Manic, volatile, furious, bloodthirsty.
It was hard to imagine one person's face could show so many emotions at once.
Moro withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to the storm-like aura of rage and madness surrounding Orien, and caught up to the medical team ahead.
He didn't respond to Orien's threats—because he knew fists worked better than words.
Netero cast a deep glance at Moro's departing back, then slowly stepped down from the ring.
With this matter settled, there was no longer any reason to stay on the stage.
However, this spectacle had sparked Netero's strong interest in the upcoming final match.
There would be no surprises.
On the finals' stage, it would undoubtedly be Moro versus Orien.
The Heavens Arena Medical Ward.
Kastro had been rushed into the emergency room.
Outside in the hallway, Moro waited.
Not long after, Callista arrived to wait with him.
"The medical level at Heavens Arena is reliable,"
A sudden voice echoed from the corridor.
Moro and Callista turned toward the sound and saw Biscuit Krueger and Yamen walking slowly toward them.
"Mm," Moro replied softly as he watched Biscuit approaching.
With countless daily matches in the Arena and frequent injuries, it stood to reason that their medical team would be top-tier.
Biscuit stopped in front of them and studied Moro's eyes carefully. "You're carrying a lot of killing intent. What are you planning to do?"
She'd seen the entire confrontation in the arena just moments ago.
Even without asking, the unwavering killing intent radiating from Moro already gave her a good idea of what was coming.
Next to her, Yamen and Callista also turned to look at Moro.
Meeting their eyes, Moro answered calmly, "On the day of the finals, I'll crush him."
"Crush him, huh…" Biscuit's eyes glinted faintly. "You've seen Orien's ability—it's not so simple to overwhelm someone like him. But I don't dislike that confidence."
"His ability is certainly unusual. The fact that his Nen clone can lead the attack is already a problem. On top of that, the clone can independently maintain 'In'—in a fight where he's outnumbering his opponent, that gives him a huge edge."
Moro spoke in a calm tone. "But he does have a weakness."
"You've spotted it?" Biscuit smiled faintly.
Yamen and Callista both blinked with surprise.
A weakness?
From what they'd seen, Orien's Nen clone ability had seemed flawless in the arena.
As Moro had said—it was true multi-versus-one combat in essence.
They had only seen Orien use that strategy flawlessly. They hadn't noticed any weakness.
Hearing Moro and Biscuit talk about it now sparked their curiosity.
Moro nodded toward Biscuit.
She kept her gaze on him. "So, you're not going to keep holding back anymore?"
"Plans can't keep up with changes," Moro said coolly, eyelids lowering slightly. "The tournament follows a points system, so I need to make sure I kill Orien in one blow before the referee can intervene."
"That so…"
Biscuit was intrigued. "I'm really looking forward to seeing how you take him down."
It wasn't often she anticipated a Heavens Arena match.
Originally, she hadn't planned to stay this long when Yamen first brought her here.
But things had changed.
Not just because of the tournament's grand prize—
—but also because of the boy standing in front of her.
Moro, unaware of how her view of him had been evolving, said nothing further. He leaned against the cold wall, already formulating tactics in his mind for how to take down Orien.
He had to ensure the kill in one strike.
That meant preparing an attack that was not only fast but devastating.
Ensuring the success of that strike—was the entire point of developing a tactic.
Beside him, Yamen looked between Moro and his master.
Holding back…
Moro had been holding back all along?
So when they fought… Moro had only used him to gauge his own growth, and hadn't even gone all out?
If that were true… the gap was far greater than he'd imagined.
He wanted to ask his master about it—but held his tongue.
Night fell.
Thanks to the emergency treatment, Kastro was out of critical danger.
But his injuries were so severe that even though he survived, he'd be confined to bed for a long time. They'd also need to observe for possible long-term effects.
Still, that was a stroke of luck.
In high-level matches like these, when killing intent is unleashed, death is always on the table.
Take the match where Moro killed Shalley—he found an opening and used a dirty trick to land a one-hit kill.
Even Shalley couldn't defend against it, let alone any bystanding referee.
So no one could've intervened or prevented it.
That's just how battles between Nen users were.
After all, the Nen energy they wielded was both the sharpest spear and the strongest shield.
If your shield didn't go up in time, then the enemy's spear would pierce straight through and take your life without resistance.
Once he confirmed Kastro was safe, Moro focused all his attention on the final.
There were less than ten days left.
He stopped daily training. He even declined Biscuit's offer to spar.
Instead, he stayed alone in his room, running simulations in his mind of the upcoming battle against Orien.
Whenever his concentration wavered, he would use the red death-mark on the back of his left hand to jolt himself back into focus—again and again.
And then back to simulation. Over and over.
Days passed.
December 30.
Tomorrow was the final.
In the 6-to-3 bracket, Moro had defeated his opponent with a clean one-hit KO, without either side scoring points.
Due to his overwhelming victory, he advanced straight to the finals.
Orien had to fight one more match.
As expected by most observers, Orien won and secured his spot in the finals.
Moro was already fully prepared.
In the dimly lit room, he slowly opened his eyes, expressionless. A fleeting gleam of sharp intent flickered across his gaze.
Bzzz... bzzz...
In the silence, the buzzing of a phone suddenly filled the room.
Moro picked it up.
Seeing the caller ID—Kurto—his previously cold eyes softened, returning to their usual calm.
At the same time—
In Kukuru Mountain, at the Zoldyck estate—
Current head Silva was having a conversation with Kikyo about Kurto...
After all, Kurto had used a fabricated mission to sneak her way to the Heavens Arena—
Of course Silva and Kikyo weren't going to be fooled.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen