The rain had been pouring for two days straight with no signs of stopping.
The journey to the cemetery would only take a few hours, so Morrow decided to park the car over ten kilometers away and proceed on foot alone.
Before setting out, he intended to disguise himself as much as possible.
Though he lacked any transformation or disguise abilities, he could at least cover his face.
In such heavy rain, wearing a raincoat wouldn't seem out of place.
"If only Illumi were here. His ability could completely alter appearances."
Kalluto held a paper umbrella as he watched Morrow retrieve a large black raincoat from the trunk.
Morrow slipped on the raincoat, wrapped a cloth around his face, then closed the trunk and turned to Kalluto.
"True."
He quietly agreed with Kalluto's remark.
Illumi's Nen needles could indeed achieve effects similar to Bonolenov's transformations.
Morrow recalled that such appearance-altering abilities through Nen needles could only last a few hours at most.
However, even if Illumi were present, Morrow wouldn't ask for his help in changing his appearance.
After all, there was no guarantee that guy wouldn't suddenly decide to erase your consciousness with a single needle.
If forced to choose between Illumi and Hisoka as the most detestable, Morrow would pick Illumi without hesitation.
Of course, he wouldn't speak ill of Illumi in front of Kalluto.
Once disguised, Morrow instructed Kalluto to return to the car before heading alone toward the cemetery.
About ten minutes later, he arrived at the graveyard.
The place remained a scorched wasteland, with hardly an intact tombstone in sight.
Morrow adjusted the brim of his raincoat hood and stepped across the charred earth to the ruined outline of the altar, quickly scanning the ground.
The charred corpse Feitan had left behind was gone, clearly taken by Shalnark.
As he pondered this, Morrow carefully examined the surroundings but found no significant changes.
Was it because the nearby townsfolk had ignored this place, or was there another reason?
Given the locals' tradition of persistently holding the Soul-Returning Rite, they shouldn't have turned a blind eye to the cemetery's destruction.
Suppressing his doubts, Morrow looked toward Fengde Town.
If Shalnark hadn't left yet, he would only be in Fengde Town.
Moreover, Morrow had a growing suspicion that the townspeople's indifference to the cemetery's destruction might well be Shalnark's doing.
As for why Shalnark would go out of his way to do this...
Morrow had no interest in delving deeper and headed straight for Fengde Town.
—--
Fengde Town.
Forensic Identification Center.
Shalnark received the report and, after cross-referencing the information, confirmed the corpse's identity.
It was Feitan.
"..."
The edges of the report crumpled violently under Shalnark's grip as shadows fell across his lowered eyelids, his lips unconsciously bitten tight.
Though he'd had a bad feeling beforehand, he'd refused to believe the corpse could be Feitan.
Given his understanding of Feitan's strength, even against an unbeatable opponent, Feitan should have been able to escape with his speed.
How could he have died by his own ability?
Yet reality was cruel.
Feitan was truly dead.
Who... could have done this? Shalnark's chest rose and fell slightly, his eyes burning with anger, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.
He couldn't afford to lose composure...
Before Phinks and the others arrived to regroup, he needed to consolidate the information he currently had...
Even if they had to turn the world upside down, they would find the one who killed Feitan.
Taking a deep breath, Shalnark steadied himself and pulled out his phone, first sending the "results" to his comrades.
After sending the message, he put his phone away and turned his gaze to a bald middle-aged man beside him.
This was the mayor of Fengde Town.
But now, under the influence of a Coercive-type manipulation ability, he was no different from a corpse.
"Before Phinks and the others get here, I can make use of the town's law enforcement..."
Shalnark stared coldly at the mayor, now a puppet under his control.
This was precisely the most valuable aspect of Manipulation abilities.
In a human society built on status and power, directly controlling the "head" allowed one to mobilize and command the forces under its jurisdiction.
This would significantly improve the efficiency of their investigation.
Shalnark immediately sprang into action, preparing to take the puppet mayor to the law enforcement agencies.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and sharply turned his gaze toward the main entrance of the first-floor hall ahead.
Outside the glass doors, a storm raged.
