kanzai had just pushed aside the rubble pinning him and was about to charge back to the podium to confront the assailant.
But he was caught off guard as Mizaistom crashed into him head-on.
The two tumbled out through the shattered wall like struck bowling pins.
This time, Kanzai felt like a punching bag.
But being slammed into by Mizaistom didn't feel much different from being one.
Is it just my imagination...? Every time we're just a step away, he always seems to have everything under control.
Watching Morrow successively dismantle Cheadle and Mizaistom's assaults, Ginta's gaze darkened as he deliberately slowed his pursuit.
This wasn't cowardice.
On the contrary, this pause allowed his colleagues to reposition.
It prevented the vicious cycle of being picked off one by one.
Ginta's rational decision to slow the pace indeed enabled Botobai and the others to close in promptly.
The entire podium had become the sole battlefield. Botobai had just smashed Saiyu's Mizaru, but it also served as a buffer, preventing him from being sent flying too far away.
So after regaining his footing, he quickly returned to the spacious podium, intending to join the fight as swiftly as possible.
The Nen snake that Gel had materialized using her arm was being used by Morrow as a rope to wrap around Saccho's neck, and she was even knocked over by the incoming Saccho.
But she directly dispelled her ability, releasing the entanglement between the Nen snake and Saccho's neck, then stepped on Saccho's back just as he was about to get up, using the momentum to leap lightly and land on the podium.
Saccho was stomped down hard onto the ground again by her. His professionalism as a psychologist allowed him to hold back some vulgar words that should not be spoken.
He was a step slower than Gel, but he quickly got up as well.
After all, the man who killed Pariston was undoubtedly an unimaginable monster... At a time like this, they had to unite and work together to subdue him.
The members of the Zodiac Twelve participating in the encirclement had almost pushed their offensive initiative to the limit.
Only the internet-addicted girl who had retreated to the rear from the very beginning stopped playing on her phone with a look of surprise after seeing her colleagues being knocked over one after another by Morrow.
However, she did not have a sudden awakening and join the battle. Instead, like an on-site spectator, she raised her phone, turned on the camera, and started filming the fight.
Also staying out of it were the Pro Hunters in the seating area who had come to participate in the election event.
Most of them shared the same thought.
Since even the Zodiac Twelve working together could hardly gain an advantage over the assailant, there was no need to mention those Nen users who knew their own limits.
But not everyone chose to play it safe.
Among the crowd, there were still some Pro Hunters confident in their own abilities who were eager to join the fray.
For example, Bushidora, the Single Star Blacklist Hunter who had campaigned for chairman by shouting "Restore the Pure Paladin Squad's glory" but was eliminated in the first round.
Aside from him, there were several dozen Pro Hunters skilled in martial combat.
They were eager to act but did not rush in recklessly.
After all, with the Zodiac Twelve's experience as a cautionary tale, even if they intended to take action, it would be better to patiently observe first.
In front of the podium, Saiyu's initiative, however, was far less than that of the other Zodiac Twelve members.
This was not only due to the nature of his ability but also because he felt a sense of apprehension.
When Mizaru was tragically smashed by Botobai, Saiyu felt that the guy who had publicly killed Pariston was not only a madman but also possessed unfathomable strength.
Thus, adhering to a philosophy of self-preservation and using his ability's characteristics as an excuse, Saiyu had no intention of foolishly charging in and exposing himself to great risk.
He positioned himself behind his colleagues and activated his ability once more.
Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru, three Nen monkeys, materialized simultaneously.
This time, he only intended to let the three Nen monkeys participate in the battle, searching for an opportunity to attack Morrow.
This way, he could contribute to the fight while staying away from the danger.
Give it your all, you guys.
Saiyu pulled out his golden staff and glanced at his colleagues who were once again swarming in.
For the Nen monkeys to actually hit Morrow and activate their abilities, they would have to rely on their colleagues to create openings.
And he only needed to sit back safely, without worrying about the immediate risks.
But little did he know, this act of avoiding the fight instead made Saiyu the "isolated" one on the field. Although Morrow was single-handedly holding his ground against the Zodiac Twelve's siege, as Ginta had noticed, he remained completely at ease.
This confidence stemmed from his overwhelming aura output.
Even without relying on complex Nen abilities, his fundamental physical prowess alone provided him with immense room for error.
Morrow stood calmly on the podium, allowing the Zodiac Twelve to regroup and surround him from all directions.
From the beginning of the confrontation until now, he had remained composed and unruffled.
This reaction was naturally observed by Botobai and the other Zodiac Twelve members, eliciting varied expressions among them.
Morrow patiently waited for them to complete their encirclement.
Then, in the next instant... Astral Step activated.
Whoosh!
Morrow's figure vanished into thin air, instantly piercing through the encirclement of the Zodiac Twelve and three Nen monkeys, appearing before Saiyu like a ghost.
Before the other could react, Morrow pressed his palm against Saiyu's head and leaped upward.
The two shot through the central aisle of the seating area like cannonballs, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Boom!
The deafening impact reverberated like a hammer strike, startling every Pro Hunter present.
Morrow looked down, meeting Saiyu's terrified eyes through the gaps between his fingers.