He patiently waited for the participating members of the Zodiac Twelve to gather.
Then, using his Astral Step which had just finished its cooldown, he broke out of their encirclement and teleported in front of Saiyu, who had deliberately fallen behind the formation.
Grabbing Saiyu by the head, he used the momentum to dash forward a certain distance, arriving in the middle of the aisle in the seating area.
This position was far from the speaker's stage.
Even if the Zodiac Twelve reacted, they would first have to cross this distance to pose a threat to Morrow again.
Guiding the battle to this point wasn't a result of some divine foresight on Morrow's part.
When he had brazenly barged into the venue, his primary target was to instantly kill Pariston.
After that, all he had to consider was making a clean getaway under the watch of the Zodiac Twelve and the nearly six hundred Pro Hunters present.
Attacking Saiyu now was not, in fact, part of his original plan.
It was just that, in the interval while waiting for Astral Step to cool down, he had noticed Saiyu intentionally avoiding the fight, creating distance between himself and the other Zodiacs.
This was clearly an opportunity not to be missed.
Thus, Morrow unhesitatingly used the Astral Step ability, which was meant for his retreat, to instead assassinate Saiyu.
It was an action decided on the spot, based on the changing circumstances.
Just do whatever you want to do... Isn't becoming stronger all for the sake of not having to hesitate or be timid every time you have to make a choice?
Such a voice echoed in Morrow's mind.
Instantly killing Pariston just now, and then suddenly turning to deliver a killing blow to Saiyu, were both simply acts that followed his heart.
Perhaps this was true free will.
It made him feel that all the countless thorns he had cut down along the way were filled with meaning.
Meeting Saiyu's horrified gaze, Morrow's five fingers tightened. A powerful and unrivaled aura transformed into an irresistible force, completely crushing Saiyu's will to resist within his palm.
Although Saiyu was stunned by the sudden assault, the moment he realized he was still alive, the thought of counterattacking surged violently.
The staff in his hand could extend and retract freely at his will. Even if his body was restrained, as long as he was conscious, he could launch a thunderous counterattack.
However, before he could act, the terrifying pressure crushing his skull had already instantly wiped his consciousness blank.
He knows my and Pariston's identities...
This thought flashed through Saiyu's mind just before his consciousness completely dissipated.
Morrow lifted Saiyu's head, extending his right arm to the side, leaving Saiyu dangling in mid-air like a puppet, deprived of any ability to resist, and aimed him toward the stage.
He did not deliver the final blow immediately. Instead, with this deliberate posture, he once again broke Mizaistom's line-of-sight lock.
"..."
Everything Mizaistom had experienced in the rapidly changing battle now dissolved into a wordless, deathly silence.
He felt as if the ability card in his hand, which he had once regarded with the same solemn gravity as the law, had suddenly lost all its power and might.
And the root of all this was...
This man of unknown origin was simply too terrifying.
The other members of the Zodiac Twelve, who had lunged at empty air, saw Morrow holding Saiyu like a hostage, and their expressions immediately turned grim.
Seeing Saiyu's eyes roll back as he lost consciousness, they couldn't help but halt their offensive rhythm for a moment.
An Emission-type teleportation ability... That's the move he used to kill Pariston at the beginning. This guy's teleportation is absurd, but there must be some limitations. Judging from the time interval, it's likely a "cooldown" restriction. That's why he only used it a second time just now. It's because we failed to suppress him in the first instance that the situation developed like this. If we hesitate any longer, his teleportation ability will be ready to use again soon... Should we press the attack, regardless of Saiyu's life?
The Zodiacs each mused to themselves.
Although they hadn't gained an advantage in their joint attack, they were all, after all, battle-hardened Nen masters.
In the brief exchange of just a few seconds, they had keenly perceived the cooldown limitation of Morrow's teleportation ability.
This forced them to decide whether to continue their assault before Morrow's ability cooled down again.
But time was short, and Saiyu was being held hostage... The combination of these two factors made even Botobai Gigante, who frequently dealt with terrorists, feel a trace of hesitation.
To say nothing of the other Zodiacs.
Cheadle suddenly spoke up, "Although I don't understand what you're planning, you had multiple chances to counterattack when we were pressing you, yet you repeatedly held back. Now, your act of taking Saiyu hostage only confirms this."
