The golden chains appeared, restraining Hisoka's movements.
Yet in less than a second, the golden chains shattered into fragments of light and vanished.
Hisoka's aura output far exceeded Morrow's, so the chains' control duration was brief.
As the golden chains crumbled, a Star Mark manifested on Hisoka's cheek, perfectly centered over the tear-shaped makeup on his face.
Seeing the mark take form, Morrow abruptly compressed the sharpened aura in his palm, condensing it into a Shooting Star shimmering with a fluorescent green glow.
Deceptive Shooting Star.
Morrow tossed the Shooting Star upward.
The glowing green projectile rocketed into the sky, carving a brilliant trail behind it.
Hisoka sensed imminent danger. The moment he broke free from the chains' control, he flicked several playing cards toward Morrow while explosively propelling himself forward at top speed.
But unfortunately...
In this open terrain, the functionality of Bungee Gum was severely diminished.
No matter how fast Hisoka accelerated, to Morrow, it was nothing more than futile resistance.
Morrow didn't even need to use his Starlight Convergence ability. With a burst of Nen at his feet, he effortlessly retreated beyond the range of the flying cards while widening the distance between himself and Hisoka.
The cards missed their mark, leaving Hisoka with no other means to hinder Morrow's mobility.
It all came back to the same problem.
The battlefield was an open expanse, devoid of any leverage points, not even a sizable rock in sight.
In such an environment, the only way Hisoka could utilize Bungee Gum effectively was by attaching it to Morrow himself.
Only then could he restrict Morrow's movements and mount a meaningful offense.
But Morrow would never give him that chance.
The Shooting Star, now hovering a hundred meters above, suddenly burst apart like fireworks, transforming into a meteor shower that rained down with precision toward Hisoka below.
Hisoka looked up, his cold eyes reflecting countless fluorescent green specks.
The swarm of fragmented Shooting Stars had already locked onto him.
Given the circumstances, a reversal was nearly impossible.
Yet even so, Hisoka refused to surrender.
Facing the meteor-like assault, he leaped into the air, kicking a strand of Bungee Gum toward the ground ahead. Simultaneously, he curled his body inward, minimizing his exposure while concentrating his Nen's defensive strength.
The next instant...
The Shooting Stars hammered into Hisoka like a torrential downpour.
Amidst the deafening explosions of energy, Hisoka, now airborne, was flung violently backward like a withered leaf caught in a storm.
Meanwhile, the strand of Bungee Gum he had kicked out stretched taut behind him, elongating endlessly as he was sent flying...
Once the energy of the Shooting Stars dissipated, Hisoka lowered his arms, revealing eyes bloodshot with exhilaration.
Bungee Gum.
Maximum contraction force!
In an instant, the stretched pink Nen Thread snapped back like a rubber band, yanking Hisoka's body forward at blinding speed toward the ground. To alter the final landing point, Hisoka flew toward the ground while simultaneously retracting the Bungee Gum attached to the surface, preserving only the potential energy acting upon himself.
This was the only counterattack he could muster in such a dire situation.
Through this maneuver, he rapidly closed the distance between himself and Morrow.
However, just as he was skimming low at high speed, a Shooting Star the size of a car wheel streaked toward his face at the same low altitude.
This was Morrow's second wave of attacks.
"Hmm!?"
Hisoka's pupils contracted sharply. In that split second, he barely had time to cross his arms and deploy a defensive barrier with Nen.
The moment he raised his guard, the Shooting Star struck him.
Boom!
The Shooting Star exploded.
The violent energy contained within it hammered into Hisoka like a sledge.
His entire body was sent tumbling violently through the air, as if thrown into a washing machine, before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Not far away, Morrow remained expressionless, his right hand already shaping another sharpened aura into a Shooting Star.
"Don't misunderstand. The only reason you could even activate your ability in that situation is because I was afraid of accidentally killing you."
With that, he hurled the Shooting Star once more.
If there had been a significant gap in their aura outputs, implanting the Star Mark on Hisoka wouldn't have guaranteed victory in this battle.
