A battle.
Tsezguerra's perception of Morrow had completely changed.
From Morrow, he saw a terrifying potential.
Defeating the strong with the weak was nothing unusual in Nen battles.
Because actual combat strength depended on various factors, current physical condition, environment, differences in combat experience, mental fortitude...
Sometimes these factors were more important than aura strength and Nen techniques.
But in the battle Tsezguerra witnessed, none of these factors played a role.
In fact, the two Shadow Beasts, who were in peak condition and had superior aura strength, had even initiated the attack with the advantage of striking first.
Yet despite this, Morrow had achieved a complete victory against the combined forces of Worm and Mosquito while being outnumbered.
It must be understood that a complete victory and a hard-fought victory were two entirely different concepts.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, it would have been hard to imagine such a thing possible.
Standing behind Battera, Tsezguerra was doing his best to suppress his emotions, yet his mind remained unsettled.
All because this reality was too shocking.
The other Nen users standing nearby, Tsezguerra's companions, were also experiencing overwhelming waves of emotion.
While watching the battle, each of them had imagined themselves in Morrow's place.
Yet their anticipated conclusion was that they wouldn't even make it past the "Burrowing" technique.
So strong... yet so contradictory.
The Nen users in yellow military uniforms secretly observed the aura surrounding Morrow.
Really, with just this level of aura...
Had they not witnessed the battle earlier, they would have been certain of one outcome if they faced Morrow: victory.
Battera had only heard Tsezguerra's evaluation of Morrow and wasn't aware of the deeper, terrifying truth behind it.
Nevertheless, Battera still showed Morrow the utmost respect.
Stepping past Tsezguerra, he approached Morrow and extended an invitation personally: "I am Battera. Currently, I'm recruiting experts to clear Greed Island. The reward is 50 billion. Would you be interested?"
No pleasantries, straight to the point.
Morrow was somewhat surprised. His peripheral glance caught the tension in Tsezguerra, who stood behind Battera, temporarily acting as a bodyguard.
"Not interested."
Turning his gaze to the solemn Battera, Morrow rejected the offer almost without hesitation.
While Greed Island was filled with Nen users, including high-quality prey like the Bomber...
The existence of Spell Cards introduced too many variables into combat.
As far as leveling up went, it was far from an ideal place.
Seeing Morrow reject him so decisively, Battera knew further persuasion would be pointless.
Recalling Tsezguerra's earlier assessment, he couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.
"Here's my card. If you change your mind, please contact me anytime."
Unwilling to give up so easily, Battera handed over a business card he carried with him.
After a brief consideration, Morrow took the card and casually slipped it into his pocket.
Watching Morrow accept it, Battera placed a hand over his chest and gave a slight nod.
"I hope we meet again."
With that, Battera turned and left, passing by Tsezguerra as he walked toward the car waiting on the distant road. Tsezguerra turned sideways, silently glanced at Morrow, then quickly caught up to Battera.
Morrow merely watched Tsezguerra and his group turn and leave before shifting his gaze toward the wilderness.
The road behind him was the only route from Yorknew to Lingon Airport.
But the sudden attack by the Shadow Beasts had altered Morrow's plans to go to Lingon Airport, making that road unnecessary now.
"I'll go find Kalluto directly."
Walking across the desolate and silent wasteland, Morrow muttered to himself before taking out his phone to send the taxi driver's name and license plate number to Argo.
He recalled the chatty driver who had rambled endlessly about his family. Though the man frequently complained about the burdens and frustrations of being the breadwinner, the happiness he inadvertently revealed couldn't be hidden from outsiders.
For the misfortune that had befallen the driver, Morrow could only offer silent apologies in his heart before instructing Argo to transfer a sum of money to the driver's family, enough to secure their future.
If he told Aksel, whom he had been on decent terms with before Death Rewind, about this gesture, he'd probably be mocked for it.
But Morrow didn't care about others' opinions. Some things, he only sought to do with a clear conscience.
Putting away his phone, Morrow gradually moved away from the road, arriving at a barren stretch of land.
Around him stood towering red cliffs and low, withered clumps of grass.
Morrow effortlessly climbed to the top of a rocky outcrop and extended his hand, palm facing upward.
With a slight thought, the aura swirling around his palm rippled like flowing water before stabilizing into the shape of a disc.
Shooting Star.
Morrow flipped his hand.
The disc-shaped Shooting Star descended to the ground.
He stepped onto it.
In the next instant, the otherwise stable disc-shaped Shooting Star suddenly shot skyward, as if pulled by an unseen force.
"Looks like they're on an airship."
Morrow sat cross-legged on the disc-shaped Shooting Star, using his aura to stabilize himself.
The Shooting Star's ascent meant Kalluto was most likely aboard an airship.
What remained unclear was when Kalluto had boarded it and where in the skies it was now.
