Why was Netero so powerful?
In Zeno's eyes, it was because Netero's Nen was silent to a terrifying degree.
No one could guess his next offensive move based on the flow of his aura.
The reason he had lived so long was that his mental state had already reached the level of a plant.
Even though Zeno was already in his seventies, he could not forget his infant memories of Netero already being an old man.
But if one were to speak of what truly made Netero powerful on a combat level, it was undoubtedly his technique, the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
It was a kind of... technique that no one could refuse.
Even if you could see its existence, at most you could only sear its form into your consciousness.
But the scene now unfolding before Zeno's eyes was precisely Morrow "refusing" the palm strike of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, which seemed to arrive with an air of compassion.
How could he possibly describe this feeling?
For Zeno, it was probably equivalent to having his "faith" shattered.
This wasn't a personal faith in Netero, but because the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's unavoidably fast attacks were, in essence, like a faith that brooked no refutation or doubt, truly unbreakable.
But now, Morrow had stepped over this shattered golden faith, treading upon Netero's death line.
Would the battle end in an instant... Of course not.
The golden chain that had appeared out of thin air had indeed restrained Netero from performing his next "prayer."
But so-called prayers had always been performed with the heart.
When the heart accurately depicted the form, the image would transform into thought, and thought would bear fruit.
This was the secret of the Zero Hand.
Yet it could also be applied to the other palm techniques of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Netero's spirit and consciousness flowed like water into the state of Spirit Echoes. Relying on his consummate skill, in the midst of an extremely fast release and retraction of his ability, he made only a single arm of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva manifest before him as it shattered and reformed.
It was a forward palm push.
It completely sealed off all of Morrow's frontal attack angles.
It was also the only correct palm technique for this moment.
If he had chosen a chopping palm, a deflecting palm, or any other technique, the battle would have ended right then and there.
But the most formidable aspect of Spirit Echoes was its ability to extend one's thinking time, which in turn extended the space available to react.
So, although Netero was caught somewhat off guard, he could rely on the margin for error provided by Spirit Echoes to choose the right palm technique at the critical moment.
The golden giant's palm, as thick as a city wall, pushed forward to meet him, but Morrow, pulled by the Nen strings of Terpsichora, suddenly shot upward.
The palm push barely grazed past his feet.
And Morrow had already soared through the air like a bird, arriving directly above Netero's head.
The question of whether Starlight Convergence Cosmic Choreography could contend with the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva now had its answer.
But this warm-up battle would not end just because of this test result.
Morrow struck out with his palm at Netero's head from a distance, as fast as lightning.
In that instant, a burst of Emission-type energy erupted from his palm, slamming down on Netero like an aura palm.
Boom!
The pillar of aura pierced down from above, crushing the rock mountain beneath Netero's body as it continued to press downward.
Instantly, the mountain shattered and rocks crumbled, sending dust and smoke soaring into the sky.
The entire pillar-like mountain collapsed completely, and Netero was slammed into the earth by this Emission-type aura palm.
However, Morrow had given Netero the utmost respect. Even after precisely seizing the opportunity to counterattack, he did not rashly deactivate his Starlight Convergence・Cosmic Choreography ability.
This meant that when he attacked Netero, the amount of aura output he could mobilize was limited.
So even if the attack was powerful enough to shatter the pillar-shaped rock mountain, for Netero, who had only conjured a single Guanyin palm, he could still withstand the blow by relying on the majority of the aura output that remained on his body.
Netero did indeed withstand Morrow's aura palm, and he was also aware of the drawback of Morrow's ability.
That is, while maintaining that starlight ability, he had to release more of his aura output away from his body, which resulted in limited offensive power.
Based on this point, Netero could confidently focus on offense rather than defense while being hit.
So, as the mountain crumbled, stones flew, and smoke billowed into the sky, Netero swiftly returned the favor.
"100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva・Zero Hand."
A pair of golden palms materialized in the air, closing in on Morrow.
No prayer was needed, nor was any targeting.
This was the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's strongest move.
When Netero used this move, he naturally had no intention of following up with the merciless roar.
Because in a duel between humans, the moment the opponent was enclosed within the Guanyin's palms was enough to end the battle.
Of course, the premise was that this supposedly sure-hit attack could actually enclose Morrow's body within its palms.
"Astral Step."
Morrow's figure vanished into thin air.
