A single action can affect the whole situation.
The moment Illumi's body twisted into a vortex of energy and was sucked into Morrow's palm, the Post-Mortem Nen lingering on the numerous Needle People also seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, flowing over from a distance.
Ultimately, it all merged into the Tree Rings on the back of Morrow's hand, becoming a part of his energy.
The gains from this were far beyond imagination.
Morrow's Tree Rings energy skyrocketed from the original fourth ring all the way to the seventh.
One had to know, the Tree Rings' energy bar only had seven rings.
Inside the seventh ring was the level character that covered the infinity symbol in the center.
And after breaking through to the seventh ring, the Tree Rings energy did not stop there.
10%, 20%...
It wasn't until it reached 24% that the surge finally ceased.
A total of three rings and 24% of Tree Rings energy!
That meant at least three chances to rewind.
But compared to the rewind...
The greatest value of this Tree Rings energy was its application to the Entropy Bird's Power of Luck.
Thump, thump...
At that moment, the numerous Needle People, having lost their energy source, crashed to the ground one after another.
Without the protection of aura, they became a bloody mess the instant they hit the ground.
But even before they fell, they were already corpses.
Illumi's Needle People ability initially erased the target's consciousness while preserving their bodily functions.
After mastering the ability of Post-Mortem Nen, the effect of his Needle People became even cruder; when he stuck a Nen needle into any part of a target's body, he erased their life force along with it.
The sounds made by the numerous Needle People as they hit the ground naturally drew Morrow's gaze.
Judging from the style of their clothing, most of them were likely tourists visiting the Dentora Region, with a portion being local residents. It was obvious that Illumi had created a large batch of Needle People nearby before deciding to come and kill him.
This also revealed Illumi's deranged nature.
Morrow shook his head slightly and, suspended by Terpsichora, landed steadily on the ground.
—--
Not far away.
After seeing Morrow end the fight in just a few rounds, Kurapika's brief surprise gave way to calmness.
He already knew that Morrow's ability to remove Post-Mortem Nen was extremely powerful and was mentally prepared, so he wasn't too surprised.
But for an aura of Illumi's scale to not even have a chance to resist...
This gave Kurapika a deeper understanding of Morrow's level of ability.
Kalluto stared at the spot where Illumi had disappeared, his expression gradually growing complex.
Regarding his brother's various actions against Morrow, Kalluto was initially resentful, which later turned into incomprehension and disbelief, and finally, sheer anger.
However, after watching Illumi dissipate completely with his own eyes, the anger in his chest was not vented. Instead, it clogged up, transforming into another heavy emotion that was stuck there.
Kurapika sensed something and glanced at Kalluto beside him.
His lips moved slightly, wanting to offer comfort, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
He knew very little about the internal conflicts of the Zoldyck Family or the relationship between Kalluto and Illumi. After a moment's hesitation, he turned his gaze back to Morrow, who was descending from the sky, and ultimately remained silent.
Firstly, he was worried he might say the wrong thing and make matters worse. Secondly, he felt it might be more appropriate to let Morrow handle this.
Morrow landed steadily and immediately noticed the abnormality in Kalluto's emotions.
It was a reaction of bewilderment mixed with helplessness.
The Zoldyck Family, whether in their methods of discipline or their environment for raising children, could not be judged by common standards; in the eyes of outsiders, it even seemed twisted and deformed. But one had to admit that within this seemingly deformed family, a deep and stubborn bond of kinship was always maintained. Even a typical Manipulator like Illumi would put 'family' first, let alone the more sensitive Kalluto. It was just that Kalluto had been accustomed to forbearance since childhood, used to suppressing all his emotions deep down.
So, upon sensing Morrow's gaze, Kalluto immediately tried to put on a nonchalant expression.
Illumi brought this upon himself!
Kalluto repeated this sentence over and over in his mind.
Morrow walked closer and gently placed a hand on Kalluto's small head.
"Sorry."
Regardless of the reason...
Morrow felt he had to apologize to Kalluto at this moment.
Kalluto froze for a second, then, as usual, pushed Morrow's hand away and said in a calm tone, "You did nothing wrong, why are you apologizing?"
"Although I told you beforehand that I would act against Illumi under justifiable circumstances, it's also a fact that I didn't consider your feelings," Morrow said, gazing at the subtle trace between Kalluto's brows that showed he wanted to cry but was desperately holding back.