Morrow could sense whether the Star Mark was still on his target, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the marked individual or the distance between them.
The broad framework of his ability was already established, with the Star Mark's binding, locking and long-range strike functions serving as its core components.
Adding a tracking feature would only strain the carefully constructed framework.
Unless he invested significant time and effort into expanding the ability's scope.
For now, Morrow had no need for that, so he had no intention of wasting resources on it.
However, the resentful thoughts he had absorbed from the corpses in the tomb had, for some reason, become part of the Shooting Star.
Unfortunately, during the earlier battle, ensuring a decisive victory had left him no room to test the ability's limits.
After all, fighting two opponents alone carried too much risk; there was simply no margin for error.
But testing his ability could be done anytime.
As Morrow pondered this, watching the clouds draw nearer above, he briefly considered using Kalluto to test the vitality extraction effect of the Shooting Star.
The thought came and went just as quickly.
Not out of concern for Kalluto's life, but because it would hand over his ability's details directly to Kalluto.
—--
Above the clouds. An airship flew at a steady speed.
It was late at night, and most areas of the airship were as quiet as slumber, except for the bar.
Inside a VIP cabin.
Kalluto was not asleep.
Or rather, he didn't need much sleep, because only then could he free up more time for training.
This was also one of the Zoldyck Family's training philosophies.
After all, this was a terrifying family capable of subjecting newborns to electric shocks.
Kalluto had long grown accustomed to such things.
"Ren."
Kalluto closed his eyes, focusing intently as he released the maximum amount of aura possible.
Still not strong enough… Must work harder…
Morrow's figure involuntarily flashed through his mind.
The surging aura around his body suddenly became unstable.
Kalluto slowly opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed.
This was a child who appeared taciturn on the surface but harbored an intensely competitive nature deep inside.
Born into a monstrous family like the Zoldycks, it was hard to say whether such a temperament was good or bad.
His competitive drive prevented him from retreating in the face of the family's hellish training, yet at the same time it was a form of self-torment.
Yesterday's defeat at Morrow's hands, followed by being spared as if out of pity, had dealt a heavy blow to Kalluto.
Even though a day had passed, it still weighed on his mind, to the point of affecting his daily training.
"Just you wait!"
Kalluto clenched his fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them, taking a deep breath to steady his disordered emotions.
Unlike Milluki, who had been holed up at home for six years, Kalluto, as the fifth son of the Zoldyck Family, possessed an ambition far beyond his years.
But it was precisely this ambition that could inadvertently amplify the pressures placed on his body and emotions.
Pressure could sometimes serve as fuel for human progress, and other times it could crush a person entirely.
To combat the pressure closing in from all sides, Kalluto had his own secret method of self-regulation.
Realizing that his emotional turmoil was severe enough to disrupt his training, he naturally couldn't continue like this. As he withdrew most of his aura, he closed his eyes and indulged in fantasies of what he believed would happen in the future.
For example...
After relentless training, he would finally possess the strength to trample Morrow beneath his feet.
The corresponding scene played out in Kalluto's mind.
He stood over Morrow, his face hidden behind a paper fan, looking down at Morrow's humiliated, darkened expression.
Then, in a tone dripping with condescension, he said, Don't worry. I have no interest in crushing an insect.
Heh heh heh...
Kalluto's lips curled into a grin, his furrowed brows gradually relaxing as he felt a surge of motivation!
This wasn't delusion.
This was a future that would absolutely come to pass.
All he needed was to grow stronger!
For a moment, Kalluto felt his entire body brimming with energy, as if he could train for several more hours!
—--
Outside the cabin's circular window.
Morrow crouched on the outer ledge, watching as Kalluto inside alternated between scowling and gnashing his teeth, then grinning in satisfaction.
Finally, Kalluto radiated a dazzling aura of determination, muttering something about not being interested in crushing insects.
Is this… some kind of special training method?
Morrow stared at Kalluto with a strange expression, noting the changes in his aura, from visibly erratic to gradually stabilizing. At this thought, he glanced down at the slightly ajar window. Initially intending to push it open and enter directly, he now hesitated to disturb him and decided to observe first.
—--
Inside the cabin.
Kalluto's spirits had fully revived, and he was brimming with energy.
"Morrow!"
He suddenly opened his eyes, his tone resolute as he was about to utter the next words, "Just you wait."
But before he could speak, a somewhat familiar male voice came from the window: "What is it?"
"?"
"!"
"(°△°)"
Kalluto's expression shifted like a kaleidoscope, first confusion, then disbelief, and finally sheer terror, all within a single second.
After the initial shock, Kalluto instinctively leaped backward, pressing himself tightly against the corner of the wall, his dark purple pupils trembling violently.
"You... you...!"
Never in his wildest dreams would Kalluto have imagined that the bastard he had just been mentally tormenting would appear out of thin air like this.