Biscuit was right.
Orion's Nen clone ability was truly extraordinary.
Normally, simply focusing one's mind could significantly reduce the difficulty of conjuring a Nen clone while simultaneously improving control precision.
However, any fluctuation or distraction in the user's concentration would directly affect the clone's stability and control accuracy.
In simple terms...
If one wanted their Nen clone to exhibit high levels of freedom and precision, the user typically couldn't afford to multitask.
Faced with this challenge, some Conjurers chose to work within the ability's framework.
Take Hanzo, for example; his clone technique represented the pinnacle of such a framework.
By employing a method akin to astral projection, he granted his clone remarkable precision and autonomy.
Other Conjurers, however, took a different approach.
Orion, for instance, leveraged the traits of personality split to completely overturn the conventional framework of Nen clone abilities.
The strength of this method lay in the fact that Orion didn't need to invest mental effort into his Nen clone, entirely avoiding the risk of instability or dissipation during combat.
These conditions were precisely why Orion had managed to land that decisive strike earlier.
Morrow raised a hand to his chin, seemingly beginning to understand why Orion, after betraying his master, had come to claim a place in Heavens Arena.
It was to maximize the advantages of his "personality clone."
Because within the confines of Heavens Arena's fighting stage, Orion could leverage this advantage to achieve a true two-versus-one scenario.
And each victory on that stage would bring him everything he desired.
As Morrow pondered this, a sudden commotion erupted in the arena.
Kastro had gotten back up.
Orion's ferocious strike hadn't been enough to end the match then and there.
After all, Enhancement types were notoriously tough.
Moreover, the nature of Nen clone abilities meant splitting the "manifested Nen quantity" in half.
This trade-off, between offense and defense, gave Kastro a chance to keep fighting.
But after taking that hit, Kastro's already slim chances of victory had dwindled to an almost suffocating degree.
With foresight...
Surrendering now would be the wisest choice.
"A word of advice."
Orion's rational Nen clone, who had been using "In" to erase his presence all along, watched as Kastro approached the stage and spoke coolly, "It's not too late to forfeit. Otherwise... I can't guarantee I won't kill you."
"Hey, mind your own business."
The aggressive personality currently in control of the main body growled a warning at the rational clone.
Since the rational clone hadn't dispelled "In," to onlookers, it simply looked like Orion was muttering to himself.
Naturally, Kastro ignored the clone's warning. Under the referee's watchful gaze, he ascended the stage's edge step by step, slow but resolute.
He knew exactly how dire the situation was.
But Kastro had never been one to give up halfway.
"Two points to Orion. Both fighters, take your positions, the match continues."
The referee announced the score before swiftly retreating, leaving the combat zone to Kastro and Orion. Kastro focused his aura around his eyes, making his gaze sharp as he swiftly scanned the Nen clones beside Orion.
To maintain the "In" effect on the clones without any burden...
If that were truly the case, then he'd have no choice but to keep using "Gyo" for defense, leaving little aura to allocate for offense.
His overall aura amount was already at a disadvantage, and now it was stretched even thinner.
Suppressing the pain, Kastro kept his entire body's aura primed and ready while rapidly assessing the situation.
Orion's rational Nen clone, seeing Kastro's stubbornness, ceased its warnings.
Meanwhile, Orion's aggressive personality, in control of the main body, burst into laughter before suddenly lunging straight at Kastro.
Using the "real body" as the main attacker...?
Kastro's eyes flickered with realization.
Some understandings came naturally, without needing explanation.
Nen clone abilities with this level of freedom and power usually relied on the clones as the primary offensive force.
Unless there was some special technique to ensure the enemy couldn't distinguish between the real body and the clone.
So, when facing a Nen user skilled in clones, the first consideration was always to strike directly at the main body.
Yet Orion was actively sending his real body forward, it made no sense.
For a brief moment, Kastro faltered, but he quickly steadied himself.
This might actually be my chance.
Thanks to Morrow's earlier warning, Kastro's mindset had clearly improved significantly.
