The task of killing the Third Princess...
The prince whom Moore served had only instructed them to complete this mission while preserving their lives as the top priority.
If the task was impossible, survival came first.
Moore never questioned the prince's thoughts. From his perspective, the prince's instructions meant one thing:
He needed to stay alive to maximize his value as a pawn.
Moore was willing to be a pawn, as long as he could bring value to the prince.
However, as his companion Aida had pointed out, the prince didn't want to see them sacrifice their lives for a mission. But both Moore and Aida were even more unwilling to disappoint the prince.
Killing the Third Princess was absolutely critical.
With that in mind, Moore had decided to offer up his heart while inscribing the divine symbol.
Of course, if they could achieve their goal without dying, neither he nor his companion would choose death.
They still wanted to follow the prince, to see him ascend the steps to the throne.
But reality was unforgiving...
Standing in their way was one of the Twelve Zodiac Hunters, specializing in combat.
Without the resolve to stake their lives, how could they overcome this obstacle and complete the mission?
So, when "Time of Cicada Molt" was activated, all of Moore's tricks—his bluffing, feints, and false bravado—were aimed at distracting Kang, misleading his judgment, and buying more time.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Kang managed to pinpoint the exact timing with unnerving precision.
Even a delay of just a few dozen seconds would have helped, but Moore had no such luck.
So, once the 60 seconds were up, every additional second he could survive mattered.
The longer he held on, the better Aida's chances of success.
His only regret was that he hadn't been able to lure Kang into causing him more severe injuries before activating his ability.
But that was unavoidable.
If he hadn't used the basic defense of his Nen aura upon being attacked, he wouldn't have met the ability's activation conditions.
The crux of the problem lay in Kang's anticipation. Even in his hasty counterattack, he instinctively avoided Moore's vital spots.
If it hadn't been for the backup plan of having Aida use brute force to break into the room, compressing Kang's reaction time, Moore doubted he could have dragged Kang into the Nen space at all.
The Twelve Zodiac Hunters truly lived up to their reputation.
This praise was genuine. But Moore couldn't help feeling sorry for Aida.
Sorry, Aida… If I'd managed to make this guy take more damage, your survival odds after completing the mission would've been higher.
While Moore had accepted his own death, he firmly believed Aida could finish the job.
Moore lowered his gaze, then looked back up at Kang.
"Twelve Zodiac Tiger… According to the information I have, you should be an Enhancement-Type. But after fighting you, you're nothing like I expected."
Kang's expression remained impassive. "What are you trying to say? That you think all Enhancement-Types are just reckless brutes charging blindly ahead?"
Moore countered, "Aren't they?"
Most Enhancement-Types he'd encountered relied on their high attack and defense capabilities, acting fearlessly in battle.
For Moore and his companion, such opponents were their favorite prey—easy to exploit.
"Did an Enhancement-Type eat all your rice or something?"
Kang heard the disdain in Moore's voice and widened his eyes slightly. Meanwhile, he silently counted down in his head.
The Nen space hadn't disappeared yet...
At least he didn't have to worry about some counterattack involving "shared damage."
After finishing his 60-second mental countdown, Kang immediately acted on his judgment, charging straight at Moore.
At the very moment of his advance, Kang's seemingly unremarkable frame erupted with an aura like that of a tiger descending the mountain.
Facing this, Moore finally saw the traits of an Enhancement-Type fighter.
"Even if I didn't divert my aura into the divine symbol, there's no way I could block this…"
Just one look, and Moore understood the vast gap in combat ability. This was the most troublesome thing about Enhancement-Types.
But Moore had never planned to engage Kang directly. Channeling his aura into his legs, he turned and sprinted away, creating as much distance as possible.
The Nen space's rules restricted the area. He couldn't jump off the airship or play hide-and-seek for long.
I just need to hold out for another minute or two!
Moore focused solely on running, avoiding direct combat.
The ability "Time of Cicada Molt" required him to deal damage within the first 60 seconds to activate its full potential. As such, Moore had invested heavily in enhancing his mobility.
For now, his evasive tactics kept him out of Kang's grasp. But if he were caught, a single strike could very well kill him.
And so, the two began a chase across the upper level of the airship.
With Nen abilities affecting the situation, their mental states gradually shifted.
The one feeling pressure was no longer Moore—it was Kang.
Though Kang's victory was almost certain, he still had to consider the safety of his client, Safu.
Does this guy's Nen ability have such an effect?
As he pursued Moore, Kang's concerns grew.
The 60 seconds had passed, and the Nen space still hadn't vanished. This confirmed that Moore's damage-sharing ability was no longer active.
Yet even after another 30 seconds, the space remained.
Kang frowned.
Unaware of Moore's resolve to die while buying time, Kang grew increasingly frustrated.
At the 38-second mark of the chase, Kang finally saw an opening.
He threw a powerful punch, cloaked in an intense aura, directly at Moore's back.
In response, Moore spun around and raised his left arm, channeling all his aura into it as a shield.
Boom!
Crack!
The punch shattered Moore's left arm entirely and sent him flying backward.
"You want to know how long this Nen space will last?"
As Moore fell to the ground, he ignored his injury, smirked, and answered his own question:
"Five whole minutes. From the moment you stepped in, there was no way you could protect that princess."
Kang's heart sank, but he ignored Moore's words and charged forward again with relentless speed.
Moore's smile turned mocking.
Though both of his arms were now useless, he estimated he could hold out for one more minute.
That's enough!
Just as Moore had this thought, the golden hue of the surroundings abruptly faded, vanishing like a receding tide.
"Hmm?!"
Both Moore and Kang were stunned by the sudden change.
As the golden hue disappeared, they found themselves back in the original location. Near the entrance to the hallway, a new figure stood.
"It's him!"
Kang recognized the young man—it was Moro, who had hidden his identity as a Nen user when boarding.
Moro calmly observed the scene. His gaze briefly swept over the now-dormant divine symbol on the wall, where a painting had once hung.
"It seems my judgment was correct…"
Moro's eyes turned to Moore, whose aura was visibly dimming. He said flatly, "Destroying the divine symbol might not benefit me, but it certainly creates trouble for a 'disruptor.'"
"You…!"
Moore stared at Moro, disbelief written across his face.
Moro raised his hand slightly, then glanced at Kang. "Terrorists are the worst. Leave him to me."
Kang snorted. "You're a damn genius."
Without hesitation, Kang turned and rushed into the room.
Now, in the vast lounge, only Moro and Moore remained.
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Powerstones?
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen