The red 'X'.
It was the execution sword of the Death Node.
Only by killing Feitan within the time limit would this glaring red character disappear.
All the information Moro knew about the Death Node was extracted from this red character.
The method of extracting information was simple: by concentrating his attention on the red character, related information would be poured into his mind, much like data transfer.
However, before the information transfer, he had to experience an intensely realistic replay of his death.
Before contemplating a new ability, and before being inspired by Killua's Godspeed ability, Moro had never thought of utilizing the 'X'.
That's right.
Moro realized that he could perhaps utilize the "Death Replay" to gain a kind of ability material.
Thinking about it now, that indescribable, marvelous feeling he had when dodging the sniper attack...
It was as if it were a pre-warning of death.
Now, what Moro envisioned was to replicate that nearly ethereal feeling from before, and then find a way to reinforce its presence.
This would allow the concept of death pre-warning to serve as the foundation of his new ability.
Moro felt this idea was somewhat fantastical, yet he believed it could be achieved.
Because the Nen ability system is full of infinite possibilities.
Products like the Kakin Fourth Prince Tserriednich's Momentary 10 Seconds and Melodina's Love Practice Suite are marvelous creations born within this system.
Moro concentrated his attention on the red character on the back of his hand.
In an instant—
His consciousness was like a small boat engulfed by a whirlpool, vibrating and blurring for a moment.
In the space of a single breath, the death replay began, and Feitan's appearance reappeared before his eyes.
The slightly distorted body with afterimages, the chillingly sinister eyes that seemed to freeze everything, and the rapier that arrived with furious killing intent...
Before he could see more clearly, the next second was the sensation of the blade slicing open his face.
The suffocating feeling of having his throat gripped by death returned, multiplied many times over.
He couldn't breathe.
Darkness descended.
The next moment.
Moro's consciousness returned to reality.
He unconsciously reached up to cover his face, his eyes twitching slightly uncontrollably.
The death replay brought forth by the 'X' was essentially forcing him to "die" again.
Fortunately, Feitan's blade was fast enough that he didn't actually feel much pain after the strike.
The main issue was the death replay's overwhelming realism, which, however, was also a way for Moro to approach the aura of death.
"One more time..."
Moro calmed the tremor in his heart and once again concentrated his attention on the red character.
His consciousness spun, then vibrated, then moved from blurriness to clarity...
Feitan's image appeared again.
The sharp flash of the blade, followed by endless darkness.
Moro's consciousness returned to reality one more time.
Again.
The death replay started once more.
"Rumble—"
Lightning flashed outside the cave.
A moment later, the heavy rain poured down.
The sound of the rain was disruptive but did not affect Moro in the slightest.
The repeated death replays gradually allowed Moro to reclaim that strange feeling he had before.
Conversely, Feitan's face became increasingly detestable.
If his strength weren't still insufficient, Moro would genuinely want to go straight for Feitan.
Time flowed on.
When the heavy rain stopped, the first rays of morning sunlight shone into the cave.
Moro finally stopped the death replay.
He couldn't remember how many times he did it, but the effort yielded results.
The continuous death replay allowed him to touch the very essence of death in a real sense.
But "pre-warning" alone was not enough...
This was just the foundation; more elements needed to be filled in.
Although the glowing dandelion makes the birth of an ability easy and simple, what Moro wanted was a Nen ability that could both target Feitan and align with his own affinity.
"Pre-warning, evasion, restraint, counterattack... and it must be compatible with my Nen category."
Moro rested his hand against his chin, recalling his experiences since coming to this world.
He learned to observe and discern in the deceitful antique trade.
He realized the importance of resource integration during his Nen training.
He experienced the thrill and satisfaction of narrowly dodging an attack on the Heavens Arena stage.
He recognized the importance of "timing" and "effective offense" in one battle after another.
"First is..."
Moro ended his recollection, summoned the glowing dandelion, and implanted the concept of death pre-warning into it.
The dandelion's glow flickered briefly.
He would use the form of pre-warning to enhance his ability to evade attacks.
Extending this further, it would serve as the prerequisite for restraint.
But to enhance the effect of the ability itself, a restriction proving his resolve must be set before extending the restraint ability.
For example... actively sacrificing or weakening defense, trading a vow like "Death is a wind that always follows me" for a corresponding benefit.
When evasion is no longer an issue, the subsequent restraint will be connected.
This is also very important.
It is not just to counter Feitan's speed, but also to ensure Feitan cannot escape.
Moro initially considered a Nen space, but quickly dismissed it.
A Nen space in the Emitter category mostly focuses on movement, unlike a Nen space in the Conjurer category, where specific targeting mechanisms can be set.
If it were merely a Nen space ability with simple movement/teleportation capability, it would not aid much in assassinating Feitan.
Unless he were a Specialist, who could develop a Nen space while also encompassing Manipulation, Emission, Transmutation, and Conjuration attributes.
If that were the case, he could replicate Obito Uchiha's ability from Naruto.
Evading attacks by phasing his body, then throwing the target into the Nen space...
But he is an Emitter.
Abandoning the Nen space idea, Moro had also thought about developing a high-speed movement ability imbued with Emitter characteristics.
But without matching reaction time and explosive thinking power, and without the body's overall coordination keeping up with the flow of Nen...
Under these strict adaptation conditions, the most likely outcome is that he would crash straight into a blade while moving at high speed.
It could be said that similar abilities could be developed.
But not now.
Moro's time was limited. He needed to focus on integrating all current resources and using them effectively.
Therefore, the direction he chose for his ability was built under the framework of "killing Feitan."
It should neither focus on Nen space nor high-speed movement, yet still counteract Feitan's speed.
Moro's thinking was not rigid.
Although the direction was restraint, it didn't necessarily have to be taken literally.
What was the true purpose of restraint?
To inflict definitive and effective damage on Feitan!
Thus, Moro naturally thought of targeted attacks.
The foundation and framework of the new ability were thus formed.
Sacrificing or weakening his own defense in exchange for the super-high-speed feedback provided by the pre-warning ability would manifest as an Stellar Ring of externalized and dispersed Nen aura.
Using high-risk evasion as a prerequisite, the subsequent targeted counterattack ability would be the Stellar Marker that could be placed on the attacker.
The framework of the ability is broadly like this.
The key point is that a Nen ability developed as an upgrade reward will not consume his Nen capacity.
This means that even if Moro uses this ability slot on Feitan, he will still have the capacity to develop other desired abilities in the future.
(End of this Chapter)
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