A figure clad in a black raincoat stood silently in the wind and rain before the glass doors.
Seeing this unknown figure who had appeared without a sound, Shalnark's expression shifted.
He didn't need further confirmation to guess the other's identity.
Because at this moment, the figure was blatantly exuding malice.
"So it's you..."
Intense fury flared in Shalnark's eyes.
But he didn't lose his rationality.
Though rage burned within him, though he desperately longed to avenge Feitan...
The most sensible choice now was to avoid a fight.
In an instant, Shalnark made the most rational decision.
"Whoever you are, today... I will kill you!"
Shalnark roared in anger, then swiftly pulled out his phone and commanded the puppet mayor to charge at the raincoat-clad figure outside the door.
On the surface, his actions seemed like a fight to the death, but in reality, he intended to use the puppet mayor to stall the enemy while he escaped in another direction.
Outside the glass doors of the hall, the figure in the black raincoat was none other than Morrow, who had tracked him here.
Hisoka's intel had been accurate.
Shalnark was indeed waiting here for Phinks to regroup.
And from the looks of it, Phinks hadn't arrived yet.
"Good."
A cold glint of bloodlust flashed in Morrow's eyes as he strode forward, shattering the glass doors with his body.
Crash!
The glass doors instantly shattered into countless fragments scattering across the floor.
"Starlight Convergence."
Morrow stepped over the shards, his gaze locked onto the puppet mayor charging toward him. Without hesitation, he skipped the probing phase and activated his ability directly.
In that instant, the surging aura around him fractured like a torrent, transforming into a sky full of stars.
Then,
The expanding starlight enveloped the puppet mayor.
Only after activating his ability did Morrow glance at Shalnark, who had been shouting threats one second and was already fleeing the next.
What a pity... Morrow silently mused to himself, Though your decision was wise, most of the time, if you don't understand your opponent's ability, even the most sensible choice can instantly turn into a misstep.
The ability of Starlight Convergence—
When facing Manipulators, it leads to two entirely different scenarios.
The first is confronting Nen users capable of controlling a vast number of puppets.
In the Starlight state, Morrow retains only a small portion of his aura output, and the cognitive overload from processing information increases with the number of targets. Thus, it becomes extremely difficult to handle an overwhelming Puppet Army.
This is one of the more passive aspects of Starlight Convergence.
The second scenario is facing Manipulators who can only control a few puppets.
Since the Star Marks of Starlight Convergence can be directly transferred to the Nen user through puppets or Nen clones, a small number of puppets, while ensuring individual strength, also makes it easier for Morrow to find opportunities to implant Star Marks.
This is one of the ways Starlight Convergence counters Manipulation abilities.
Both are Manipulation abilities...
Yet the difference in "controllable numbers" leads to entirely opposite outcomes.
This is perhaps another testament to the wonders of Nen.
In any case, when facing Shalnark's single puppet...
The effects of Starlight Convergence can maximize the value of its "specialized counter."
And Shalnark was unaware of this.
His decision to retreat and use his sole puppet to stall Morrow wasn't inherently wrong.
It was simply the unpredictability of circumstances.
And this, precisely, highlights the importance of "ability intelligence."
Ignoring the fleeing Shalnark, Morrow instead advanced toward the puppet mayor.
Perhaps because Shalnark had programmed an automatic "intercept the target" command into his phone, the puppet mayor's attack was exceptionally simplistic, merely spreading its arms and lunging at Morrow.
Dodging the charge effortlessly, Morrow spotted the antenna on the back of the puppet mayor's neck.
That was the medium Shalnark used to control his targets.
Under normal circumstances, Shalnark possessed two antennas.
This meant he could control, at most, two targets simultaneously.
Conversely, it also ensured the Nen strength of the controlled targets.
However, even if this puppet mayor's manifested Nen quantity was relatively high, Shalnark's retreat-focused strategy made it difficult to utilize its full potential.
Soon, Morrow effortlessly met the conditions for Star Mark implantation.
A golden chain appeared and shattered over the puppet mayor's body.
Then, the Star Mark was successfully implanted.
By this point, Shalnark had long since vanished from sight.
