Moore's post-mortem Nen flew into the room.
What consequences this would cause, Moro didn't know and didn't plan to investigate.
He had come here and helped Kang solve a difficult problem for one reason: to ensure that Kang could focus on landing the airship safely.
Both shared the same objective.
The precondition was that Kang had to be free to act.
Moro glanced at the open doorway leading into the room.
From his position, he couldn't see the interior clearly.
But he could sense the clash of auras inside.
"Should I go in?"
Moro hesitated briefly.
The Nen user he'd killed earlier had caused his level to skyrocket.
If there was another opportunity like that, Moro thought it might not even matter whether he eventually made it to the great nation of Gugan Jade.
While Moro was considering, tensions within the room surged.
Moore had sacrificed himself to trap Kang in the Nen space, while his companion Aida had entered the room by breaking through the ceiling.
However, there was still a bodyguard—a Reinforcement-Type—protecting Safu.
It would be difficult for Aida to eliminate a Reinforcement-Type within a single minute, but with another minute, it wouldn't have been impossible.
And indeed, that was how things unfolded.
By the time Kang burst back into the room, Talia—who was protecting Safu—was critically injured and barely holding on.
This was two minutes after Kang had been trapped.
"Moore…"
Out of the corner of her eye, Aida saw Kang rush into the room and understood that Moore had given his life.
If she could just gain another five seconds…
But there were no "ifs" in this situation.
The mission had to be completed!
From the start, she and Moore had a backup plan to ensure the mission's success.
Ideally, they would have both survived to continue serving the prince.
But now, under the current circumstances…
Aida felt neither sadness nor regret, only an unyielding resolve to fulfill her objective.
She abandoned the faint hope of survival in an instant, redirecting all her willpower toward completing the mission.
Ignoring Kang's attack, she threw herself toward Safu, who was shielded by Talia.
Though Talia was gravely injured and barely able to stand, her determination and resolve to protect Safu rivaled that of Moore and Aida.
Fueled by her desperate will, Talia moved to intercept Aida, willing to use the last of her strength and life to buy the critical seconds Kang needed to arrive.
"Just hold on for three seconds—no, two seconds!"
Fearless in the face of death, Talia's sole thought was to endure until Kang could take over her duty as Safu's protector.
She would not fall until Safu's safety was assured!
Summoning her remaining Nen energy, Talia unleashed a final surge of power, hoping for a turnaround.
But the sight that followed crushed her hopes, leaving her stunned and despairing.
In the brief flash of blinding light caused by an explosion, Talia realized the terrible truth.
Aida had explosives on her body.
Yes, in her final moments, Aida calmly detonated the explosives she had smuggled onto the airship using her disguise as a crew member.
Since survival was no longer possible, she had nothing left to lose—she flipped the table.
The flash of light disappeared as quickly as it had come, followed by a wave of searing flames and a powerful shockwave that engulfed Aida, Talia, and Safu in an instant.
Kang's expression changed drastically. He raised his left arm to shield his face, but the shockwave still sent him flying.
Meanwhile,
In the lounge, Moro heard the deafening explosion. Moments later, the residual shockwave surged out of the room, rushing down the corridor like a dragon and heading toward the lounge.
The short distance gave Moro ample time to react.
As soon as the explosion occurred, Moro's expression shifted. He flipped over a couch and crouched behind it, covering himself with his Nen aura while using the couch as additional protection.
BOOM—
The shockwave turned the entire lounge upside down.
When the chaos subsided, flames had ignited flammable items like the carpet, filling the area with smoke.
Moro stood up from behind the couch, looking at the devastation around him. His pupils trembled, and a sense of relief washed over him.
But the unsteady floor beneath his feet signaled the severity of the situation.
The airship might crash due to the explosion.
Moro frowned, deeply concerned, before turning his gaze toward the corridor.
There, he saw Kang lying on the floor, his body charred in several places, his condition uncertain.
Inside the room,
The aftermath of the massive explosion left the entire room in ruins, filled with fire and thick smoke.
In a corner,
Talia's body was mangled beyond recognition, lifeless.
But beneath her, faint groans could be heard—Safu's.
In the explosion's final moments, Talia had used her dying breath to shield Safu, preserving her life.
However, before the explosion, Talia had been too focused on Kang's return to notice a wisp of post-mortem Nen flying toward her.
This powerful, lingering will from Moore passed through the flames and smoke, heading straight for where Talia's body lay.
The next moment,
Safu's weak voice abruptly stopped.
In the corridor outside the room,
Kang shook his head and struggled to his feet. Ignoring his injuries, he ran through the thick smoke and into the room.
He soon found Talia's body and Safu, who was pinned beneath her.
Both were dead.
Kang's expression darkened.
"I'm sorry."
He murmured to the corpses before glancing at the slanted floor. Clenching his fists, he quickly left the room, now nearly filled with smoke.
Back in the corridor, Kang immediately spotted Moro standing in the lounge.
He ran up to him and asked, "What's your name?"
"Moro."
Seeing Kang rush out of the room, Moro had already guessed why.
He couldn't help but wonder who Kang had been protecting. Whoever it was had drawn such powerful Nen users—and led to a catastrophic, table-flipping finale.
Kang reached Moro, glancing at the headless body that had been thrown farther down the corridor. Then he looked back at Moro.
"Moro, right? You know who I am, don't you?"
"..."
Moro silently admired Kang's sharp instincts before nodding and offering some flattery. "The Twelve Zodiac Hunters of the Hunter Association—who wouldn't recognize you?"
"Then I don't need to introduce myself. Come with me—we're going to find the captain."
Kang paid no attention to Moro's flattery. Seeing the aftermath of the explosion, his first thought was to locate the captain and force the airship to land.
Moro stayed where he was, sighing. "That's exactly why I came looking for you."
"What do you mean?"
Kang frowned in confusion.
Moro quickly explained the situation in the cockpit.
After hearing everything, Kang's face darkened even further.
Creak—
An ear-splitting noise came from up ahead as the airship swayed violently.
Moro steadied himself and said, "This explosion… it might force the Manipulator to land the airship."
No sooner had he spoken than the floor tilted sharply again. It was clear the airship had reached a dangerously unstable angle.
It seemed it was about to crash…
Moro and Kang exchanged a glance, each seeing the grim determination in the other's eyes.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen