Once the King's tactical approach was formed, his offensive grew even more ferocious.
He was going to completely discern every trajectory of Terpsichora's Nen strings amidst the storm of offense and defense.
This was by no means an easy task.
But the King firmly believed he could do it.
It was only a matter of time.
The moment all your 'Gungi moves' are revealed will be the moment of 'checkmate'.
In the predicament of repeatedly failing to land a hit, the King began to consciously merge 'combat' and 'Gungi.'
If this duel had taken place before he played Gungi with Komugi, the King would have been nothing more than a brute with immense strength, using monotonous, high-speed attacks in an attempt to disrupt Morrow's breathing until Morrow could no longer hold on.
That was the hunting method of a beast.
But this duel was taking place after the King had played Gungi with Komugi.
So now, the King was consciously searching for flaws in Morrow's rhythm, seeking the ultimate method to secure victory.
As for the difference between the two...
It was essentially the difference between a beast and a human.
The former only cared about eating after the hunt was over.
The latter, however, enjoyed the growth, gains, and satisfaction derived from the process of the hunt itself.
Let me see just how many moves you have left...
The sense of satisfaction that grew during this process caused the King's spirit and power to gradually surge.
The angle of his every explosive charge, the coordination between his limbs and stinger, all improved with each high-intensity exchange.
Yet, no matter how high the King's spiritual power soared, Morrow, in his Starlight Convergence state, remained as unshakable as a mountain.
Evade the attack, deliver a counter.
Amidst the King's relentless, pressing assault, Morrow perfectly laid the groundwork for victory with every move.
This was all because Terpsichora was shouldering the pressure of processing information for him.
This allowed him to have greater focus to calculate the effectiveness of each counterattack.
Forehead, chest, abdomen, right hand, left leg, right leg...
He had to randomize the order of his hits without the King noticing, while also ensuring the number of hits on each location accumulated evenly.
This, too, was by no means an easy task.
But Starlight Convergence・Cosmic Choreography made it possible.
I can do it.
Morrow was certain he could.
It was only a matter of time.
Unless the King could realize his own shortcomings in the process.
As for the tactic of breaking through by discerning the Nen strings' trajectories, it was meaningless.
Because the combination of Starlight Convergence and Terpsichora would always be one step ahead of the King.
In the ensuing exchanges, Morrow and the King's figures blurred into streaks of light, their auras clashing countless times.
Both were speeding down what they believed to be the path to victory, and they were utterly convinced of it.
A hundred times, a thousand times...
There were no brilliant sparks, only exchanges that were too fast to see.
During this process, the King memorized every detail of how the Nen strings were controlled.
And during this process, Morrow successfully accumulated 50 effective hits on the King's other six locations.
Both sides had achieved significant results.
The turning point of this fierce duel arrived at this very moment.
By reading the trajectories of the Nen strings, the King anticipated Morrow's next move a step ahead.
An opening was born.
With his greatest speed and most ferocious power, the King struck directly at this opening.
However...
Starlight Convergence・Cosmic Choreography was itself an ability that automatically adjusted based on the opponent's attack trajectory.
So, as the King struck at the opening, Morrow's Terpsichora was also adjusting in real-time.
The result was that the strike the King believed would be 'checkmate' was still dodged by Morrow.
This outcome instantly made the King realize that the path to victory he had been so sure of was a dead end from the very beginning.
His attack missed again.
The King did not follow up with another assault. Instead, he let his body fall toward the ground, his brow slightly furrowed.
It was merely a waste of effort to find a dead end, nothing to be overly concerned about.
What truly bothered the King was that this result showed him that Morrow had not been fighting with his full strength in the previous exchanges; he had even been holding back with ease.
Are you trying to win through a battle of attrition...?
Since he had already determined that Morrow's Emission-based energy attacks were not enough to decide the match, the King, after losing 'this round,' deduced that Morrow intended to exhaust his potential aura.
That was why he hadn't sensed the slightest bit of tension from Morrow.
It was as if Morrow had long known he was engaged in a futile effort and, without making any countermeasures, had simply waited calmly for this moment to arrive.
And this operation to prolong the fight had indeed cost him a considerable amount of aura.
Then, what is the purpose of this 'flame'?
The King inconspicuously glanced at the rootless fire on his left arm.
He believed a battle of attrition was indeed the only way Morrow could defeat him, which was why Morrow had never shown a sufficiently powerful counterattack.
It was all to maintain the current situation while keeping his own consumption low.
The King's only question at this moment was what role this cluster of flames played in Morrow's strategy.
But his focus remained on breaking through Morrow's defense.
The reason I can't checkmate you is that my attack methods are too simple and predictable.
