The Nen ability Ripper Cyclotron requires concentrating most of one's aura output into the arms during activation.
Thus, when Phinks activates his ability, he enters a state of intense focus.
However, Morrow's spoiler-like remark directly disrupted Phinks's concentration.
Under normal circumstances...
This momentary lapse wouldn't be fatal.
After all, the standard distribution of aura output is usually enough for a Nen user to handle unexpected situations.
But at this moment, Phinks had already channeled most of his aura into his arms, and Morrow had just acquired a teleportation ability named "Astral Step"...
The outcome was self-evident.
In a way, it could be considered an "ability-based first-strike kill."
But the root cause was still Morrow directly naming the ability "Ripper Cyclotron."
Phinks's head was torn clean off, yet his consciousness hadn't faded.
Confusion, shock, disbelief...
All these emotions flooded his now blood-deprived brain.
Morrow tightened his grip with his right hand.
Squelch.
Phinks's head burst apart like a watermelon.
The gaze that had been fixed on Morrow from below vanished instantly.
Nearby,
A few splatters of blood landed on Shizuku's cheek.
The sudden sensation made her pupils tremble violently.
Monster...
That was the only word running through her mind.
Yet, despite her fear, her hands gripping Blinky didn't waver in the slightest.
Morrow, glancing sideways, naturally noticed Shizuku's rock-steady grip.
She was a Conjurer who embodied the standard perfectly, possessing an exceptionally rare ability.
A shame she was a member of the Spiders.
"You have one minute. If you can escape, that is."
Morrow raised his bloodstained right hand and slowly extended a single finger toward her.
Shizuku, still gripped by fear, had been weighing whether to attack or flee.
But upon hearing Morrow's words, she acted decisively, swinging Blinky's nozzle down at Morrow's head with full force.
Facing her attack, Morrow leaped back lightly.
Blinky's nozzle struck empty air, crashing into the ground with a thunderous boom, leaving a massive crater and sending dust flying.
Shizuku didn't pursue after missing; instead, she immediately kicked off the ground and retreated.
"Blinky, suck up that car."
"Ha-yo!"
A powerful suction force erupted from Blinky's intake, effortlessly pulling a nearby black sedan toward them.
Shizuku adjusted Blinky's angle mid-swing, and with just a slight tilt of the telescopic rod, she redirected the car's momentum, sending it hurtling toward Morrow like a rolling beast.
"Stop."
Still retreating, she issued a new command.
Blinky immediately cut off the suction.
Freed from the pull, the black sedan continued forward purely by inertia, its twisted metal screeching as it tumbled toward Morrow.
Shizuku then released Blinky, flicked up a stone with her foot, caught it mid-air, and flicked her wrist, sending the stone flying like a bullet toward the rolling car.
Whoosh!
The stone tore through the air, striking the fuel tank with pinpoint accuracy.
The next moment... the black sedan suddenly exploded, the shockwave engulfing Morrow in a blaze of scorching flames.
Shizuku didn't even glance at the result after throwing the stone, turning decisively to flee without hesitation.
The air was thick with a pungent odor.
Morrow emerged unscathed through the thick black smoke, calmly drawing the Poultry Scarlet Knife with his right hand as he watched Shizuku's retreating figure.
Five, six...
Counting silently in his mind, Morrow gestured to Kurapika and Kalluto that he was fine before giving chase to Shizuku.
The reason he hadn't attacked Shizuku directly was to maximize her value as a live target.
Thirty, thirty-one...
While pursuing Shizuku, Morrow silently counted down the cooldown time for Astral Step.
Across the desolate terrain, two figures raced one after the other.
Shizuku wasn't slow, but no matter how much she pushed her speed, she couldn't widen the gap between herself and Morrow.
Her nerves were stretched to the limit, every ounce of her attention focused behind her.
Even the slightest rustle of Morrow's clothing was enough to set her nerves on edge.
This relentless pressure made her heart pound faster than ever before.
So this is fear...
The image of Phinks's death flashed through Shizuku's mind, making her shake her head vigorously.
I can't shake him off...
Too afraid to make any unnecessary movements, Shizuku focused solely on escaping.
Yet Morrow remained hot on her heels.
Suddenly.
A stellar cross appeared without warning on the rocky ground ahead.
Shizuku's eyes narrowed as her left hand instinctively gathered Nen.
This was standard Conjuration practice; when facing unexpected situations, one would immediately gather Nen in their dominant hand to ensure the fastest possible activation of their Conjuration ability.
Because of this, even as Shizuku instinctively gathered Nen in her dominant hand, she still managed to react to the stellar cross on the ground with an evasive maneuver.
Instead of coming to an abrupt stop, she made a hasty turn to the right, barely skirting past the stellar cross.
But from the corner of her eye, the sudden stellar cross didn't trigger any reaction.
Because Morrow had canceled the activation of Insidious Shooting Star and simultaneously used Astral Step.
In an instant, he appeared in front of Shizuku, as if he had predicted she would veer right to avoid the stellar cross...
The moment his figure materialized, he pivoted sideways, the Poultry Scarlet Knife in his hand tracing a crimson arc across Shizuku's neck.
Their movements intersected in a fleeting moment of motion and stillness.
Where the crimson blade passed, a gush of blood erupted in its wake.
Shizuku's neck was instantly drenched in red, her sprinting body gradually slowing as confusion washed over her face.
Morrow didn't spare her a glance, sheathing the Poultry Scarlet Knife back into the Abyssal Sheath.
A one-minute cooldown is still a bit long, but as long as you strike at the right moment, the fight usually ends in an instant.
So Insidious Shooting Star and Astral Step actually have pretty good synergy.
Morrow mused silently.
He knew Shizuku was a left-handed Conjurer, so when faced with the sudden appearance of Insidious Shooting Star, aside from channeling her aura output to prepare for summoning Blinky, she was more likely to choose to evade to the right. Only then could Blinky be better utilized to guard against unknown attacks.
With this prediction, Morrow easily slit Shizuku's throat, thereby completing the coordination between Insidious Shooting Star and Astral Step.
However, the future ability system would likely need adjustments based on circumstances.
He needed to decide which ability to focus on and then build a more complete system around it.
Only one level up from two people...
Morrow ended his contemplation and glanced at the level symbol on the back of his hand; it had already risen from Lv.67 to Lv.68.
Following this trend, eliminating the Troupe would undoubtedly push him to Lv.70.
But beyond that, progress would likely become much harder.