The gesture of giving Netero the utmost respect by not rashly deactivating Starlight Convergence・Cosmic Choreography proved its worth at this moment.
Besides, Morrow was well aware of Netero's ultimate killing move, the Zero Hand.
The palms of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva were ultimately a step too slow, managing only to cup a bit of air.
This ultimate technique, which had never missed... just like Netero, who could not resist the ravages of time, it had finally withered.
Morrow used teleportation to bypass the billowing smoke, landing beside Netero in a blink.
His hand, wreathed in surging aura, became like a blade, held steadily against Netero's neck.
At the moment he deactivated his ability, all of his aura output returned to his body.
The rushing aura kicked up a shockwave, pushing the sky-filling smoke and dust far into the distance.
Zeno, who was watching the battle from outside the ring, had not yet recovered from the clash between the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's Ninety-Ninth Hand and Starlight Convergence・Cosmic Choreography. What immediately followed was the sight of Morrow pressing a Palm Blade to Netero's neck.
It was too fast.
From the clash to the conclusion, everything happened in a flash.
It was so fast that he, the spectator, didn't even have time to process all the information before his eyes.
Zeno's face was filled with disbelief.
Ever since he had mastered Nen, he had never imagined that a monster of Netero's level would actually be defeated by a young man.
But this scene had truly happened right before his eyes.
He had no choice but to believe it.
"..."
Netero looked at the Palm Blade pressed against his neck. In his silence, however, there was none of the frustration that comes with defeat.
Just when did it start... When did he, as a martial artist on the path of pursuing the ultimate "martial art," find every battle he faced to be so utterly dull?
What he wanted was not the sight of an opponent admitting defeat after a crushing loss.
What he wanted was a formidable rival who he could throw his entire being into fighting, a powerhouse who could truly bypass the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva and come before him.
Now, his long-held pursuit had reached its conclusion.
Although their clash was quite brief, within the realm of Spirit Echoes, he and Morrow had already engaged in an incredibly fierce collision of tactical ideas.
Every one of his decisions in defense and offense had been flawless.
But the same was true for his opponent, Morrow.
Both sides could see through each other's tactical ideas and responses in offense and defense, and both subsequently chose the single most correct path among the myriad possibilities.
How could such a result bring any regret?
"Ho ho..."
Netero suddenly broke into a grin.
Morrow withdrew his Palm Blade and slowly reined in the surging aura output from his body.
In truth, when he planted the Star Mark on Netero, Morrow could have chosen a more surefire path to victory.
That would have been to immediately use Astral Step to create distance, then use the power-multiplying mechanism of Deceptive Shooting Star to perfectly leverage his advantage of a Lv. 97 aura output.
This was also Morrow's usual style.
To be cautious and meticulous in every battle where he fought a stronger enemy, seeking only to achieve the final victory.
It was just that a moment ago... perhaps he was influenced by Netero's pure fighting spirit, or perhaps he felt that if he had chosen to "retreat" at that moment, then even if he won the battle... what might be left for him would only be the empty shell of a "powerhouse."
So Morrow did not choose the retreating measure of winning with Deceptive Shooting Star, but instead unhesitatingly chose the advancing measure of winning with Astral Step.
Just like that, in a head-on collision of spirit and will, he forcefully broke through the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's Zero Hand.
This result thoroughly deepened his confidence that he could defeat the Chimera Ant King.
—--
The day before the Selection.
The members of the Extermination Team gathered inside Hide and Seek.
It was supposed to be a time for rest and recuperation, but with the arrival of Netero and Zeno, a subtle change occurred.
According to the original battle plan, Netero had only tasked them with holding off the Royal Guards and had also guaranteed that he would enter the battlefield precisely at the "zero hour."
The members of the Extermination Team knew Netero had to conserve his strength against the clock, so they naturally accepted this arrangement.
But now, it seemed the battle plan had changed.
"Regarding the original opponent assignments..."
Netero lightly scratched his temple, speaking slowly under the puzzled gazes of the group. "The King will be handled by Morrow."
"Huh?"
Morel and the others were all stunned by his words.
Leave the King to Morrow?
"Why change the plan at the last minute?"
Knov's brow furrowed, and he was the first to question him. "I admit Morrow is quite strong, but I don't believe he is better suited to face the King than you are."
"I agree with Knov's assessment."
Morel glanced at Knov, and seeing that the other man had voiced his own thoughts, he immediately chimed in with his support.