Hearing Cheadle's words, the few Zodiacs who had participated in the assault glanced at her out of the corners of their eyes.
In that split second, though they exchanged no words, they all vaguely understood the intention behind her statement.
We'll use his next reaction... to judge whether to continue the attack!
The Zodiacs reached a tacit understanding.
Cheadle's calm gaze passed over Saiyu's lanky, bamboo-like body and landed on the eye Morrow had deliberately revealed by turning his head.
"If you need an opportunity to negotiate, then I..."
Crunch.
Before she could finish, an unannounced, brutal sound echoed throughout the hall. Cheadle's eyes flew wide open.
Saiyu's head exploded between Morrow's fingers, and a mixture of red and white matter splattered everywhere.
Incomprehensible... This man's logic was completely incomprehensible.
Cheadle's heart pounded violently as she stared blankly at the brain matter and bone fragments flying through the air.
Saiyu was dead, just like that.
The pupils of the Zodiacs, led by Botobai Gigante, contracted sharply. Without a moment for further thought, they all unhesitatingly charged toward Morrow again.
The Pro Hunters in the aisles, especially those who could no longer hold back, saw Morrow's vicious act and noticed the Zodiacs quickly closing in. Their restlessness instantly turned into action.
"Unforgivable!"
Bushidora, filled with a sense of justice and righteousness, roared, his words coming out in a rapid-fire shout, "As members of the Association, how can we let such a vicious criminal escape from here... Brothers, with me!"
Perhaps it was his principles, or perhaps it was the personality traits ingrained in him by years as an Enhancement-type, but in that moment, Bushidora seemed to forget the risk of facing Morrow directly.
And his sense of justice and righteousness had indeed gathered a group of like-minded companions within the Association over the years.
Although this group of companions alone wasn't enough to get him further in the election, at his call, these Hunters were now incensed. They responded in unison, following Bushidora to surround Morrow.
But in the next instant... What greeted them was the terrifying bloodlust that Morrow had kept hidden until this very moment.
It was an aura of extreme ferocity, domineering coldness, and pure evil.
In a mere instant, it struck their nerves as if it were tangible. Their hearts trembled, and their wills wavered.
In a daze, they seemed to see dark red streams of aura appearing within the flow of Morrow's Nen.
Deep within that churning, interwoven dark red aura, a pair of demonic eyes, like flames, watched them coldly.
This group of Pro Hunters, led by Bushidora, were all frozen in place by the impact of this bloodlust-infused aura.
However impulsive they had been moments ago, that was how much they regretted it now.
It was this terrifying aura of bloodlust that made them instantly recognize reality.
They couldn't be blamed for their weak wills.
After all, the bloodlust-infused aura Morrow was now unleashing contained the traits of both Neferpitou and the King.
It possessed both pure evil and the King's domineering nature of viewing everything as food.
Combined with a sufficiently strong aura output fluctuation, ordinary Nen users would typically be defeated before the fight even began.
After stunning this group with his burst of aura, Morrow calmly retreated toward the main entrance of the hall behind him.
On both sides of the aisle, nearly six hundred Pro Hunters were silent as cicadas in winter, only able to watch in terror as Morrow calmly made his way to the hall's entrance.
Bushidora and the others, still frozen in place, were already drenched in cold sweat in that short time.
Like unremarkable pebbles on the roadside, they could only watch with a sense of humility as Botobai Gigante and the other Zodiacs sped past them.
If this place were a stage, then the spotlight would never shine on people like them.
Because between them and monstrous geniuses, there was indeed a massive gap.
It was a chasm that could not be crossed, no matter how hard they tried... Bushidora stared blankly at the backs of Botobai Gigante and the others, and at that monstrous man.
This sudden turn of events had completely shattered the pride he held dear, and it had also shown him the disparity in this world.
He was not the only one in the hall who felt this way.
This was, in essence, a violent shock to their perception.
Morrow's actions today had merely given them a premature glimpse into the world of higher-level powerhouses.
Although this gap was despairing, perhaps it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
To recognize oneself, to recognize the world.
To always maintain reverence for unknown people and things.
At the very least, they wouldn't make the common mistake of Nen users who lose their lives due to blind self-confidence.
Though not silent, the hall was deader than a tomb. It was likely that not a single Pro Hunter present would ever forget the events of this day, nor that monstrous figure.