He didn't let the unfamiliar situation cloud his judgment; instead, he focused on finding an opportunity within it.
The world beyond the threshold was filled with too many monsters whose true forms remained unseen.
Even so, he had to press forward.
Tiger Bite Fist.
Kastro abruptly shifted into his stance, his hands conjuring the roar of a tiger.
If he could seize this moment, Orion delivering himself right to him, he could instantly reverse the situation!
"Pathetic, flashy moves, utter trash!"
Orion closed in, his Nen clone doing the same.
Kastro's eyes, infused with aura, flicked toward the clone's movements, remaining vigilant even as he timed his strike the moment Orion entered his range. His Tiger Bite Fist shot forward with lethal precision.
But in that instant...
Orion's Nen clone vanished.
To be precise, Orion withdrew the aura sustaining the clone, maximizing his own manifested Nen quantity to its peak.
Meanwhile, Kastro, forced to allocate part of his aura to his eyes to guard against the "In"-concealed clone...
The disparity in their offensive and defensive aura strength at that moment became overwhelming.
This was the advantage of Orion's personality clone, a tactical maneuver that created an infuriatingly effective gap.
Kastro's pupils constricted sharply, reflecting the explosive surge of Orion's aura, now too late to adjust.
Thud!
The Tiger Bite Fist struck Orion's body, but the expected crushing force never manifested.
The difference in their aura strength made this outcome inevitable.
Orion's smirk widened, just as he'd said—pathetic, flashy moves, utter trash.
The next moment, Orion seized the instant when Kastro's aura was retracting and delivered an uppercut to his chin.
Crack.
The sharp sound of bone shattering echoed across the arena.
Kastro's jaw took the full force of the blow, his face contorting instantly as he lost consciousness on the spot.
The tremendous impact that followed sent his limp body flying into the air.
The referee at the edge of the ring narrowed his eyes, his professional expertise allowing him to keenly observe Kastro's immediate loss of consciousness upon impact.
From the outset of this match, the referee had noticed a clear disparity in strength between Kastro and Orion.
Thus, when it came to scoring, the referee naturally leaned in Orion's favor.
This was a protective measure for the fighters.
After all, when the gap in ability was too vast, ending the match quickly could prevent unnecessary injuries.
Seeing Kastro knocked unconscious with a single strike, the standard procedure would have been to wait for him to land before declaring the scoring outcome.
But the referee, relying on his professional judgment, chose to intervene immediately, even if it meant cutting short the attacking fighter's advantage, raising his hand to announce:
"That was an excellent attack..."
However, before the referee could finish, Orion had already pushed off the ground, rocketing into the air like a madman, chasing after Kastro's airborne body.
"Fighter Orion, cease your attack!"
The referee's expression darkened as he shouted urgently.
But Orion paid no heed. Catching up to Kastro midair, he clasped his hands together into a hammer, aiming to strike a fatal blow.
At this critical moment, a piercing killing intent, like an invisible arrow, shot through Orion's senses.
"Hmm?"
Startled midair, Orion still had the presence of mind to glance toward the source of the killing intent.
There, he saw Morrow standing from the spectator seats, his towering aura radiating a chilling killing intent.
Driven by instinctive fear, the surrounding spectators scrambled away from Morrow as if fleeing a disaster.
"Oh, I see. Your pathetic techniques are the same. Are you from the same school?"
Observing the warning-laden killing intent emanating from Morrow, Orion grinned wildly, yet still brought his hammer-like fists down on Kastro's body.
However, due to Morrow's intervention, the attack, originally aimed at Kastro's vitals, was slightly delayed.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Kastro's body plummeted straight into the arena.
In an instant, the stone tiles of the ring shattered, fragments flying in all directions amid a surge of aura.
The referee hastily raised his arms to shield himself from the debris.
Meanwhile, Orion realized his attack had missed Kastro's vital points. Immediately, he separated his volatile persona, sending it as a mass of aura toward Kastro, who now lay motionless on the arena floor.
With the split of his volatile persona, the disdain and madness on Orion's face faded rapidly, replaced by calm detachment.
