Each one pulsed with a horrifying aura. You couldn't even look directly at them, every inch of their presence oozed a primal, destructive force.
They didn't scream, but it felt like they were roaring in the silence. Just looking at them was enough to make your heart race in panic.
They were terrifying.
Aira poured out of them like a dam had broken, wild, uncontrollable, and violent. It felt like the air itself was screaming. The sheer pressure kicked up a gust of wind, blowing through the room like a storm.
Four Pokémon, Gengar, Hydreigon, Dragonite, and Tyranitar, stood behind Larry in a menacing formation, positioned to his left, upper left, right, and upper right.
These weren't just any Pokémon. They were his S-rank beasts, radiating an overwhelming sense of dread. Their combined aura instantly swept through the entire conference room. Even breathing became difficult.
Most of the attendees were already pale, either frozen in their seats or struggling to stay on their feet under the suffocating pressure.
Only a few, President Netero, Menchi, and the other top elites, remained composed, unaffected by the pressure due to Larry's precise control. But there was no mercy for the bald man… or Pariston.
The weight of that concentrated aura fell on them like a mountain.
The ever-present smile Pariston wore throughout the year had vanished. That suffocating aura pressing down on him like a mountain made it impossible to keep up appearances.
For the first time in a long while, he couldn't laugh. 'Is this... aimed at me?' he thought, glancing around the room from the corner of his eye.
Others near him weren't struggling nearly as much, and that realization hit him hard, he was clearly being singled out. And the only one who could be behind this pressure was Larry.
That smile of his was long gone. This was deliberate. Pariston knew it. 'Terrifying... absolutely terrifying.' His eyes trembled as he took in the four monstrous figures floating behind Larry.
'How can someone summon four of them?'
Even someone as clever and calculating as Pariston couldn't suppress the chill creeping down his spine.
"Looks like I'm really getting old," Netero muttered with a hint of disbelief, stroking his beard absentmindedly. His hand froze in mid-motion as he stared at the ominous shadows behind Larry.
Zeno sat beside him in silence. Outwardly, he looked calm, composed. But if one looked closely, they'd notice his hand trembling violently as he held his teacup.
The subtle shake betrayed the storm inside him. He looked like an elderly man suffering from tremors, completely at odds with the legend of the Zoldyck family.
Until now, he'd only heard stories, passed down from his father Maha, or his son Silva, about how strong Larry really was. But seeing it with his own eyes today… Zeno finally understood.
'Putting Larry on the Zoldyck blacklist was the smartest thing we've ever done.'
He's not someone you challenge. He's someone you avoid at all costs.
The four Pokémon surrounding Larry, were each radiating a unique and overwhelming killing intent. In the eyes of seasoned Nen users, the entire conference room had turned into a war zone filled with vivid, violent colors of hatred and rage.
Most people would struggle to stay conscious in front of just one of these entities. But four? Even if they remained silent, their fury poured out through their aura. They were angry, furious that someone dared insult their master.
Just their presence alone was enough to overwhelm everyone in the room. And in that moment, the crowd finally understood: Netero and the others weren't exaggerating. Larry was the strongest.
You could feel it through the power of his Nen beasts. And these weren't ordinary constructs. There were experts here who had spent their lives studying Nen, veterans who had heard whispers of the Dark Continent and witnessed more than their fair share of nightmares. But even they were stunned.
This was the first time they'd seen anything like this. Powerful, independent Nen beasts, each with the strength to stand among the elite. Just based on them alone, Larry could claim the title of the world's strongest. And then, when people thought the worst had passed, a fifth wave of pressure washed over the room.
A new aura exploded into existence, one just as terrifying as the others.
Confusion spread. 'Did Larry summon another Nen beast?'
But when they focused their vision and honed their senses, the truth made their hearts stop. The fifth aura wasn't from a creature. It was from Larry himself.
The realization hit like thunder. Not only were his beasts monstrous, but Larry himself was just as powerful. Together, their five auras rampaged through the room like wild storms, crushing down on everything.
The two people taking the brunt of it were Pariston and the bald gangster.
Pariston, still seated, managed to keep up his formal appearance, but barely. His skin was pale and clammy, and his face twisted into something unreadable, a mess of pain and effort.
As for the bald man? He was done.
He dropped to his knees, and then collapsed completely, as if a building had fallen on top of him. His body trembled and convulsed under the invisible weight. His eyes bulged, face distorted like a broken mask, and blood began trickling from his nose and mouth, then his ears, then his eyes.
The pressure didn't let up. And soon, his breath faded, his body going limp. He was dead, Just like that.
The four beasts vanished without a trace. Larry retracted his aura, and in the blink of an eye, the oppressive atmosphere disappeared. The stillness that returned to the room was so gentle it felt unreal, like stepping out of a nightmare.
Strangely, no one even looked at the dead man on the ground. He was already gone, what was the point?
All eyes were on Pariston, who was now hunched over, breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his face. His face was no longer one of a polished statesman, it was the face of a man who had just come back from the brink of death.
'This is what you call weak?'
The thought echoed in everyone's mind.
After a long silence, they all turned to look at Larry. Their faces wore nearly identical expressions, like people suffering from severe constipation. They wanted to say something, anything… but no words came out.
Even Botobai, one of the so-called Five Great Nen Users in the World, was still shaken. He stared at Larry with clear fear in his eyes.
'Thank goodness I didn't act rashly. Better not even think about sparring with him.'
When he recalled the monstrous pressure from those five auras, Botobai broke into a cold sweat. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he could take on one of them.
So… did the title "Five Great Nen Users" now refer to Larry and his four beasts?