The weakness of the ability...
Had been seen through.
That guy clearly guessed that Star Trace Convergence was a counter-type ability.
So he forced me to retract the ability with an area-of-effect attack first.
That way, once Star Trace was deactivated, he no longer needed to worry about any unknown counter effects and could go on the offensive without reservation.
The key to forming such an assault wasn't just the innate threat of his Nen needles—but also his terrifying hand-to-hand combat.
If not for the three months I spent strengthening myself...
It probably wouldn't have ended with just one kick.
Moro gritted through the pain roiling in his abdomen, dug in with his feet to stabilize his footing, and without hesitation, activated Star Trace Convergence once more.
Nen energy fractured.
Radiant starlight bloomed all around him.
To activate Star Trace Convergence, the user had to maintain rational and calm emotional restraint.
Which meant that even in absolute disadvantage, Moro's mindset remained as solid as iron.
But when it came to mental strength, Illumi was no slouch either.
Coming from the Zoldyck family, when targeting someone, he never mixed in any meaningless emotions like contempt, arrogance, or anger.
Once battle begins, the only thing he thinks about is—
How to kill the target.
So trying to exploit emotional weaknesses in Illumi was practically impossible.
"My only chance... is that ordinary puppet."
Moro struggled to steady his breath, already disrupted by pain, as blood dyed his lips.
Star Trace's mark could be transferred directly onto a target through a "medium."
This was a special effect designed specifically against manipulators.
As long as Illumi didn't realize this, Moro could use it to find an opening.
Not necessarily to win—
But at least to suppress Illumi hard.
And that kick just now also reminded Moro of something:
Getting hurt isn't always a bad thing.
With sharp eyes like blades, Moro took the initiative, wrapped in starlight, and charged toward Illumi.
"Oh?"
Illumi's pitch-black pupils reflected the dazzling light, mildly surprised by Moro's move.
A clear counter-type ability like this—yet instead of tightening his defense after getting injured, he takes the offensive?
What's the intention?
Illumi didn't have time to think it through—he had no choice but to meet Moro head-on.
When targeting a weakness, repeating the same move was often the most efficient method.
Illumi cut through the stars and appeared before Moro, while also maneuvering his three puppet soldiers to surround from multiple angles.
A pressure tactic through encirclement.
Illumi struck first, a special Nen needle glowing with danger between his fingers, pressing down on Moro like a venomous snake.
"Joint Step."
Moro had no choice—he had to use Joint Step to respond.
His footwork rhythm abruptly shifted, leaving behind an afterimage to confuse the eye.
Illumi's gaze flickered slightly, but the special Nen needle between his fingers still pierced precisely toward Moro's real body.
Again, relying on the needle's innate threat to force Moro into a tight corner with limited escape options.
It should have created a vulnerability easily.
But Moro had already canceled Star Trace Convergence.
In fact, even before dodging with Joint Step, he had anticipated Illumi would see through the feint.
With that reasoning, and combining the known fact that "Illumi's needles only work on the head"—
He could predict how the exchange would play out.
In that moment, Moro's perspective was like a puppeteer peering down at two marionettes on a stage.
One marionette was himself, the other was Illumi.
Even if only for a fleeting second, Moro could tug the strings to guide both to the result he wanted.
He just needed "one direction."
Under Illumi's fierce assault, Moro's crumbling defense did, as expected, open a gap.
And Illumi didn't disappoint—his elbow strike landed squarely on Moro's chest with deadly precision.
Thud!
Moro was sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth midair.
The sheer force behind the blow nearly knocked him unconscious.
But he endured...
As he soared through the air, his eyes barely open, Moro looked at Illumi's cold, detached figure—and curled a bloody smile.
"Star Trace Convergence."
Relying on rock-solid mental discipline, Moro activated the ability again, unaffected by the pain and injury.
Starlight burst forth again, centering around him.
And the direction he was flying?
It just so happened to be toward the ordinary puppet tasked with applying pressure.
The starlight enveloped the ordinary puppet.
It followed its directive and lunged at Moro.
Midair, Moro used a burst of Nen to trigger an explosion in his palm, using the recoil to forcibly brake himself and stabilize.
Whoosh!
The puppet pounced—
Moro twisted in midair, pivoted past the lunging puppet, and the moment it missed—
Star Trace Convergence activated.
Starlight turned into golden chains that wrapped around the puppet.
Moro then deactivated the ability and conjured a green-glowing Nen sphere in his palm.
Illumi noticed the chains and remarked flatly:
"A binding-type counter effect? It doesn't match the 'risk' you were taking. There must be another ability attached. But if it only works on 'puppets,' it's meaningless."
"..."
Moro said nothing, merely focused on stabilizing his mental clarity as he funneled the "drain" effect into the Star Shot.
Then, he raised his bloodied face and smiled coldly at Illumi.
Illumi remained expressionless.
"Right now, you can't even stand up properly..."
But then his thoughts flashed—
He remembered Moro's earlier aggressive charge, the strange confidence in his current demeanor...
If that counter ability also had a hidden effect—
It must be something that directly threatens me.
Damage transfer?
Illumi glanced sharply at the puppet.
The golden chains shattered.
Without a moment's hesitation, he commanded two of his special puppets to protect the ordinary one.
At that moment, a green-glowing Star Shot fired toward the puppet.
So it was true.
Illumi's mind clicked. He had guessed correctly—and understood Moro's logic.
To be safe, he had the puppet curl up defensively, while the two stronger puppets shielded it.
However—
Illumi had overlooked one critical point.
"Star Shot: Drain."
Moro watched as the glowing shot smashed into the "human wall" formed by the two special puppets.
"I trust you completely, Illumi."
"I trust you'd make that judgment."
"Adding two strong puppets should be enough..."
The Star Shot obliterated the special puppets.
Then—
Green sparkles of energy floated out from their corpses, flew back to Moro, and were absorbed into his body.
Being injured from the beginning...
Was never a bad thing.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen