Bumps, jolts...
Morrow's consciousness emerged from the depths of darkness.
As awareness returned, he belatedly registered the sensation of the steering wheel beneath his grip.
The darkness before him seemed to be pulled away at light speed, revealing a desolate road stretching ahead, the scenery on either side rapidly receding.
It was at this moment that Morrow suddenly realized the initial jolting sensation had been the car traversing rough terrain.
"Screech!"
Morrow slammed on the brakes.
The car, which had been speeding down the barren road, came to an abrupt halt, tires screeching sharply against the pavement.
In the passenger and back seats, the sudden stop sent Kalluto and Kurapika lurching forward violently.
Their bodies slammed against the seatbelts before being yanked back into place.
"Morrow?!"
Kalluto and Kurapika turned to him almost simultaneously, their eyes filled with confusion.
Yet Morrow didn't respond.
He merely lowered his gaze slowly, staring at his hands gripping the steering wheel.
On the back of his left hand, the red 'X' had reappeared.
This was the mark of the Death Threshold, the Sword of Judgement.
On his right hand, the energy of the second ring had turned pitch black.
But the third ring's energy had swelled to 28%.
And at the very center of the Tree Rings, the level indicator, Lv.67, remained unchanged.
Another rewind again, but...
Morrow fixed his gaze on the level at the center of the Tree Rings, rapidly piecing together his thoughts.
This time, the rewind had consumed the energy of the second ring.
Meanwhile, the third ring's energy had increased from 20% to 28%...
This was likely due to the flash of inspiration he'd had in his final moments, successfully absorbing the aura from the Abyssal Sheath.
He hadn't been certain whether another replay was possible; at the time, his main thought had been to take Chrollo down with him.
Now, it seemed he hadn't managed to kill Chrollo, only gouged out his eyes.
Had he succeeded in killing Chrollo, perhaps his level would have risen from Lv.67 to Lv.68.
Morrow stared unblinkingly at the level indicator in the center of the Tree Rings. He hadn't expected that after this replay, even his level had been "recorded."
And this wasn't a reset to the moment he first crossed over; instead...
Morrow abruptly lifted his gaze, looking ahead at the desolate road.
He remembered this place; it was the same stretch he'd passed through a month ago while tracking Phinks and Shizuku.
Meaning, this rewind had shortened from a year to just a month?
If that was the pattern... would consuming the third ring's energy mean rewinding to a week ago?
And then a day, an hour, a minute, a second?
Hmm?
Suddenly, Morrow realized his mind was flooded with fragmented information, but it was as if obscured by static, blurred and indistinct.
This is...?
Sensing something, he continued staring at the level symbol at the center of the rings on the back of his hand.
Gradually, the information in his mind began to clarify.
It was ability data...
More precisely, abilities that had been "recorded" by the Tree Rings just before his death, abilities that had been used on him.
And this information originated from Chrollo's ability, the one that forcibly displaced others.
However, just like the initial Etude of Love, its essence and function remained the same, yet it had undergone some changes due to certain reasons.
Originally, this was an ability that forcibly displaced others. After being recorded by Tree Rings, it had transformed into an ability that allowed Morrow himself to displace.
It was hard to say whether this was an inherent improvement function of Tree Rings or a change brought about by necessity.
Perhaps the latter was more likely.
Because Morrow was currently developing and refining a teleportation ability in the Emission category, but progress was difficult. Instead, he had first developed the ability Insidious Shooting Star.
"Morrow, what's wrong?"
The voices of Kalluto and Kurapika reached his ears.
Morrow snapped out of his thoughts, first glancing at Kalluto in the passenger seat before turning to look at Kurapika in the back.
When he saw Kurapika's puzzled expression, Morrow felt a stir in his heart, and fragments of memories from the depths of Kurapika's mind flashed through his thoughts.
"Kurapika."
"Hmm?"
Kurapika instinctively straightened and looked at Morrow.
"It's nothing..."
Morrow shook his head slightly, opened the car door, and stepped out.
Kurapika grew even more confused.
Kalluto was equally baffled, pushing the car door open and following him out.
Standing beside the car, Morrow willed himself to activate the new ability recorded by Tree Rings.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished into thin air, instantly reappearing a hundred meters away.
Kalluto and Kurapika, who had just stepped out of the car, both witnessed this and couldn't help but show expressions of shock.
They... completely missed it!
A hundred meters away.
The maximum distance for teleportation is a hundred meters, with a one-minute cooldown... Once my Nen mastery grows stronger, I should be able to improve it further, right?
Morrow's body was enveloped in an aura that flickered like flames. He lowered his head slightly, carefully experiencing this displacement ability.
Kalluto and Kurapika ran over.
"Morrow, how did you just do that? And the aura around you..."
As they approached, Kalluto stared blankly at the aura surrounding Morrow.
Kurapika also noticed something unusual.
Facing their astonished gazes, Morrow smiled. "I suddenly became stronger, didn't I?"
"Yeah..."
Kalluto and Kurapika's faces were filled with surprise.
"Back to the car."
Morrow didn't explain further, quickly returning to the car and flooring the accelerator.
Right now, they were in pursuit of Phinks and Shizuku.
A little over an hour later, on a desolate stretch of road, a black car screeched to a halt.
Phinks and Shizuku stepped out one after another, eyeing the relentless pursuing car.
Under their watchful gazes, the ominous car also came to a stop.
Morrow, Kalluto, and Kurapika stepped out of the vehicle.
They all opened their aura nodes fully, releasing their maximum aura output.
Phinks and Shizuku swept their eyes over them but unanimously fixed their gazes on Morrow.
This guy...
Phinks raised an eyebrow, then said gravely, "Shizuku, cover me."
"Okay."
Shizuku responded, her hands swirling with aura as she conjured Blinky.
Phinks glanced briefly at Shizuku's actions but didn't comment further. Instead, he unleashed his maximum aura output and began rotating his arm.
From the aura radiating off Morrow, he sensed an indescribable, intense feeling of danger.
"You're the one who killed Feitan and the others, aren't you!"
Without any reason or evidence, Phinks directly confirmed Morrow's identity.
At the same time, he swung his arm slowly and powerfully, consciously controlling the rhythm.
Morrow, carrying an overwhelming aura, gradually approached Phinks and Shizuku.
"This time, you didn't bother with threats about finishing us in ten seconds... instead, you went straight for the 'Ripper Cyclotron'..."
Huh?
Hearing Morrow's words, Phinks was momentarily stunned.
How did he know the name of Ripper Cyclotron...
While Phinks was still reeling from shock, Morrow suddenly vanished from his sight.
In the next blink, he only felt a sharp pain in his neck, followed by a rapid shift in his vision.
Morrow had teleported right next to him, tearing his head off with one hand.
"Wha... what..."
Phinks' head, now held in Morrow's grip, stared up at Morrow's face with disbelief from its upside-down perspective.
Nearby, by the time Shizuku reacted, she saw Phinks' head being ripped off by Morrow's single hand.
Her usually blank expression froze instantly, quickly replaced by intense terror.
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Bonus chapter @150 power stones and next one @200