Ron waved his hand. "This Chimera Ant, you all can deal with it yourselves. As for Kite, I'll help you look for him."
Helping was only incidental. What Ron really wanted was to test his condition after breaking through to S-Rank.
He began from the fundamentals of Nen. Ten, Zetsu, Hatsu—those no longer needed testing, he had already used them in previous battles.
"Ren!"
A tremendous aura surged out of Ron's body, growing stronger and stronger with every second, until even the surrounding buildings could no longer withstand the pressure.
Crack!
Fractures split across the ground, the walls, and the ceiling above.
Not far away, the Chimera Ant that had been watching felt its body stiffen in alarm. The aura surging from Ron was so overwhelming that it seemed almost unreal, and for a moment it doubted that such power could even come from a human being. The oppressive presence was no weaker than that of the Royal Guard, and the Ant's mind instinctively questioned whether Ron was truly human at all or some other kind of humanoid existence entirely.
Killua and Gon were equally shaken.
They already knew Ron had defeated both Neferpitou and Pouf. Killua had practically witnessed it himself. Yet they had no true concept of Ron's power—until now. Seeing this aura with their own eyes made them realize just how strong Ron truly was.
"Hisoka, Razor, the Phantom Troupe, Illumi, Kite… none of them even compare to Ron-nii."
"Then… what about Father?"
Killua remembered long ago when he had asked his father who was stronger, himself or Ron. At the time, Silva had answered that he was. But now much time had passed.
"I've never seen Father release an aura like this. Could it be that Ron-nii has already surpassed him?"
"And Grandfather…?"
Killua had always believed Zeno's strength was at least still above Ron's. But looking at him now, even that could not be said with certainty.
Beside him, Gon clenched his fists tighter.
"En!"
Ron drew back his aura, then spread it outward at tremendous speed. It expanded in all directions, forming not a circle but a sphere, with Ron as its center.
The diameter stretched past a thousand meters.
Ron had expected as much. His Observation Platform had already reached nine hundred meters. En required less precision and less constant control, so its reach was even greater.
"Eighteen hundred meters."
He remembered Neferpitou's En—two thousand meters across, with the added property of shape distortion, able to extend irregularly beyond that range. Ron's En was purely spherical. Even so, the proof was clear: Ron's aura reserves were not far below Neferpitou's, and given his potential to continue growing, it was only a matter of time before he completely surpassed her.
No—by Ron's judgment, his aura capacity exceeded most S-Rank Nen users of his level. Partly because of the advantages of the Nen Beast school. And partly because of the effect of the Gourmet Cells.
"Gyo!"
Ron focused aura into his eyes. With higher mastery, the cost was lower, the clarity and distance far greater.
He stepped forward, using En to search for Kite's exact location. One step. Two steps. Three…
By then, Killua, Gon, and the Chimera Ant had already clashed.
Killua seized the instant the Ant's attention faltered under Ron's burst of aura.
"Godspeed!"
In a flash, he appeared behind the Ant.
"Thunderbolt!"
Electricity surged into the Ant's body, paralyzing it for an instant.
"Chidori!"
Lightning condensed in Killua's hand.
Puchi!
His palm pierced into the Ant's flesh, then withdrew immediately, giving no chance for a counterattack. By the time the Ant regained movement, Killua had already retreated to distance.
Gon was gathering power.
"Janken."
He crouched low, driving the Ant toward a corner with no room left to maneuver. The Ant's huge body blocked itself in—either force a breakthrough and face Gon's strike, or remain and be slowly worn down by Killua's assaults.
Either choice meant disaster.
Killua and Gon's growth had been astonishing. Once, they had struggled even against squad leaders. Now, together, they could suppress an officer-class Chimera Ant. Ron's overwhelming aura had given them the opening, but if their own strength were insufficient, they could never have capitalized on it.
The Ant ground its teeth, then made its decision.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Chidori!"
It ignored Killua and charged straight toward Gon. The Ant had judged that if it dragged on, the situation would only worsen. It had to break through, even at the cost of severe injury.
But it had underestimated Gon.
As the Ant closed in—
"Rock!"
Gon's fist slammed forward.
Crack!
The Ant clearly heard its own bones shatter. The strike penetrated into its body, crushing who-knew-how-many internal organs.
Before the Ant's body could even hit the ground—
"Thunderbolt!"
Killua struck again, darting close.
"Chidori!"
His hand, sharp as a blade, sliced for the Ant's neck.
Puchi!
The sound rang out as Killua severed the head cleanly. He held it aloft, glancing back at the fallen body.
"Sorry. But we're not the same as we were before."
Gon exhaled, releasing anger and hatred that had long built inside him. His expression softened at last.
The Chimera Ant's consciousness unraveled. In its final moments, flashes of life streamed before its eyes—then, strangely, memories that did not feel like its own began to surface, as if someone else's life had been forced into its mind.