Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 201 You're celebrating too soon.

Hisoka is this person—

Be true to your desires.

There was only one thing he was pursuing.

That is the ultimate pleasure that battle brings.

In his world, there are only two simple and pure relationships.

Hunter and prey.

For him, there is no essential difference between being a hunter chasing his desired prey and being the prey hunted by others.

What he truly enjoyed was the thrill of the life-or-death struggle in the process of hunting and being hunted.

To satisfy this desire, he is willing to use any means necessary and is also willing to compromise temporarily.

Every move he makes, every thought he has, is solely for finding an opponent who can satisfy his fighting spirit, either now or in the future.

right now,

His eyes could only hold Moro; he only wanted to fight Moro to his heart's content.

This extreme, almost manic emotion was revealed without reservation through his aura.

Kurt had never seen such a terrifying and perverse aura before, and he turned pale with fright.

Moro flashed forward and stood in front of Kurt.

"You've scared the child, Hisoka."

Before he finished speaking, Moro released his maximum display of power with a blank expression, blocking Hisoka's extremely emotional aura with a chilling and murderous aura.

Hisoka was taken aback by Moro's aura.

It's gotten stronger again—

Become much stronger!
During the time he was trying his best to be patient, the ripeness of the apple in front of him far exceeded his expectations.

How to do it?
In such a short period of time?

unimportant.

Heh, ho ho...

Not important at all.

Hisoka received it intuitively—

An incredible surprise.

His golden pupils trembled wildly, and his utterly distorted face contorted with an expression as if he wanted to devour Moro whole.

Kurt cautiously peeked out from behind Morrow, and the moment his gaze fell upon Hisoka's twisted and deranged face, he felt a chill run down his spine, and his whole body went cold.

Despite Hisoka's seemingly unrestrained and manic aura, Moro remained unusually calm.

His gaze swept across the torrential rain outside the window, and he said calmly, "Stop acting crazy here, go outside."

"Ho."

Hisoka naturally had no objection.

He suddenly raised his hand and pushed open the window beside him.

Instantly, a cold wind mixed with rain rushed in, and the damp, chilly air hit us in the face.

Hisoka leaped out of the window with a clean and decisive motion, braving the wind and rain; the action looked rather dashing.

When Moro saw Hisoka jump out of the window, he immediately went to the open window.

In just a short time, the ground under the windowsill was soaked by rain, and cold wind kept blowing in, making the temperature in the ward noticeably lower.

Outside the clinic.

Hisoka, who had just jumped from the second floor, was looking up at the window with an eager expression on his face.

However, the anticipated scene of Moro jumping down right after him did not occur.

All I saw was Moro peeking out of the window, glancing at me with a look as if I were crazy, before closing the window without hesitation.

"?"

Hisoka was taken aback.

But soon, he sensed that Moro's presence had arrived on the first floor, and he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the clinic's door, where he saw Moro push open the door and walk out.

"..."

Hisoka was silent for a moment, then suddenly understood the meaning behind Moro's look just now—

That's clearly saying: You're crazy, why would you jump out of the window when there are stairs?

In fact, Hisoka's understanding was not wrong.

Moro's gaze did indeed carry that meaning, but it also implied something else: that the cold wind had even reached Kurapika, the patient.

Ignoring Hisoka's reaction, Moro walked straight past him and headed out of town.

Although the clinic was located in a relatively remote area, it was still within the town and surrounded by some residential buildings, making it unsuitable as a battleground.

Moreover, in this environment, Hisoka's abilities would be more advantageous, while Flying Star would be unable to fully utilize his skills.

"Going outside, you don't mind, right?"

Moro walked ahead, pointing towards the outskirts of town.

"uh-huh."

Hisoka still had no objections.

For him, as long as he could fight one-on-one, all other conditions didn't matter.

Moro glanced back at Hisoka, thinking to himself, "No wonder you got played to death by Chrollo."

The two of them, one in front of the other, soon arrived at an open space outside the town.

The journey from the clinic to here isn't actually that far, but for Hisoka, who had already reached his limit, the journey felt exceptionally long.

However, once he actually stepped into the ring, Hisoka wasn't in such a hurry anymore.

“I came from the cemetery side.”

