Within the venue where numerous Pro Hunters had gathered.
A sudden figure appeared, uttering abrupt words.
Pariston reacted swiftly, his alertness instantly heightened to the maximum.
He immediately connected this middle-aged man who looked like a butcher with Morrow.
It wasn't that he could instantly confirm the man was Morrow, but the sudden and bizarre behavior made him intuitively sense a connection between the two.
Pariston possessed such sharp instincts.
However... On the stage, standing beside him were several Zodiac Twelve candidates, including Botobai Gigante, rumored to be the closest in strength to Chairman Netero.
In the front row below sat other Zodiac Twelve members.
Throughout the venue, there were over five hundred Pro Hunters present.
How dare he openly attempt to kill him in such a setting?
Was he so confident he could handle nearly six hundred Pro Hunters, including the Zodiac Twelve, afterward?
Faced with Morrow's unconventional approach, Pariston died with a sense of utter disbelief.
This unforeseen turn of events shocked every Pro Hunter present.
What a joke? Someone actually dared to commit murder in such a setting.
And the person killed was Pariston, currently the most likely candidate to succeed as chairman!
Was he simply tired of living?
"Thud!"
Pariston's head hit the ground with a dull thud.
It was as if a restart button for time had been pressed.
On the stage, Botobai and Mizaistom's gazes lingered on the headless corpse for only a moment before sharply locking onto the figure who had committed the murder in public.
Suppressing their shock, their first reaction was to immediately subdue Morrow.
In the instant the thought flashed through their minds, they didn't even have time to exchange glances. Relying solely on their extensive experience, they instantly clarified their respective roles.
Botobai's unusually large body suddenly erupted with surging aura, and he lunged without hesitation toward Morrow, who was entirely unknown to him.
This meant he almost unreservedly took on the immense risks that came with "defusing the bomb."
But as a Triple-Star Terrorist Hunter, the resolve he displayed in this moment was worthy of his reputation.
Another reason for this decision stemmed from his trust in Mizaistom beside him.
He believed that with Mizaistom's ability, he could precisely seize the opportunity Botobai risked his life to create.
As a Double-Star Crime Hunter, Mizaistom had dealt with countless criminals throughout his career.
In most cases, restricting a criminal's mobility was the most critical task.
Thus, his Nen ability, "Cross Game," was centered around the characteristic of "restraint."
Based on this, to maximize the restraining effect, he had honed the speed of Conjuration activation and deactivation to its peak.
"Cross Game."
Mizaistom lived up to Botobai's resolve, Conjuring a yellow card in his hand at an astonishing speed.
With the crime confirmed, the moment Botobai drew the target's attention, he had the authority to immediately activate the yellow card's restraining power.
Simultaneously, the other Zodiac Twelve members in the front row also sprang into action.
Gel's arm suddenly Conjured the black snake Nen beast. Tiger Kanzai made the same decision as Botobai, charging resolutely toward the podium.
Horse Saccho, dressed in traditional Jappon-style attire, and the burly Sheep Ginta with his explosive afro, closely followed Kanzai, pressing toward Morrow on the stage.
Monkey Saiyu's reaction was a beat slower.
This wasn't due to any lack of ability.
As he and Pariston were both moles planted in the Association by Beyond, this connection made it unimaginable that Pariston would be decapitated in such a setting.
The stronger emotional shock inevitably required more time for him to regain his composure, making him noticeably slower than the other Zodiac Twelve members.
"Mizaru!"
Once he recovered, Saiyu channeled his Nen to conjure a spectral monkey.
Deprive this bastard of his vision!
This single thought consumed all of Saiyu's mental focus.
In that brief moment, Morrow found himself besieged by the Zodiac Twelve.
This was the price for defying conventional tactics.
Having executed an unavoidable lethal strike against Pariston, who believed "such a thing couldn't happen," it was only natural to face the collective assault of the Zodiac Twelve afterward.
Morrow angled his body, ensuring his sight instantly captured every Zodiac member's movement.
His instantaneous combat perception, honed to the level of "Spirit Echoes," immediately formulated a counterstrategy.
Though capable of preempting Botobai's lunging attack, Morrow neither struck first nor adopted a defensive posture.
Instead, he abruptly sidestepped, using a sharp positional adjustment to precisely exploit Botobai's over-two-meter muscular frame, instantly blocking Mizaistom's line of sight.
