Gazelle Step—
Of course, Moro did not know the name of this footwork.
After all, he had learned it by secretly copying the long-ponytailed woman.
Not that he had deliberately set out to steal it.
Rather, over the course of eighteen matches, the long-ponytailed woman had been the only opponent he encountered who used footwork.
Strictly speaking, this was the only technique he had managed to learn on the ring through thought and observation.
This footwork used the toes to generate force, making the body light and nimble when advancing or retreating.
It also used the heels to brace against the ground and turn, changing direction as swiftly as a gazelle.
Learning the Hatsu technique itself was not difficult. What was difficult was the explosive force between stillness and motion.
But that problem could be solved with the support of aura.
That was also the fundamental reason why Moro, despite having copied it only recently, could use it even better than the long-ponytailed woman.
"What confidence."
Having retreated to the center of the ring, Moro raised a finger and brushed across his slightly swollen cheek, calmly looking at Taegol standing near the edge of the ring.
After several exchanges, he had already seen through Taegol's Nen ability.
It was an ability that granted aura the property of impact, essentially enhancing Gyo's ability to penetrate aura defenses.
And because Transmuters were not adept at projecting aura, he could only bring out the ability's effects through close-quarters combat.
More importantly, both fists and elbows could serve as launch points for the ability. That likely meant other parts of his body could do the same.
It was a purely combat-oriented ability, perfectly suited to Taegol's needs.
The reason Moro considered Taegol overly confident was that there had been absolutely no need for Taegol to use his ability the instant they met.
After all, most Nen abilities possessed some degree of tactical value as a surprise attack.
That was true for his Deceptive Flying Stars, and it was equally true for Taegol's Transmutation ability.
If Moro had been the one using Taegol's Transmutation ability...
He would have launched a normal offensive with jabs, creating openings in his opponent's defense whenever possible, then used the ability to deliver a maximally devastating strike.
Given the surprise value of the ability, there was a high chance it could end the fight in a single blow.
But Taegol had used his ability right from the start, completely wasting its tactical value.
That alone showed that Taegol's confidence had reached the point of blindness.
Still, on a stage like Heaven's Arena, where one displayed one's prowess before the public, contestants naturally could not afford to hold back in pursuit of victory. Sooner or later, they would have to reveal their Nen abilities.
But Moro was constrained by the condition that the enemy could strike at any time, so unless necessary, he had no intention of using his Nen ability in the ring.
Taegol, you should be grateful for that...
Moro thought silently.
If he did not have to worry about exposing his Nen ability, then after learning Taegol's ability, he would have had every condition necessary to devise a killing strategy and make Taegol pay for his blind confidence.
But there were no ifs.
Moro calmly watched Taegol's next move. As his thoughts turned, he decided to use Taegol to hone his footwork.
Taegol had no idea what thoughts were circling through Moro's mind. Driven by an overwhelming desire to attack, he charged Moro again without fear.
Accompanied by piercing, shrill whistles through the air, wave after wave of fist shadows concealing lethal attacks engulfed Moro.
Moro's concentration reached its peak in that moment. While constantly evading the jabs, he could only keep retreating.
Only a moment passed.
Taegol threw more than a hundred punches.
Because of those attacks that abruptly extended amid his rapid barrage, Moro was inevitably struck several times despite focusing entirely on defense.
Fortunately, his center of gravity had remained defensive, and the footwork allowed him to dissipate the force in time. Those few blows did not affect his physical condition.
One minute, two minutes...
As time passed, Taegol threw several hundred more punches. Though he occasionally managed to hit Moro, he could not inflict any critical damage.
"I can see them clearly..."
Amid the extremely intense evasions, Moro gradually adapted to Taegol's punching rhythm. Combined with his increasingly smooth and natural footwork, the situation was no longer as dangerous as it had been at the start.
The high-intensity exchange had continued to this point, and no matter how Taegol adjusted the extension angles of his aura, he could no longer hit Moro.
Taegol noticed this. His initial arrogance vanished, replaced by irritation.
"Is dodging all you can do... you filthy rat?!"
His irritation increased Taegol's punching speed somewhat, but it also threw his attacks into disorder.
Moro ignored Taegol's words.
He did not know how to describe what he was feeling at that moment.
Every time he evaded one of Taegol's punches, every time he watched from the corner of his eye as the extending aura could do nothing but sweep past him...
He found himself hoping Taegol would throw the next punch even faster.
And he would evade it, like a car drifting at its limit along the edge of a curve.
Perhaps he felt a sense of accomplishment from it, or perhaps it was simply pleasure.
That sensation made him enjoy it.
And though he was clearly caught within an attack as violent as a raging storm, he still had the spare capacity to think.
It was as though, within those brief gaps, he had gained another pair of eyes that viewed the battle from an observer's perspective.
When the ceiling lights shone down onto the stage, it felt as though he could even see the dust stirred up by the air currents.
And what Taegol revealed amid the flow of his aura—
Impatience, anger.
He's getting desperate.
That was what Moro thought.
The fight on the ring was heated, and the spectator stands were just as fervent.
Taegol's supporters in particular believed that he had been suppressing Moro from beginning to end. Their faces flushed red with excitement, veins bulging on their foreheads.
Yet those who did not understand Nen abilities simply could not see the subtleties hidden within those few short minutes on the ring.
"The Thinker Moro..."
Among the audience, several Nen users wore astonished expressions as they murmured Moro's name.
Moro and Taegol had fought their way up to the higher floors, and the strength they displayed along the way had naturally drawn the attention of the fighters on the 200th floor.
That was why many 200th-floor fighters had come to watch this match in person.
As Nen users, they saw things differently from ordinary spectators.
"He... he's getting stronger, growing stronger at an incredible pace during the fight...!"
One 200th-floor fighter stared wide-eyed at Moro.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that someone could show such rapid improvement in only a few minutes of battle.
In truth, that was also what most of the 200th-floor fighters present felt.
They could see Moro's footwork changing from slightly awkward to skillfully practiced.
They could also see his terrifying ability to adapt at astonishing speed amid such intense offense and defense.
For the first time, they saw the other side of Moro after he had "abandoned his contemplative stance"—a truly terrifying other side...
"Taegol is finished."
A Nen user who had achieved nine victories on the 200th floor stood up and left.
When a blade was no longer sharp, when a fist thrown with all one's strength could no longer hurt its target...
Defeat was inevitable.
And indeed, the fierce battle on the ring no longer held any suspense.
Taegol had lost his sharpest claws and fangs. Moro waited at ease for an opportunity, and with just one opening, he sent Taegol crashing to the ground, unable to rise.
As Taegol fell—
The shouts from the stands came to an abrupt halt, and everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
Taegol had clearly held the upper hand...
Why had Moro suddenly knocked him down with a single strike?!
In one section of the audience, the handsome man who had been watching Moro all along abruptly stood up.
"There absolutely is... some unknown power beyond my understanding..."
The handsome man looked toward the ring, yearning in his eyes.
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