The failure of his first wave of attacks finally made the King confront his own problems and see the end of this duel.
A lion that only ever bares its fangs and claws can never compare to a hunter who knows to reveal their claws at the critical moment.
The King was now at this turning point.
When pure brute force failed to yield the desired result, it meant that path was wrong.
But the most fundamental problem was still that he wasn't fast enough.
The King's line of thought shifted.
How to break the current stalemate?
What was the gap between him and his opponent?
The answer was ability.
The King slowly turned, and as he raised his head, his cold gaze pierced through the motes of starlight floating in the air.
At this moment, for the first time since his birth, he considered how to excavate the ability that existed within his aura.
Because he knew very well that to shatter Morrow's evasive reaction speed, his current level of power was absolutely insufficient.
Only by valuing the abilities possessed by the likes of Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and the human before him could he seize a true victory with his own hands before his opponent was completely exhausted.
The King's definition of victory created an exceptionally strong need within him at this moment.
And this need was finally answered by his Nen.
He needed more speed.
The image of Morrow luring him down here flashed through his mind again.
Back then, Morrow had clearly taken the force of his stinger and been sent flying backward at high speed, yet in the next instant, he had transferred himself to a position above the King's head.
This was clearly a type of spatial transfer ability, just as Neferpitou and Shaiapouf had mentioned before.
If he could also master such an ability, landing an attack would become much easier.
The King's thoughts suddenly settled.
Wrapped in a turbulent aura, his figure vanished into thin air, leaving only a fleeting white shockwave in his place.
The next moment, the King appeared at Morrow's side.
No longer fixated on a frontal assault, he began to try attacking from a blind spot.
His right hand formed a blade, stabbing toward Morrow's neck with unstoppable force.
If it were any other Nen user, they would likely have been caught off guard and struck down by the King.
However, Morrow had the early warning of Starlight Convergence, allowing him to easily acquire information about the attack coming from his blind spot through the effect of his Nen.
Morrow promptly raised his hand, placing it in front of his neck.
The King's Palm Blade struck heavily on the back of Morrow's right hand, producing a sharp clang like metal on stone.
A massive impact force followed. Morrow didn't try to block it head-on, but instead used the momentum to let his body shoot backward like a cannonball, crossing more than half the shelter in an instant and crashing into the wall.
Boom!
Rubble shattered, and dust filled the air.
Morrow's body was embedded in the wall.
The King pressed his advantage, his figure tearing through the dust and closing in, a near-excited expression appearing on his face for the first time.
That near-teleportation burst of speed just now was not true spatial movement.
It was a technique he had naturally grasped, using his aura to propel his body with the explosive power of Emission, as he took a great leap forward on the path to his desired ability of teleportation.
And this method of application, which could be called either an Emission ability or a technique, had granted the King the greater attack speed he craved.
This result was completely beyond Morrow's expectations.
After all, in the original story, the King had witnessed his Royal Guards' Nen abilities multiple times after hatching from his cocoon but had never seemed to pay them any mind.
Even later, when he was beaten so badly by the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva that he couldn't even get close, the King never thought of using his own talent to develop a Nen ability to break the stalemate.
From beginning to end, he relied solely on his physical toughness and aura amount, until he brute-forced his way to Netero's defeat.
Yet this same King had actually developed a need for an 'ability' during this battle.
Morrow had no extra time to delve into the reasons.
Because the King's pursuit was already upon him.
Insidious Shooting Star x Astral Step.
Morrow's figure, embedded in the wall, vanished into thin air.
The King, tearing through the dust, saw only a stellar cross manifest from the crater in the wall as his right palm, wreathed in powerful Nen, stabbed into empty space.
At the same time, Morrow's figure flashed into existence behind the King, and he delivered a heavy kick to the King's lower back.
Nen erupted from the sole of his foot, and the force sent the King slamming into the wall, creating an even larger crater.
Almost simultaneously, Nen bullets shot out from the stellar cross, striking the King's forehead with beam-like precision.
After landing his hits, Morrow quickly adjusted his posture, twisted his waist, and stomped his other foot heavily on the back of the King, who was now deeply embedded in the crater.
Then, he bent and straightened his knees, using the force to launch himself backward, instantly creating distance between himself and the King.
Although he had once again completed a near-perfect counterattack, Morrow was no longer as relaxed as before.
He realized that the King had not only become aware of his own problems but had also made adjustments with astonishing execution.
And that explosive ability just now, which utilized the characteristics of Emission, was likely something the King had learned on the spot by observing his own use and control of it.
This meant that, in terms of threat level, the current King had already far surpassed Neferpitou.