Unhurried, Morrow proceeded to free the puppet before him.
As the puppet mayor's body collapsed like a ragged sack, the Nen Shalnark had imposed upon it swiftly returned to him.
However, what returned alongside it was the Star Mark of Starlight Convergence.
Yet since the implantation produced no noticeable reaction, Shalnark failed to detect the Star Mark immediately upon reclaiming his aura.
This was another way Starlight Convergence countered Manipulation abilities.
Methods like transferring Star Marks through puppets greatly enhanced the stealth of the transfer. If it was a direct confrontation, the movement of the star points would allow him to detect the birth and transfer of the Star Mark at the fastest speed possible.
Morrow confirmed the transfer of the Star Mark and muttered to himself, "It's over."
Instead of chasing in the direction Shalnark had fled, he moved outside the gate and, using a Nen burst from his feet, leaped directly into the air, landing atop the building.
The Star Mark had already been transferred, what came next would be much simpler.
—--
Meanwhile.
Shalnark, his aura surging around him, swiftly weaved between buildings as he raced toward the outskirts of town.
Lost one antenna… whatever.
His eyes cold, Shalnark continued his desperate escape while contemplating the identity and origins of the man who had ambushed him.
Was he a Blacklist Hunter, or…?
At any rate, the guy had shown himself, providing a clear lead. With some time, he could definitely track him down.
For now, the priority was to regroup with Phinks and the others.
Shalnark suppressed the impulse and fury in his heart, maintaining a calm and rational state of mind as he acted.
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, Shalnark sensed something and turned to look at the strip of sky segmented by the buildings.
A Nen bullet, streaking like a comet, shattered through the rain, carving a sharp, descending trajectory from the sky—straight toward him.
A homing-type Nen bullet? But this power…
Shalnark's heart jolted.
The moment he saw the Nen bullet adjust its course with clear intent, he immediately deduced that it possessed a homing ability.
The problem was, long-range homing attacks like this inevitably came with Limitations, such as reduced power.
If the power wasn't compromised, then it must be bound by even harsher restrictions.
Shocked as he was, Shalnark had no time to ponder the deeper implications.
Faced with the menacing Nen bullet, once he confirmed its homing nature, he didn't hesitate, he smashed through the nearest building's door.
Then, he continued weaving through the structures.
Though Shooting Star could lock onto its target with the aid of the Star Mark, it was inevitably hindered within the cramped, crowded buildings.
It could be said that Shalnark reacted swiftly, and his judgment was fundamentally sound.
His actions, intentionally or not, diminished the threat posed by Shooting Star.
BOOM!
Shooting Star blasted through wall after wall, but in the end, it still struck Shalnark.
However, weakened by the barriers of multiple buildings along its path, its force had diminished considerably.
Thus, when Shalnark forcefully defended against it with his aura output, he suffered only minor injuries.
A homing ability, yet still packing this much power… No matter what Limitations he set, they must come with high-risk conditions. If I can figure that out…
Shalnark rose from the rubble and immediately resumed his sprint.
The precision of the Shooting Star descending from the sky made him realize just how troublesome Morrow's ability was.
A faint doubt crept into his mind—
Had his initial decision to disengage and flee been a mistake?
Shalnark had no time to dwell on it, for the second Shooting Star was already upon him.
He repeated his tactic, using the dense cluster of buildings to weaken the attack's force.
But this method was only a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.
When he crawled out of the wreckage for the second time, what greeted him was Morrow descending from the sky atop a Shooting Star, accompanied by a barrage of Nen bullets raining down like a meteor shower.
In that instant, Shalnark seemed to see Franklin's Dual Machine Guns before him.
No,
The opponent's Emission attack was undoubtedly more powerful than Franklin's Dual Machine Guns.
There was no other choice...
Faced with Morrow's aggressive assault, Shalnark decisively took out a second antenna and inserted it into his own body.
If possible, he didn't want to use the "Autopilot Mode" ability.
Because in this state, he would lose consciousness and control over the situation.
In other words, everything concerning him would become uncontrollable.
And unpredictability was what Manipulators resisted most of all.
--------
Bonus chapter @150 power stones.