Under the pressure of time—
Moro needed to kill Feitan in ten months. Which path should he focus on?
Unlike Gon and Killua, Moro didn't have the fortune of encountering Wing and later Biscuit.
If he could pose this question to Biscuit, she'd probably give him an immediate answer.
But Moro didn't have Biscuit—he could only rely on himself to think it through.
Was it necessary to spend time honing his skills in matches below the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena?
The answer was yes.
He didn't lack money, so he had no reason to rush through the first 200 floors like Gon and Killua.
What he lacked was experience and understanding in martial combat.
Compared to the matches above the 200th floor, where nen users focused on their abilities, the matches below the 200th floor offered opportunities to face highly skilled martial artists like the one he had seen earlier.
Originally—
Moro came to Heaven's Arena seeking nen users.
But after witnessing a battle that decided both victory and life, his perspective shifted.
Since his rebirth, everything he had done was aimed toward the single goal of killing Feitan.
In planning his path to power, Feitan's combat style had to be taken into account.
Moro naturally concluded—
Dealing with Feitan's rapid assaults would be the key to successfully eliminating him.
It wasn't just about accumulating battle experience; at the very least, he needed to be able to track Feitan's swift blade.
Using his own reasoning, Moro arrived at a rough conclusion.
Without a mentor like Biscuit to guide him, he couldn't be sure if his decision was correct.
But all he could do was align his thoughts and actions. If this was the path he had chosen, he couldn't hesitate.
And the matches at Heaven's Arena…
Would help him shore up his weaknesses.
"Again!"
Moro's thoughts returned to the present. He turned to face the ponytailed woman, who was clutching her injured hand and retreating.
Hearing Moro's words, the woman's brows furrowed deeply.
"You…"
She started to speak but thought better of it. Silently suppressing her doubts and the pain in her hand, she charged at Moro again.
Using her swift and deliberate footwork, she moved into Moro's blind spot as she dashed forward.
"He's dodging, which means…"
As she struck, the ponytailed woman noticed Moro barely reacting to her movements. This bolstered her confidence.
She quickly switched tactics, dropping her hand mid-strike and aiming a blow at Moro's shoulder.
Thud!
The sound of impact echoed across the arena.
Immediately—
Hiss!
The woman gasped in pain, as if she had struck solid iron. She recoiled sharply, clutching her hand as if electrocuted.
So hard…
How can his body be this hard?
Even with hardened techniques like iron body, it shouldn't be possible to achieve this level of resistance.
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
During her first strike, she had held back slightly, assuming Moro was inexperienced due to his age.
In the second attack, she had gone all out after realizing Moro's strength.
Yet despite using her full power, she had hurt herself even worse.
Clutching her now-swollen hand, she suspected the bones might be fractured. Her expression turned grave.
When she looked back at Moro…
He was lost in thought again?!
The woman's face twitched in disbelief.
Moro's Perspective
Moro was reflecting on their exchange.
Although he hadn't anticipated her sudden change in tactics, his nen had responded faster than his body.
However, the reaction was rushed, and he couldn't fully control the strength of his nen.
This had caused his opponent to suffer excessive backlash.
That wasn't what he wanted.
He could tell this woman had honed her martial skills to a high level.
Her swift footwork reminded him of Killua, specifically the way she had quickly maneuvered behind him.
Moro wanted to experience as much of her combat style as possible within the three-minute match, hoping to learn something from it.
But it seemed he might have scared her.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Moro looked at the woman, whose face was now slick with sweat.
"Again," he said earnestly. "This time, I'll hold back and won't fight back at all."
"…"
The ponytailed woman fell silent, biting her lip hard.
Her hand was likely fractured, and she had already considered conceding.
But seeing Moro's calm and eager demeanor, she couldn't bring herself to quit.
The Crowd's Reaction
Even the seasoned referee couldn't hide his curiosity at Moro's unusual conduct.
As for the audience, particularly the contestants watching closely, the scene left them bewildered.
"He got hit, but the woman's the one who's hurt?"
"And he's… just standing there thinking? On the arena? That's so arrogant."
"If he tried that against me, I'd…"
While most of the audience murmured, one handsome man remained silent, his sharp gaze fixed on Moro.
The Decisive Blow
Back on the stage, Moro's calm demeanor spurred the woman to act.
Determined not to lose this way, she gritted her teeth and adjusted her breathing.
Abandoning her earlier footwork, she channeled all her strength into a single move.
"Hah!"
With a firm step forward, she planted herself into a solid stance and launched a straight punch at Moro's abdomen.
Moro lowered his gaze, tracking her movements.
Power, speed, angle.
All the elements of the punch were perfectly aligned, creating a fluid and natural strike.
Her technique had clearly been refined through countless repetitions.
Yet—
It's all so clear.
Moro observed the punch in detail, realizing the importance of integrating footwork into such attacks.
If she had combined this punch with her earlier footwork, I wouldn't have been able to block it effectively.
In that split second, Moro felt his thoughts expanding, as if time itself had slowed.
Then—
He extended his hand, palm open, to meet her punch.
Carefully, he moderated the strength of his nen around his palm.
Thud!
Her punch connected with his hand, but it felt as though she had struck a pillow—her power simply dissipated into nothingness.
Moro remained still, while the woman froze mid-motion, her body rigid like a statue.
"You…"
The strange, gentle resistance she felt left her bewildered, as if she had touched something beyond her comprehension.
Slowly, she looked up at Moro, no longer seeing the blank stare of someone lost in thought. Instead, he was smiling warmly.
"Thank you," Moro said sincerely as he withdrew his hand.
I can learn so much here.
At that moment, Moro felt utterly convinced.
The woman opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Finally, with a heavy heart, she dropped her arms.
"Referee… I concede."