His body felt as though it had solidified, every movement he made turning into slow motion.
Boom!
Ron's fist came down. The immense force sent Rammot flying, his body crashing into a tree.
Crack!
The trunk snapped in half. Then the second tree, the third, and more beyond—Rammot did not know when he would finally stop, but he saw clearly that the entire stretch of forest had been reduced to ruins by his impact.
When he came back to his senses, he looked toward Ron with disbelief in his eyes. "The difference is still this great? I've already learned several Nen techniques and even developed my own ability. Just how strong is this human?"
Ron took out two skewers of roasted meat, handing one to Benas while eating the other himself.
Rammot walked toward the fire and stood there silently for a moment. "When will you teach me the remaining Nen techniques?"
"Right now if you want, though I'm not sure you're ready," Ron replied.
"I can handle it."
"Alright." Ron stood up.
Compared to before, Rammot was working far harder at his training. In the beginning, he had looked down on Ron, thinking humans were nothing more than food. Only after being defeated did he realize Ron was far beyond him, though he still refused to accept it. He believed that once he developed his own ability, he would surpass Ron. Yet even now, after doing so, he still could not match him.
Rammot's confidence began to waver. His only hope was that once he mastered all of the Nen techniques, his strength would undergo a massive leap that would finally allow him to defeat Ron.
...........
.....
.
Meanwhile, Netero and his two companions had reached the outskirts of the Chimera Ant nest.
"Chairman, what should we do next?"
"Proceed as planned," Netero said. "Morel, you'll handle intelligence gathering. Knov, you'll be in charge of sending Chimera Ants into your Fourth-Dimensional Condominium. The rest will be left to me."
Morel and Knov exchanged a glance.
"Yes, Chairman."
Knov extended his hand, and a spatial portal opened. From it he pulled a massive object wrapped in bandages—a huge smoking pipe, Morel's weapon.
Morel's ability was smoke-based. He could generate large amounts of smoke, covering the entire area to cut off the enemy's vision and perception, shaping the battlefield into one favorable for himself and his allies. In this respect, his power resembled Ron's Nen beast, Lampent, whose ability was Mist Concealment. The difference was that Morel used smoke, while Lampent used mist.
Furthermore, Morel could shape the smoke into constructs resembling Nen beasts. They could take the form of rabbits, of himself, or of other figures, giving him countless tactical applications. To Ron, it was similar to the modeling magic of the Fairy Tail world—able to animate smoke into living beings or form stationary objects.
Morel also possessed an ultimate technique. By filling the entire area with smoke, he could drive out all the air. With the oxygen consumed, suffocation became inevitable. Morel's own lungs were exceptionally strong, allowing him to withstand such conditions. In the original arc, he had used this method to kill Leol, the Chimera Ant squadron leader. Had Leol survived, with his developed ability he might have reached a considerable level, surpassing ordinary squadron leaders.
Morel unwrapped the pipe, pressed it to his lips, and inhaled deeply, his chest expanding visibly. Then he exhaled with force.
A flood of white smoke billowed out, spreading rapidly in every direction until the forest was engulfed. It even extended toward the nest, surrounding the entire area. Morel puffed continuously, like an addict taking one drag after another.
Knov opened another portal, and Netero stepped inside. From then on, Morel relayed information about isolated Chimera Ants to Knov, who would appear near them, open a passage, and send them into the Fourth-Dimensional Condominium—where Netero was waiting.
The first grunt had no time to react before being transported. Only when he realized he was in another space did his eyes widen, and then he saw Netero.
"A human?"
The soldier's eyes lit up. He could not gauge Netero's strength, only that he was human—and humans were food. He rushed forward.
Netero flexed his wrist. "Not bad."
The two passed each other. Netero withdrew his hand, and the Chimera Ant's expression froze. His head separated from his body and rolled across the ground until it struck a wall and stopped.
Netero glanced at it briefly, then looked away, for the second target had already been sent in—a squadron leader, far stronger than a grunt, the difference in level immediately apparent. But against Netero, the outcome was unchanged.
The squadron leader appeared, face tightening with alertness as he instinctively retreated, his eyes scanning the surroundings in search of an exit.
"No use," Netero said. "There's no way out. The only exit is to kill."
The Ant's face darkened. It was not that he believed Netero, but rather that he had found no path to escape.
"Human!" he spat, eyes flickering with unease.
..........
.....
.
Bang!
Elsewhere, Rammot looked at the stone he had just shattered with ease, his eyes lighting up. "I've already learned Ken, Ko, Shu, and En. Compared to before, my strength has improved tremendously."
But when he turned back toward Ron, his flicker of confidence immediately ebbed away. "Even so, I'm probably still not his match. If I forced a fight, I'd be killed without question."
His gaze shifted to Benas beside him, and an idea began to form in his mind.
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