Sometimes, being overly fixated on tactical execution isn't necessarily a good thing.
After securing Caleb's investment, Adam's aura output level exceeded 50.
Judging solely by the current battlefield situation, he was undoubtedly the one with the highest aura output present.
Combined with his advanced application technique, Ryū, which he had painstakingly trained specifically for his "Venture Capital" ability, there was really no need to obsess over a single decisive strike to secure victory.
If he could have been as flexible as Morrow, cutting his losses the moment he realized Kalluto's strength couldn't support the tactical plan and maximizing Kalluto's combat value, then he wouldn't have ended up exposing more of his ability's intel just from Morrow's intimidation.
But perhaps this was an inevitable outcome for a human.
Adam was accustomed to planning, so he developed an ability related to planning, and then prioritized planning in battle...
This closed loop was a result of Nen amplifying his personality and habits.
Perhaps this was the kind of ineffable framework humans had to face when wielding the power of Nen.
This framework confined humans, and in doing so, also limited the potential upper limits of what Nen could achieve.
However, people were ultimately different.
For the same situation, some could adapt while others simply couldn't.
There was no need for blame or criticism; this was just a commonality among humans.
So when the Star Chain on Luke's body shattered and a Star Mark condensed on his exposed arm, Adam, realizing that his "decisive strike tactic" couldn't yield short-term gains, had no choice but to shift his approach.
After all, some details of his ability had already been uncovered by this troublesome Zoldyck assassin.
There was no point in hiding anymore. The priority now was to fulfill the second condition of his ability as quickly as possible, then capitalize on it to harvest the opponent's aura output.
The moment Adam adjusted his strategy, his previously still body abruptly lunged toward Morrow.
Meanwhile, Luke noticed the Star Mark on his arm and frowned slightly.
The Web Weaver floating beside him remained unresponsive, indicating that the Star Mark wasn't a direct-damage ability but more likely a conditional one.
Does a second hit on the Mark increase lethality? Strengthen the Chains' binding force and duration? Or provide targeting for Nen bullets?
Luke's thoughts raced.
More likely targeting...
Based on the Star Mark's appearance, the restraining effect of the Star Chain, and the earlier Starlight Convergence ability, Luke leaned toward it being a "guaranteed hit" effect from a conditional ability.
This would explain why the opponent's earlier ability had put himself in danger...
That ability form offered no means or space to counterattack when faced with an assault, only evasion was possible.
Thus, it was likely that evasion served as the prerequisite to activate the subsequent targeting effect.
Useless. Whether it's a curveball or a changeup, my "Web Weaver" will catch it 100%!
Having sorted through his thoughts in an instant, Luke didn't let the emergence of the "Star Mark" disrupt his mindset or combat rhythm. Seeing Adam charge forward first and noticing Morrow raising his hand to gather aura, Luke's eyes flashed as he quickly formulated a countermeasure in his mind.
Even if he guessed wrong, Web Weaver would serve as his safety net.
With this thought, Luke decisively burst into speed, also moving toward Morrow while subtly closing the distance between himself and Adam.
Faced with the combined charge of Adam and Luke, Morrow accumulated sufficient aura in his palm. Seeing the distance between them was now less than a hundred meters, he had no choice but to hurl the Shooting Star backward.
"Deceptive Shooting Star."
Whoosh!
The massive Shooting Star shot into the darkness behind him.
Morrow didn't stay in place but immediately retreated, continuing to widen the gap between himself and Adam and Luke.
Fortunately, the courtyard was spacious enough to provide ample room for guerrilla tactics.
Within the battlefield:
One side retreated, the other advanced.
During this back-and-forth, the Shooting Star that had flown away earlier returned with even greater power and speed.
Like a comet, it tore through the night sky and shot back into the courtyard.
At that moment,
Luke and Adam clearly discerned the significant change in the Shooting Star's power.
However, to fulfill his ability's conditions, Adam, realizing the Shooting Star's trajectory was aimed at Luke, didn't hesitate to veer off and position himself in its path.
"Ring Finger, don't move."
In that split second, Luke, who had already prepared himself mentally, shouted loudly before retracting Web Weaver's aura state, returning it to his body.