With a flick of his wrist, Hisoka produced a Joker card, his tone carrying a profound meaning.

"Oh."

Moro reacted indifferently, maintaining his maximum apparent aura.

Hisoka didn't glean much from Moro's reaction.

However, even with a fight that could break out at any moment, he still retained some interest in the identity of the charred corpse in the cemetery.

"I met a chivalrous knight there."

Hisoka didn't delve deeper into the topic of "location," nor did he mention the existence and identity of the charred corpse. Instead, he directly mentioned the existence of another person—

Knight-errant.

This kind of questioning, which jumps around and gets straight to the point, can often disrupt the other person's mental preparation, thus preventing them from having too much time to think.

In Hisoka's view, if Moro really hadn't participated in the battle at the graveyard, then when he heard the name "Swordsman," he would have just treated it as an unfamiliar name and wouldn't have had any special reaction.

Conversely, if Moro did indeed fight Feitan, he might react to the presence of Shalnark.

Even the slightest reaction was enough to confirm Hisoka's previous intuitive judgment.

This is Hisoka's indirect approach.

After mentioning the knight-errant, he carefully observed Moro's reaction.

as predicted--

He noticed a very brief change in Moro's eyes, which confirmed his guess.

Moro lowered his eyelids and slowly drew the Crimson Jade Bird Knife, holding it in his palm.

He knew Hisoka was coming for him with a clear purpose, so he wasn't surprised when he learned that Hisoka had come from the cemetery.

The presence of the chivalrous knight was something he hadn't expected.

Coincidence?

Compared to the inevitability of Hisoka's appearance here, Shalnark's appearance in the cemetery shortly after the battle seems more like an unfavorable accidental outcome for him.

This also means that the Phantom Troupe will soon find out that the corpse belongs to Feitan.

"Hisoka."

Thinking of this, Moro casually raised the knife in front of him and asked calmly, "I have a question for you."

"Ok?"

Hisoka looked at him with great interest.

Moro didn't care whether Hisoka would answer or not, and asked directly, "Are you 'The Spider'?"

"..."

Hisoka narrowed his eyes slightly, surprised by Moro's question and not understanding Moro's motive for asking it.

"No."

But Hisoka did not shy away from the question and gave the correct answer straightforwardly.

Because the dead don't reveal secrets.

If he were the one who died, it wouldn't matter at all.

"So, may we begin?"

Then, Hisoka held up a playing card against his chin, his eyes gradually becoming excited and greedy.

Moro nodded slowly.

His action was equivalent to firing a gun.

Hisoka suddenly swung his arm and threw three playing cards at Moro, while simultaneously using his feet to propel himself forward, charging towards Moro right after the cards.

Moro gathered Nen above his eyes, which instantly shone like torches, wary of Hisoka's masterful use of the combination of "concealment" and "bungee-elastic love".

He immediately raised his hand and shot three ping-pong ball-sized projectiles forward, accurately knocking down three playing cards flying through the air.

At that moment, Hisoka's figure leaped over the scattered scraps of playing cards, and as the distance drew ever closer, he used both hands to conjure six playing cards from nowhere, and fired them at Moro in one go.

shhhhh--

Six playing cards spun rapidly from both sides and flew toward Morrow, slicing through the wind and rain along the way.

Faced with Hisoka's rapid-fire attacks, Moro maintained his focus on "Focus," instantly detecting the pink sticky thread Hisoka had secretly flicked out under the guise of throwing playing cards, its traces erased by "Invisibility." "So, once the distance closes, you can't wait to resort to dirty tricks...?"

Moro suddenly touched the ground with his toes.

"Gazelle"

With a sudden burst of force from his foot, the puddle on the ground was instantly squeezed out, and Moro's figure darted backward a distance.

As his feet touched the ground firmly, the Nen energy gathered in his left palm transformed into a Nen bullet, which struck the puddles in front of him.

boom!
The Nen bullet exploded violently, creating a surging shockwave and murky water, obscuring Hisoka's vision while also blocking the flying playing cards and the pink sticky thread whose traces had been erased by "Hidden".

Hisoka was unconcerned that his two attacks had been thwarted.

However, Morona's constant "frozen" vigilance and his attempts to avoid contact with the playing cards were undoubtedly a precaution against his flexible love.

