Currently, this wasn't Netero's full power state.
Although he truly couldn't return to his peak period, as long as he spent some time adjusting to reunify his spirit and body, he could further enhance his combat power.
That was why Netero specifically emphasized the word "currently."
Meaning his current state truly had no chance of victory.
But once he allowed himself to accumulate power, the outcome would be hard to say.
Morrow could instantly understand the meaning behind Netero's words only because he had already seen the outcome through "future intelligence."
It's useless.
The result remains the same.
Seeing Morrow respond this way, Netero naturally understood the implied meaning and took the opportunity to propose that the other party accompany him for a warm-up.
He would use practical action to change Morrow's perspective.
To outsiders, these brief exchanges between the two sounded like encrypted communication, making it impossible to grasp their true meaning.
So much so that even after Netero extended the warm-up invitation to Morrow, Morel and the others were still left in the dark.
Facing Netero's proposal, Morrow seriously pondered for a moment.
In truth, the moment Netero suggested the warm-up, he had already understood.
Even though the entire Extermination Team had witnessed the power of the Royal Guards with their own eyes and personally experienced the King's overwhelming aura... Netero's ultimate choice would still be to face the challenge head-on.
This was his personal desire.
And the lifelong pursuit of a martial artist.
Morrow even felt that even if he revealed his identity as a "transmigrator" at this moment and did everything possible to make Netero believe it... Probably, Netero would still unhesitatingly seek out the King for a duel as a "challenger."
After all, the passion and fighting spirit that had lain dormant for years, thought to be nearly dead, were now erupting like a volcano.
At this point, who could possibly stop it?
The only viable approach was to use pure fists to convince Netero during this warm-up duel.
But how could he possibly win?
Morrow was clear about this outcome.
So the direction of his consideration now wasn't to strive for that slim chance of victory.
But rather, having given up on persuading Netero, to use his eyes and body to personally experience the gap brought by the "pinnacle of skill."
"Alright."
Morrow raised his eyes to look at Netero and agreed.
Upon hearing this, Netero chuckled softly, a faint trace of anticipation flashing in his eyes as he slowly said, "Time is precious, so let's just find a suitable venue nearby."
"No need, right here is fine."
Morrow casually pointed toward the bright ceiling above. Without waiting for Netero's response, he turned to Knov beside him and asked, "Is this room sturdy enough?"
"..."
Hearing this, Knov fell silent for a moment, never expecting the topic to suddenly shift to a warm-up duel between Morrow and Chairman Netero.
Moreover, judging from their tones and attitudes, they seemed particularly serious.
"Don't worry, the Hide and Seek rooms exist independently from reality. Relying on the Vow effect, they theoretically cannot be destroyed."
After a brief silence, Knov quickly answered Morrow's question, then glanced somewhat hesitantly at Netero, his eyes carrying a questioning look. Netero did not respond to Knov's gaze, merely stroking his beard with a light chuckle as he said meaningfully, "This place will do. It saves time. Though the space is limited and the ceiling height is restricted, it won't affect my performance."
The implication was clear; even with the low ceiling, it wouldn't hinder the activation of his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
"Don't misunderstand."
Morrow understood the meaning and replied calmly, "I never intended to use the 'terrain' to limit your abilities, old man. I just wanted to save effort."
By not needing to search for a suitable venue, they could save considerable time.
In reality, if one used the original timeline as reference, racing against time was a crucial factor that permeated the entire incident.
Before the final showdown, Netero needed time to achieve mental unity and accumulate power.
But "time" did not flow solely for him.
While he was gathering strength, the King and the Royal Guards would also gradually adapt to and master their innate talents and power as time passed.
Moreover, there was the latent threat from the "Flesh Tree Garden."
This was the fundamental reason Morrow didn't want to waste any time.
Seeing that Morrow truly had no intention of using the terrain to restrict the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, Netero said no more.
After all, he didn't want to see this warm-up end prematurely due to Morrow's misjudgment of ability intelligence.
With just a few words, the two confirmed this warm-up duel.
Morel and the others were momentarily stunned, wanting to understand Morrow and Netero's thoughts, but they didn't even get a chance to speak before being cleared from the room.
—--
Led by Knov, everyone moved to another room in Hide and Seek.
"Morrow and Chairman Netero... seem to be taking this seriously."
Knuckle, with his extensive fighting experience, could tell with just a few glances that both Morrow and Netero would go all out in the upcoming duel.
This was no warm-up.
It was clearly a challenge between martial artists.
"It's a shame Palm isn't here, otherwise we could use her ability to watch the fight."
Knov crossed his arms, pensively staring at the already closed door.
A warm-up...
Actually, it should be called a "debate" instead.
It all came down to whose fist was harder, whose words carried more weight.
Shoot asked quietly, "The Chairman still has the upper hand, right?"
"Of course."
Morel sighed, "The Chairman may be old, but who among us can withstand even one move from him?"
"I believe Teacher will win!"
Gon's tone was firm, filled with trust in Morrow.
Beside him, Killua looked at Gon's serious expression and hesitated to speak.
During the previous assault, he had caught a fleeting glimpse of Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
It was utterly terrifying.
So he knew in his heart that Morel was right.
But seeing Gon so determined, he didn't want to dampen his spirits and remained silent.
However, Gon's declaration made Kalluto nod subtly in approval.
"I really want to watch the fight..."
After just a short while, Knuckle was already growing restless.
He looked at Knov and couldn't help asking, "Can you open the door just a crack? Even a sliver would do!"
"..."
Knov adjusted his glasses with his finger, his tone flat, "I don't want to die yet."
—--
In the largest room of Hide and Seek.
Morrow and Netero stood facing each other, both unleashing their aura output without reservation.
Vast amounts of aura surged around them like raging waves, flowing tumultuously.
Chairman Netero's aura output is approximately between Lv.93 and Lv.94... slightly higher than my level, but weaker than Beyond by a margin.
Morrow carefully observed Netero's aura, quickly making judgments in his mind using himself and Beyond as references.
After reaching Lv.90, the difficulty of leveling up was unimaginable.
At this stage, effort was no longer the key to progress.
Only talent could determine the ultimate height.
With Morrow's original talent, no matter how much effort he put in later, his aura output could never break through Lv.90.
It was the ability "Etude of Love" engraved by Tree Rings that helped him break through the constraints of his talent.
Conversely, the higher the level, the more difficult it became to advance.
This phenomenon was precisely a manifestation of Vow and Limitation.
While observing Netero, Morrow already assumed a combat stance.
He was well aware of Netero's prowess.
Although aged, his aura output level remained top-tier.
One could imagine that fifty years ago, Netero... Probably touched the ceiling of human potential.
That would be Lv.100.
Netero casually swung his arms.
He was quite familiar with Morrow's observational and evaluative gaze.
Because in every encounter, Morrow would always use this method to observe the scale of his aura output.
"Morrow, your aura has grown stronger."
Netero wasn't in a hurry to fight, instead slowly voicing his observation.
Morrow didn't respond.
Since arriving in NGL, in less than a month, his aura output level had skyrocketed to an unimaginable Lv.90.
Such a range of change, when operating at full capacity, naturally couldn't escape Netero's notice.
And Netero was indeed somewhat curious.
As if sensing the curiosity in Netero's gaze, Morrow suddenly said: "Near-death."
"Oh?"
Netero raised an eyebrow slightly.
Morrow said calmly: "Every near-death experience makes me stronger. The most recent was fighting a Royal Guard, the time before that was Beyond... I almost died by his hand. If Kurapika hadn't expended a great deal of his lifespan to heal me, I probably wouldn't be alive now."
"..."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise passed through Netero's eyes before he nodded.
He didn't press further or investigate deeply, as continuing to chat like this would only delay the fight indefinitely.
Netero's reaction was exactly what Morrow wanted to see.
"Let's begin."
As he spoke, Morrow extended his right hand forward and flicked a coin toward the space between them.
The coin tumbled through the air, then fell straight down at the point where their gazes met.
Clink.
The sound of the coin hitting the ground echoed like a battle horn.
