Above the endless expanse of white clouds, an airship billowed thick smoke and fire.
Its fuselage was severely tilted, threatening to plunge into the cloud sea.
Inside the airship, screams erupted everywhere.
The fear caused by the disaster at high altitude was like a pair of merciless hands fiercely gripping the hearts of the passengers and crew.
Under the crushing pressure of death, some people despairingly gave up resisting, some screamed in panic, and some frantically tried to grasp at a straw of salvation.
However, in the face of the imminent crashing airship, even the strongest will to survive was as insignificant as an ant beneath a human's foot.
Hearing the screams of panic from the passengers, Moro's and Kanzai's reactions were different.
Moro went towards the observation deck, wordlessly pushing against the inclined slope.
When the airship started its descent toward a crash, the fate of the other passengers was predictable.
Moro had only one word in his mind: Self-Rescue.
Beyond that, there was no room for anyone else.
Kanzai turned his head in the direction of the screams, a look of hesitation flashing in his eyes, before he sighed.
Worrying about things he was powerless to change was meaningless.
The hesitation in his eyes vanished, and he quickly followed Moro.
The two arrived at the observation deck one after the other.
Standing here, one only needed to look up to see the thick smoke and flames spewing from the upper cabin, already approaching the massive gas compartment on the airship's hull.
Seeing this scene, both Moro and Kanzai tensed up.
That was practically a gigantic bomb, capable of exploding at any moment.
Moro suppressed the shock in his heart, moved along the wall to the edge of the observation deck, and looked down at the clouds that seemed close enough to touch.
The next moment, the listing airship plunged into the clouds.
A powerful airflow whipped up Moro's hair and clothes.
Moro gripped the railing tightly, almost leaning over to look down.
His gaze passed through the suddenly thinning gaps in the clouds.
For a moment, the vast earth came into view, and a sense of suffocation seemed to be present in the strong wind hitting his face.
A visible altitude of several thousand meters...
Even possessing Nen ability could not bring a sense of security.
Moro looked down at the distant earth.
He had thought his heart would race and that he would be unable to suppress his inner fear...
But truly standing here, looking at the high altitude just a step away, he was unexpectedly calm.
Kanzai came up behind Moro and said in a deep voice:
"Whether we live or not is purely up to skill now."
In a moment like this, even mentioning luck was a luxury.
Even as an Enhancer, he couldn't guarantee a safe landing from thousands of meters high.
Moro looked back at Kanzai, then up at the gas compartment that could trigger a violent explosion at any time.
Under the pressure of time, there was no room for thought or hesitation.
Moro had previously anticipated the airship crashing, but the current situation was even more perilous.
"Let's exchange contact information."
He took out his phone and looked at Kanzai.
Kanzai nodded:
"Sure. If I make it back to the ground alive, I'll contact you immediately. If you die, I'll figure out a way to collect your body."
"Well, thank you very much."
Moro's eyelid twitched.
Kanzai seemed oblivious to the implied sarcasm and said earnestly:
"Don't mention it. We're comrades in arms now."
"..."
Moro was silent for a moment, then asked:
"Number?"
Kanzai spoke his contact number against the increasingly strong airflow.
Moro listened, quickly dialed the number, and hung up as soon as the first ring tone sounded.
"Take care."
Putting his phone away, Moro nodded slightly at Kanzai, then leaped out, his whole body plunging diagonally towards the sky below like a javelin.
The airship could explode at any moment, so he had no extra time to consider whether his upcoming "survival technique" would help him return to the ground safely.
Kanzai watched the retreating figure of Moro, a flash of admiration in his eyes.
Then he glanced back at the cabin, complex emotions surging in his heart—regret and shame.
After pausing for two or three seconds, Kanzai released his grip on the railing and leaped toward the thin, white clouds below, which resembled cooking smoke.
He spread his arms and legs.
Under the influence of air resistance, his descent speed began to slow down.
At his current altitude, he could still see Moro's figure below.
Boom!
Just then, a tremendous roar came from above his head.
Kanzai and Moro almost simultaneously flipped their bodies to face the sky, looking in the direction of the explosion.
Under their gaze, the airship exploded into a dazzling, massive fireball, blazing high in the sky.
Moro silently stared at the suddenly expanding fireball.
He could vaguely see numerous fragments of the airship's fuselage.
The distance was great, but he couldn't help but feel that the scattered black dots of debris included quite a few human bodies.
Many times... human life is as insignificant as dust.
Only by holding power does one have the right to seek change.
Moro flipped his body again, facing downwards, and spread his limbs to slow his descent speed.
"Deceptive Gliding Star" (Gizō Hishō-sei)
His right palm faced down.
He condensed a fluorescent green Nen bullet and immediately propelled it outwards.
Whoosh—
The Gliding Star plunged rapidly, stopping abruptly about a hundred meters below.
One second later.
The Gliding Star, as if time had reversed, flew back toward Moro, who had fallen closer.
Facing the returning Gliding Star, Moro mobilized his Nen, meeting the Gliding Star with the back of his right hand, which bore the Tree Ring tattoo.
Bang!
The Gliding Star exploded against the back of Moro's hand.
The impact force generated by the collision caused Moro's body to tumble violently upwards.
"Too little."
Struggling to stabilize himself at high altitude, Moro launched another Gliding Star downwards, then channeled more Nen into his entire hand.
Bang!
Accompanied by an explosion.
Moro was again blasted by the returning Gliding Star, though not as violently as the first time.
"Still too little..."
Feeling the feedback from the Nen collision just now, Moro launched another Gliding Star, increasing the Nen gathered in his palm.
Bang!
It was another collision of Nen, but this time it conveyed a faint sense of softness.
As the energy contained within the Nen was released, Moro didn't fly off; instead, he felt as if he were gently lifted by a hand, his entire body briefly suspended in the air.
This was because a curious phenomenon of neutralization occurred between the attacking Gliding Star and the back of his hand, which was imbued with a specific quantity of Nen.
When their combined values approached infinity, it drastically reduced Moro's downward force.
"It works."
Having tested the result, Moro's heart settled slightly.
Above.
Kanzai witnessed Moro's peculiar maneuver and unconsciously opened his mouth, letting the strong wind rush in.
Good heavens...!!!
—
A stone chamber illuminated by a spirit pearl.
It was a square-shaped chamber with a platform in the center, built up by four sets of steps.
On the platform stood a harp with a jade-like body and ink-like strings.
Suddenly.
The harp strings automatically vibrated without being touched.
A clear sound, like a sweet spring, resounded through the stone chamber, and the next second, it raged like a storm.
As the strings vibrated fiercely, blackish Nen streamed out, outlining a human figure in front of the harp.
Gradually, the silhouette materialized from virtual to real, revealing the appearance of Saffu.
Saffu slowly opened her eyes.
Upon seeing the autonomously playing harp, she showed an expression that was both familiar and surprised, which was then replaced by deep confusion.
(End of this Chapter)
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