What Hisoka pursues-
Is a certain kind of freedom.
It's not about doing whatever he wanted, it's just about being true to his own desires.
When hearing the question of why he liked fighting, Hisoka's first reaction wasn't to think about how to answer Moses.
Instead, he found it strange that Moses would suddenly ask such a question.
In Hisoka's perception, Moses is...
special.
So special that Hisoka didn't mind spending endless time and effort to 'pursue' him.
This wasn't about nurturing an apple or tending to a tree-
He simply thought that Moses's existence was worth doing so.
But during this 'pursuit', Hisoka realized that Moses was different from him.
Although they were both essentially the type who loved fighting, Hisoka knew Moses didn't enjoy killing.
It seemed all the killing associated with Moses was merely a means to solve the problems he faced.
So, in Hisoka's eyes, Moses suddenly throwing out this question felt more like a whim.
Then-
What was the reason that prompted this man to have such whim?
The underlying reason piqued Hisoka's interest a little, making him start seriously considering how to answer Moses' question.
Come to think of it-
This was the first time he actively delved into the motivations behind his own behavior.
And all of this was a change brought about by Moses.
What mattered wasn't why he fought, but who he fought.
Among all the people he had encountered so far, only this man, Moses...
Made him obsessed, excited, joyful, and even delirious.
While Hisoka was thinking, the corners of his mouth kept curling upward, and even his eyelids could barely contain the excitement in his pupils.
Seeing Hisoka momentarily frozen in silence, and even showing signs of devolving into his perverted state, Moses shook his head slightly and suddenly lost interest in the 'answer'.
"Hisoka, I must have had a nerve twitch to ask you such a question. Don't take it to heart, and don't bother answering. Right now, we should focus on figuring out how to deal with those things on you."
Seeing that Hisoka getting eager, Moses immediately called a halt, not wanting to give Hisoka any chance at all.
Originally, Hisoka had already prepared his answer, but when he heard Moses say this, his bad day officially began.
"Get up here."
Moses couldn't care less about Hisoka's mood and told him to get ashore quickly.
Hisoka quickly adjusted his emotions, twisted his waist a few times in the river, and then stepped ashore with a somewhat alluring slowness.
Once he completely left the river, the plants covering his body became fully visible.
There is no need to say much about the flowers in his private parts. On his waist, thighs, shoulders, and arms, Moses can see many plants such as vines and roots.
It's just these plants-
Were unnaturally vibrant.
Or rather, their greenness gave off a sense of dissonance.
It's like an artist deliberately intensifying the colors to paint an overly conspicuous green plant.
Moses observed the plants on Hisoka's body.
Both the flowers and the greenery grew strikingly vivid.
These plants were inherently appealing.
But Moses sensed a hint of greed from them.
'If these things are allowed to take root and grow freely, absorbing all the nutrients they can reach...'
'They would likely spread like a tidal wave in all directions.'
'The fact that Hisoka could confine them like this could also be considered a stroke of luck.'
"Hisoka, I'm not sure if 'this method' can solve the problem with those things on you."
Moses's gaze shifted away from the green plants and flowers, and turned to look at Hisoka's face, giving him a shot of prevention first.
Hisoka placed a hand on his hip and said flatly, "Apart from 'this method', is there any other method?"
"Nope."
Moses answered lightly.
Hisoka drooped his eyelids, shrugged helplessly, and said nothing more.
Seeing this, Moses knew Hisoka was ready and nodded, "Since you have no objections, let's get started."
"…"
Hisoka didn't say anything, but just narrowed his eyes slightly and giving a look to tell Moses to hurry up.
"…"
Moses also fell silent for a moment and did not take any substantial action, only because Hisoka's current reaction was too disgusting.
"Hisoka, please be serious. Otherwise, I might accidentally kill you in a moment of frustration."
"Okay~"
In the end, Hisoka still hoped to solve the major issue on his body as soon as possible, so he stopped acting up and began cooperating seriously.
Seeing that Hisoka finally returned to normal, Moses sighed softly and said in a commanding tone: "Open your Aura Nodes and use Ten."
"Understood~"
Upon hearing this, Hisoka released the Zetsu state without hesitation, and opened his Aura Nodes to release his Aura, allowing it to slowly wrap around his body surface.
As the Aura flowed out from his body, the plants rooted in Hisoka's skin suddenly acted like sharks smelling blood, forcefully driving their nutrient-absorbing parts deeper into his flesh.
Instantly, an overwhelming wave of pain assaulted Hisoka's nerves.
Even though Hisoka was already accustomed to this kind of severe pain, he couldn't help but groan at this moment, and his brows were furrowing uncontrollably.
Maintaining a Zetsu state could suppress the plants' growth and significantly reduce the pain.
Conversely, opening his Aura Nodes and releasing his Aura would cause the plants to grow rapidly and subject him to unimaginable agony.
Moses knew this, but asking Hisoka to open his Aura Nodes wasn't just to make him suffer.
He was planning to use the [Withered Emotion Fragment] to deal with these strange plants on Hisoka's body.
The [Withered Emotion Fragment] is a ball of energy that carries a strong presence of death. If Hisoka continues to maintain the Zetsu state, then even if he didn't die from close contact with it, he'd likely turn into a vegetable on the spot.
Noticing the pain on Hisoka's face, Moses remained unmoved and directly extracted the [Withered Emotion Fragment] from his consciousness space.
In an instant-
A mass of pitch-black energy suddenly appeared from out of nowhere above Moses's right hand, emitting a strong scent of decay.
Hisoka looked up at the Aura mass that exuded a strong scent of decay in Moses's hand, and his heart shuddered. He then understood why Moses asked him to use Ten first.
"Don't resist."
Moses reminded.
Hisoka was in so much pain he couldn't speak, so he could only nod at Moses.