"Truly unbelievable destructive power! So this is what you look like when you're going all out? It seems I am still far from reaching the pinnacle of martial arts..."
Netero first glanced at the terrifying crater in the distance, then turned his gaze toward the Ant King, who stood with only one arm and a face masked in sheer horror. The Chairman couldn't help but sigh softly.
As the grandmaster who founded the Shingen-ryu school, he understood that if the King hadn't been wearing that armor compressed from pure Aura, it wouldn't have been as simple as losing an arm—half of his body would have been obliterated in a single strike. This kind of arrow wasn't meant for ordinary Nen users; it was designed for regicide, to slay powerful divergent species like the Ant King. Simply put, it was a weapon forged to deal with the unimaginable behemoths of the Dark Continent.
"Whew… so you dodged it? It seems Mach 6 is still a bit too slow; I need to push it toward Mach 8." Allen briefly stretched his aching arm and began to rapidly regulate his breathing as he prepared to draw a second thorium arrow.
It was evident that an arrow of such staggering power was a massive burden even for him. Gathering and mobilizing over half of his Aura at once was equivalent to squeezing more than fifty percent of the life energy directly out of his cells; the sensation was far from pleasant. Based on his current remaining Aura, he estimated that after firing a second shot, he would have to draw from the Red Dragon's stored reserves to continue the fight.
Too dangerous! I absolutely cannot let him fire a second shot! Otherwise... I will die!
Seeing his opponent preparing to notch another arrow, the King finally snapped out of his shock. Ignoring his missing arm and the blood pouring from the wound, he launched himself forward like a bolt from a bow. He intended to interrupt the preparation before the second arrow could be completed.
Watching the straightforward Ant King, a mocking expression surfaced on Allen's face. He stepped into the portal beside him right before the King's eyes, reappearing five hundred meters away, and calmly activated another ability—Hunter's Mark.
Instantly, a bright red X appeared near the King's severed arm.
Following this, Allen swiftly pulled out three thorium arrows and infused them with a triple Nen effect: a pinch of gunpowder, auto-tracking, and the black liquid, Decay.
Multishot!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The three arrows streaked through the air. One headed straight for the King from the front, while the other two curved in graceful arcs from the left and right, effectively surrounding him from three sides.
"Hm?"
The King noticed that the Aura infused into these arrows wasn't particularly high, nor did they evoke the instinctive dread of the previous shot. Furthermore, their speed was "slow," incomparable to the Mach 6 projectile from before. Consequently, he reflexively reached out to snatch the frontal arrow out of the air.
The moment his hand closed around it...
BOOM!
The pinch of gunpowder detonated instantly! The explosion splashed the black, viscous liquid layered on the surface directly onto his wounds. Less than a second later, the arrows from the left and right slammed into him as well. Blinding red flames and explosions swallowed the King on the spot.
However, an explosion of this magnitude obviously couldn't harm a single hair on the King. Within seconds, he swept away the smoke with his remaining arm, squinting his eyes as he questioned, "Are you merely trying to tickle me?"
"No. My objective has already been achieved. Haven't you felt it yet? Your life energy is rapidly draining away," Allen reminded him with feigned kindness.
"What?!"
Perhaps because his total Aura was so vast, the King only now realized that the black liquid clinging to him was continuously consuming his Nen. He hurriedly tried to shake it off. But no matter how he struggled, he couldn't tear the black liquid away; instead, his hands became contaminated as well.
"Don't waste your effort. Once this black sludge touches you, it can never be removed. Moreover, it will grow as it consumes your Nen until it drains every last drop of your Aura, turning you into a pile of decaying dust. By my calculations, you have about fifteen minutes left. So, in these final fifteen minutes, do your best to entertain me."
With that, Allen drew his bowstring again, utilizing his superb archery skills to fire a continuous stream of arrows with various attributes. Among them were supersonic arrows empowered by Aura Burst and tracking arrows that moved in serpentine patterns, effectively pinning the Ant King between the two Portals of Transit. The King was left immobile, forced to endure a passive beating.
Fortunately, he wore the golden armor made of Nen, so most of the attacks only dealt minor damage. Anyone else would have died countless times over. But the real issue was the black Decay liquid; his Aura was hemorrhaging at an unbelievable rate, and the process was accelerating. From a distance, he looked as if he had fallen into a lake of ink or pitch.
"Despicable human! You've been toying with me from the very beginning, haven't you? Whether it was intentionally telling me the truth before or this battle today, it was all deliberate." Extreme cruelty and tyrannical light flashed in the King's eyes.
Allen nodded bluntly. "Yes! I am toying with you, little ant! Because right now, you still haven't met my requirements! You need to become even stronger to be worth killing and devouring!"
"I will kill you! I will definitely kill you! I'll rip out your heart and brain and eat them both!"
These words undoubtedly reignited the roaring inferno of rage within the King's heart. This time, however, he didn't rush forward to attack. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the dying Chairman Netero, who had barely half a breath left.
As his irreversible aging entered its final stage, Netero's consciousness had begun to blur. He was holding on solely through sheer willpower, wanting to witness the end of this battle that he could never hope to match in his lifetime. Sensing the King's blatant, unmasked malice, the old man couldn't help but smile. In an extremely weak voice, he said, "You want to eat me? Then come! Do it before I draw my last breath."
"You don't mind?" The King stared at him, surprised.
"No, of course not. Because your current understanding of Nen is too weak; you pose no real threat to Allen. He hasn't even revealed his final trump card yet, while you are already on the verge of defeat. So, as a gesture of thanks, let me fulfill his final wish."
Netero paused, turned with great effort, and a signature, dangerous smile appeared on his withered face. "It must be lonely and disappointing not to have an opponent who is your equal, isn't it? In that case, let me become your enemy too!"
"It would be my honor!" Allen understood instantly what the Chairman intended and bowed deeply, hand over his heart.
"Hahahaha! Don't mention it! To fight you was my dream as well! It's a pity I no longer have the chance, so let the King of the Ants fulfill it in my stead."
Amidst Netero's boisterous laughter, the Ant King lunged forward like a bloodthirsty, predatory beast, swiftly killing and devouring the old man. Once the body was completely consumed, the King wiped the blood and scraps of flesh from his mouth. Instantly, a massive golden Guanyin statue materialized behind him.
Without a doubt, by consuming Netero, he had acquired the terrifying ability of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva...