Where the crimson petals dissipated, a faint wisp of aura still lingered.
To be able to forcibly transport Beyond away in that situation, judging by the mechanism, it was undoubtedly a Specialization ability. It's just unclear what the ability's specific effects are.
If this ability could be used to transport someone at any time, Beyond wouldn't have needed to stay and continue taking risks. There must be some kind of restriction in the ability's design behind it.
Furthermore, judging by the rarity of the ability, the user must be a crucial member of Beyond's team.
"His team must have quite a few other valuable abilities," Morrow thought.
Morrow was well aware of Beyond's ambition. Layouts and plans were merely necessary steps to "set sail"; the true key to the success or failure of the Dark Continent expedition had always been just one thing.
People.
Precious and powerful talent.
The subordinates Beyond had recruited over the years were surely each exceptional in their own right.
Therefore, Morrow wasn't particularly surprised by this outcome.
If Beyond had no trump cards up his sleeve and dared to come alone to assassinate Netero based solely on his almost arrogant confidence... Then he wouldn't be Beyond.
This man, who always presented himself to the public with an indomitable air, was in essence just fooling the citizens of the Kakin Empire with a carefully crafted "persona," leading countless uninformed people to worship him as a hero.
But one had to admit, even the Zodiac Twelve would be shaken by Beyond's bold and confident facade.
The number of people who could truly see through his essence could be counted on one hand.
Netero was one, and perhaps King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou of Kakin was another.
And as a transmigrator, Morrow naturally knew even better... Beyond's true face was that of a profound schemer, forbearing and cautious, who wouldn't hesitate to use his own son as a pawn in a plot decades in the making.
However, it was hard to say whether the bold personality he had displayed day in and day out for decades was a mask he could take off at any time, or if it had already been internalized into a somewhat contradictory personality trait.
In fact, this might very well be the fundamental reason why Beyond was able to become a post-congenital Specialization user.
Morrow raised his hand and shot a Shooting Star toward the sky.
A moment later, the Chimera, now as massive as a blue whale, swooped down from the sky and landed steadily in front of Morrow.
Its long neck bent skillfully, affectionately rubbing its huge bird head against Morrow.
Morrow raised a hand to gently cup its lower jaw and asked, "Did you find anyone?"
"Roar."
The Chimera shook its head.
Morrow patted its beak and gestured for it to return to the sky and keep watch.
The Chimera immediately spread its wings, which were covered in dark red scales, and soared back into the air.
"It seems the transport distance was quite far."
Morrow watched the Chimera fly into the sky, murmuring to himself.
Since the Chimera had awakened its Nen, perhaps due to its animal instincts, it had naturally applied its aura to enhancing its basic senses and physical functions, much like those Enhancers who don't develop a Hatsu and only use Nen to strengthen their limbs and five senses.
This gave the Chimera's eyes superior vision and depth perception, allowing it to clearly capture movements on the ground even from high altitudes.
Since the Chimera found no trace of anyone nearby, it meant Beyond had been transported extremely far away.
What Morrow didn't know was... Sawa's "Twin Flower Crossing" could teleport the person she was protecting directly to her side. As a Specialization ability focused on its mechanism, its teleportation range far exceeded Morrow's estimation, capable of even crossing continents and oceans to reach the Kakin Empire.
This was equivalent to binding a teammate with a resurrection armor that had a teleport-to-base effect, an extremely rare Specialization ability.
Now, with Sawa's death in battle, Beyond's team had lost this strategic safeguard, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to their plans for exploring the Dark Continent.
Morrow withdrew his gaze from the sky and turned to walk toward the wooden cabin by the lake.
Netero and Linne watched him stride over, their expressions different.
Linne couldn't hide her astonishment. She had never expected Morrow to be able to force Beyond into such a desperate situation with such overwhelming power. That terrifying destructive force had razed a large swath of forest to the ground. Under such a monstrous assault, Beyond was likely annihilated, not even his bones remaining.
Netero, however, had a calm expression, as if he had either calmly accepted the outcome of his son's death or... had seen a deeper truth.
Meeting Linne's and Netero's starkly different gazes, Morrow walked up to them and said calmly, "He escaped."
Linne's eyes widened at his words, almost thinking she had misheard.
Netero, however, remained as composed as ever, as if he had expected it all along.
Morrow looked at him and asked curiously, "Chairman, you don't seem surprised at all."
"Aren't you the same?" Netero retorted.
