The scale powder of Spiritual Message could precisely perceive the flow of aura and analyze the target's mental state from it.
It was like peeling an onion, delving deeper layer by layer, continuously dissecting.
Until it read thoughts blended from emotions and intentions drawn out by bloodlust during combat.
This was the deepest application of scale powder.
As long as humans were involved in killing, bloodlust would inevitably arise in their emotions.
It merely varied in intensity.
Some could perfectly conceal their bloodlust, some let their bloodlust surge freely, while others couldn't even control their bloodlust.
But regardless of which type, the scale powder could reach the depths.
Yet this human before him... Was as still as an ancient well without ripples!
Shaiapouf's heart trembled.
What he found difficult to comprehend was that he had just suffered a fierce attack from Morrow.
If he hadn't separated his main body in advance using his visual advantage, he would have undoubtedly died from that strike.
But how could someone capable of such a ruthless attack not have even a trace of bloodlust that could be read?
This also meant that the ability of Spiritual Message before him... Would be utterly useless.
Shaiapouf was shocked and doubtful.
Below, Morrow held his breath, allowing the scale powder to drift around him.
Even when not actively using the Starlight Convergence ability, his countless previous uses had long accustomed him to bearing psychological Limitation during combat.
After all, battles were decided in split seconds, often in the blink of an eye.
So it was impossible to only confirm whether he was adhering to psychological Limitation when he needed to use Starlight Convergence.
To activate the Starlight Convergence ability at any moment, the safest approach was to constantly maintain the habit of psychological Limitation from the moment combat began.
This was why Morrow, despite not using Starlight Convergence, could prevent Shaiapouf's scale powder from reading any information.
Let's test it.
Seeing that Shaiapouf's scale powder surrounded him completely, Morrow directly activated the Starlight Convergence ability.
Under his mental control, the aura around him suddenly shattered into countless starlight.
Innumerable stars intermingled with the scale powder, making it difficult to distinguish between them momentarily.
Morrow looked up at Shaiapouf hovering mid-air and suddenly manipulated the range of Starlight Convergence's domain, shaping it into a pipe-like form resembling an amoeba.
In the next moment, it surged toward Shaiapouf in the air.
To verify whether the "scale powder" constituted an attack method, Morrow needed to bring Shaiapouf within Starlight Convergence's effective range.
Meanwhile, Shaiapouf was disturbed by Spiritual Message's ineffectiveness against Morrow, causing a momentary distraction in the battle.
Huh?!
By the time he noticed Morrow's Starlight Convergence approaching, his reaction was already half a beat too slow.
Is this En?! Not quite. But it somewhat resembled Neferpitou's En.
Though slightly hesitant, Shaiapouf still relied on his excellent flying ability to abruptly shoot upward at the last moment, avoiding contact with those shimmering points of light.
If Spiritual Message could have read the information... He could have inferred Morrow's intentions based on that information, or even deduced the ability's effects further. But now that the scale powder had lost its effect, he could no longer gauge the danger level of these dazzling stars.
Out of caution, Shaiapouf naturally wouldn't let himself be easily hit.
Even though he sensed no substantial threat from the aura's scale... Considering Morrow's strength, he had no choice but to treat it with the highest level of seriousness.
Shaiapouf abandoned his condescending attitude, and the decision to retreat at this moment was undoubtedly correct.
However, his initial distraction still caused him to miss the opportunity to create distance immediately.
With just a single leap into the air, Morrow erupted with speed faster than flight, closing the remaining distance in an instant.
The elongated, pipe-like Starlight Convergence instantly enveloped Shaiapouf.
Damn it!
Unable to escape the coverage of Starlight Convergence, Shaiapouf's eyes narrowed sharply.
But just as he prepared to respond, an unexpected change occurred.
Through his shared vision from other directions, he clearly saw the surrounding stars cling to him, then instantly materialize into golden chains in the blink of an eye.
There was no chance to resist.
Just like that, he was restrained by the golden chains that appeared out of thin air.
How is this possible!?
The moment Starlight Convergence touched him, Shaiapouf had anticipated many scenarios, but he never expected these stars to so simply and brutally transform into golden chains, firmly immobilizing him.
This outcome greatly diverged from his understanding of Nen.
Seeing the golden chains appear, Morrow wasn't particularly surprised.
If the scale powder was judged as an attack method, then his actions of holding his breath and even passing through large amounts of scale powder while airborne would be considered successful evasion of the attack.
And because the scale powder was so abundant, he instantly met the conditions to activate his ability.
All he had to do was extend the range of Starlight Convergence enough to envelop Shaiapouf.
But ultimately... The reason Starlight Convergence could take effect so smoothly was because Shaiapouf had deliberately expanded the coverage of his scale powder to ensure it would make contact with Morrow as quickly as possible.
Thus, when Morrow leaped into the air, he never left the range of the scale powder.
Otherwise, even if Morrow could draw Shaiapouf into Starlight Convergence's domain, once he left the scale powder's range, everything would become meaningless.
On the other hand, it was also because Spiritual Message had no effect on Morrow.
This inadvertently gave Morrow the opportunity to verify Starlight Convergence's ability effects while limiting Shaiapouf's room to respond.
Of course, Morrow wasn't aware that Shaiapouf's Spiritual Message would be ineffective against him.
It was based on his understanding of this ability and Shaiapouf's reactions that he deduced this possibility.
Naturally, he didn't worry about the consequences of Shaiapouf potentially gaining intelligence if Starlight Convergence missed its mark.
This remained... The importance of ability intelligence.
In any form of confrontation, countless minute details continuously influence the course of the entire battle.
The only difference is that those skilled in intellectual combat can more easily seize fleeting opportunities, even utilizing all available conditions and factors to actively create opportunities.
「Deceptive Shooting Star」
Morrow's eyes reflected the image of Shaiapouf bound by golden chains, a fluorescent green Nen sphere coalescing in his hand.
Given the opponent's aura output level, the golden chains' control duration was extremely brief.
However, his current aura gathering speed was remarkably fast. If he didn't prioritize power, he could nearly instantaneously release a Deceptive Shooting Star.
But with confirmation that the "Star Mark" had been implanted, an ordinary Deceptive Shooting Star would be meaningless.
Thus, while gathering aura, Morrow abruptly retreated at high speed, intending to create distance between himself and Shaiapouf.
Only this could ensure he wouldn't face threats from Shaiapouf while fully concentrating his aura.
Just as Morrow began his retreat, the golden chains binding Shaiapouf suddenly shattered and dissipated.
First, the chains had formed crudely out of thin air, then broken without warning in an extremely short time.
This somewhat inexplicable ability phenomenon caused a slight hesitation in Shaiapouf's emotional fluctuations.
What exactly was happening?
Shaiapouf's gaze sharply locked onto Morrow, who was rapidly retreating.
He realized he must have overlooked something in his calculations, giving Morrow an opening.
He clearly understood those golden chains couldn't possibly just appear momentarily without further consequences.
But more than the potential repercussions of the golden chains, this feeling of being led by the nose was truly infuriating.
Shaiapouf's face darkened.
Noticing Morrow gathering aura, he had no time for deep contemplation. Immediately beating his wings, he charged forward while retracting his now useless scale powder.
This impulsive rush toward Morrow actually contradicted Shaiapouf's usual tactics.
But currently, he operated under the Limitation of protecting the Meat Orchard and main palace from Morrow's threats.
Therefore, as long as there existed any possibility of Morrow using Nen bullets to attack these key locations, Shaiapouf had to adhere to his initial strategy of severely restricting Morrow's long-range attack methods.
This forced direct assault, born from the action Limitation, unexpectedly created pressure on Morrow's aura gathering process.
Without teammates for cover, recklessly releasing a Shooting Star using Ko would only endanger himself.
Seeing Shaiapouf transform into a streak of light charging toward him, Morrow decisively launched the half-charged Deceptive Shooting Star.
The golden chains' control duration was still too short.
With Astral Step still on cooldown, he couldn't create distance to buy more charging time.
But even at half charge, its power alone was twice that of an instant Deceptive Shooting Star.
The fluorescent green Shooting Star flew from Morrow's hand.
But instead of heading toward Shaiapouf, it ascended vertically like a rocket.
Shaiapouf had mentally prepared to intercept the Deceptive Shooting Star, never expecting Morrow's target wasn't him at all.
This feeling again...
