Standing on the path toward the future,
Moro had developed the habit of carefully considering each step he took, always planning for the long term.
But when he first conceived the ability "Star Radiance Convergence", he had never factored in the importance of Shiko.
Now, looking back—
Meeting Kort might have been the luckiest thing to happen to him since his rebirth.
"Shiko."
Moro's body suddenly moved like a phantom.
Biscuit's fist followed closely behind but struck only a fading afterimage.
Yet, even though the attack missed, the sheer force of her punch pressed down on Moro like a thousand-pound weight.
Even in her loli form, Biscuit's offensive pressure was overwhelming.
Moro deeply felt this crushing force, immediately making a decisive retreat, his movements leaving behind streaks of afterimages.
If he wanted to win, he had to mark her with a star.
If he lost, he could at least extract valuable information.
Either way, he wouldn't suffer a real loss, nor did he have to worry about being beaten to death…
In fact, experiencing this kind of oppressive force from a powerful opponent—
Was there anything more exhilarating than this on the road to becoming stronger?
Moro's grin widened.
"You're smiling...?"
Biscuit was slightly surprised but didn't hesitate—
She seized the advantage and launched a relentless attack.
In just three moves, she had completely cornered Moro.
If not for the combined assistance of Star Radiance Convergence and Shiko, his situation would have been even worse.
Even now, he was barely holding on—
Just one step away from the abyss.
However—
He had held out long enough.
It was time.
"Star Link – Activate."
Countless scattered star fragments instantly coalesced into golden chains, wrapping tightly around Biscuit's body.
Moro finally got a brief moment to breathe.
But just as he took a step back—
The golden chains shattered.
The power gap between them was simply too great.
The duration of the chain's binding effect was nearly nonexistent.
This was absolute proof that Star Radiance Convergence had accurately assessed the true power hidden within Biscuit's body.
The ability was fair.
So fair, in fact, that it always prioritized the reality of the situation.
Thus, when setting the strength of the Star Chains—
It did so based on Biscuit's muscle form.
As the golden chains crumbled, Moro felt a chill run down his spine.
Fortunately—
He had never planned to rely on the chains for long.
The moment he saw them break, he instinctively dodged another punch from Biscuit.
But—
Without the chains buying him time, he couldn't create distance and make full use of his Star Mark.
In other words, his efforts were wasted.
For a brief moment, Moro suspected Biscuit had seen through everything.
No way… right?
If Biscuit could instantly decipher Star Radiance Convergence just from their exchange,
then she wasn't human.
Of course, Biscuit couldn't have fully figured out his abilities.
However, the moment she saw Moro willingly turn his back on the returning Star Bullets,
she already had a rough guess.
"So that's why he dared to expose his back…"
Her prediction was confirmed as their battle continued.
But she hadn't expected the Star Chains and Star Mark to follow.
Still, it didn't matter.
Because—
Even if the chains broke,
Even if the Star Mark was successfully placed,
Neither of those things could stop her attack.
More importantly—
She wasn't worried about the Star Mark harming her directly.
Why?
Because up until now, Moro had yet to truly land a solid hit on her.
Yet, the Star Mark still formed.
That meant the mark's purpose wasn't direct damage.
And in the realm of Nen,
Every ability—whether passive or active—always followed the principles of Vows & Limitations.
Which meant—
If you had enough knowledge and experience,
you could deduce the mechanics behind any ability.
In the original story, the best example of this was Kurapika during the Succession War arc.
But right now—
Biscuit Krueger was proving she had the same level of skill.
From the very start of the battle—
She had been suppressing Moro the entire time.
Did he still have a chance?
At that moment, Moro's gaze flickered to Biscuit's dress—
An idea flashed in his mind.
No hesitation.
He stopped running.
In an instant, Moro planted his feet firmly into the ground like roots, making himself an immovable object.
Biscuit's eyes narrowed, but her attack didn't slow down.
She aimed her palm strike directly at Moro's abdomen.
"Palm Strike—Impact Compression."
A seemingly delicate hand gathered force—
A violent shockwave surged forth, compressing the air into a visible white current.
But this time—
Moro didn't dodge.
Instead, he instantly dispersed all of his external Star Radiance energy.
The once dazzling starlight field vanished.
At the same time, a powerful surge of Nen armor enveloped his body.
CLASH!
A heavy impact rang out.
But thanks to his Ringed Tattoo's defense,
Moro barely managed to withstand Biscuit's strike.
Then—
He forced her back with a counter push.
Before Biscuit could follow up,
Moro swung his leg upward, using his foot to launch a Star Bullet—
Directly at Biscuit's dress.
FLIP!
The energy impact flipped her entire princess dress over her head, trapping her upper body inside.
"…What!?"
Biscuit's vision went completely dark.
She never expected Moro to use such a shameless tactic.
THUD.
Taking advantage of her momentary blindness—
Moro punched Biscuit square in the torso.
BOOM.
Biscuit was blown backward, her feet dragging across the ground,
leaving a long skid mark on the arena floor.
From beneath the flipped dress,
a muffled cough could be heard.
Along with a faint, yet unmistakable—
"Angry breathing."
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
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