「Insidious Shooting Star」
With a pre-planned strategy, Morrow activated his ability at the fastest speed.
After his significant level advancement, his Hatsu had become more condensed and powerful.
In almost the blink of an eye, a stellar cross appeared on the ceiling above Netero's head.
Immediately after, a slender Nen bullet shot out from it at extreme speed.
"Hoh..."
Netero narrowed his eyes.
The stellar cross manifesting from the ceiling was quite inconspicuous in this four-dimensional room with its inherent bright lighting.
Especially since it appeared in a blind spot, making it virtually impossible to guard against.
However, even without using "In," Netero could still sense the aura fluctuation the moment it occurred.
Interestingly... the trajectory of the Nen bullet wasn't aimed at his head, but at the space in front of him.
In other words, this spatial-transit Nen bullet was intended to disrupt the prayer gesture he used to activate the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Moreover, this tactic had been predetermined even before the battle began.
When did he notice it...?
Netero murmured to himself.
The initial distance between them at the start of the battle was outside the striking range of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
This was his unspoken concession to Morrow.
Even if he didn't want to seize every advantage, he could have initiated the prayer gesture early and delivered a thunderous strike the instant Morrow took even a single step forward.
Yet he never expected Morrow would use the "range advantage" of Emission to interrupt his prayer gesture before making any move.
In that split second, Netero yielded to Morrow's tactical intent, leaving his raised hands suspended in front of him without bringing them together.
He wanted to see what Morrow's "next move" would be.
Whoosh!
The Nen bullet plummeted vertically, passing through Netero's still-separated hands before violently striking the ground.
With a deafening explosion, the energy contained within the Nen bullet instantly erupted, unleashing turbulent aura waves that surged outward in all directions.
Yet Netero's body stood firm like an ancient pine rooted in stone, utterly unshaken by the shockwave.
His gaze remained fixed on Morrow.
And so he witnessed Morrow stepping forward precisely as the Nen bullet detonated.
Seeing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Netero's lips.
Though surprised that Morrow had detected the prayer gesture connecting him to the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva... with sufficient mental strength, one could directly manifest the Bodhisattva's form without any prayer at all.
「100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 3rd Hand」
Without joining his palms, Netero channeled his unwavering combat spirit, devoid of any condescension, and unleashed a strike capable of ending the battle instantly.
Within the softly glowing white room, a golden light abruptly intruded, slashing downward from above toward Morrow, who had now entered its attack range.
From Morrow's perspective, this was both an unexpected and unavoidable strike.
One might call it bullying the weak, but Netero cared not.
He had shrewdly exploited Morrow's assumptions about the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's ability.
Even without such methods, he held absolute confidence in landing this blow.
Yet he seized this fleeting opening regardless.
A testament to his unreserved commitment.
However... the golden-hued palm strike struck nothing but empty air.
To be precise, Morrow had vanished into thin air.
Netero had assumed Morrow only noticed the prayer gesture required for the Bodhisattva to strike, hence the attempt to disrupt his initial motion at the battle's onset.
Thus, fighting with complete seriousness, he intended to demonstrate, through the "strike without prayer," how grave the consequences of misjudging intel could be.
Unbeknownst to him, Morrow not only understood the connection between the Bodhisattva and the prayer gesture but also knew Netero could strike without it.
So, to maximize this informational edge, Morrow had deliberately crafted the very illusion Netero anticipated. He had long anticipated that Netero would show no mercy in this battle.
It was precisely this understanding that allowed him to now evade the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's palm strikes through "pure prediction."
The final piece of the puzzle was the teleportation ability of Astral Step.
Morrow appeared behind Netero.
As his form materialized, his palm was already pressed against Netero's back.
This was the same forward-reaching motion he had maintained when tossing the coin earlier, now proving somewhat useful.
In the next instant.
A violent surge of Nen erupted from Morrow's palm.
Boom!
Struck by the impact, Netero was instantly sent flying by this condensed Nen wave, crashing against the room's wall in the blink of an eye.
---------------
Bonus chapter @1000powerstones