Shaiapouf's emotions were exceptionally rich and prone to extremes.
For a Nen user like him, intense emotional turmoil made it most likely for Post-Mortem Will to linger.
Moreover, within his convictions existed the grand aspiration to witness the King ruling the world, along with absolute loyalty rooted in his innate duty.
He resisted death.
Thus, after his demise, the spiritual energy unwilling to dissipate with life manifested as scale powder-like Post-Mortem Nen.
This form of manifestation typically depends on each deceased individual's heartfelt wishes and the nature of their Nen ability during life.
Therefore, judging by the humanoid outline forming from the gathering of pitch-black scale powder-like death aura, this should be Shaiapouf's "Beelzebub" ability.
Perhaps waiting just a few more seconds would reveal Shaiapouf's form returning from death, verifying the speculation about the Post-Mortem Nen's form.
But Morrow had no such interest.
Through Tree Rings' rough absorption capability, the pitch-black scale powder-like death aura was entirely drawn into the energy bar, soaring all the way to 41% before stopping.
Previously, he had fed all the Post-Mortem Nen energy to Chimera, who had turned into a stone egg, and later absorbed the Post-Mortem Nen from the Nen needle Illumi left in Killua's brain, charging about 9% for the fourth Tree Ring.
Now, merely absorbing Shaiapouf's Post-Mortem Nen unexpectedly converted approximately 32% energy at once.
This result somewhat surprised Morrow.
A sudden increase of nearly 32%... such high intensity? Morrow glanced down at the energy bar on the back of his hand, already nearly half full, thinking: If it couldn't be handled, it would indeed be somewhat tricky.
After completely dealing with Shaiapouf, Morrow immediately turned his gaze toward the palace.
Drip, drip...
Just then, the dark clouds that had been brewing for most of the day finally released rain.
Within a second or two, heavy rain poured down, forming a dense curtain of rain.
The palace in his vision abruptly became blurry.
Morrow didn't hesitate, heading straight for the palace through the heavy rain.
But just as he had covered some distance, he suddenly saw a massive wave rise up out of nowhere in the dense rain curtain to the west of the palace, rushing directly toward it.
That is... Morrow's gaze was instantly drawn to that over-ten-meter-high wave, staring intently and muttering to himself: "Grachan's ability."
Grachan's ability was to conjure a surfboard and a harpoon.
The most powerful aspect of this ability lay in harnessing natural forces, namely summoning massive waves out of thin air.
But excessively powerful ability effects often correspond to harsh limitations.
The limitation of Grachan's ability was that it could only be activated on rainy days.
Now that the rain had fallen, Grachan activated his ability at the fastest speed, indicating how urgent the battle situation was.
Morrow frowned immediately, focusing his attention and linking his consciousness with the "Shared Window."
The next moment.
The battle situation on the first floor of the palace came into view.
Morrow's expression slightly changed.
—--
Rewind time three minutes earlier.
That is, the moment when Morrow reached Lv.92 and decided to directly eliminate Shaiapouf, the Extermination Team inside the palace was facing desperate pressure. Neferpitou's "Terpsichora" granted her unparalleled close-quarters combat prowess.
Despite the Extermination Team's overwhelming numerical advantage and flawless ability coordination...
From the moment the battle began, all their efforts proved futile against Neferpitou's storm-like onslaught.
The turning point came with the failure of the Hakoware ability system.
With a single strike, Neferpitou repaid all accumulated debt, causing A.P.R. to vanish instantly.
The excess attack power even bypassed Knuckle's ability to nullify damage, directly cleaving open his abdomen.
Such severe injuries rendered him virtually incapable of continuing the fight.
Without immediate treatment, he would soon face mortal danger.
This forced Knov to overcome his psychological barriers and open a portal near the battlefield, transporting the critically wounded Knuckle to the medical team within Hide and Seek.
It's all my fault... I failed to protect A.P.R. If I retreat with my tail between my legs now, I'll never sleep peacefully again.