Humans... are such contradictory creatures.
"Kalluto, if you want to cry... right and wrong aren't that important, and you don't need a reason."
Kalluto's eyes suddenly reddened, but he turned his head to look at Kurapika.
"Kurapika, turn around."
"Huh?"
Kurapika, who had been worried about Kalluto, was taken aback by his words.
But with his intelligence, he quickly understood.
In the past, whenever he showed a vulnerable side, Kalluto would occasionally tease and laugh at him.
But back then, Kalluto would always silently stuff his favorite sugar pancake into his hand afterward.
Asking him to turn around now was probably because he didn't want to give him a chance for 'revenge.'
Kurapika complied with Kalluto's wish, turning his back without a word.
Even if he truly had such an opportunity, he would never do that.
Kalluto naturally understood this as well, but he still didn't want others to see his vulnerable side.
Seeing Kurapika turn around so readily, Kalluto looked away, took two steps forward, and like any ordinary child who had been wronged, gently hugged Morrow's waist, burying his face deep into him.
Morrow habitually raised his hand and patted Kalluto's small head.
—--
Nearby.
Kurapika looked up at the sky, able to hear the sobbing sounds coming from behind him.
In the distance, from the direction of Kukuroo Mountain, dark rain clouds were slowly rolling in.
A cool breeze arrived first, rustling Kurapika's golden hair.
The world is so big. On the path I'll walk from now on, I will meet all sorts of people. There will probably be no shortage of incomprehensible dark malice and ugly humanity.
But I will also... meet two very, very good people, just like now.
Kurapika raised a hand, gently brushing away the stray hairs blown in front of his eyes by the wind.
He used to feel that ahead of him was a world with no visible end, and behind him was a hometown he could never return to.
But now, he was increasingly able to understand what Morrow had once said: you can go to places far, far away, but in the end, you must find a place to belong. It turned out he had found it long ago...
Pairo, can I consider myself lucky now...?
Kurapika slowly closed his eyes, completely ready to embrace the world.
—--
Kukuroo Mountain.
Deep within the Zoldyck estate.
Illumi's dissipation also caused the needle in Killua's head to lose its effect.
All cognition related to the Memory Alteration, along with the original memories that had been suppressed, flooded back into Killua's mind in an instant. Anger, powerlessness, guilt...
So many emotions surged into Killua's heart along with the memories, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
He didn't hate Illumi, nor did he hate his parents who had tacitly allowed all of this to happen.
He hated his own weakness and incompetence.
That was the root cause of Alluka and Nanika, and even himself, being trapped in a predicament once again.
I'm sorry, it's all my fault...
Killua wiped away his tears forcefully, finally making up his mind.
If he wanted Alluka to be free again, if he wanted the source of that cursed wish-granting ability to disappear...
He had to order Nanika to never come out again.
This also meant he had to imprison Nanika with his own hands.
Killua had also thought about ordering Nanika to abandon that power which seemed capable of fulfilling all human desires.
But that power itself was tied to Nanika's own existence...
Making that power disappear was equivalent to making Nanika disappear.
And Nanika couldn't control her power on her own. As long as humans held desires, she would activate her ability at any moment, waiting for one desire-cursed human after another to cast their wishes at her.
Therefore, ordering Nanika to never come out again was the only way to prevent all misfortune.
Killua kept wiping away his tears until no trace was left, then walked toward Milluki's room.
Pushing the door open uninvited, Killua gave Milluki a docile and harmless smile.
"Big Brother Milluki, haven't you always wanted that limited edition Alice figure? I can have Nanika give it to you."
Milluki was initially wondering about the reason for Killua's visit. Upon hearing this, his listless demeanor instantly vanished, and his eyes lit up as he looked at Killua. But he wasn't completely swept away by this sudden surprise. He asked doubtfully, "Why the sudden thought of giving me a figure? Besides, Nanika won't be waking up anytime soon, right?"
"Because Big Brother Illumi always says that family is the most important thing. I know you've always wanted that Alice figure, and a more powerful computer. Wishes like that are simple."
Killua explained with a sincere expression, then added, "As for when Nanika wakes up... actually, I just have to tell Nanika to wake up, and she will wake up immediately. It's just that granting powerful wishes consecutively is a bit difficult, but for things like a figure and a computer, it's no problem at all."
