"How on earth can you achieve that incredible striking speed?"
After enduring a relentless battering, the King finally could not suppress his curiosity and asked. Although he had never studied physics, he knew that under the resistance of air, it was physically impossible to reach such an exaggerated velocity through muscle power alone.
"Hahahaha! This is my ability! A power finally obtained by harmonizing a spirit full of gratitude with the will to transcend one's own limits. You can think of it as the pinnacle of arduous training," Chairman Netero answered cheerfully, clearly enjoying the thrill of the battle.
"The pinnacle of arduous training? Interesting!" A thoughtful expression flickered across the King's face, but he quickly countered, "However, with attacks of this caliber, even if you exhaust your entire reserve of Aura, you won't be able to inflict a truly fatal wound. As long as I endure until the end, I will be the victor."
"Then let us wait and see!"
Netero shrugged nonchalantly and resumed his offensive. In less than a minute, the two had completed tens of thousands of exchanges, with each round lasting no longer than a tenth of a second.
In this high-speed clash that defied common logic, the King remained mostly on the defensive, absorbing blow after blow. However, his body and mind were beginning to adapt, and he was slowly tapping into the immense potential hidden within his genes.
As the King of the Chimera Ants, he embodied the finest traits of every organism the Queen had ever consumed; theoretically, he possessed every superior gene found in other Chimera Ants. Usually, these traits remained in a semi-dormant state, only to be gradually activated when encountering a powerful foe or extreme peril.
Under Netero's assault, the signs of awakening finally manifested. The King moved like a bolt of lightning, weaving through the golden palms as he sought to breach the ironclad defense before him. Simultaneously, for the first time, this arrogant King of Ants felt the true joy of combat.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
BOOM!
Netero in his prime was so terrifying that no matter how hard the King struggled, the result remained the same: futile efforts followed by repelling blows. The surrounding environment was devastated as never before, with the ground itself being hammered into a massive crater.
If the King could not exceed a certain critical threshold of speed and reaction time, he would never fully evade the strikes of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. Netero was proving with every strike that his former title as the world's strongest Nen user was no exaggeration.
…
While the battle between the Chairman and the King reached a stalemate, Allen had reached a basement that had not yet been swallowed by lava. Inside, he found a mountain of eggs and a girl who had been left behind—Komugi.
As a blind person, Komugi's hearing was exceptionally acute. The moment someone stepped inside, she scrambled to her feet, asking nervously, "Who? Who is there?"
"Don't be nervous. It's me," Allen replied casually.
"You? Ah! I remember! You're the Hunter who broke in a while ago!" Komugi gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
"That's right. Don't worry, I won't harm innocents. In fact, I'm going to rescue everyone the ants kidnapped."
As he spoke, Allen unfurled his "Fun Fun Cloth," stuffing thousands of eggs into it before hoisting the bundle in his hand. Leave them for Pariston? Not a chance. He would rather hand these eggs over to the V5 than give that loathsome man even a single one.
"Tell me, how many humans or ants has he eaten recently?" Allen stopped and turned to ask.
"I don't know! Perhaps hundreds, maybe thousands. He just kept eating, almost as if he were preparing for a day like today," Komugi shared everything she knew without hesitation.
It was evident that the overpowering stench of blood had terrified her. Although she had once claimed she wasn't afraid of the King, she now realized she had been wrong, drastically wrong.
The brutality of the ants far exceeded human comprehension and moral boundaries. To be precise, they possessed no humanity whatsoever; they were like beasts driven by primal instincts, devoid of ethical constraints.
"But the King of the Ants let you live, didn't he?" Allen asked with genuine interest.
To be honest, he was curious how a human could coexist peacefully with a monster that never stopped devouring people, and even develop a vague, budding affection for it. Was it Stockholm Syndrome? Or a mutual respect between two top-tier players?
Allen couldn't fathom it. In his logical framework, a human should always stand with humanity and eradicate every man-eating ant.
Komugi nodded with a bitter smile. "Yes... he let me live. Because I haven't lost. If I were to lose, I would likely have been killed like the players before me. Even though they cleaned up the bodies, I can still smell the thick scent of blood lingering in the air."
"Good. It seems you haven't forgotten your identity and where you stand as a human. I was wondering what I'd have to do if you had developed some misplaced feelings for those ants, especially their King. Now, it seems I don't need to worry about that," Allen said, a look of satisfaction crossing his face.
Undoubtedly, because of his intervention, the Chimera Ant Extermination had not dragged on for months as it had in the original timeline, which had denied the two of them a long period of bonding. While Komugi had spent time with the King, it was strictly as an opponent at the game board.
Furthermore, once the King learned he was essentially a product of human design, he had completely discarded his original pride and self-esteem, unashamedly unleashing his primal desires. Thus, no matter what special treatment he showed Komugi, he could not reap even a shred of goodwill; in the end, it all translated into intense fear.
Before Allen could catch his breath, a familiar figure plummeted from above, crashing violently into the ground a dozen meters away. The person coughed up a large amount of blood with a sickening gack.
Needless to say, this unlucky soul was none other than Hisoka, who had insisted on dueling Shaiapouf alone. Even so, he wore a smile of excitement and satisfaction. He raised an arm that wasn't yet broken and gave a wave.
"Yo! It's good to see you right now. If you don't mind, could you heal my wounds? Otherwise, I think I really might die."
"You? Afraid of death?" Allen raised an eyebrow, staring into the eyes of the jester.
"Hehehehe! You should know I don't fear death itself... I just fear that if I die now, I won't be able to taste any more delicious fruit in the future."