It also meant that Morrow had to accumulate the required number of hits to ignite the Accretion Charges even faster, and that his margin for error, the 'cannot get hit even once' rule, had been squeezed to an even lower point.
But this adjustment and change in the King did not put pressure on Morrow.
If the King had remained inflexible, only trying to end the fight with his 'stat advantage,' Morrow would have found this duel dull and tasteless, even less interesting than fighting Neferpitou.
Shooting Star.
As he flew backward, Morrow quickly concluded his thoughts and fired several Shooting Stars at the King, who was still stuck in the wall.
Papapapa...!
Numerous Shooting Stars rained down on the King's back and limbs, silently accumulating hits.
However, attacking from this angle mainly accumulated hits on the limbs.
The reason he deliberately scattered some Shooting Stars onto the back was more to conceal his true intentions.
With the series of counterattacks complete, Morrow landed steadily on the ground and mentally calculated the accumulated hits on each part of the King's body.
Although the King is an Emitter, to be able to learn an Emission ability so easily and instantly... the talent of Chimera Ants is just absurd.
Morrow meticulously compressed the range of his Starlight Convergence, calmly looking at the King in the crater, and said to himself, From now on, I have to be even more careful with every second. I can't afford any mistakes.
The thought flashed through his mind.
Just then, a spray of fine gravel burst out from the crater.
The King once again used an Emission-based burst, his figure almost blending into the air, and in an instant, he closed in with overwhelming momentum, one hand reaching for Morrow's chest.
Morrow had been prepared the moment the gravel burst from the crater and leaped backward into the air.
The King's body, lunging forward like a cheetah, passed right under Morrow.
However, the King suddenly whipped his thick tail, slamming it into the floor. In this way, he forcefully counteracted his inertia, bringing his body to an instant stop.
Only a creature with the powerful physique of a Chimera Ant could perform such a crude maneuver.
As soon as he stopped, the King turned and raised his palm, aiming at Morrow from a distance.
Solid, powerful aura rapidly condensed into a sphere in his palm, which was then pushed out by a burst of aura.
Swoosh!
The Nen bullet shot toward Morrow, who was in mid-air.
Morrow wasn't surprised at all that the King had also learned Nen bullet emission.
If he could learn an Emission-based burst technique on the spot, how much harder could it be to learn the simpler technique of detaching and releasing one's own aura as a Nen bullet?
Morrow's expression was calm. Pulled by Terpsichora's Nen strings, his body shot upward, narrowly dodging the Nen bullet fired by the King.
However, the King followed right behind the Nen bullet, his body lunging forward like a sharp blade.
Morrow once again raised his right arm vertically, his left hand simultaneously gripping his right elbow, assuming a defensive stance.
The King's fierce assault was still not faster than the effect of Starlight Convergence・Cosmic Choreography, and it was once again blocked firmly by the back of Morrow's hand.
A sharp clang like metal on stone immediately echoed through the emergency shelter.
Relying on the indestructible Tree Rings on the back of his hand, Morrow blocked the blow but couldn't completely negate the immense impact force.
But just before being sent flying, in the instant he stabilized his posture with his left hand, a stellar cross suddenly lit up on the surface of his elbow facing the King.
Thus, as Morrow's body flew backward, the Shooting Stars that shot out from the stellar cross also accurately hit the King's chest.
With a deafening boom, the two figures were sent flying in opposite directions. Yet, they both adjusted their posture in mid-air almost simultaneously, their feet landing on the opposite walls of the shelter.
The moment Morrow's feet touched the wall, his aura flowed and distributed itself in an instant, reinforcing the wall surface with exquisite control.
This kept the wall intact under the impact, and Morrow used the rebound to steady himself.
The King, on the other hand, lacked such delicate control. The wall where he landed cracked on impact, sending rubble flying.
But his long tail, like a spear, stabbed deep into the wall, suspending his body firmly in mid-air.
Morrow and the King steadied themselves at almost the same time. The moment their gazes met across the distance, they both kicked off the walls behind them, their figures blurring and shooting toward each other like two bolts of lightning.
Instantly, their two auras collided violently in the center of the shelter, creating visible shockwaves that cut across the floor like invisible blades, causing countless cracks to appear.
But this was merely a clash of auras.
Morrow still chose not to clash head-on with the King. Relying on Terpsichora's suspension property, his body suddenly rose into the air, passing over the King.
But in the instant their auras collided fiercely as they passed each other, Morrow still seized the initiative. After flying over the King, he sent out two sharp palm strikes with a backhand motion, accurately blasting the King's legs.
Thump! Thump! Two dull thuds.
The palm strikes hit the King's legs, and the resulting impact made him lose his balance. He crashed heavily to the ground, bounced violently several times, and then slammed his back hard against the wall in front of him.
