Moro couldn't foresee everything, after all.
When he first heard about the twisted techniques of the Mind Illusion Style, he did consider the possibility of posthumous Nen.
But in the carefully crafted strategy he used to crush Orain, he hadn't accounted for it.
Fortunately, the one controlling the Nen doppelgänger at the time of Orain's death was the violent personality—
who then rushed in headfirst, inadvertently saving Moro a lot of trouble.
Moro looked at Orain's face, still twisted with shock, as his palm, like a black hole, sucked in the ominous black Nen.
"You… what did you do…?!!"
Orain's body and face warped rapidly, breaking down under the pull of the life-ring tattoo.
He couldn't comprehend what Moro had done.
He had freed himself from the "spiritual will" trapped within a human shell—he had supposedly stepped into a higher dimension...
So why?
Why was this happening?!
Through his warped gaze, all Orain saw was Moro's calm, indifferent expression.
Even now, in this moment of transcendence, was he still nothing more than an ant to this guy?
Orain was unwilling to accept it.
But after that final surge of defiance came… blank nothingness.
Fsshhh—
The tremendous pull of the tattoo sucked away the last trace of Orain's existence.
Moro stared quietly at the life-ring tattoo on the back of his hand. The green energy bar suddenly surged—crossing the midpoint from 34% and shooting past 50%...
And it wasn't done yet.
It continued to rise, only stopping around 60%.
"Incredible."
Moro looked at the drastically increased energy bar.
Even though posthumous Nen provided more refined energy for the life-ring, jumping from 34% to 60% still far exceeded his expectations.
It showed just how grotesque the Mind Illusion Style truly was.
Moro lowered his hand, slowly turning to lean against the corridor wall.
Absorbing pure posthumous Nen unavoidably brought with it fragments of the original will behind it.
A phenomenon not unlike a vow or binding condition.
Moro closed his eyes, mentally bracing himself for the incoming spiritual impact.
The next moment—
A torrent of violent spiritual energy surged into Moro's consciousness.
His body shuddered slightly. Inside his mind, he "opened" his eyes—
only to find himself in a monochrome world.
A black surface of water, a white sky.
Moro stood on the dark surface, ripples spreading outward from his feet in perfect circles, rhythmically expanding in all directions.
Suddenly, a seething black flame-like aura appeared in front of him, radiating violent energy.
Just one glance, and Moro knew—this was the core of Orain's posthumous Nen.
As he gazed at the churning black aura, a distant, misty voice floated through his mind, as though carried from the ends of the sky:
"Accept me, and you will step into a brand-new world."
"The legacy and culmination of the Mind Illusion Style are all here."
"Come. For you, it's right within reach."
The black Nen surged like roaring fire, exuding a tempting energy—a power irresistible to those who crave strength.
Moro calmly watched the black flames, fully aware that this was the core will of the posthumous Nen.
And he understood that by accepting it, he could tap into Orain's spiritual memory and unlock the full knowledge of the Mind Illusion Style.
He might even be able to immediately begin developing the doppelgänger ability characteristic of that style.
That would mean drifting toward the Specialization Nen type over time.
A rare chance—a known method for evolving into a Specialist mentioned in the original lore.
Yet Moro remained unmoved.
He did seek power that could rewrite fate, but he had no interest in such a twisted construct as the Mind Illusion Style.
Sensing his resistance, the black Nen core shifted tactics, manifesting into a clone of Moro himself—
Or more accurately, a Nen doppelgänger.
"What are you waiting for? Master this ability, and death itself will kneel at your feet. You'll escape the bounds of your human shell and touch—"
"Too noisy."
Moro calmly interrupted.
That one sentence broke off the posthumous will's speech—and in that instant, a white vortex appeared beneath it on the black water's surface, sucking the dark core down.
Deeper, and deeper—
Like a buried memory, it sank to the very bottom.
Back in the corridor—
Moro suddenly opened his eyes.
"The body will perish, but spirit, belief, and will... those things can transcend time. I suppose that's the essence of posthumous Nen."
He looked down at the life-ring tattoo on his hand and murmured:
"Escaping the shackles of the human shell… it's not entirely wrong. I'm sure in many hidden, dark corners of the world, countless unknown posthumous Nens remain."
Like in the Ancient Ganyu Empire he once visited—
That land buried many civilizations beneath its soil.
And those civilizations surely left behind fragments of religion, belief, and intent.
If he could locate them precisely, he might complete the second and even third rings of his life-wheel with ease.
To make death bow before him.
Such an idea...
Moro shook his head slightly.
He once prided himself as a treasure hunter—but that kind of ambition, in the end, was like a floating weed: it consumed far too much time and effort.
By comparison, it might be more practical to browse antique markets—
Or become a spiritual exorcist, taking on various purification contracts from the public.
"I'm probably strong enough now, right?"
Moro thought to himself, then strode confidently toward the exit.
He had no regrets about rejecting the Mind Illusion legacy.
Why?
Because, beyond the risk of becoming a madman—
the core of that system directly clashed with his own ability, Stellar Convergence.
Just like he used it to counter Orain, the Mind Illusion technique would interfere with its usage in return.
Funny, when you think about it.
But Moro remained rational—he never let one gain cost him another.
From the mental constraints of Stellar Convergence, it was clear he was more suited to the Mind Source Style—one that focused on inner cultivation.
In the arena's upper platform—
Netero silently watched the unmoving athlete tunnel entrance.
Sensing something, he let out a subtle smile.
This was the second thing he'd confirmed personally since arriving at Heavens Arena—
A removal-type Nen exorcist who could dispel posthumous Nen.
The Hunter Association truly needed people like this.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen