During this time, Moro had remained in his room, meditating and building up energy.
The fluctuations in his mental state inevitably revealed themselves through his Nen aura.
That's why Biscuit had noticed Moro's "mental constraints" becoming increasingly severe.
Such an approach, while capable of unleashing astonishing fighting spirit during battle, also placed a heavy burden on the psyche.
Nen is a double-edged sword dormant in human will and spirit.
Used well, it can harm enemies; used poorly, it can harm oneself.
Biscuit understood this, but there was nothing she could do to intervene—she could only watch as Moro's aura grew sharper and sharper.
Fortunately, the arrival of that little girl in the kimono somewhat eased Moro's tightly strung mental state.
That was a good thing.
And it made Biscuit a little less worried.
—
Elsewhere.
Moro had taken Kurt out for a fun day around the area and then escorted him to the airport.
"I really want to stay and watch tomorrow's final," Kurt said, unable to hide his disappointment in the departure hall.
To him, a battle between top-tier fighters was immensely alluring.
Moro smiled, "I think the Heavens Arena is doing a live broadcast. You can watch it on your phone."
"Guess that'll have to do," Kurt murmured, his gaze downcast.
The camera angles of a broadcast could never compare to witnessing the fight in person.
But he had to hurry home—there was no staying behind.
"Your boarding time's almost up. Go on." Moro glanced at the big screen displaying boarding information and reminded him.
Kurt nodded lightly, said goodbye, and headed straight for the boarding gate.
Moro watched him leave, waiting until the airship took off before heading back to the Heavens Arena.
Tomorrow was the match against Orion.
But in the time he had left, Moro had no intention of training.
Nor did he dwell on the match.
Right now, his body and mind were both completely relaxed.
All that remained… was to get a good night's sleep.
—
December 31st.
With the finals of the Martial Arts Olympics approaching, every screen in the Heavens Arena was surrounded by spectators.
Tickets for the finals were distributed through a free lottery, open only to Arena members.
So the vast majority of fans gathered outside to soak in the atmosphere and watch the live broadcast.
Inside, as always, it was noisy and packed.
The spectator seats were full, and in the VIP section on the high platform sat dignitaries from all over, including Netero.
"Welcome, fight fans from all over the world!" the announcer shouted from the center of the ring, arms wide open.
His enthusiastic voice echoed through the arena via the microphone, immediately silencing the crowd.
"After four intense rounds, the two fighters who made it to the final stage are Moro and Orion!"
"These two fighters have emerged from among the tower masters, and without a doubt, they represent the pinnacle of strength, technique, and willpower!"
"So when you hear their names, know that you are about to witness a truly legendary battle!"
"And at this historic moment, a legendary man is also present!"
"Please welcome the Chairman of the Hunter Association—Netero!"
With that, the announcer pointed to the center of the high platform.
There sat Netero, bathed in a cluster of spotlights.
The camera feed promptly cut to him.
"Ahem... I'm Netero, Chairman of the Hunter Association. First of all, thank you all for coming," he said, holding a mic in one hand while sneakily glancing at a speech script in the other.
"The Heavens Arena is known as the sacred ground of combat. Here, every fighter battles for 'upper-level honor,' which is also a climb to surpass their own limits..."
He paused, scanning the script, which still had a large chunk left.
"Hmm..."
The crowd waited for more.
But Netero abruptly ended the speech.
"Well, anyway, just enjoy the show."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
There was a brief silence.
The announcer quickly picked up the slack: "Just as Chairman Netero said—let us enjoy every moment of what's to come..."
Far away at the Hunter Association building in Swadini City, Beans, watching the broadcast, held his head in despair.
"Who ends a speech right after starting it?! I worked hard on that script…"
—
Back at the arena...
"The two fighters have entered! Let's turn our attention to the ring!"
The announcer returned to the commentary booth.
Countless eyes turned to the ring, where Moro and Orion stood face to face.
"I told you, once you step onto this stage, I'll crush you like dust," Orion said with a crazed grin and a chilling murderous aura.
"You won't be walking off this stage alive."
Moro remained expressionless, his eyes steady and silent as he activated his Nen, quietly waiting for the fight to begin.
The referee, the most senior one in the Heavens Arena, stood between them—though even he struggled to withstand Orion's maniacal aura.
There was this unshakable fear—what if this lunatic suddenly stabs me?
And he'd actually done that before.
Under this pressure, the referee began:
"This match follows the point-based knockout system. Any weapon use is allowed. One key reminder: please strictly follow the scoring rules. Severe violations may result in immediate disqualification."
He glanced at both fighters.
But neither Moro nor Orion reacted—their eyes clashed mid-air, cold and sharp.
The special warning was, of course, due to Orion's behavior in previous matches.
Still, it didn't matter.
Officially, death matches weren't allowed.
But both fighters knew—
This was a death match.
The referee took a deep breath, stepped back, and cleared the space.
That single motion was like a signal.
Moro and Orion instantly flared their auras to full.
"Begin!"
—
In a flash—
Orion launched the first attack, raising his hand and immediately manifesting his Nen doppelgänger.
Born from a split personality, this doppelgänger was absurdly fast to conjure.
Wearing a deranged grin, Orion hurled his rational personality's doppelgänger at Moro like a spear.
Moro, unfazed, calmly stepped back while gripping his ruby-hilted blade.
Rational and berserk— the two sides of Orion's mind.
From previous fights, it was clear:
Orion's berserk side handled the main body while the rational side took the form of the doppelgänger, orchestrating the offensive with calculated precision.
The rational version could even maintain In (concealment), giving a serious edge in multi-on-one combat.
The berserk personality didn't have to think—just synchronize and act.
This was Orion's key tactic: tag-team assault between self and clone.
But there was a flaw.
To switch personas, Orion had to reabsorb the doppelgänger.
Which meant limited tactical flexibility—easy to predict.
That played to Moro's advantage.
No need for overthinking.
He already knew what was coming.
As expected, the clone vanished midair—concealment technique.
This would normally force the opponent to divert Nen to their eyes, weakening their offense or defense.
But Moro didn't need to do that.
Nor did he need to test things out.
Even if Orion's clone was stronger than usual, or hiding something—it didn't matter.
Stellar Bloom.
Moro activated his ability.
Gleaming starlight burst around him like fireworks.
No need to use Gyo on his eyes.
The stars were his eyes.
The concealed clone charged into the field of light—but remained unfazed.
After all, it was just a clone.
Probing an opponent's ability was part of the game, and clones were perfect decoys.
So it charged at Moro with a swift roundhouse kick.
If all had gone as usual, it would've waited for the berserk body to join in.
But the appearance of Stellar Bloom forced a strategy change.
The clone relayed this change to the berserk side, which paused at the edge of the starfield, ready to retract the clone at a moment's notice.
Moro easily evaded the kick.
"It's just… too easy to read."
His eyelids lowered, hiding the starlight in his gaze.
Using a clone to test a mysterious power?
Predictable.
But Stellar Bloom had a special effect on conjured clones and beasts—he'd proven that in his fight with Men'ei.
The starlight could attach markers via Nen transmission.
So using Stellar Bloom on the clone was an open trap.
Moro shifted from defense to offense, slashing toward the clone—not to harm, but to force a response and stack the conditions for his mark.
Not understanding the trap, the clone dodged and counterattacked instinctively.
They clashed three more times.
On the fourth—
The clone's punch landed on a phantom image—a limb feint.
Moro's footwork deliberately mimicked a misstep, luring the clone in.
That punch hit nothing.
And with that—
Stellar Bloom's ability activated.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
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