Huh?!
Mizaistom, who had raised a yellow card, was startled as he lost visual contact with Morrow.
A seemingly casual repositioning had dismantled his and Botobai's coordinated assault in an instant.
Such precise counters couldn't be accidental.
This man... Understands my ability's activation mechanism!
Mizaistom became certain of this.
The binding power of Cross Game was as rigorous as law; it required clear visual locking of the target to enact judgment.
Having lost sight of Morrow, the ability was forcibly interrupted.
Suppressing his shock, Mizaistom immediately shifted laterally, attempting to regain visual contact.
But the initiative was already lost.
Who... is this man?
Frowning mid-sprint, this question flashed through Mizaistom's mind, accompanied by a vague sense of familiarity.
Just then, Botobai stepped forward, entering striking range of Morrow.
Morrow's earlier repositioning had allowed Botobai to attack first.
His Ryu was refined and swift, complemented by a body tempered through countless battles. His punch tore a visible white shockwave through the air, aimed directly at Morrow's chest.
The power, speed, and Nen technique application were flawless; a killing move forged through innumerable real combats.
An ordinary Nen user in this situation, facing such overwhelming frontal pressure while constrained by multiple Zodiac attackers, would likely retreat immediately to disengage. Yet Morrow advanced instead of retreating, his right hand meeting that heavy punch squarely.
Boom!
The moment fist and palm collided, two powerful auras violently clashed, transforming into a visible ring of shockwaves that swept outward with a howling roar.
The vast majority of Pro Hunters present were stunned by this sudden explosive impact, instinctively halting their advance to surround him.
However, the few Zodiac Twelve members closest to the collision center remained completely unaffected.
Their wills forged like iron, they continued executing the decisions made moments earlier.
But in the next instant, something happened that astonished everyone.
After steadily receiving Botobai Gigante's mountain-splitting punch, Morrow's fingers suddenly clamped down like iron vices around his opponent's knuckles.
Before Botobai could change tactics, Morrow dropped his stance, his core explosively engaging.
Using a seemingly unorthodox yet highly effective shoulder throw technique, he violently swung Botobai's over-two-meter muscular frame overhead, hurling him directly toward the Zodiac Twelve members charging from the podium area.
This lightning-fast reversal clearly demonstrated one undeniable fact.
Morrow's aura intensity and instantaneous explosive power completely surpassed Botobai's.
Only through absolute suppression in a direct confrontation could one so effortlessly toss away a strength-specialized Zodiac Twelve member like a sandbag.
Botobai's mind was reeling with shock.
He never imagined he would be so thoroughly defeated in a direct contest of strength and aura.
But what truly stunned him to his core was the technique Morrow had just displayed... It was a martial arts move from Shingen-ryu!
Just who... is this man?
This question flashed through Botobai's mind.
Simultaneously, his body flew uncontrollably with tremendous impact force, crashing directly toward Saiyu who was charging from the seating area.
More precisely, toward the newly conjured Mizaru materializing before Saiyu.
Saiyu's Nen ability involved three Nen Beasts: Mizaru (the see-not monkey), Kikazaru (the hear-not monkey), and Iwazaru (the speak-not monkey). Successfully striking an enemy with any of them would deprive the target of sight, hearing, or speech respectively.
But now, aiming to reliably deprive Morrow of vision in one strike, he hadn't dispersed his Nen, conjuring only Mizaru to ensure its strength and effect.
Moreover, with multiple Zodiac Twelve members coordinating their assault, he held absolute confidence in landing this crucial blow.
Yet the incoming Botobai resembled an out-of-control cannonball, accurately colliding with the newly formed Mizaru.
Coincidence...?
As Mizaru dispersed into shimmering aura particles, Saiyu's expression shifted.
Meanwhile, Kanzai, who had leaped onto the podium, had essentially just brushed past Botobai.
Though he could deduce from this outcome that Morrow's strength and explosive power were extraordinary, his forward assault didn't hesitate in the slightest.
As for the source of his confidence... Not just his professional integrity as a bodyguard Hunter.
But also because his Enhancement Ability guaranteed his margin for error in direct confrontations.
For both reasons, he had to courageously step up at this moment.
That's simply how Enhancement specialists should be.