Shaiapouf looked up at the ascending Deceptive Shooting Star, his expression growing darker.
He still lacked clear understanding of the golden chains' subsequent effects.
But regarding the Deceptive Shooting Star's ability, through his clone's shared vision, he could observe its "hovering" and "power amplification" phenomena.
Therefore, by detonating the Deceptive Shooting Star prematurely, he could counter its power enhancement effect.
It was precisely because of this that Shaiapouf was mentally prepared to intercept the Deceptive Shooting Star in advance.
Yet the direction in which Morrow threw the Shooting Star seemed to target this very countermeasure of his.
Was it a coincidence, or...?
Shaiapouf had no time to ponder deeply.
Under his gaze, the Shooting Star, suspended a hundred meters in the air, rapidly expanded in size.
In truth, when the Shooting Star ascended like a rocket, he could have still charged directly at Morrow at that moment.
This was clearly an opportunity to attack that should not be missed.
But he had no choice.
The Limitation of having to guard the main hall and the Meat Orchard constantly narrowed his options.
It was precisely because Morrow saw this clearly that he dared to offer an attacking opportunity to Shaiapouf.
He was certain of Shaiapouf's priorities in action.
This was an inevitable result of the opponent's "lack of manpower."
Even so, he had anticipated the possibility that Shaiapouf might employ a "split in two" clone tactic, one to block the Shooting Star and the other to continue attacking him.
If possible, Morrow actually preferred Shaiapouf to use the clone tactic.
That way, his chances of killing Shaiapouf would become much higher.
But in the end, Shaiapouf chose caution over a more aggressive approach.
Morrow slightly raised his head, his gaze calm.
High in the air, the Deceptive Shooting Star ended its suspension and, under Morrow's watchful eyes, flew directly toward the highly vigilant Shaiapouf.
It's coming straight at me...!?
Shaiapouf had been on guard against the possibility of Morrow throwing coins toward the Meat Orchard or the palace, but he never expected the suspended Shooting Star to target him so decisively after resuming its flight.
This was completely different from the ability information he had previously obtained.
Instantly, he recalled the golden chain that had lasted only briefly.
It was homing.
A homing ability with the same effect as that coin.
Only now, this homing effect was transferred to himself.
After realizing this, Shaiapouf felt no psychological burden in facing the oncoming Deceptive Shooting Star.
It would be easier to block.
It was only at this moment that Shaiapouf suddenly realized something.
If he couldn't outsmart his opponent, he still had a stronger physique and ability than the other.
As for pride... How could it be more important than the "King"!
Shaiapouf's mindset underwent a subtle change, and a strange, almost tearful yet smiling expression appeared on his face.
In the next instant, he withstood the enhanced power of the Deceptive Shooting Star.
Boom!
The energy contained within the Shooting Star triggered a violent explosion in the air.
A wave of heat-laden aura swept down from the sky, crashing fiercely onto the ground.
Morrow looked up, inexplicably revealing a faint smile.
Though he hadn't gotten his wish to see Shaiapouf use the clone tactic against the Deceptive Shooting Star, he could still conclude... The number of cells must correspond to Shaiapouf's aura output.
Therefore, when facing the enhanced Deceptive Shooting Star, Shaiapouf would still prioritize defending at full strength to avoid damage.
In other words, as long as he could inflict damage on Shaiapouf or directly destroy the cells Shaiapouf had separated externally, he could directly weaken Shaiapouf's aura output.
Unless Shaiapouf, after being injured, chose not to consume cells to heal his wounds.
After confirming this, killing Shaiapouf became even easier.
The only concern was the reactions of the King and Neferpitou inside the palace.
—--
At this moment, within the palace, the intense tremors caused by the Shooting Star explosion surprisingly did not affect the ongoing Gungi match.
The reason was, Komugi, who was playing against the King, was faintly enveloped by a shimmering, multicolored halo.
She had awakened.
This was an awakening confined solely to the realm of Gungi.
In her awakened state, she had poured her entire mind and spirit into the board, completely oblivious to the explosion in the palace courtyard outside.
And it was precisely this transformation in Komugi that firmly captured the King's attention.
This caused him to similarly disregard the successive explosions coming from outside the hall.
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Bonus chapter @2000powerstones