But after killing Feitan, Morrow's aura output had increased substantially. Though there was still a gap between him and Hisoka, the doubled destructive power of the Shooting Stars was more than enough to push Hisoka into an inescapable defeat.
Thus, confident in his advantage, Morrow deliberately weakened the first wave of Shooting Stars to avoid accidentally killing Hisoka.
This very decision also allowed him to swiftly follow up with the second wave, ruthlessly blasting Hisoka down just as he attempted to counterattack.
"Third strike."
Morrow raised his head, watching as the Shooting Star ascended high into the air.
Under his gaze, the Shooting Star transformed once more into a Star Rain, each projectile arcing downward toward Hisoka on the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, the Shooting Stars rained down on Hisoka, triggering explosions in rapid succession.
Hisoka could only curl up, using Ken to endure the relentless bombardment of Nen bullets.
By the third wave, his body had already sustained considerable damage.
And if this continued, he'd be nothing more than a living target, helplessly battered by Morrow's attacks.
Was this the end?
No way!
After enduring the third wave, Hisoka suddenly sprang up from the ground, dragging his battered body forward like a rabid dog charging at Morrow.
"Let's see... how long you can keep this up."
Morrow's eyes burned with flame-like Nen.
Even with victory assured, he refused to leave any room for risk. Even as he attacked, he maintained Gyo, scrutinizing Hisoka for any hidden movements.
This merciless approach left Hisoka with not even a sliver of hope.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid the pouring rain, explosions resounded once more.
With deliberate control, Morrow ensured the Shooting Stars drained Hisoka's aura while inflicting non-lethal damage.
He would maintain this relentless assault until Hisoka was completely incapacitated.
Soon, another wave of Shooting Stars struck.
After enduring it, Hisoka was already swaying on his feet. If the battlefield had been within the town, he could have used the buildings to slowly find opportunities.
But here...
There was no opportunity at all.
Only now did Hisoka deeply realize the importance of "terrain."
Yet in the end, the greatest cause of his defeat was his own lack of strength.
Facing Morrow's relentless Shooting Star attacks, Hisoka finally collapsed, unable to hold on any longer.
This time, he could no longer stand up.
After enduring so many attacks, Hisoka gradually realized Morrow had no intention of killing him.
This one-sided suppression gave him a sense of powerlessness he had never experienced before.
You lost again, Hisoka.
Morrow walked closer, his calm gaze fixed on the battered Hisoka.
Hearing Morrow's words, Hisoka weakly turned his head, trying to see Morrow clearly, but his vision was already blurred.
His severe injuries were causing his consciousness to fade.
In the end, he couldn't even muster a response before slipping into unconsciousness.
Morrow stood by, silently watching as Hisoka lost consciousness.
Then, he bent down, grabbed Hisoka by the collar, and dragged him toward the town as if hauling an object.
When Morrow dragged Hisoka back to the clinic, the two corpses and bloodstains from earlier had already been completely cleaned up.
Without paying it much mind, he tossed the severely injured and unconscious Hisoka to the doctor.
The doctor, though shocked by Hisoka's battered state, asked no questions and immediately began treating him.
—--
The next day.
Hisoka, tightly wrapped in bandages, slowly opened his eyes.
The pain radiating from every part of his body was a constant reminder of everything that had happened the day before.
"You're finally awake."
Morrow's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Hisoka strained to turn his head, following the sound to where Morrow stood by the bed.
Not just Morrow—the child who had trembled in fear of him yesterday was there too.
Perhaps because the boy had seen him beaten so thoroughly by Morrow, the fear from yesterday was gone, replaced by a gaze tinged with pity.
"Not planning to kill me?"
Hisoka ignored Kalluto's presence, staring straight at Morrow, his tone eerily calm, as if asking about something trivial.
Morrow didn't directly answer Hisoka's question. Instead, he stated bluntly, "I'm going after the Phantom Troupe."
"..."
Hearing this, Hisoka instantly understood why Morrow had spared his life—and why he'd asked that seemingly odd question before their fight yesterday.
So he wanted to take on the Phantom Troupe...
With that as the premise, Morrow must have thought he could be of some use in this matter, hence deliberately keeping him alive.
But what Hisoka was more curious about was...