CRASH!
Amidst the deafening roar, the King, like a heavy iron ball, was embedded deep into the wall.
Even though he had used his astonishing talent to learn and use Nen abilities to increase his offensive power, it was ultimately a last-minute effort. He could hardly compare to Morrow in terms of 'precision.'
However, after this series of fierce battles...
Morrow could clearly feel the King's abilities and techniques evolving at a terrifying pace.
If the King were given more time...
Morrow had no doubt that the King could even grasp the ability of teleportation in the middle of battle, and later become proficient in the use of Nen bullet emission.
The number of hits to ignite the Accretion Charges has already surpassed sixty for each spot...
Morrow couldn't precisely estimate how many effective hits were needed to ignite the Accretion Charges on the King.
But the King's continuous evolution was undoubtedly exacerbating the time pressure he faced.
In that case...
Now was the time to make a choice.
Go all-in now, or continue to play it safe?
This might be the most important decision of my life.
Morrow looked at the King embedded in the wall, his arm suddenly extending horizontally as he made his choice.
All in!
The aura around him swirled toward his palm like a vortex, condensing in a blink into a brilliantly glowing Shooting Star.
Swoosh!
The Shooting Star left his hand and shot out, then suddenly split apart in mid-air, swarming toward the King in the wall like a hive of bees.
Morrow was taking a gamble.
He was betting that the King, convinced that the Shooting Stars could cause no substantial damage, would disdain to put up any defense and would instead focus solely on offense.
If so, this Star Rain, like a swarm of bees, could instantly stack a considerable number of effective hits on the King, fulfilling the final condition.
But if the King blocked even once, causing a critical location like the forehead or chest to fail to ignite with an Accretion Charge...
Then, as the Accretion Charges on other parts of his body lit up one after another, the King would inevitably become vigilant.
At that point, trying to ignite the remaining Accretion Charges would be as difficult as reaching for the heavens.
Rumble...
The Star Rain poured into the wall, triggering a chain of explosions.
For a moment, a large amount of rubble and dust spewed out from the wall.
Morrow's gaze settled on the spreading dust, quietly awaiting the result.
Soon, the dust was stirred by a current of air.
A cluster of ghostly blue flames emerged from the dust, followed by a second, a third, a fourth...
As the flames appeared out of thin air one after another, the King's figure broke through the dust and charged at Morrow once again with astonishing momentum.
Astral Step.
Morrow teleported a hundred meters back without hesitation.
When his figure reappeared, the King, as if able to predict his teleportation trajectory, crossed the hundred-meter distance with undiminished momentum, once again closing in on him.
This time, however, Morrow did not dodge or evade.
He looked up at the King's hand, which carried a fatal power, and a slight curve appeared on his lips.
He saw the seventh Accretion Charge.
Time stretched infinitely at this moment.
The King hadn't expected Morrow's rhythm to stagnate at this moment. He could almost feel the illusory sensation of his fingertips about to pierce Morrow's forehead.
But for some reason, he felt as though a long time had passed, yet his fingertips could never cross that final line.
It was like being pressed against an invisible wall of glass.
What's happening...?
A trace of confusion suddenly arose in him.
The truth was, his fingertips, which should have easily pierced Morrow's forehead, could no longer advance a single millimeter.
The confusion in the King's eyes was soon swallowed by the ghostly blue flames.
Then, an intense burning sensation spread from every inch of his skin.
Flames?
As the King was stunned, he saw Morrow's eyes, which seemed to hold a bottomless darkness.
Before he could react, his vision suddenly rose.
His soul had left his body, floating above his physical shell.
The ghostly blue flames burning on his body, like a shiver of sharks that had smelled blood, spread rapidly, instantly entwining every part of his soul.
An even more intense, searing pain shot through his consciousness.
Yet even this pain, which directly burned his soul, only caused the King's brow to furrow slightly.
So this was your... true intention?
The King, in his spirit form, looked down at Morrow, seemingly still unable to accept the fact that he had been defeated.
It was clear he had gradually grasped the true method of wielding power, even feeling that breaching Morrow's evasion space was just within reach.
Give him one more minute... no, even ten seconds would suffice.
Yet how had he suddenly been put in 'checkmate'...
Morrow couldn't hear the voice emanating from the King's soul.
Even if he had heard it, he wouldn't have responded.
He merely watched with tranquil eyes as the King's soul gradually burned away in the flames.
Victory...
Had not come easily.
It was simply that at the most critical moment, he dared to take a desperate gamble, staking everything on one throw.
Thus he emerged victorious.
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Bonus chapter @2150powerstones