Adam, hearing this, felt puzzled.
Meanwhile, Luke's gaze was icy. As he rushed toward Adam's back, he still had the presence of mind to glance at Morrow in the other direction.
At this moment, Morrow, who was still creating distance, also looked at Luke.
Their eyes met and clashed in midair.
Morrow was quite surprised. From Luke's actions, he instantly understood Luke's plan.
The locking effect of Star Mark had likely been detected.
Realizing this, Morrow didn't hesitate to mobilize his aura again while reaching behind his waist with his other hand.
Luke, confirming the distance was sufficient, shifted his focus to Adam. He rushed over and clamped his hands around Adam's waist.
"Trust me."
Without giving Adam a chance to question him, Luke exerted force with his hands, using Adam as a shield to meet the incoming Shooting Star.
Adam grew even more confused.
His earlier adjustment in positioning had clearly been to block the Shooting Star for Luke, fulfilling his ability's condition, so he couldn't understand why Luke was making an unnecessary move.
But there was no time to dwell on it now. As the Shooting Star approached, Adam's expression instantly became intensely focused, the abundant aura swirling around his body stirring restlessly.
It was this state of total concentration on the Shooting Star that allowed Adam to keenly notice its trajectory shifting slightly to the right.
Huh?
Adam's eyes flickered in surprise. The next moment, he felt his body being adjusted slightly by Luke.
Boom!
The Shooting Star arrived as expected, slamming into Adam.
A shockwave erupted from the point of impact, the tremendous force sending both Adam and Luke sliding back over ten meters.
What was that just now...?
Adam, having blocked the Shooting Star as a human shield, had now fulfilled the second condition of his ability.
But he was more preoccupied with the Shooting Star's sudden change in trajectory.
"It's a locking ability." Luke said coldly. It was precisely because he anticipated that the Star Mark could provide the Shooting Star with a locking ability that he chose to stay close to Adam.
This way, Adam could effectively serve as a shield.
Upon hearing this, Adam instantly understood why Luke had gone to such lengths.
Just then, a military grenade arced through the air and landed right in front of Adam and Luke.
Their eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the grenade.
Boom!
The grenade exploded.
Amid the burst of flames, smoke rapidly spread.
The shockwave from the explosion, along with the grenade fragments, surged toward Adam and Luke, who were standing dangerously close.
However, both Adam and Luke used their aura to block the flying shrapnel in time.
As the explosion's light faded in an instant...
Another fluorescent green Shooting Star pierced through the smoke, heading straight for Adam and Luke's position.
For a brief moment, a green light flickered within the dust.
Then the light vanished without a sound.
—--
Not far away.
Morrow remained calm, watching as the dust gradually settled while simultaneously gathering aura in his palm.
Soon, the evening breeze dispersed the smoke, revealing Adam and Luke's figures.
Beside Luke, the Spider Nen Beast had reappeared, its third pair of limbs using spider silk to bind and immobilize the Shooting Star.
The third pair of eyes beside the beautiful face on its back glowed red.
Only one chance left... At this stage, the Web Weaver can't be withdrawn anymore.
Luke's gaze grew colder.
During the ability's duration, Luke could freely summon or dismiss the Web Weaver.
This allowed him to strategically choose when to neutralize attacks.
Moreover, while the Web Weaver was dismissed, he could reclaim the aura output used to manifest it, keeping his own aura strength at its peak.
This was the most common trait of a Conjurer, the ability to summon and dismiss at will.
Earlier, when helping Adam fulfill his ability's condition, Luke had dismissed the Web Weaver in advance.
The reason was to prevent it from interfering with the defense and neutralizing the Nen bullet, which would have wasted the opportunity to help Adam meet his condition.
But Morrow's subsequent combination of military grenades and Nen bullets forced Luke to summon the Web Weaver to improve his margin for error.
This, in turn, meant the Web Weaver had now neutralized attacks three times.
At this stage, Luke could no longer dismiss the Web Weaver, meaning he had to continuously allocate a portion of his aura output to maintain its form.
And considering that after neutralizing four attacks, the Web Weaver would enter its final stage, "Jackpot", offering the enemy a choice to "redeem the prize"...
Luke would soon face a critical decision in the battle ahead.
However, thanks to the Web Weaver's repeated neutralizations, Luke had fully grasped the details of Morrow's ability and knew exactly how to proceed.
He needed to close the distance as quickly as possible, denying his opponent any chance to use long-range attacks.
And it couldn't be just a simple press, he had to keep Morrow too occupied to act.
Otherwise, his opponent could still fire Nen bullets indiscriminately in any direction, thanks to their locking ability.
"Ring Finger, strangle him!"
Luke charged at Morrow once more, his killing intent palpable.
Among the Fingers, they all knew each other's abilities inside out. So there was no need for Luke to explain the situation. The moment Adams saw three red lights glowing on the Web Weaver, he immediately understood the implication behind Luke's words.
The two of them charged side by side toward Morrow in the distance.
At this moment, Morrow could confirm that Adams had fulfilled some condition for his ability, but he had no idea what the unknown ability actually did.
This was precisely why Adams had deliberately complicated things earlier.
Not revealing his true trump card inherently created an invisible pressure born from the unknown.
"Tougher to deal with than the Shadow Beasts," Morrow muttered.
While retreating, he gathered a substantial amount of aura in his palm, his gaze flickering toward Luke, who was shielded by the Spider Nen beast.
Unlike the Shadow Beasts, who were brimming with arrogance, this young Nen user before him exhibited strong Conjuration-type traits, calm, analytical, and adept at formulating countermeasures.
If not for this man directly deciphering the effects of the Star Mark ability, Morrow wouldn't have had to worry about Shooting Star being blocked by Adams in the short term, nor would he have needed to concern himself with Adams' unknown ability.
Given the current circumstances, the only option was to keep launching guerrilla-style attacks with Shooting Star.
But getting entangled was inevitable sooner or later.
Perhaps he could utilize Shooting Star's vitality-extracting effect, though that required landing actual damage.
As these thoughts raced through Morrow's mind, he flicked his wrist and unleashed the fully charged Shooting Star.
Whoosh!
The projectile shot forth, its power amplified by ricochets before homing in on Luke once more.
Seeing the incoming attack, Adams, with his superior aura output, prepared to repeat his earlier maneuver and block the tracking strike for Luke.
Yet Luke seemed to anticipate Adams' reaction and spoke first: "No need. Focus on keeping him pinned instead."
Hearing this, Adams abandoned the idea and instead poured all his effort into closing the distance to Morrow.
Luke did the same, not slowing his pursuit in the slightest despite the threatening Nen bullet.
He stopped Adams from intercepting because he knew the Web Weaver would likely intervene first and neutralize the projectile.
In that case, Adams' block would be pointless, allowing Morrow to maintain distance.
Since he couldn't undo the Web Weaver's three accumulated red lights, and judging by its reaction, the locked-on Nen bullet packed enough power to seriously injure him, he might as well capitalize on the Web Weaver's final attack-negation.
Seize this chance...
Close the gap, then use the next phase of Weaver's Lie to disrupt Morrow's thinking and completely lock him down!
Luke remained ice-cold and decisive.
At that moment.
Shooting Star reached Luke's face.
He ignored it entirely, charging straight at Morrow without hesitation.
The Web Weaver floating beside him swiftly extended a fourth pair of limbs, ensnaring the projectile in spider silk just as before.
As the Nen bullet was thoroughly immobilized, the fourth pair of eyes beside the face on the Weaver's back lit up red.
A pleasant chime rang out, and the crown atop the face's head shimmered with dazzling light.
The next instant...
The Web Weaver vanished without a trace.
Simultaneously...
A cluster of golden-hued aura materialized beside Morrow, condensing into a tiny crown visible to the naked eye. The Crown emitted a soft golden glow, dazzling like a gold coin.
"This is..."
Morrow felt a slight shock in his heart but had no time to dwell on it.
Because Adam and Luke had already closed in.
Luke swiftly glanced at the golden Crown hovering beside Morrow.
