Hunter X Hunter: I Got Stronger After I Died

Abandoning the paper fan also meant abandoning any chance of victory.

Kalluto had intended to retreat, but Moro's gaze deeply provoked him.

A surge of overwhelming humiliation and anger welled up inside him, making it increasingly difficult to control his expression.

Moro casually unfolded the paper fan in his hand and looked at Kalluto's now emotionally unstable face.

"So young, yet you've already developed a habit of toying with your enemies…"

"You—!?"

Kalluto leaped backward, his eyes trembling as he stared at Moro.

Toying with prey…

Yes, he did enjoy doing that.

But in this battle, he had been at a disadvantage the entire time. He had never once been in control—let alone able to toy with his opponent. If anything, he was the one being toyed with.

But how had this man seen through him so easily?

The feeling of having his nature exposed with just a glance made the pressure he was already under even more suffocating.

Moro snapped the fan shut with a snap and said calmly,

"There's no need to be so surprised. Nen abilities are a direct reflection of their user's personality. You use seemingly harmless little triangular paper slips as your killing move—because deep down, you want to see your opponents react with disbelief, don't you?"

"How… how do you know that?!"

Kalluto clenched his fists instinctively, his heart pounding in shock.

In that instant, the feeling of being seen through became even more intense.

His heartbeat accelerated—he actually felt… fear.

Moro lowered his gaze slightly, his tone calm.

"Because your intentions were too obvious. And you were overconfident, laying all your tricks out in the open. This kind of tactic only works on mindless beasts that don't know how to think."

"..."

Kalluto bit his lip hard, his voice trembling as he forced out, "You… did you stop attacking just to humiliate me?"

"Not at all."

Moro shook his head slightly.

"The moment you swung your fan at me, the fight was already over."

"Huh?"

Kalluto's body tensed immediately.

For some reason, he completely believed Moro's words.

Without a second thought, he turned and bolted.

His wide kimono sleeves flared behind him like wings as he ran.

Moro watched Kalluto's retreating figure with calm eyes, a glowing green shooting star forming at his fingertips.

Just by dodging Kalluto's earlier attack, he had already fulfilled the condition for activating Starlight Convergence, marking Kalluto with a Star Tag.

This was possible because Kalluto's level of Materialized Aura was not very high.

Additionally, when he controlled his paper-based attacks earlier, he had poured more than half of his aura into them, further lowering his ability to guard against marks.

"Deceptive Shooting Star."

Moro flicked his finger lightly.

The small, egg-sized shooting star, upon rebounding, doubled in size and power before streaking toward the fleeing Kalluto.

The green light illuminated the dark, dirty alley like a scanning beam, swiftly locking onto its target.

Kalluto, darting through the twisting alleys, felt the presence approaching rapidly from behind.

Within moments—

He sensed danger.

"A tracking projectile…?"

His peripheral vision caught the green glow, and Kalluto abruptly stopped, instinctively reaching for his fan to block the incoming Nen bullet.

But as soon as his right hand moved, he realized—

The fan was gone.

It was still in that guy's hands.

A surge of panic and fear disrupted his thoughts, something that had never happened before.

Seeing the shooting star closing in, Kalluto made a last-ditch effort to evade, swiftly pressing his body against the alley wall.

The star zipped past his face, then curved sharply in midair, locking onto him once more.

Kalluto had already deduced it was a homing attack. He had no choice but to summon every bit of Nen he had left to construct a defense.

BOOM!

The shooting star struck Kalluto.

The impact sent him crashing into a nearby building. The explosion shattered parts of the surrounding walls, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The next second—

Kalluto, covered in dust and dirt, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, emerged from the debris.

"Luckily… the power wasn't too strong. Cough cough."

He wanted to keep running but stumbled, collapsing to his knees, coughing up more blood.

Just as he lifted his head, he saw a green light glowing at the alley's corner. His pupils shrank.

In the next moment, Moro soared over the alley's corner—riding on a shooting star.

In an instant, he landed right in front of Kalluto.

Kalluto's entire body tensed. He struggled to rise, his eyes cold and ready to fight again.

However—

Moro simply hopped off the shooting star, landing steadily on the ground.

The moment his feet touched the floor, the glowing star faded into nothingness.

Glancing at Kalluto's bloodstained face, Moro said meaningfully,

"When you blocked the Nen bullet, you must've thought, 'the impact wasn't that strong,' didn't you?"

"..."

Kalluto's eyes trembled violently.

Suddenly, he understood—Moro had held back.

And the reason he had done so—

Was it to toy with his prey?

The thought made Kalluto grit his teeth in rage. "If you're going to kill me, just do it! I won't give you the satisfaction you want!"

"I won't kill you."

Moro lowered his gaze, his voice calm.

"Because your ability is precious."

"!"

Kalluto froze.

But in the next moment, he saw the same gaze in Moro's eyes—

The look of someone staring at prey with no value whatsoever.

A mix of humiliation and fear exploded in his chest, making him feel like he would suffocate.

He had never experienced this before.

But within this storm of emotions, an instinctual urge to prove himself arose.

Yet—his remaining rationality told him one undeniable truth:

He couldn't win. There was no chance at all.

Moro, unaffected by Kalluto's furious glare, continued speaking as if stating a fact:

"If I were you, I'd focus entirely on perfecting my finishing move instead of mixing in all these unnecessary attack methods."

He then added, "Besides… your habit of toying with prey doesn't actually suit a Manipulator's ability type."

With that, Moro extended the paper fan back toward Kalluto.

"You could easily hire some kids to scatter your paper slips around the target naturally, making sure they're already surrounded before you even strike. That way, you can guarantee a fatal blow. But… you're too proud for that kind of trick, aren't you? Here, take your fan."

"I don't want it!"

Kalluto refused harshly, then gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran again despite the pain.

Moro watched his reaction, then simply retracted the fan.

Since he was headed back to his hotel anyway, he decided to follow along—

Coincidentally, that was the same direction out of this residential area.

Meanwhile—

Kurapika leaned against an alley wall, his mind racing with thoughts of what he had just witnessed.

That child—he was a monster.

Clack! Clack!

Rapid, frantic footsteps echoed from the alley.

Kurapika snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward the sound.

And what he saw—

Was the very same child he had just called a monster—

Now running frantically in his direction, looking utterly terrified, as if escaping from something truly terrifying.

W-what happened…?

Kurapika's barely recovered breathing suddenly grew ragged once more.

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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)

20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen

(BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR HELPING ME REACH 1000 COLLECTIONS ON THIS NOVEL)

Should I post bonus chapters for this milestone?