Hunter X Hunter: I Got Stronger After I Died

The human feet, in terms of function and flexibility, can never surpass the hands.

So even if Moro could kick out a Flying Star, its strength in every aspect would be far inferior to those shot from his hands.

But in the ever-changing chaos of battle, as long as the right amount of force is used at the right moment, it can yield unexpected results.

Moro landed steadily, his gaze locked on Vaughn.

He then noticed Vaughn dodging the two Flying Stars he had shot out right before landing.

Moro was a little surprised by this reaction.

The two Flying Stars were meant to slow down Vaughn's offensive rhythm.

They were mostly for show, lacking any significant destructive power.

Yet, Vaughn chose to break his offensive momentum just to dodge those two Flying Stars.

From Moro's perspective, Vaughn could have chosen to take the hit from at least one Flying Star to maintain his attack tempo.

After all, Vaughn had the ability to turn damage into power boosts—why not absorb one?

When Moro released those two Flying Stars, he had already prepared himself to "give away" one without regret. Hence, he hadn't poured much nen into them.

But things didn't unfold as expected.

Vaughn dodged both Flying Stars and immediately sensed something was off.

"What's going on...?" he muttered.

When facing the Flying Stars up close, he didn't feel the same level of threat.

If he hadn't assumed that Flying Stars were always dangerous, he might have chosen to block them head-on or use his "Fireplace" ability to absorb one.

Instead, he had cut his attack short to play it safe.

Though curious about the true nature of the Flying Stars, Vaughn didn't have time to think it through. After missing his opportunity, he reactivated his speed and charged straight toward Moro.

Seeing Vaughn resume his offensive, Moro's eyes flashed as he raised his hand and released two more Flying Stars.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The Flying Stars shot forward like falling streaks of light and hit the ground in front of Vaughn.

"Hm?"

Vaughn's instincts made him slow down.

Boom! Boom!

The two Flying Stars exploded upon hitting the ground.

Their released energy burst out as shockwaves, throwing up dust and shredded grass into the air.

In an instant, Vaughn was engulfed by the cloud of dust and smoke.

In the thick haze, Vaughn was calmer than ever.

Because he had figured out part of the Flying Stars' mechanism—like how the first Flying Star that killed his comrade seemed to require a certain "distance" to reach its full power.

When close-range, the Flying Stars' power and speed were noticeably reduced.

"Trying to hide your attack paths in the dust cloud? Such an unnecessary tactic. But it does prove that I was right."

The fear Vaughn felt earlier finally faded away.

His sharp eyes scanned the surrounding smoke, closely watching how it moved.

"Behind me!"

In a flash, Vaughn turned and raised his arm horizontally.

Just then, Moro came in from behind and threw a punch—only for it to be blocked by Vaughn's arm.

With the Fireplace's power boost, Vaughn's aura level was higher than Moro's by a full tier.

Even though Moro launched the first attack, the impact from Vaughn's defense pushed Moro back by a full step, leaving his fist slightly numb.

Vaughn smirked silently and surged forward with a strong step, lifting his leg to deliver a kick.

Moro remained calm, retracting his arm and crossing them in front of his body defensively.

Boom!

Vaughn's forward kick struck Moro's crossed arms like a cannonball, releasing a ripple-like shockwave and blowing away parts of the surrounding smoke.

The force sent Moro sliding backward several steps.

But just as he stopped sliding, he suddenly dropped into a crouch and planted his heels firmly into the ground.

At that moment—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two Flying Stars that Vaughn had dodged earlier shot back through the air from behind Moro!

After their preset hover time had expired, they began their homing attack.

The smoke parted as the two Flying Stars sliced through the air, heading straight for Vaughn's chest.

"When did that happen?!"

Vaughn hadn't figured out the full mechanics behind the Flying Stars and was visibly surprised.

But in this moment of surprise, his regained confidence did not waver.

With focused concentration, he immediately made the correct decision: deploying a nen-based defense to absorb one Flying Star while activating the Fireplace to absorb the other.

It's over.

For a moment, Vaughn felt victorious as the Fireplace flared up and boosted his power again.

He glanced at Moro, wanting to see his defeated reaction.

Instead, Moro's face remained calm.

That unsettled Vaughn.

A second later—

A fierce impact struck the back of Vaughn's head.

His vision twisted, and he stumbled forward.

What... happened...?

Amid the chaos in his mind, Vaughn was utterly confused.

But Moro knew exactly what had happened:

The small Flying Star that Moro had kicked earlier had just completed its homing path and struck Vaughn from above.

Since Moro had remained crouched, the Flying Star had landed right on Vaughn's unprotected head.

At that moment, Vaughn had already focused most of his nen on defending his chest and maintaining the Fireplace.

So even though the Flying Star was small, it dealt devastating damage.

But Moro wasn't done.

Planting his feet firmly, he dashed forward.

His nen-infused hand reached out and ripped out a chunk of flesh from Vaughn's throat.

Gurgle...

Vaughn's body convulsed, blood spurting wildly from his shredded throat.

His mind began to fade, overwhelmed by the loss of blood and oxygen.

Slowly, Vaughn collapsed to his knees.

In his fading consciousness, a memory surfaced:

A snowy night, his family huddled together after fleeing war, struggling to find a home.

Nestled in his parents' arms, why did he only feel cold, hard stillness? Why couldn't he hear their hearts beating anymore?

So cold... He longed to return to that small, soot-stained, ordinary square fireplace.

Vaughn's eyes slowly closed, and his body hit the ground with a dull thud.

Ring... ring, ring!

Suddenly, a phone began to ring.

Moro glanced at Vaughn's corpse before taking out the vibrating phone from his pocket.

It was likely Argos calling.

"Man... I'm exhausted."

Moro sat down on Vaughn's back, panting as he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"..."

On the other end of the line, there was silence before Argos finally spoke:

"My dear VIP, don't tell me... you're in bed with someone right now?"

"...?"

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