If Morrow were to face Shaiapouf alone, they could accept that arrangement, given their trust in Morrow's strength.
But the King was no Royal Guard.
Neither his strength nor his importance allowed for any rash decisions.
People like Knuckle, Shoot, Grachan, and Gel shared the same opinion and couldn't understand Chairman Netero's change of heart right before the battle.
Faced with everyone's doubts, Netero simply lowered his hand calmly and said, "The reason for the change in plans is simple. Morrow's strength... is greater than mine."
"What?!"
Morel and the others were once again frozen in place, almost thinking they had misheard.
What kind of joke was this... Not long ago, to resolve a dispute, didn't you knock Morrow unconscious right here in Hide and Seek?
That fierce battle had nearly shaken the spatial mechanics of Hide and Seek itself.
How much time had passed since then, and now you're saying Morrow's strength is greater than yours, even changing the opponent assignments because of it?
Seeing that the Extermination Team still looked unable to accept it, Zeno, who had been standing in a corner like a bystander all along, raised his hand at Netero's signal.
After all, the sooner the change in the battle plan was confirmed, the better it would be for its subsequent execution.
"Before we came here to rendezvous, Netero and Morrow had a fight. I was there for the whole thing."
After drawing everyone's attention, Zeno slowly lowered his hand, his tone calm but brooking no doubt. "Based on the result at the time, Morrow nearly killed Netero. So his strength is, indeed, already greater than Netero's."
"..."
Even with Zeno's personal testimony, the group still found it hard to accept, even feeling a sense of absurdity.
This was especially true for Gel, a member of the Zodiac Twelve.
They had always revered Netero to their very core, which was why they had consciously made their own images and styles conform to the honor of the titles Netero had bestowed upon them.
The root of this behavior was, to some extent, a psychology of admiring the strong.
For this very reason, Gel was caught in an extreme contradiction at this moment. On one hand, she believed Netero wouldn't joke about such a serious matter. On the other, she couldn't believe such a claim.
Netero also knew that this was tantamount to violently shattering the group's deep-seated perception. He couldn't help but glance sideways at Morrow, who had remained silent from beginning to end.
His gaze seemed to say: "How about we fight again?"
Morrow instantly understood the meaning in that gaze and turned his head away decisively.
The final battle is almost here, and you still want to fight? What if I accidentally break one of your old bones? Who's going to deal with Neferpitou?
In Morrow's view, only an old man like Netero would be so reckless. Of course he wouldn't indulge him.
Seeing this, Netero could only retract his gaze with regret.
If they could go another round, he actually already had an idea of how to deal with that "teleportation."
Unfortunately, Morrow wouldn't take the bait, so he could only let it go.
The battle plan was officially changed with the arrival of Netero and Zeno.
It was confirmed that Morrow would deal with the King, while Netero would be responsible for dealing with Neferpitou.
The last one, Shaiapouf, would be handled by the others in coordination.
But before they officially stormed the palace, one more preparation was needed.
—--
East Gorteau Republic, capital city of Peijin.
The Extermination Team, led by Morrow, arrived in the city of Peijin.
Netero and Zeno were not among them. Since their target had been changed to Neferpitou, they naturally had to make other preparations.
—--
Atop the tower-like building in the central area of the palace.
Neferpitou, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly had a change in expression. She stood up subconsciously in a state of alarm, looking far into the distance in the direction of Peijin.
"So fast. This feeling... is so strange."
The army of Nen-using puppets she had sent to Peijin was being depleted at an astonishing rate.
If it were merely the loss of these puppets, it wouldn't have been enough to cause that momentary panic in her heart.
She just inexplicably had an almost intuitive, ominous premonition.
"What's wrong?"
Shaiapouf's voice came from the side.
Without using his ability, he could still sense the panic in Neferpitou's aura.
This surprised him somewhat.
Neferpitou raised a hand to her inexplicably racing heart. A shadow seemed to have quietly taken root there, just like the endlessly churning dark clouds overhead.
"Peijin..."
"Your face?"
She was about to explain when she heard Shaiapouf's surprised and doubtful voice.
This cut her words short, and she looked at Shaiapouf with some confusion.
Shaiapouf frowned slightly and pointed at her cheek. "On your face... a star-shaped mark has appeared."
"Hm?"
Neferpitou subconsciously touched her own face.
A mark? Could this be the source of her unease...