"I am very happy."

Hisoka's lips curled into a wide grin.

Just then, a shooting star flew through the water and aimed directly at Hisoka's face.

Hisoka reacted extremely quickly, dodging the flying star with just a slight turn of his head. He then held a playing card between his fingers, but this time he did not throw it.

because--

The distance is sufficient.

Hisoka strode forward, leaping over the water droplets falling from mid-air, and came close to Moro.

"Limb flexion"

As Hisoka closed in, Moro's footwork suddenly changed pace, retreating to create distance while leaving a series of afterimages.

However, Hisoka is able to keenly discern the difference between reality and illusion, using playing cards as a sharp blade to precisely pursue Moro's true form like a scalpel.

Moro's eyes flickered slightly. Facing Hisoka's fierce attack, he did not use the ability to gather starlight, nor did he maintain the focus on his eyes. Instead, he swung the Ruby Bird Blade in his hand to block the playing cards Hisoka was slashing at.

Ding!
In mid-air, the playing cards and the bird knife collided, creating a spark.

The fact that Zhou could make the playing cards so hard is undoubtedly a testament to his high skill level.

This is also what makes Hisoka so formidable.

After deflecting the playing cards, Moro never looked at the bird knife in his hand, but instead took the opportunity to further increase the distance between them.

Just then, the flying star that Hisoka had dodged earlier with a head shake returned at an even faster speed and shot towards the back of Hisoka's head.

To be precise, Flying Star's two-stage reversal mechanism was aimed at Moro.

However, since Moro and Hisoka were positioned in a straight line, Hisoka naturally had to face the returning flying star.

However, Hisoka had already witnessed the return mechanism of the flying star when he first fought Moro, so he was naturally on guard.

Just as the flying star was about to hit him, he instinctively dodged to the side, letting it pass by him, and instead headed straight for Moro ahead.

Moro, however, raised the back of his hand to block the trajectory of the incoming flying star.

clang.

The flying star crashed into the indestructible ring tattoo on the back of his hand, but instead of exploding from the impact, it bounced back and flew towards Hisoka again.

Hisoka was slightly surprised, but he reacted quickly and leaned forward abruptly.

The rebounding star grazed his scalp.

at the same time.

The psychic energy, as dazzling as starlight, enveloped Hisoka at that moment.

It is the condensation of Moro's starlight.

As Hisoka leaned forward to dodge the flying star, he also used the playing cards in his hand to draw a beautiful yet sharp arc towards Moro's neck.

Moro stepped back just in time, dodging the playing card that was aimed at his neck.

However, Hisoka's attacks did not stop there.

His arm, which had been wielding the playing cards in a diagonal slash, missed its target. Instead, the force of the swing caused several playing cards that had been pre-attached to his shoulder with pink thread to move...

Instantly, the playing cards, like pendulums, extended and traced small arcs, slashing towards Moro in front of him.

This attack method is extremely covert, making it virtually impossible to defend against.

After dodging Hisoka's very large arm swing and playing card slash, most people will likely take this opportunity to launch a counterattack.

However, if they retaliate, they will fall right into Hisoka's trap and be hit by his hidden counterattack.

pity……

Moro's starlight condensation focused more on defense and showed no intention of counterattacking, so it was impossible for him to be hit.

After quickly reading the information, Moro stepped back again, avoiding the several playing cards that swung down like a pendulum.

Nevertheless, the force generated by the playing cards still managed to tear several rips in Moro's clothes.

This is the drawback of having too little manifest energy when the starlight is condensed.

When Moro uses his limited amount of energy to enhance the explosiveness of his lower limbs, other areas inevitably become weaker.

So much so that the playing cards imbued with Nen energy could almost threaten Moro's life with just the energy alone.

But ultimately, it's Hisoka who's too cunning...

Compared to Feitan's straightforward approach, Hisoka's unpredictable and underhanded tactics are far more troublesome.

However, Moro was still able to avoid risks by using his ability to condense starlight. Even if his clothes were cut, as long as he was not injured, he still accumulated the number of times he could dodge attacks.

Hisoka saw that Moro dodged the pendulum-like playing card slash and knew that Moro's ability to react was entirely due to the starlight that permeated the surroundings.