He knew Beyond too well... He would do anything to achieve his goals. He was intensely greedy, yet also extremely cautious. Daring to come alone today meant he surely had a backup plan to retreat unscathed.
This wasn't mere prudence; it was human nature.
After all, through decades of forbearance, Beyond had stacked his ambitions layer by layer like building blocks. Now, he was just a few steps away from placing the final pieces. The closer one gets to such a moment, the more careful they tend to become, fearing that everything will fall apart at the last second.
Therefore, Netero was certain that, given Beyond's personality and style, he would have left himself enough room for error before deciding to act.
However, from Morrow's reaction, Netero vaguely realized that Morrow also knew Beyond very well.
Morrow nodded at Netero and commented, "He has a rugged and bold face, but he's extremely cunning."
"Ho ho."
Netero chuckled, which was his way of agreeing with Morrow's assessment.
Morrow said pointedly, "There's another equally cunning guy in the Association."
"..."
Netero knew Morrow was talking about Pariston and had a faint idea of what he might say next.
Seeing Netero's silence, Morrow sighed softly. "Are you just going to let him run wild in the Association like this? I don't think Cheadle can handle him. Among the Zodiac Twelve, probably only Ging can hold his own against him."
"Morrow, no matter which of them gets elected, a spot will open up in the Zodiac Twelve." Netero dodged the question, instead making a very serious suggestion. "I think you should consider it."
"Chairman, you should consider your own safety first."
Morrow shook his head, understanding that Netero had his own considerations regarding the chairman election. Perhaps he believed Cheadle would ultimately defeat Pariston, or perhaps he believed that even if Pariston became chairman, he wouldn't lead the Association toward a terrible future.
But as for where the Association's future was headed... Morrow couldn't care less.
Frankly, he felt no sense of belonging to the Hunter Association whatsoever. Especially when a group of old diehards who did nothing but occupy their positions still held key powers like the review board. It was simply absurd.
Perhaps the V5's shadow was behind this, but even so, Morrow still believed... that a Hunter Association with such a structure was not worthy of even a sliver of his effort.
This was precisely why he had been so dismissive of his record of achievements during the Chimera Ant subjugation incident. How could he possibly be interested in a position in the Zodiac Twelve?
"Although I 'don't understand' why Beyond has such strong killing intent for you, if he dies from his injuries this time, it would save a lot of trouble," Morrow said, looking at Netero and probing, "But if he's lucky enough to survive, he'll definitely find another chance to come after you."
"Hoh, I owe you for today," Netero nodded slightly, his tone filled with emotion. "If you hadn't intervened in time, this old life of mine would have ended today."
Seeing Netero still evading the main point, Morrow shook his head gently and said no more.
Beyond's action this time was tantamount to declaring his stance. Previously, he had wanted to use the biological disaster caused by the Chimera Ants to arrange a heroic and dignified exit for Netero.
But he had failed.
And now, he had drawn his blade directly.
Perhaps Beyond came alone today because he still held a sliver of respect for Netero. But he had failed again. For Beyond, there would surely be no third time.
Next time, even if Netero had fully recovered, Beyond would likely bring his entire team and come to end his life, sparing no cost.
Morrow pretended not to know where Beyond's bloodlust for Netero came from, but he was actually trying to indirectly guide Netero into revealing the matter of the Limitation himself. Then, he could naturally suggest that Netero directly remove the Limitation on Beyond, fundamentally resolving this potential threat.
Because he felt that with the power of the team behind Beyond, once they were dead set on killing Netero... Morrow, having already experienced the strength of this team, didn't think Netero could withstand such a cold-blooded assassination attempt.
Rather than letting Netero die in such a way in the future, it would be better to do everything possible to avoid that outcome. Since he wouldn't be able to stop it anyway, there was no need to throw his life away for nothing.
Forget it... Everyone has their own choices.
Morrow also had his own plans.
"I have things to do. I'm leaving."
After dropping this sentence, Morrow, without waiting for Netero and Linne's reaction, decisively mobilized his Nen. Terpsichora instantly manifested above his shoulders, and its Nen strings lifted him into the sky.
Netero tilted his head back, silently watching Morrow depart.
After today's events, he had felt Beyond's determination and understood that things would be difficult to resolve peacefully from now on. Even so, he would not remove the Limitation on Beyond. This was a stance he had to uphold.
To humanity, the Dark Continent was Pandora's Box. It was a taboo that must never be opened.
