The soul was completely consumed by the blue flames.
Neferpitou's life came to an end, her formidable body collapsing backward as her vitality ceased.
Yet an even more intense obsession erupted the moment death arrived.
How urgent and anxious it was.
All for the sole purpose of eliminating any possible threat to the King with the utmost speed.
Neferpitou's corpse, about to hit the ground, abruptly froze under the influence of this Post-Mortem Will, maintaining an unnatural tilted angle.
Black and red aura gathered like a storm, the corpse's knees visibly tensed with force, forcibly lifting the nearly-touching upper body back up.
Interestingly... Neferpitou's Post-Mortem Will appeared too quickly.
So much so that when the corpse began moving again through the "Post-Mortem Nen power," A.P.R. seemed to judge the target still existed and did not disappear.
And Morel was stunned by the scale of this deathly aura.
He had never seen such powerful Post-Mortem Will before.
The oppressive feeling brought by that black and red aura actually gave him a more dangerous intuitive sense than when she was alive.
Her strength while alive was already despair-inducing, yet the obsession triggered after death was even more threatening.
This was utterly unreasonable.
Having already experienced Neferpitou's abilities, Morel instantly understood what consequences this Post-Mortem Will would lead to.
He subconsciously wanted to assist Morrow with Deep Purple, but belatedly remembered that after confirming the King's movements from Knov, he had already dispatched all remaining smoke soldiers outside the palace for defense and early warning.
At this moment, he had no smoke pipe, nor Deep Purple, and could only intervene like this.
However, as soon as Morel made a move, he was astonished to see the corpse that had just lifted its upper body within the black and red aura being directly pressed down with one hand by Morrow, heavily slammed back to the ground.
Immediately after, the surging Post-Mortem Will, as if pulled by an invisible force, madly surged toward Morrow's palm.
This was completely different from what Morel had anticipated.
As a Manipulation user, the moment he sensed that Post-Mortem Will, he concluded that Neferpitou's corpse would be controlled by her pre-death puppet master ability.
Nen strengthened through death, paired with that incredibly durable, nearly undamaged corpse...
In Morel's understanding, there was no more dangerous combination than this.
So when realizing this Post-Mortem Will might be specifically born to eliminate Morrow, his only thought was to absolutely prevent the exhausted Morrow from being threatened.
Even if it meant blocking with his own life, he would not hesitate.
In comparison, the King approaching from a distance...
Being still some way from the palace, was actually less troublesome than this corpse driven by Post-Mortem Will before them.
But now, it seemed to be a false alarm.
'Morrow, that Post-Mortem Will...'
Morel quickly approached.
Before he could finish, Morrow responded: 'Don't worry, I can handle it.'
'Alright.'
Seeing Morrow's confident tone and his actual suppression of that terrifying Post-Mortem Will, Morel felt somewhat relieved, then quickly cut to the main point:
'The Chairman failed, and the Poor Man's Rose didn't kill the King instantly. That monster seems to possess some kind of regeneration ability and is now rushing toward the palace. Judging by its speed, we have at most one minute to evacuate. However, I've already sent the remaining smoke soldiers to set up defenses outside. With their mimicry ability, we should be able to buy a little more time.'
'The King... didn't die?'
Morrow sighed inwardly at Netero's defeat, yet found it somewhat unexpected.
He knew full well that the explosive power of the Poor Man's Rose alone couldn't kill the King instantly; it would only leave him clinging to life.
In the original storyline, Youpi and Shaiapouf arrived in time to transfer their life energy to the King, saving his life.
But now that the Royal Guards had all been killed by him, could the King survive solely through regeneration?
As thoughts raced through his mind, Morrow suddenly realized the difference between this King and the original.
He couldn't judge the disparity in Nen output between this King and the original based on remembered scenes.
The only certainty was that both the current King and the original were powerful beyond human reach.
Apart from Nen output, the most notable difference was...
The double pupils.
This was the King's greatest deviation from the original.
'If he had a 'regeneration' ability, he wouldn't have needed to let Nefer... Never mind. Once I finish processing this Post-Mortem Nen, I'll retreat to Hide and Seek immediately.'
Morrow's gaze shifted to the black-red Post-Mortem Nen energy swirling into a vortex, rapidly being drawn into the Tree Rings on his hand.
50%, 60%...
The Tree Rings' energy bar surged rapidly.
The scale of Neferpitou's residual Post-Mortem Nen far exceeded expectations.
During the absorption process, even A.P.R., whose ability conditions hadn't been met, was dragged into the Tree Rings.
Once this Post-Mortem Nen was fully absorbed, they could withdraw into Hide and Seek and quietly wait for the Poor Man's Rose poison to take effect in the King's body.
The King had defeated Netero, but he had also lost.
This was precisely why Morrow felt only surprise, not panic, upon hearing the King survived.