Killua looked at Milluki. "If you're willing to wait, Big Brother, you can have Nanika grant your wish for the figure first. After Nanika has fully recovered, you can wish for the computer then."
"Really? That's great!"
Hearing this, Milluki had no more doubts. A smile spread across his chubby face, and he rejoiced inwardly: Big Brother Illumi's Nen needle works so well, it's wonderful! If this were the old Killua, he wouldn't even call me 'Big Brother,' let alone offer to give me something.
How could he be as considerate and thoughtful of his family as he is now?
"But you said it yourself!"
Milluki's small eyes darted around. He took out his phone and said seriously, "Don't blame me for being nosy, Big Brother, but if Dad finds out, I don't want to get beaten... so I'm making a recording for proof. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Killua said earnestly.
A moment later.
Killua successfully arrived at the room where Alluka was.
With Illumi's Nen needle, Alluka had at least retained a minimum amount of freedom.
That was to avoid contact with others, preventing Nanika from appearing on her own and exposing the wish-granting opportunity, which was different from a command, to anyone. However, Illumi's presumptuous actions had made Silva decide to take back what little freedom Alluka had, imprisoning her once again in this cold room, which only had blue sky and white cloud wallpaper to feign a sense of warmth.
Fortunately, with Milluki's hacking skills, getting in here wasn't difficult.
"Hurry up and make the wish! As long as Dad and the others don't find out, we can pretend nothing happened."
As soon as they entered the room, Milluki urged in a low voice.
Killua, with his back to Milluki, looked at his sleeping sister on the bed.
"Milluki."
"Huh?"
Hearing Killua drop the honorific, Milluki didn't react for a moment.
Killua turned around, his previous friendly and respectful demeanor gone. He said expressionlessly, "Thanks."
"Killua, you...!"
Seeing his expression, Milluki instantly understood and said angrily, "You tricked me?!"
The moment he finished speaking, he froze.
"Big Brother Illumi's Nen needle..."
"Oh, it's here."
Killua held up a thin, blood-stained needle, the dark aura on it long gone.
"Illumi probably died again. This is what happens when you don't learn your lesson. He shouldn't have gone looking for trouble with my teacher."
"How is that possible...!"
Milluki said in disbelief, "The power Big Brother Illumi got from Nanika was so strong, how could he be killed again?! Besides, the wish he made at that time was to get power stronger than Morrow, right?!"
"The reason isn't complicated."
A few arcs of electricity suddenly shot across the thin needle between Killua's fingers. He said matter-of-factly, "Because my teacher is just that amazing."
Impossible, how could it be!
Milluki was dumbfounded.
He had personally felt the kind of aura Big Brother Illumi had at that time.
Even if it was just for a moment, it was enough for him to understand that it was by no means a power a human could possess.
If that person named Morrow could really defeat that version of Big Brother Illumi...
Just how strong must he be?!
Killua didn't care what Milluki was feeling. In a flash of electricity, he circled around to his side and casually swung his hand.
Smack.
A perfectly placed Palm Blade sent Milluki's eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the ground.
In his last moment of consciousness, Milluki was both angry and aggrieved.
A fat otaku just wants a figure and a computer.
What did the fat otaku do wrong!!!
Killua retracted his hand, stepped over Milluki's body, and walked toward the large bed in the room.
But just as he reached the bedside, he suddenly heard a faint footstep, one that was likely deliberately revealed.
His heart skipped a beat, and he whipped his head around.
What came into view was Maha, dressed in an old, earthy-yellow tracksuit and wearing open-toed slippers.
"Great-Great-Grandfather!"
Killua panicked a little.
He knew his great-great-grandfather was an Emission master; even with Godspeed, he definitely couldn't outrun him.
Maha had his hands in his pockets, quietly watching Killua.
Killua quickly calmed down.
He knew that if his great-great-grandfather had wanted to make a move, he wouldn't have deliberately revealed his footsteps just now.
Maha took in the change in Killua's reaction but didn't think it was anything praiseworthy. He simply asked leisurely, "You want to make that power disappear?"
Killua was silent for a moment before finally nodding in admission. "Yes."
"Hmm, since you've decided, then walk forward with determination. Just... don't have a single shred of regret."
Maha's eyes were calm.
Killua suddenly froze.
Will I...
Regret this?