Everyone believed that Larry's arrival meant Chairman Netero would soon be saved. Biscuit smiled, turning to Menchi and Wing beside her, ready to enjoy the showdown between Larry and Jed.
But things didn't go as expected. The figure who appeared wasn't Larry at all, it was Chairman Netero himself!
"Ho ho ho ho, this is truly embarrassing," the newly appeared figure chuckled as he stepped out from the shadows, flashing a familiar smile and a playful wink.
His kind face was framed by longer earlobes, and he wore the same blue and white uniform that Chairman Netero traditionally donned, the symbol of the Hunter Association's leader. Normally, only one person wore that uniform: the Chairman.
Jed's eyes darted back and forth between the imprisoned Netero and this new figure, confusion clouding his expression.
'Why was there another Netero?' This newly appeared Netero was indistinguishable from the real one in voice, appearance, and aura. Which one was genuine?
"Ho ho ho ho, isn't this incredible? Are there really two of me in the world?" The Netero who was bound and held captive had already been shocked, but now his emotions had settled. This was the second shock he'd experienced.
In the moonlight, he caught sight of this other Netero. Because the other looked exactly like him, surprise had initially overwhelmed him. That feeling had faded, replaced now by doubt. 'Am I the fake? '
"Netero!" someone called out, but the question hung in the air, who was the real Chairman?
"Which one of you is the real Netero?" Jed shouted, feeling confused as he looked at the two figures before him. He just couldn't make sense of what was happening.
The Netero who was tied up chuckled, clearly enjoying the growing chaos. "Maybe I'm the fake one?" he teased.
Then the other Netero, who was stroking his beard with a sly smile, laughed and said, "No, no, I'm the fake."
Their words only made things more confusing. Both sounded and acted exactly like the Netero everyone knew, their voices, expressions, even their mannerisms matched perfectly. No one could tell who was genuine and who was the imposter. Except for one person: Larry.
Somewhere high above in the sky arena, Larry watched the scene unfold on a screen, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"So, what do you think of this little real-versus-fake Netero drama? Hope you're enjoying the show, Jed."
Of course, there could only be one real Netero. The one who had been imprisoned all along was the true Netero, while the other was actually ditto in disguise.
So far, everything had gone exactly as Larry planned, no one could tell who was authentic anymore. This was his grand spectacle: the real and the fake Netero.
Back on the ground, Jed took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing emotions. His gaze shifted from the bound Netero to the other one. Despite their identical appearances and behavior, Jed's gut told him that the second Netero was the imposter, based on their earlier conversation.
"No matter what, I need to capture you first," he declared firmly. "Fake or real, when the time comes, you'll both face execution!" His eyes grew cold and hard as he stared at the second Netero.
Jed didn't want to waste time trying to figure out who was who, he just wanted them both dead.
"Just be honest and let me catch you already, Netero!" Jed shouted, the frustration he'd been holding back finally erupting.
Blue-black On wrapped around him like a coiling snake, and his overwhelming presence radiated out in all directions. The wind whipped through the robes of the Neteros with a sharp whistle, and the air around them seemed to freeze, heavy with tension.
Netero narrowed his eyes slightly, the muscles beneath his robe tensing instinctively as he raised his alertness to the highest level, ready to spring into battle at any moment.
Suddenly, Jed's low roar echoed in Netero's ears: "Grudge of One-Hundred Demons: Rakshasa"
Immediately, an even stronger surge of On exploded around them. Jed showed no mercy, skipping any simple tests and unleashing his full power all at once. Maybe this was his way of tempting fate.
In Netero's calm eyes, Jed's figure rapidly grew larger. The blue-black On intertwined, soon forming the massive shape of a giant monster.Because the opponent was likely Netero himself, the "Hundred Demons Rakshasa" Jed displayed now was far more powerful than before.
"Are you really Netero? Let's see if you can stop me! Kill!"
At some point, Netero had lowered his hand from stroking his beard, his expression turning serious. "Hohoho, Hundred Demons Rakshasa?" he murmured.
Just then, with Jed's shout, the towering monster, huge as a Gundam, reached out its sharp claws and suddenly grabbed Netero.
In that moment, Netero's pupils focused on the pale, pointed hand, and his aura of mental energy surged violently. His aura boiled like water on the verge of boiling over, releasing a terrifying momentum outward, accompanied by a dazzling golden light that suddenly blossomed, covering the entire sky. A golden crack tore through the dark night above.
"How could this happen?!" Netero gasped, shocked, his mouth slightly agape like an old man lost in confusion. He had originally thought someone was using a mental ability to imitate his appearance, though rare, such abilities weren't unheard of.
But what he didn't expect was that his clone could even use Netero's own Hatsu. The power the other Netero displayed at that moment was none other than his signature "Hundred type Guanyin."
Meanwhile, in one of the Hunter Association's meeting rooms, the sudden crisis at Sky Arena had drawn Chairman Netero and the Dark Record Book into the conflict. Beans urgently called a meeting of the Zodiacs to discuss how best to respond to the escalating situation.
The incident happened suddenly, and not all Zodiacs could make it to the meeting on time, only about half were present in the room. The others stayed connected through video calls without any issues. As for Ginx, who is also part of the Zodiacs, no one had been able to reach him, so everyone just assumed he wouldn't be attending.
"The situation is pretty clear now," Cheadle, the dog and the group's strategist, began explaining.
"Chairman Netero has been taken control of by the enemy through some unknown method, and he can't resist it. Judging by the way this was done, it's very likely that the descendants of the shadow from years ago are behind this, seeking revenge."
Cheadle continued. "Right now, our priority is to figure out how to deal with these shadow forces and rescue Chairman Netero. We have to minimize the damage as much as possible."