Morel glanced at the red clownesque puppeteer writhing violently yet helplessly above Neferpitou's corpse, then quickly looked toward the palace exterior, urgently asking, 'How much longer?'
'This Post-Mortem Nen is strong... but it's almost done. Five or six seconds at most.'
Morrow checked the Tree Rings' energy bar; it was nearing 70%. At this rate, reaching 80% wouldn't be a problem.
His eyes moved from the energy bar to Neferpitou's completely suppressed corpse.
At such close range, he could clearly feel the terrifying bloodlust born from obliteration obsession.
Yet the Tree Rings continued to completely suppress the resistance from Neferpitou's Post-Mortem Will.
Every time he encountered stronger Post-Mortem Nen, Morrow couldn't help but marvel at the Tree Rings' extraordinary nature.
It was as if no Post-Mortem Will in this world was beyond its handling.
Hearing Morrow say it would only take five or six seconds, Morel felt completely reassured.
Through the "Shared Window" ability Knov had Ponzu switch to earlier, he could now track the King's movements in real time.
A delay of just a few seconds meant they could fully retreat to Hide and Seek in time, even without Knov's direct assistance.
"Suppressing the Post-Mortem Will before it erupts is undoubtedly the best outcome."
Morel watched Morrow intently handling the Post-Mortem Will, his heart filled with relief. "Thankfully Morrow is here. Even such a terrifying Post-Mortem Nen can be dealt with effortlessly."
Recalling how Morrow had decisively suppressed Neferpitou's corpse the moment the Post-Mortem Nen began to stir, Morel couldn't help but shudder with lingering fear.
Had Morrow's reaction been even a split second slower, they would likely be facing a fully activated killing puppet by now.
In that scenario, forget retreating to Hide and Seek; even survival would be uncertain.
"Almost at 70%. At this rate, breaking 80% is guaranteed, maybe even reaching 90%..."
While monitoring the rapidly filling fourth Tree Rings energy bar, Morrow kept his eyes locked on the astonishingly potent black-red Post-Mortem Nen still radiating from Neferpitou's corpse.
Such high energy gains probably included significant contributions from A.P.R. as well.
His gaze swept over Neferpitou's shoulder. A.P.R. was no longer there.
Hm?
Just then, Morrow abruptly detected an extremely faint trace of bloodlust, descending vertically through the wind and rain.
Without the enhancement of Starlight Convergence, relying solely on his innate sensitivity to killing intent, he had no time to ponder why the attack came from above. Pure instinct made him leap backward.
Shoom!
As he retreated, a laser-like beam condensed to fist-width pierced through the rain curtain, striking vertically where he'd just stood. Instantly, it bore a bottomless circular hole into the ground, causing surrounding floodwaters to violently cascade into it.
An Emission attack? From above?
His expression shifting, Morrow sharply looked up at the churning black clouds. A perfectly rounded gap was visibly torn through the cloud layer.
That beam targeting his crown had actually been fired from above the clouds.
Despite the extreme distance, its power remained undiminished, and the aura form was startlingly stable.
—--
Aboard one of the airships above the clouds.
Seated in the weapon equipment cockpit, Muherr's pupils slightly contracted after missing his shot.
'Golem.'
'Hm?'
A staticky voice responded from within the giant robot.
While patiently calibrating his second shot's angle, Muherr asked in a slightly odd tone, 'Did I leak any bloodlust when I fired just now?'
'A little. After all, you're not a professional assassin; you lack the skill to perfectly conceal bloodlust.'
Golem evaluated objectively.
Muherr's cheek twitched. 'The latter part was unnecessary.'
'Oh.'
Golem's reply was flat.
'Boss, did you miss?'
Beside him, three Stone Wall members in military uniforms, tasked with converting aura into ammunition, simultaneously looked toward Muherr, who sat steadily behind the sniper rifle.
Hearing their question, Muherr nodded.
During a lull in angle calibration, he asked gravely, 'Then... do you think someone on the ground could have detected the slight bloodlust I emitted?'
'Impossible!'
The team members shook their heads without hesitation.
Muherr narrowed his eyes. Through his Eye of Foresight ability, he directly met Morrow's sharp gaze shooting up from the ground.
How to describe this feeling?
It was like when he was peering at a target through a pinhole camera, only for the target to suddenly notice and coldly stare back through the lens.
What a monster.
"But the "target" did notice."
Muherr murmured softly, 'I'm starting to understand why Pariston and Beyond are using this opportunity to eliminate him.'
Then, he abruptly changed the subject:
'Replenish the ammunition as quickly as possible.'
'No problem. Just go at your own pace, boss. We can keep up.'
'Good. Don't run out of steam too quickly.'
After responding, Muherr fell silent, his breathing as steady and unyielding as stone, his gaze sharpening like an eagle's.
The greatest strength of the Stone Wall lay in their coordinated combat abilities, with Golem at the core.
Through the division of labor among the team members, they could often unleash devastating firepower on their target based on the situation.
Now, with the assistance of the Eye of Foresight's visual enhancement ability, Muherr steadily pulled the trigger for the second shot.
The impossibly long sniper rifle jolted violently, yet Golem, who had materialized it, remained as steady as a mountain.
—--
Palace Courtyard.
To evade the first highly condensed Nen bullet, Morrow interrupted his absorption of the Post-Mortem Will.
Without the suppression from the Tree Rings, Neferpitou's corpse, still brimming with Post-Mortem Nen energy, abruptly leaped up from the ground.
The black-and-red clownesque puppeteer apparition of Terpsichora manifested around her. Though not as terrifyingly intense as before, it was still a force to be reckoned with.
Guided by the Nen strings, Neferpitou lunged through the air at Morrow, who had retreated two or three body lengths away.
Facing Neferpitou's assault, Morrow swiftly withdrew his gaze from the clouds and activated his ability.
「Starlight Convergence」
Countless points of starlight materialized out of thin air, intertwining with the rain to create a mesmerizing spectacle.
Whoosh!
Neferpitou's figure tore through the curtain of rain, smashing the downpour into a mist of scattered droplets.
Using his ability to perceive her attack trajectory, Morrow did not retreat but instead stepped forward, sidestepping just enough to evade the sharp claws lunging toward his face.
In the instant their bodies crossed paths, Morrow's right hand shot out, attempting to touch Neferpitou once more and absorb the remaining Post-Mortem Nen.
But the figure that should have swept past him froze mid-air as if time had stopped.
At this sight, the phrase "Nen abilities grow stronger after death" flashed through Morrow's mind.
The next moment.
Neferpitou's corpse, like a doll manipulated by invisible strings, twisted back in an almost bone-breaking, grotesque motion and lunged at him again.
The change was abrupt, but with Starlight Convergence operating at full capacity, Morrow managed to react.
He immediately retreated and sidestepped, narrowly dodging this treacherous counterattack.
Yet, at that very moment...
A highly compressed energy beam shot down like lightning, striking precisely where he had stepped to evade the attack.
Beyond...
Morrow had already guessed who would pull such an underhanded move at a time like this.
The moment the edge of Starlight Convergence touched the energy beam, Morrow activated Astral Step, which had just cooled down at this critical moment.
After its level-up, the ability's cooldown had been reduced to fifteen seconds.
Whoosh!
Morrow's figure vanished into thin air.
The energy beam struck empty ground, blasting a dark, gaping hole into the earth.
Instead of retreating, Morrow abruptly materialized beside Neferpitou, his right hand darting forward to absorb the Post-Mortem Nen first.
But he hadn't anticipated…
From the second assault onward, the intervals between the highly compressed energy beams shooting vertically from above the clouds suddenly became extremely short.
One after another, these densely concentrated energy beams pierced through the cloud layer, pouring down toward the ground like a torrential rain.
This was no longer sniping; it was machine gun-style strafing.
Moreover, judging by the sheer power, this was beyond the capability of any single individual; it had to be the work of some coordinated ability.
Who in the world...!?
Morel, who was right beside Morrow, was also caught within the range of the long-range barrage at that moment.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out who would launch such a deadly assault against them at this very moment.
Without his pipe and Deep Purple for defense, he could only watch helplessly as the powerful attack, condensed through coordinated ability, pierced straight through his body.
His consciousness rapidly faded.
Outside the palace, all the Deep Purple soldiers mimicking the appearances of the Extermination Team members instantly dissipated.
Morrow's situation was equally perilous.
Faced with the downpour of high-density energy beams, he stomped the ground explosively, propelling his body sideways at high speed.
But just then, the Post-Mortem Nen enveloping Neferpitou abruptly contracted, as if possessing a clear and intense will. With a resolute determination, it lunged straight toward Morrow, who was retreating from the bombardment zone.
In that instant, the body controlled by the Post-Mortem Will abandoned all defense, pouring all of its Post-Mortem Nen into this final strike, pushing both speed and power to their absolute limits.
The numerous energy beams descending from the sky mercilessly struck her body, easily piercing through and leaving behind gruesome, gaping holes.
In the blink of an eye, the cat girl's body was riddled with wounds.
Yet, her right hand, concentrated with an intense will, still followed an impossibly straight trajectory, weaving through the cascading beams.
In the end, it pierced fiercely into Morrow's chest.
Then, without pause, it pushed Morrow's body, swiftly carrying him away into the distance.
'…'
In the dead silence, Morrow reached out with his right hand, gripping Neferpitou's arm, while his peripheral gaze fell upon Morel, who had been blasted into scattered fragments of flesh by the energy beams.
Tree Rings energy continued to surge violently.
70%, 80%, 90%…
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Excuse me what? 400 what??????????????
Bonus chapter @500powerstones I guess?