This young man who had dealt him such a crushing blow seemed to know the true nature of his relationship with the Phantom Troupe.
If he hadn't understood Morrow's question yesterday, or if he'd given the wrong answer...
Then Morrow would likely have killed him outright.
"So what do you want me to do?"
Hisoka didn't feel any relief over this so-called "narrow escape."
His attitude toward still being alive was more one of passive acceptance.
Now, he was already considering Morrow's motives for targeting the Phantom Troupe—and how he should make his own choices in this situation.
Of course.
The most important thing was still how to find some fun. "Before answering your question..."
Morrow looked at Hisoka calmly and said, "I need to confirm once more, are you currently a member of the Phantom Troupe?"
"..."
Hearing this, Hisoka became even more certain that Morrow was aware of his relationship with the Phantom Troupe.
Of course, Morrow also knew that asking such questions would reveal some information to a certain extent, but he simply didn't care.
Hisoka fell silent for a moment before replying, "I did join the Phantom Troupe."
The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly sensed an icy, oppressive bloodlust.
"Hmm?"
Following the source of this bloodlust, Hisoka turned his gaze to the other hospital bed in the room, where Kurapika lay.
At that moment.
Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes were fixed intently on him.
And seeing those Scarlet Eyes, Hisoka faintly understood why Morrow wanted to deal with the Phantom Troupe.
Given this, the corpse in the graveyard...
Undoubtedly belonged to Feitan.
Hisoka scrutinized Kurapika's reaction carefully, along with the turbulent aura surging uncontrollably under the influence of his emotions.
A survivor of the Kurta Clan...
No, more accurately, an avenger.
How delightful~
The corners of Hisoka's eyes curved slightly.
If the Phantom Troupe were to face such a Kurta Clan avenger in the future, then truly joining them might not be such a bad idea after all.
By the bedside.
Morrow observed Hisoka's reaction and could easily guess what was going through his mind.
Even in such a battered state, this guy still had the energy to indulge in his madness.
As if sensing Morrow's gaze, Hisoka calmly withdrew his eyes from Kurapika and said in a playful tone, "But I only pretended to join~~"
"?"
Hearing Hisoka's words, Kurapika's aura momentarily faltered.
Hisoka immediately caught this reaction, and as if satisfied by his own mischief, the corners of his bandaged lips curled slightly.
Morrow raised a hand to his chin.
He didn't care whether Hisoka had picked up on certain clues. The reason he had asked this question was mainly to account for the butterfly effect.
Now it seemed that, just like in the original timeline, Hisoka hadn't truly joined the Phantom Troupe.
"Hisoka, back to the earlier topic."
Morrow looked at Hisoka and said plainly, "I want you to be our inside man. Of course, this isn't an order or a threat—it's cooperation. So you can set conditions, or refuse."
Hisoka, seemingly no longer feeling the pain from his injuries, asked with keen interest, "And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll kill you."
Morrow's tone was calm, as if stating the most ordinary fact.
"Hmm~~ How terrifying."
Fresh from his crushing defeat, Hisoka felt no fear toward Morrow's words. Instead, he was rather looking forward to it.
He was certain.
No matter the reason, he would inevitably cross blades with Morrow again in the future.
Even if he were to lose just as badly then, or even die helplessly at Morrow's hands, it wouldn't matter in the slightest.
He only ever cared about the process.
But before that, dealing with the Phantom Troupe seemed far more entertaining.
"I'll agree to cooperate, but on one condition~"
"Speak."
Morrow could roughly guess Hisoka's condition, undoubtedly the same as in the original story: a one-on-one fight with Chrollo. Hisoka stared at Morrow and said slowly, "After our cooperation ends, fight me again, on the stage of Heavens Arena."
"..."
Morrow was taken aback, his expression blank as he replied, "I thought you'd propose something like 'leave me a prey' as your condition."
Pausing briefly, he continued.
"Fine, I accept your condition. Though I see you've learned your lesson, now you know to 'actively choose the battlefield.'"
"..."
Hisoka fell silent, inevitably recalling yesterday's battle that had left him utterly powerless.
--------
Bonus chapter @150 power stones.