He quickly straightened his body, then reached out and swiped behind his shoulder, lifting the pink string with the playing cards stuck to it onto his fingertips.

Immediately, he used both hands to rapidly swing the playing cards wrapped in pink spiritual threads, creating a dazzling array of afterimages in front of him as he pressed straight towards Moro.

This wide-ranging, airtight attack is the nemesis of starlight convergence.

Moro only managed to dodge the first two playing cards that were being thrown at him at high speed.

To reduce the risk, he decisively abandoned the energy that supported the condensation of starlight and instead covered his body with the maximum amount of manifest energy as quickly as possible.

Hisoka's attacks were fierce, and Moro was forced to retreat step by step. In a critical moment, he raised his sword to block, but was knocked back by the powerful force contained in the playing cards.

The flexible nature of love, combined with the ever-increasing centrifugal force, gives playing cards a fierce power.

Moro knew that in this situation, he could only create distance first and then use a long-range flying star to disrupt Hisoka's offensive.

And he did just that, leaping back a distance in a few bounds.

Hisoka's gaze swept subtly over the crimson bird-shaped sword in Moro's hand, and an exaggerated smile appeared on his lips.

In previous encounters, Morrow had always used "Condensation" to guard against his flexible love.

However, this defensive measure proved insufficient against his relentless attacks.

This is a natural outcome.

As close-quarters combat unfolds, Nen users cannot continuously use the Gathering ability on their eyes to maintain the intensity of their manifested aura for offense and defense.

Hisoka used this pressure from close-quarters combat to attach the flexible Love to the Ruby Sword through the collision of the playing cards and the Ruby Sword.

This is the most essential use of "concealment".

Hisoka was certain that Moro hadn't noticed the pink Nen lines attached to the Ruby Bird Blade.

What he had to do was continue to put pressure on Moro while finding an opportunity to activate the retractable love on the Red Jade Bird Knife.

So, in order to create this opportunity, Hisoka's figure was like a javelin, thrusting forward relentlessly towards Moro.

Faced with Hisoka's imposing offensive, Moro hastily retreated, and for a moment, the rhythm of his footwork and the coordination of his body movements inevitably became disordered.

Seeing this, Hisoka decisively activated the pink adhesive thread attached to the Ruby Bird Blade.

shhhhh--

The playing card at the other end of the pink adhesive string, after being compressed like rubber, suddenly flew towards Morrow at an extremely fast speed.

If these playing cards, through their stretching and contracting force, were to violently strike the dagger in Moro's hand, Moro would be left wide open while he was parrying.

This could give Hisoka a chance to kill him in one blow.

but,
Did Moro really not "see" the inscription on the Red Jade Bird Knife?

I didn't see it.

Because when he actively used the Red Jade Bird Knife to parry the playing cards, he no longer had the strength to use the Condensation Technique on his eyes.

This was all to make Hisoka believe that he was helplessly neglecting this point because he was exhausted from dealing with the fast-paced offense and defense.

If we don't use the freezing technique, we naturally can't confirm the existence of "hidden".

But Moro didn't need to confirm it at all.

Because from the beginning he "accepted" that Hisoka would use this trick.

Or rather, Hisoka would seize any opportunity Hisoka offered and use that tactic.

As for why we do this?

of course……

In order to accumulate the number of times to avoid attacks more safely, and thus successfully achieve the ability requirements.

"Starlight Convergence"

Moro was instantly surrounded by starlight, and then threw the Crimson Jade Bird Blade to the ground.

laugh.

More than half of the crystalline blade disappeared into the ground.

At that moment, several aggressive playing cards were drawn towards the bird knife on the ground.

Moro stood directly in front of the bird knife, then symbolically dodged a few playing cards, as if throwing the game.

next moment.

The conditions for achieving star status have been met.

Under Hisoka's slightly astonished gaze, golden light emanated from his body, and the phantom of chains gradually became visible...

"Looks like you're celebrating too soon."

Moro looked calmly at Hisoka, his palm displaying sharp, stalactite-like Nen aura.

Plant a star.

As long as the difference in their strength isn't too great, Hisoka's defeat can basically be declared.

(End of this chapter)