Especially that aura, radiating terrifying bloodlust, which was now deeply seared into the depths of their hearts.
Morrow's sudden burst of bloodlust-infused aura was indeed astonishing, but for the Zodiac members led by Botobai Gigante, it at most sent a chill down their spines; it did not disrupt their offensive rhythm.
However... From the moment Morrow chose not to kill Saiyu immediately, but to use him as a hostage to interfere with their assault, they were destined to be unable to keep this man here.
Before the main entrance of the hall, Morrow retreated to this spot and stopped. He looked back, his gaze unnervingly calm as he looked at the pursuing Botobai Gigante and the others.
A wordless silence.
The decisiveness when he killed in public, the silence before his departure.
After a brief pause, with a surge of aura, Morrow's figure vanished from the spot.
His Astral Step, its cooldown finished, allowed him to depart with ease.
"..."
Seeing this, Botobai Gigante stopped in his tracks, his face grim.
Leaving things half-done was not his style.
But when it came to pursuing Morrow, he understood that any further action would be futile.
Dammit!
Kanzai, of course, understood this as well. He threw a frustrated punch at the air.
So many of them against one, yet they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes and were instead controlled at every turn.
What was even harder to accept was that their opponent had managed to kill Saiyu in the middle of the chaotic battle and then leave at his leisure.
Such a result not only brought utter disgrace upon the Zodiac Twelve but also completely shattered the prestige of the Hunter Association.
One had to remember that what was currently taking place was the Chairman Election, which concerned the future of the Association.
And yet Pariston, a candidate, and Saiyu of the Zodiac Twelve, the public face of the Association, were assassinated on the spot in front of everyone.
A situation this absurd to the extreme would be unbelievable even if word got out.
But it had happened.
Kanzai's intense reaction was likely not just due to the loss of face, but also related to his professional instincts as a bodyguard.
Someone had been killed right before his eyes. Even if the deceased was Saiyu, whose foul mouth he had always disliked, the scene still triggered a strong professional stress reaction.
This was perhaps a professional habit.
Compared to Kanzai's reaction, the other Zodiacs, while also looking grim, did not react so intensely.
"Saccho, your blade... it seems it's not that sharp after all."
Gel tilted her head up slightly, looking toward the hall's entrance up the stairs, then suddenly turned her head to look at Saccho, her tone indifferent.
"It is indeed my fault. If I had managed to strike that man's emotional state, even if we couldn't have kept him here, I could have at least interfered with his ability to teleport."
Stung by Gel's words, Saccho sighed softly. Not only did he not retort, but he frankly admitted his own shortcomings.
As a Hunter whose profession was a psychologist, he naturally wouldn't be swayed by others' words or actions, much less stubbornly make excuses.
Seeing Saccho so readily take the blame, Gel found it hard to say anything more.
Even though she had been prepared to sacrifice an arm to create the perfect opportunity for him.
Sheep Ginta muttered under his breath, "It's mainly because... that person is just too strong."
"Shut up, Ginta," Gel glanced at him and said flatly, "You weren't any better."
The sensitive Ginta immediately lowered his head in shame.
Saccho patted Ginta's broad back, gave Gel an apologetic look, and said gravely, "This person's origin is unknown, and his strength is unfathomable... My 'Blade of Heart' did indeed strike him just now, and the ability activated successfully, but he was completely unaffected."
He looked around at his colleagues and said in a low voice, "I'm not saying this to make excuses for myself, but in the hope that you all recognize this fact."
"Saccho, you mean... that guy's mental strength is also vulnerable?" Kanzai, having managed to calm down, asked with a frown.
Saccho was silent for a moment.
"It's 'invulnerable,' Kanzai."
Cheadle walked over, habitually correcting Kanzai's misuse of the word, then looked toward Saiyu's corpse, her tone heavy. "Someone with such formidable strength, who can even withstand Saccho's ability with sheer mental fortitude, cannot possibly be an unknown."
"Indeed," Botobai Gigante said with a grave expression. "We can't rule out the possibility of a disguise, but all this can only be determined after an investigation."
"Hey, I helped out too," Pyon said, waving her phone seriously. "Look, I recorded a video. It should be of some help to the investigation."
"..."
The others looked at her, speechless.
Only Kanzai seemed to have thought of something, a contemplative look on his face.