Yet ironically, Kanzai's unhesitating bravery inadvertently assisted Morrow, allowing him to complete his next decision even faster in that split second. In the instant he closed in to block Kanzai's fierce assault, his form drifted like willow catkins in the wind.
He was still employing the seamless circular principles of Shingen-ryu's martial arts, leveraging his superior aura output to swing Kanzai through the air like a ragdoll before cleanly hurling him backward.
This combat technique was something Morrow had efficiently learned from Biscuit through Starlight Convergence.
Normally, after throwing a target, one could follow up with a powerful strike.
But of course, Morrow had no intention of killing Botobai or Kanzai.
He merely used them to disrupt the Nen abilities of other Zodiac Twelve members.
Kanzai, flung by Morrow, shot like a cannonball directly toward Mizaistom who was preparing to activate his ability.
It turned out Mizaistom had quickly repositioned himself after seeing Botobai thrown aside, once again locking onto Morrow. Yellow card Nen energy swirled between his fingers as his restraining power was about to activate.
Yet at this critical moment, Kanzai's aggressive closing maneuver made him resemble nothing more than a punching bag willingly delivered into Morrow's hands.
Then thrown back, once again interfering with Mizaistom's ability activation.
He formulated a strategy to counter all of us in the blink of an eye...
Facing this meticulously planned interruption and witnessing Botobai crashing through Saiyu's Nen Beast, Mizaistom gained deeper insight into Morrow's terrifying capabilities.
Because within these few seconds... Their every decision and movement seemed anticipated by Morrow, who'd calculated optimal countermeasures with lightning speed.
What kind of monstrous instantaneous thinking would be required to execute such fluid responses?
One thing was certain... This man's strength and combat experience had undoubtedly been forged through numerous high-level battles.
Mizaistom's thoughts raced without hindering his physical reactions.
He abruptly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the airborne Kanzai who crashed heavily into the wall behind with a dull thud.
Immediately, he swiftly flipped the yellow card aimed at Morrow, revealing the X mark on its reverse side.
"Confinement!"
Mizaistom finally unleashed his restraining power.
Yet the expected invisible cage failed to materialize.
What...!?
His pupils constricted sharply, fixed intently on the card in his hand.
A charred-edged hole had been pierced clean through the card's center!
A Nen bullet.
An utterly ordinary, minuscule, low-powered Nen bullet.
But its force had been precisely sufficient to bore through this card.
Such a minimally-output remote attack, even with accurate judgment, still carried considerable risk in this situation.
Did he dare do this to preserve more aura output for dealing with others?
But with such rapid activation speed, why not increase the power to attack me directly?
Wouldn't that be the superior choice?
Mizaistom had no time for deeper contemplation, forced to reconcentrate his Nen and materialize a new yellow card.
Just then, the black Nen snake materialized from Gel's arm extended its body while baring venomous fangs toward Morrow's back.
Terrible timing.
Without turning his head, Morrow reached back with a reverse grip, using condensed Nen defense to precisely clamp the Nen snake's jaw.
"Crush it and the damage will directly reflect on your arm, won't it?"
He glanced sideways at Gel, his tone calm.
Gel's expression turned icy as she replied indifferently, "Overconfident fool. It's just an arm; you can have it if you want."
Before her words fully faded, Saccho, a psychologist by profession bearing the title of Double-Star Problem Hunter, darted like a shadow to Morrow's side, his katana humming as it left its sheath.
"Sever... the countless threads of worry."
With this low chant, the long blade carried an invisible sharpness straight toward Morrow's emotional strings.
Clang!
Yet the Blade of Heart that should have bypassed physical form to strike directly at the spirit now met what felt like tempered steel, failing to stir even a ripple.
This...
Saccho's eyes widened slightly.
His ever-victorious Blade of Heart couldn't even cut a single emotional thread?
How was this possible?
Among all the Nen users he'd encountered, he'd only faced this situation with Chairman Netero!
Saccho experienced a brief moment of stunned disbelief.
Seizing the opportunity, Morrow naturally didn't crush Gel's arm, but instead swiftly wrapped the snake around Saccho's neck.
Then, using the momentum, he flung him away to collide with Gel.
Thud!
The two were sent flying backward.
The Pro Hunters present witnessing this scene were all dumbstruck.
Just who... is this person?