But at this moment, Netero was completely unaware that the young figure he was watching fly away was also secretly plotting a trip to the Dark Continent. In a way, from his own standpoint, he only saw Beyond's existence as a threat regarding the challenge of the Dark Continent. Little did he know that in terms of the "definition of a threat," even Beyond couldn't compare to the current Morrow.
As for Ging, who also had Netero's attention, there was actually not much to worry about.
High in the sky, Morrow landed on the Chimera's back and sat down cross-legged.
"Let's go. Back to Swardani City."
He gently patted the hard scales on the Chimera's back, then took out his phone and began looking up detailed information on some of the criminals currently on the bounty list.
He had originally wanted to use his "Biological Mutation" ability to transform into Hisoka's appearance. But if it was just for the sake of entering the election hall more easily... there was no need to make Hisoka carry such a huge burden.
In the end, Morrow's heart softened for once, and he decided not to mess with Hisoka this time.
"Anyone can sit in that seat, except you, Pariston."
Facing the biting cold wind, Morrow said to himself.
When he stood in the ravaged forest, watching the crimson petals representing some kind of Specialization ability vanish into the air, he could more deeply appreciate the power of the team behind Beyond.
It was also at that moment... that the thought of breaking Beyond's "fingers" one by one sprouted in his mind.
For someone like Beyond, victory in battle could only defeat his body, not break his spirit and will.
So the first thing Morrow was going to do was kill Pariston, who was currently participating in the election assembly.
—--
Inside the Hunter Association election hall, the vast majority of Pro Hunters were present in person, with only a few, like Ging and Hisoka, absent. However, their absence did not affect the election's progress or outcome.
"In my three years as Vice-Chairman under Chairman Netero, I've come to understand one thing: being Chairman requires three qualifications."
On the stage, Pariston wore a smile as brilliant as the sun, as if an invisible starlight surrounded him.
"First, given the nature of our activities, combat power is indispensable. Regrettably, Cheadle, who is currently second to me in the polls, while accomplished in her professional field, may be somewhat lacking in terms of martial prowess."
Pariston delivered his speech with great passion, but his mind was elsewhere.
Sawa is dead... How terrible. Her ability was crucial.
"Second, given the nature of our profession, experience is crucial, and wisdom grows with experience. From a professional standpoint, experience also determines seniority. Fortunately, I have three years of experience as Vice-Chairman."
Pariston continued to elaborate on the three qualifications for the chairman's position, but compared to his campaign speech, his thoughts were more focused on Beyond's failure.
Since a direct confrontation didn't work, we'll have to resort to other means. The Stone Wall team's failure to eliminate Morrow and Netero in East Gorteau... has indeed left behind a problem. But no matter. Once I'm in the chairman's seat, there will be plenty of ways.
A dark glint flashed in the depths of Pariston's eyes.
He wasn't actually very interested in the position of chairman. But he had to admit, the position brought many conveniences, especially when it came to "doing those detestable things," it was uniquely advantageous. He had already experienced this deeply during his tenure as Vice-Chairman.
Once he became chairman, he would have all sorts of methods to deal with Morrow, a member of the Association.
"Third, is magnanimity..."
Pariston continued speaking.
But the next moment, the doors to the election hall were forcefully pushed open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang and interrupting Pariston's speech.
Inside the hall, the Zodiac Twelve members on stage as candidates, Pariston, Cheadle, Mizaistom, Botobai Gigante, and others, as well as the seated Pro Hunters, all turned to look at the source of the sound.
They then saw a burly, middle-aged man with a butcher's aura and a menacing look on his face, walking through the doors and down the stairs toward the stage.
"Who is this guy?"
"What does he want?"
Everyone looked at the middle-aged man, confused.
Meeting the focused gazes, the middle-aged man suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the stage, his voice rough.
"Pariston, it's time you paid back the money you owe me, isn't it?"
"???"
Hearing the man's words, most people were stunned.
Only Pariston, on the stage, had a subtle change in his eyes. Without any evidence, he naturally connected the butcher-like man before him with Morrow.
"You are..."
Pariston's words were cut short.
The middle-aged man in his vision had vanished.
The next instant, the world spun before his eyes.
"Eh?"
In the inverted vision, he saw his own headless body, and he also saw the middle-aged man standing next to his corpse.
Morrow!
In the moment his head was severed, even without proof, Pariston was certain of the man's identity.
How dare you...!
Before darkness consumed his consciousness, Pariston found it utterly unbelievable.