Despite his grave injuries, Knuckle refused to withdraw in disgrace.
Having personally witnessed Neferpitou's despair-inducing combat power, he understood better than anyone...
That their only chance of defeating such a monster lay with the Hakoware ability.
Yet he had single-handedly destroyed the team's possibility of victory.
If only his reflexes had been quicker, if only he had trained his body to be more resilient.
Perhaps the outcome would have been different.
But reality offered no second chances.
All his resentment and regret ultimately stemmed from his own inadequacies.
Just let me land one more punch on her, I beg you...
His gaze fixed on the terrifying figure cornering his teammates, Knuckle paid no attention to his intestines spilling from the abdominal wound.
His face showed no pain, only tangible frustration.
Even the slightest possibility... with my life...
As if his nerves had blocked all pain, he clenched his fists tightly, reaching atonement-like resolve through extreme frustration.
The slightest possibility would suffice.
If his Nen could persist after death, he could leave "hope" behind for his comrades.
Amid the desperate battle where everyone risked their lives against overwhelming pressure, only Shoot noticed Knuckle's expression of bitter frustration beyond the battlefield, and...
Knuckle's face streaming with tears of profound guilt.
Shoot, who had been hesitant since the battle began, suddenly felt connected to Knuckle's emotions in that moment.
Frustration, guilt...
Because when Neferpitou attacked Knuckle, he had been positioned closest to him.
Given the circumstances, his abilities weren't sufficient to assist Knuckle.
Among everyone, only Gon's primal instincts had pulled Knuckle back from death's doorstep.
But...
Shoot had realized immediately after Neferpitou's attack concluded that his own hovering fist, positioned nearby, could have potentially struck Neferpitou.
Yet he hesitated.
When Neferpitou exposed her back to him, he had actually hesitated. Thus missing the opportunity to potentially activate "Hotel Rafflesia" on Neferpitou.
Had he seized that chance and successfully struck Neferpitou...
He could have utilized Hotel Rafflesia's ability effect to imprison the struck area of Neferpitou's body in a cage, simultaneously stripping away the sensation from that part.
Even if the stripped area was only the size of a fist imprint, the sense of limb deficiency would undoubtedly affect Neferpitou's speed.
But in reality, there are no "what ifs."
Yet, despite knowing full well that Neferpitou's most troublesome ability was her speed...
But I... I let the 'opportunity' slip away, once again missing a chance that could have directly influenced the outcome of this entire battle.
Shoot saw the resentment and guilt in Knuckle's expression; it was like a mirror, clearly reflecting his own inner turmoil.
And in that moment, he finally resolved to bring about "change."
Humankind...
Must never remain stagnant.
Just as when humanity first discovered fire, they weren't content with merely using it to ward off invincible beasts in the darkness.
So even though Shoot considered his relationship with Knuckle less than close, at least in this moment...
His desire to do something for Knuckle was utterly genuine and intense.
To achieve this, he had to break free from his own shackles and shed his former cowardly self.
Even if it cost him his life!
Shoot's gaze abruptly sharpened with unwavering determination.
The aura enveloping him no longer wavered like drifting seaweed.
Another person also noticed Knuckle's emotional state.
It was Kalluto, who lingered on the battlefield's periphery.
Given the nature of his ability, Kalluto wasn't suited for direct combat.
He had positioned himself so far away to reduce his presence while attempting to use inconspicuous paper scraps to sever Neferpitou's joints.
But this plan proved overly optimistic.
Neferpitou's immense Nen output rendered such tactics impossible.
After futile attempts, Kalluto quickly accepted this undeniable reality.
Thus, the task of evacuating the wounded near the apartment portal fell to Kalluto.
Fortunately, Neferpitou tended to ignore "weak individuals" during combat, sparing Knuckle from further lethal threats.
Though "ignore" might not be entirely accurate.
It was more about priority.
To her, once A.P.R. vanished and Knuckle was severely injured, finishing him off became less urgent when other humans drew her attention.
This pattern had emerged earlier when she assaulted Kite, Gon, and Killua.
