"I... I can't believe it! What on earth is that? Some kind of natural disaster in monster form?"
Knuckle's jaw dropped instinctively, his mind struggling to process the reality before his eyes.
Bodoro, however, having braved the Molten Core dungeon before, was clearly familiar with the sight. He shook his head with a wry smile. "No. It must be an elemental construct created by Allen using his Aura. Though, even for him, I've never seen anything this exaggerated."
"It's terrifying! Using Nen to trigger a natural disaster and forcibly terraform the environment... is this truly something a human can achieve?"
Shoot felt his heart pounding uncontrollably. His very soul was shaken by the scene. Particularly when Ragnaros raised his searing warhammer high and brought it crashing down, the sheer world-ending momentum made it seem as if nothing on earth could survive such a strike. No language or vocabulary could adequately capture that feeling.
"Chairman, were you capable of this level of power in your youth?" Knov adjusted his glasses and asked in a low voice.
"How could I be. Such staggering Aura... aside from Allen's red dragon Nen beast that can devour and plunder, there isn't a second Nen user in the human world who could pull this off. And did you notice what he was holding? That was the key medium for manifesting this terrifying elemental," Netero replied meaningfully.
"Young people today are truly frightening. If we don't work a bit harder, us old-timers will be obsolete in no time," Morel joked, leaning on his giant pipe.
He could see clearly now: the three Royal Guards and the King had been separated by Ragnaros's berserk assault. The scales of victory were tipping drastically in their favor.
"Hahahaha! Well said! I'll leave things here to you all. I'm going straight for the King."
With that, Chairman Netero leaped across the boiling lava, landing directly in front of the Ant King. Without wasting a single word, he instantly manifested his Hatsu—100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Before the King could react to what was happening, a colossal palm descended from the sky. With a thunderous BOOM, the King was sent flying hundreds of meters away, tumbling out of the sight of his Royal Guards.
"My King!!"
Desperate to protect her master, Neferpitou immediately tried to rush to his aid. However, Gon, Killua, Knuckle, Shoot, and Morel quickly surrounded her. Youpi found his path blocked by Bodoro, Illumi, and Knov. As for the butterfly-man, Shaiapouf, he was forced to face off against Hisoka, who was already reaching a fever pitch of excitement.
The remaining members, including Baise, Palm, and Kalluto, took charge of handling the Officers, Squadron Leaders, and soldier ants.
Watching the battlefields being isolated by the flowing magma and the rampaging Ragnaros in the center, Allen knew the first phase of his plan was a total success. He didn't join the fray immediately. Instead, he slipped into the ruins of the original palace alone to search for potential survivors and the rooms housing the unhatched eggs. After all, he had agreed with Netero: they would not leave a single Chimera Ant egg for Pariston or Beyond.
…
Meanwhile, at the northwestern edge of the battlefield in a vast, empty wasteland, Netero had used the unparalleled speed of his 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva to knock the King several kilometers away, forcibly bringing him to this secluded area.
Feeling the King's horrifyingly powerful presence, the Chairman's expression became exceptionally solemn. He sighed softly. "Truly a dangerous species capable of such high-speed evolution. With Nen like yours, I suspect that in my current state, I wouldn't even be able to breach your surface defense. It seems there's no need for testing; I can go straight to my final trump card."
"So you are the leader of these people? Where is that man? He is surely the strongest among you, is he not?" the King questioned with a frown.
"You mean Allen? My apologies, he has other duties. For now, why don't you play with this old man for a bit?"
As he spoke, Chairman Netero pulled two syringes from his pocket and plunged them into his arm, injecting the contents into his veins without hesitation. As the pale green liquid circulated through his body, a surging tide of life energy erupted from his aged frame. Within seconds, he had reverted to his prime state. His Aura reserves and muscular structure were enhanced several times over.
The King undoubtedly felt the shift and looked on in surprise. "What did you do?"
Netero grinned. "As expected, it didn't disappoint! This feeling of being young again... it's simply marvelous. Come, King of the Ants. Let us stake our lives on this fight."
"Hmph! You think this will allow you to defeat me? Don't dream! In terms of power level, we haven't been on the same plane since the very beginning."
The King released his own Aura. Instantly, the ground around him was torn apart by the terrifying pressure, creating a massive crater as if struck by an Enhancer's fist. Merely releasing his Aura caused such staggering destruction.
Clearly, during this time, he had consumed a large number of humans, leading to a massive spike in his Aura capacity. If eating a single person who had just awakened their Nen provided 500 to 1,000 units of Aura, then a thousand people meant 500,000 to a million. In this period, the King had eaten as many as five thousand.
"Heh, whether I can win is something we'll only know after we try."
Realizing how strong the King had become, Netero felt no fear. Instead, a surge of intense excitement welled up within him. He brought his hands together in a prayer-like motion and launched a torrential barrage of attacks.
Staking his life to challenge the strongest! Experiencing the pinnacle of martial arts with the goal of transcendence! This was the faith he had pursued his entire life. Now that everything he desired was laid out before him, how could he not be thrilled?
The next twenty minutes would be the absolute peak of Netero's life. He even felt a spark of gratitude toward Pariston and Beyond for creating such a nearly invincible opponent for him.
On the other side, the King, witnessing the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva for the first time, could not comprehend a speed that defied physical common sense. He could only rely on his Aura, which was over a dozen times greater than his opponent's, and his innate, rock-hard exoskeleton to endure.
He was like a small insect, constantly being batted around by the giant golden palms, with absolutely no room to strike back. He couldn't even close the distance. Unlike the original timeline's abandoned tomb with its many pillars to maneuver off of, this was a wide-open plain. Every time he was repelled, he had to return to his starting position and launch a new charge.
Consequently, despite having superior Aura and physical stats, the King was helpless against the Chairman. He could only passively take the hits, over and over again. While the absolute gap in Aura meant most normal attacks didn't cause severe damage, the sheer, unparalleled humiliation caused the King's expression to twist with rage and frustration.
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