"That ability of yours that disperses aura into points of light seems to enhance your evasion, but it also leaves you vulnerable. Now that the Web Weaver's Crown has appeared, without knowing its effects, do you still dare to use that ability?"
Luke sneered inwardly.
This was precisely his plan, to maximize the Web Weaver's value in its final stage.
As long as the Crown's appearance could unsettle Morrow for even a second, it would create a crucial opportunity for him and Adam.
You're finished!
Luke was certain of it.
Yet in the next moment, something unexpected happened.
The hesitation he anticipated from Morrow never came.
Instead, he saw Morrow unhesitatingly release his aura into brilliant points of light.
This guy...
Luke's pupils contracted, his heart shaken.
Under the combined pressure from him and Adam, and with the unknown factor of the Web Weaver's Crown present...
Any normal person would hesitate.
Yet this guy could activate his ability without a second thought, placing himself in danger as if he wasn't worried at all about the potential threat of the Crown.
Was he so certain the Web Weaver's Crown wouldn't harm him?
"What a pain!"
Luke glared at Morrow, whose expression remained unreadably calm.
This battle, from start till now, felt to Luke like brushing dust off a sharp blade.
The more dust he cleared, the more he sensed the terrifying edge Morrow's blade was revealing.
But it didn't matter.
The advantage was already theirs.
They just had to finish him before he realized the Crown's purpose.
Suppressing his unease, Luke charged into the scattered starlight alongside Adam.
Attack, attack relentlessly!
In an instant, the two unleashed everything they had, pouring their assaults onto Morrow, whose body was barely shielded by a thin layer of aura.
Starlight Scan
Facing their onslaught, Morrow felt immense pressure but steadied his mind. Using the information gathered by the starlight, he narrowly dodged attack after attack.
Yet the ability to process and integrate information didn't grant him perfect evasion.
Once the frequency of attacks exceeded what Morrow could handle, his room to dodge shrank further, pushing him step by step toward the edge of a cliff.
This was Morrow's current predicament.
Cornered by Adam and Luke.
At the same time, Adam's unknown ability and the potentially explosive golden Crown hovering nearby added psychological pressure.
However, amid the overwhelming assault, Morrow keenly noticed a trace of urgency leaking from Luke's movements.
What was he in such a hurry about?
The brilliant points of light were scattered wildly by gusts of turbulent aura.
Morrow's evasion space dwindled until there was nowhere left to retreat. But at this critical moment, Morrow's evasions reached the required count, triggering his Star Chain ability and restraining Adam's movements.
This gave Morrow a chance to catch his breath, pulling himself back from the brink of the cliff.
Yet, if he couldn't find a way to turn the tide, what awaited him was still a slow death.
Taking advantage of Adam still being bound by Star Chain, Morrow retreated and deliberately glanced at Kalluto's situation.
—--
At this very moment.
Kalluto's predicament was no better.
Although Caleb had invested 30% of his aura output into Adam, in terms of aura strength alone, he still surpassed Kalluto by a level.
On top of that, the effects of Caleb's "Deep Addict" ability not only greatly enhanced his physical capabilities but also heightened his focus.
This was almost the last straw that broke the camel's back, making it nearly impossible for Kalluto to see any chance of victory.
Had it not been for the hellish combat training the Zoldyck Family had subjected him to since childhood, or the fact that he had mastered the Rhythm Echo footwork at such a young age...
Kalluto likely wouldn't have lasted this long.
But in contrast, Caleb also found it difficult to break through Kalluto's stubborn defense.
Even though he held the advantage…
So Caleb could only inwardly marvel at the depth of the Zoldyck Family's foundation.
Still, even if Kalluto was tough to crack, Caleb had full confidence in winning the fight.
"Killing you is just a matter of time."
Caleb's face was flushed with excitement, like a werewolf transforming under the moonlight, as he relentlessly attacked Kalluto with a frenzied onslaught.
Faced with this wild, brutal, albeit unrefined assault, Kalluto had no room to maneuver his paper abilities.
He could only maintain his Rhythm Echo footwork, dodging Caleb's ferocious strikes again and again.
Thus, his predicament was no different from Morrow's.