"I already warned you."
Now governed by his rational persona, Orion lowered his gaze, watching dispassionately as his volatile counterpart stubbornly pursued the attack, and Kastro, teetering on the brink of disaster below. In his eyes, from the moment Kastro refused to admit defeat, he was already a dead man.
The aura mass of the aggressive personality surged toward Kastro on the ground, swiftly coalescing into form and striking with killing intent at the defenseless Kastro. The referee was powerless to intervene at this point.
But his timely interference still bought Kastro a sliver of hope.
Because this time, it was Morrow who stepped in.
A diamond-shaped, fluorescent green Shooting Star sliced through the air, flying with pinpoint accuracy toward the aggressive personality that had just taken form. The timing of this strike seemed to anticipate the aggressive personality's pursuit.
"Prediction?"
Noticing the incoming Shooting Star, the aggressive personality raised an eyebrow and swiftly shifted back into an aura mass form. The sudden lightness slowed its descent toward Kastro, allowing it to evade the Shooting Star that whizzed past below.
Immediately after, the aggressive personality reformed, its lips curled in a perpetual smirk. Utilizing the Conjuration type's ability to materialize and dematerialize at will, it not only dodged the Shooting Star but also maintained its offensive momentum.
Reformed, it continued its relentless advance toward Kastro below.
"Watch out!"
Just then, a warning came from the rational personality's main body above. The aggressive personality clone was slightly startled, catching sight of Morrow closing in from the corner of its eye. A killing intent so intense it seemed to freeze one's breath had already invaded its space.
"So fast...!"
The aggressive personality's pupils contracted, yet it showed no intention of backing down. Like a complete madman, it was determined to kill Kastro at all costs. This behavior disregarded whether the Nen clone would perish in the attack or whether it made logical sense. It was purely, simply, and brutally about turning its murderous impulse into reality at this very moment.
Morrow, who had come to intervene, recognized this and suddenly understood the subtle expression Biscuit had worn when describing the Mind Illusion Style massacre.
Kill this bastard right here!
A cold killing intent surged within Morrow.
But time seemed to freeze in that instant.
A seemingly unremarkable figure appeared to move faster than time itself, stepping onto the arena. The powerless referee nearby, the rational personality of Orion still hovering in midair, the aggressive personality consumed by madness as it lunged at Kastro, Morrow stepping onto the arena to eliminate the threat—none of them, nor the countless spectators around, could clearly see the figure in white, wide-sleeved robes who had suddenly appeared on the stage.
Among everyone present, only Biscuit saw clearly.
It was Chairman Netero!
In that fissure of time, she watched as Netero seemed to transcend time itself, appearing out of nowhere. Then, with both hands raised gently, Netero softly pressed against the aura-laden striking points of the aggressive personality and Morrow.
And then, time seemed to resume.
The aggressive personality was sent flying back into the air by Netero's palm, unharmed. Morrow, too, was flung off the arena.
Yet...
Though Morrow was belatedly shocked by Netero's sudden appearance, no other thoughts crossed his mind. He didn't even spare Netero another glance. As his body was sent flying backward, he suddenly raised his face to look at Orion's true form above him.
In the next instant, taking advantage of Orion's momentary shock as he stared at Netero, Morrow abruptly raised his hand and hurled a cockroach wrapped in faint aura toward Orion in midair.
That cockroach bore a Star Mark, capable of guiding the returning Shooting Star straight toward Orion.
"Hoh?"
Netero let out a surprised sound, clearly noticing Morrow's subtle move the instant it happened.
Not bad...
Netero silently marveled before ultimately intervening to stop Morrow's killing strike.
Two flashes of golden light streaked across the sky, impossibly fast.
The Shooting Star that had flown past the arena and frozen midair, as well as the cockroach Morrow had thrown at Orion, were both obliterated in the fleeting golden radiance.
Morrow's expression shifted, his brow furrowing as he glared at Netero.
Unfazed, Netero calmly declared, "That's enough."
These words were directed at Morrow, and at Orion as well.