Hunter Association, Airport.
An airship that has been fully prepared for flight is parked on the tarmac.
This was the airship scheduled to depart at 8 AM to transport Netero to the duel location.
Netero, Beans, Cheadle, Kanzai, and Pyon had already boarded the airship in advance.
"Gel... has been eliminated."
At 00:02:17, Beans received the real-time mission report, and then relayed the news to everyone present.
"So fast?!"
Kanzai's eyes widened in shock.
He knew Moses was very strong, but he didn't expect him to take down Gel this quickly.
"Zaikan, why are you so surprised? Oh, that's right... With Gel's strength, she could easily crush a tiger-head like you. No wonder you're so shocked."
Pyon was engrossed with the game on her phone, but that didn't stop her from seizing the opportunity to be sarcastic to Kanzai.
But there's nothing wrong with what she said.
It's because Gel's abilities and fighting style completely countered Kanzai's.
In other words, the opponent Kanzai fears the most is a Nen User like Gel.
Hearing Pyon's words, Kanzai's veins immediately bulged in anger.
The reason why he was angry was not because of Pyon's brutally accurate analysis, but because Pyon called him Zaikan in public!
"With Gel out, that leaves six..."
Cheadle sat gracefully on a single sofa and said expressionlessly.
It was obvious that she was very dissatisfied with this mission targeting Moses.
But this mission was assigned by Netero himself after all, so even if she was very dissatisfied, the most she could do was refuse to participate.
Netero could easily sense Cheadle's displeasure, but he chose to pretend he didn't notice.
…
Teiza Park.
Botobai had chosen this location for the battle for two reasons: it was relatively close, and it was spacious.
Its large area, combined with the anti-terrorism drill notice, meant they wouldn't have to worry too much about causing commotion or collateral damage.
Moses arrived at Teiza Park at top speed and immediately noticed numerous barricades set up at the main entrance of the park, along with armed soldiers stationed there.
'With such a setup, it was likely that other entrances were also heavily guarded.'
'From this alone, it was clear that Botobai had prepared thoroughly and demonstrated astonishing influence.'
Moses couldn't help but feel surprised that Botobai could mobilize the military.
He carefully recalled the contents of the original work, and vaguely recalled that Botobai had deep connections with various national military forces.
'But then again, it wasn't too strange, after all, Botobai was the world's only Triple-Star Terrorist Hunter. With that status, such connections were only natural.'
As his thoughts raced, Moses walked straight toward the heavily guarded park's entrance.
The soldiers stationed there to enforce the security perimeter noticed Moses approaching but showed no signs of alarm. Instead, they even stepped aside to let him pass.
They had already memorized Moses's appearance, so naturally, they wouldn't stop him.
Just like that, Moses entered the park.
Thanks to the security cordons, the entire park was empty. Under the cover of night, the place exuded an unusually deep and eerie silence.
Moses walked to an open plaza beside an artificial lake and stood beside a central angel statue, then waited for Botobai to arrive.
About a few minutes later.
A sound of slightly heavy footsteps was heard in the quiet park.
Moses raised his gazeslightly and looked towards the park walkway in the distance following the noise.
Under the glow of the streetlights, Botobai's figure gradually came into view.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Botobai said as he stepped onto the plaza, his tone carrying a hint of meaning, "For me, this fight is only about subduing you. As for you… there's no need to hold back. You can go all out."
"Whether I hold back or go all out isn't your concern."
Moses remained expressionless.
This kind of declaration before a fight, which is clarifying the terms of engagement, was something he didn't particularly need.
Besides, even if Botobai hadn't said those words, he wouldn't have gone for a killing blow in the first place.
Subduing the opponent without taking their life?
That's exactly what he was planning to do.
Moses opened his Aura Nodes and released the maximum Manifested Aura to envelop his body.
[Ken: Bone-Plated Armor]
The Aura firmly wrapped around Moses's body, and within seconds, it gradually took on a layered, scale-like texture.
This action effectively served as the signal to begin the fight.
Upon seeing this, Botobai instantly activated his own Ken.
Solid, unwavering Aura covered every inch of his massive body.
Judging by the state and flow of his Aura, it was as steady as bedrock, which is honed through countless battles.
This level of skill alone already surpassed the vast majority of Nen Users in the world.
And there is no doubt that-
This man was battle-hardened veteran!
'No wonder he was considered the strongest in the Hunter Association, second only to old man Netero.'
…
Outside the plaza.
Mizaistom concealed his presence and paid attention to the battle that was about to break out in the plaze.
Besides him, there was actually another person, who was paying attention to the situation in the plaza.
This person is Ging, who hadn't shown up at the hotel earlier.
Although he participated in this mission with the mentality of just joining in the fun...
But since he has accepted the mission, he couldn't afford to be too careless.
With his hands in his pockets, Ging stood in a dark corner. He first glanced at where Mizaistom was without leaving a trace, and then looked at Moses and Botobai in the plaza.
Out of respect for the '1v1 duel', Ging would not take action until the duel was over.
On the plaza.
Without the referee's announcement, the battle began silently.
Botobai launched the first attack without any hesitation.
His sturdy body was running on the stone floor of the plaza, creating the momentum of a tank charging.
'It's very likely that he's an Enhancer...'
Looking at Botobai's reckless offensive momentum, Moses made a preliminary guess.
A top-tier Enhancer...
In the past, this would've given Moses a massive headache, forcing him to constantly strategize on how to implant the black tendrils into his opponent during battle.
Now that the Soul Echo Ability System is gone and has been replaced by a multiplied Manifested Aura, there was no longer any need to set up all sorts of flashy tactics.
'Then let's go head-to-head.'
Moses's eyes remained calm, and the Aura surrounding him radiated an unwavering confidence.
Botobai read this intent from the shifts in Moses's Aura.
Then-
Botobai accepted the invitation in an instant and charged straight towards Moses.
His fist, which was nearly the size of a bowling ball, was wrapped in powerful Aura and struck toward Moses's face in a straight trajectory.
Faced with Botobai's straightforward, unadorned punch, Moses chose not to conjure his Black Sword, because that would divert at least a third of his Manifested Aura.
Fist against fist!
At this moment, Moses made a move that was completely different from his usual style.
He swung his arm, pouring a massive amount of Aura into his fist, then drove it upward to meet Botobai's.
Boom!
Their fists collided mid-air, producing a thunderous muffled impact.
The Aura from both sides clashed violently, bursting outward and scattering as visible white shockwaves, striking the plaza's stone floor like irregular lightning.
Amidst a series of crisp cracking sounds, the surrounding ground abruptly fractured and shattered.
This intense clash lasted for several seconds before suddenly shifting in the next moment.
In the contest of sustained force, Moses unexpectedly gained the upper hand.
By the time Botobai realized this, it was already too late to adjust or counter.
Boom-!
With a deafening explosion of Aura, Botobai's bear-like, muscular body was forcefully sent flying back by Moses!
This scene-
Was witnessed by Mizaistom and Ging from the shadows, as well as by Saccho and the others who had just arrived in the distance.
Except for Ging, the others' faces showed varying degrees of shock or astonishment!
'This new Zodiacs' Monkey-'
'Isn't an Enhancer, right?!'
Amidst their shock, Mizaistom and the others couldn't help but silently ask this question to themselves.