The only distinction was that Morrow's enemies held a more overwhelming advantage in numbers and aura output.
This wasn't just a battle of disadvantage against advantage, it was also one against overwhelming odds.
"You dare to get distracted?!"
Luke's sudden, razor-sharp strike left a bloody gash across Morrow's chest, nearly splitting him open.
Morrow's gaze remained ice-cold.
The pressure of death could no longer shake his resolve.
"Kalluto!"
Suddenly, as he dodged Luke's second attack, he shouted Kalluto's name.
Hearing Morrow's call, Kalluto, thankfully composed, didn't reveal any openings in the fight.
Yet he had no idea why Morrow had suddenly called out to him.
"Can I trust you?"
Morrow's next words quickly followed.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Kalluto's eyes before he barely managed to evade Caleb's fist.
He couldn't spare the focus to assess Morrow's situation.
But he understood what Morrow meant.
Could he defeat the opponent before him?
Kalluto bit his lip hard, unable to find an answer in his heart, let alone respond to Morrow's question.
Was there a chance?
Could he win?
Kalluto looked at Caleb, whose excitement was unrestrained, then thought of Morrow fighting one against two…
Gradually, his eyes hardened with resolve.
"I can win!"
He shouted back to Morrow.
—--
In the other battlefield.
Morrow heard Kalluto's response and smiled.
Adam, now freed from Star Chain, joined forces with Luke again, pushing Morrow step by step toward the cliff.
But seeing Morrow still able to smile, their killing intent only intensified.
"What are you in such a hurry for?"
Luke's expression involuntarily changed.
Yet Morrow had never expected Luke to respond.
He abruptly withdrew his Starlight Convergence ability.
In an instant, the starlight particles scattered around returned to his body.
At the same time, he lost the ability to read information, making it difficult to accurately dodge attacks from Adam and Luke.
However, because Luke was momentarily distracted by Morrow's earlier words, Adam was the first to strike, unleashing a storm of relentless blows with both hands upon Morrow.
Boom boom boom...!
The overwhelming difference in aura output, over ten levels, combined with Adam's considerable skill in Ryū made it impossible for Morrow to fully defend against the damage.
Amidst the rapid succession of dull impacts, Morrow sustained multiple injuries in an instant. Blood had just begun to seep from the corner of his mouth when Adam's devastating punch sent him flying backward.
"Hah…"
So it's an ability that directly steals the target's aura output upon dealing damage.
As he was sent hurtling through the air, Morrow sensed a portion of his aura output being drained, roughly dropping from Lv.38 to Lv.30, while simultaneously noticing the explosive surge in Adam's aura intensity. Instantly, he understood Adam's ability.
Having successfully landed his attack, Adam finally allowed his signature gentle smile to surface.
This battle was already decided.
Morrow adjusted his posture midair before barely managing to stabilize his landing, his feet carving two long furrows into the ground.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, he then turned his head and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
"So… what exactly are you in such a hurry for?"
Morrow's gaze swept past Adam's smiling face and settled on Luke. Slowly, he raised his right hand and spoke calmly, "I think… it has something to do with this."
Without waiting for Luke's reaction, Morrow gripped the Crown, now radiating a golden glow, and willingly accepted its power.
"How dare you?!!"
Luke's pupils contracted violently. This guy was anything but normal!
Expressionless, Morrow crushed the Crown.
Crack.
In an instant, an overwhelming surge of dense, powerful aura enveloped him.
Then, it erupted outward in a violent explosion, a radiant golden Nen expanding from Morrow's body as the epicenter.
Bathed in the golden aura, the sheer force of the energy whipped up the surrounding sand and stones, while the resulting updraft sent Morrow's hair billowing upward.
"I guessed… right. But there must be side effects."
A dangerous smile crept onto Morrow's face.
Watching him now shrouded in this immense aura, Adam's gentle smile gradually faded. His eye twitched as he stole a glance at Luke...
And for the first time, he saw an expression of absolute gravity on Luke's face…
--------
3700 words!!!!!!
I'll release a bonus chapter later, since we reached 40 Power Stones before the weekly reset.