Because of this, Knuckle survived through Morel and others' desperate fighting, allowing Kalluto to approach him.
"Can you still walk?"
Kalluto glanced at the gruesome wound on Knuckle's abdomen.
Knuckle stared fixedly at the ongoing battle and shook his head. "I'm not leaving."
"Do you want to die here then?"
Kalluto asked with detached calmness.
Without hesitation, Knuckle replied: "Yes... But before I die, I must land one more punch on her. I will make A.P.R. appear again."
"But as you are now, you clearly lack that capability. My mission is to escort you, who has lost combat value, to a safe location."
As Kalluto spoke, his gaze subtly swept over Knuckle's tightly clenched fist, even noticing the bulging veins.
Hearing Kalluto's cold and realistic words, Knuckle had no response.
Even so, he didn't want to retreat with his tail between his legs like this.
If he retreated to the dimensional apartment, there would truly be no chance at all.
But by standing here, even if it meant certain death in the end, there might still be an opportunity to strike again.
That's right.
Even if he had to die,
he would die standing!
Kalluto watched the silent Knuckle.
If it were his former self, seeing Knuckle helpless with tears and snot, he would have surely mocked him mercilessly...
"I'll ask you one more time." Kalluto lowered his eyelids, concealing a flicker of emotion in his eyes, and said coldly, "Do you want to die here?"
"Yes."
Without needing to explain the reason, Knuckle gave his second reply without hesitation.
But even without his explanation, Kalluto had already discerned Knuckle's motivation and reason for insisting on staying and determinedly using his ability against Neferpitou again.
"Knuckle, I'm not skilled at healing others."
"Huh?"
Knuckle looked at Kalluto beside him in confusion.
Kalluto unfolded his fan, raised his hand, and gently scattered paper scraps, saying calmly, "But in theory, I can use 'paper threads' to stitch up your internal organs and wounds."
"Really?"
Knuckle's eyes widened suddenly, fixed intently on Kalluto.
"Don't celebrate too soon." Kalluto said lightly, "The reason I said I'm not skilled is because the stitching process might cause excruciating pain. The worst outcome is that not only would it fail to help you, but it might accelerate your death, or I could even accidentally kill you. Even so, do you still..."
"I'm fine with it."
Knuckle interrupted Kalluto.
Kalluto glanced at him and reminded, "There's one more thing. That monster clearly prioritizes attacking high-threat level targets in battle, which is why it's been focusing on Kite and Morel. In other words, as long as you don't make any noticeable noise, we'll be safe."
"Understood." Knuckle nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, "If anything unexpected happens, I guarantee I'll die before you."
"..."
Kalluto fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "Then you might as well die right now."
"Uh... don't worry, trust me."
Knuckle, afraid Kalluto might change his mind, quickly assured him.
"Alright." Kalluto glanced at the members of the expedition team fighting desperately in the arena (excluding the slacking Hisoka), thinking to himself how truly impressive these people were...
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Kalluto waved his fan, letting the paper scraps flutter in the air, then turned his gaze back to Knuckle's face.
"Then I'll begin."
"Bring it on!" Knuckle mentally prepared himself, but before Kalluto could further manipulate the paper scraps, he couldn't help saying, "Kalluto, even though you always speak like you're handing someone a knife and you're always cold, you actually have a gentle side too."
"..." Kalluto said expressionlessly, "Even if you say nice things, it won't change the fact that 'I'm not skilled at healing,' nor will it reduce the possibility of me accidentally killing you."
"Uh." Knuckle was momentarily at a loss for words and could only say sincerely, "Thank you, Kalluto."
"Mhm."
Kalluto responded softly, as if accepting Knuckle's gratitude.
Then,
under the effect of Nen, the scattered paper fragments transformed into fine threads that forcibly burrowed into Knuckle's abdominal cavity.
Instantly, an excruciating pain assaulted Knuckle's nerves.
Despite this, Knuckle endured without uttering a sound, allowing only cold sweat to drench his face.