Inside the room where the Ant King had just come out, the blind girl Komugi was trembling, still confused about what was going on.
Larry's movements caught the attention of two little kids nearby, and they all turned to look at Netero.
'It's grandpa!' Killua's eyes lit up with excitement.
He didn't admit his earlier mistake, it was, after all, Grandpa's Dragon Lance.
It felt like a blessing to meet family in a place like this.
Suddenly, Killua had a thought and tilted his head slightly, staring at the green figure standing in front of Zeno.
'That has to be the Ant King!'
Zeno noticed Killua's gaze but had more important things to focus on.
There would be time to reminisce later, after everything was settled.
Before he could act, the Ant King spoke first.
"Let's get started."
"I understand you want to minimize casualties," Zeno replied.
Upon hearing this, both Zeno and Netero exchanged a glance, each recognizing the other was ready.
"Very well."
Zeno twirled his slender white beard, then his eyes suddenly shifted as streams of pure, binary-like thoughts, like 0s and 1s, flowed out from him.
The thoughts rose like steam, bubbling endlessly, and it was oddly mesmerizing to watch.
Zeno leaned forward slightly, lowering his center of gravity and assuming a battle stance.
In an instant, countless thoughts gathered in his hands and rapidly intensified.
Then, a thick golden beam shot straight into the sky!
A thick beam of light surrounded Zeno, extending far beyond his body and rivaling the height of the nearby tower.
This clearly showed the immense strength of Zeno's aura.
In a deep voice, he commanded,
"Dragon Head!"
Instantly, the light morphed into a vivid golden dragon, the Aura Golden Dragon, which soared into the distance.
The Ant King wrapped its tail around the dragon's claws, while Netero rode on its back.
After only a few breaths, the golden dragon vanished from sight.
When S-class fighters clash, the impact is so intense that if two battles occurred here simultaneously, the entire area would be reduced to ruins.
Watching the golden dragon fly away, Zeno placed his hands behind his back and stared intently before finally looking away.
Perhaps this was his last chance to see it.
Zeno then walked forward slowly, his movements resembling an old man taking a leisurely stroll.
There was no sign of the powerful aura he had just released.
Upon reaching the edge of the stage, he disappeared in a flash, reappearing on the ground below.
His mission was complete, it was time to leave.
Seeing this, Gon and Killua jumped down as well, planning to continue on.
"Grandfather!" Killua called out, running toward Zeno.
The older man paused and turned to face him.
Zeno nodded quietly, his expression unchanged, but inside he was thoughtful.
He noticed Killua's demeanor had shifted, he was far less timid than before.
'Has Illumi's mind needle been removed?'
Zeno's eyes briefly scanned Killua's forehead, but he said nothing.
"Fight well and stay close to your partners. I'll head back first," Zeno said.
He had expected Killua to remove the needle eventually, but not so quickly.
'Was it connected to him somehow?'
The image of Larry flickered through Zeno's mind.
He hoped he could bring that stubborn old man back, he still refused to listen to advice even at his age, and Zeno was growing weary of it.
Shaking his head, Zeno walked off lightly, like an old man eager to enjoy a cup of tea.
After watching his grandfather leave, Killua followed Gon's lead and ran toward where Neferpitou was.
But by the time they arrived, the battle was almost over.
Neferpitou relied on her [Puppeteering] ability to stop herself mid-air as she faced Gardevoir.
But no matter what she tried, she couldn't land a hit.
Every one of her attacks was dodged effortlessly thanks to Gardevoir's unpredictable teleportation ability.
The way it moved was impossible to anticipate, there was no clear pattern or trajectory.
This was the conclusion Neferpitou reached after some time observing the battle.
It was frustrating, she couldn't hit her opponent, but every attack from Gardevoir found its mark on her.
Especially the strange glowing leaves.
It didn't matter how hard she tried to avoid them; she just couldn't dodge those.
After several rounds of this back-and-forth, Neferpitou was seriously injured, while Gardevoir remained untouched.
She even considered a war of attrition, but quickly realized that wouldn't work either.
Her own technique, [Terpsichora], drained a huge amount of her aura.
If she kept going like this, she'd be the first to run out of stamina.
Her expression darkened rapidly, shifting from frustration to grim determination.
In this situation… she had no choice but to take a risk.
With a sharp cry of pain, Neferpitou's body was suddenly bathed in a deep, blood-red aura of spirit aura that grew brighter and began to overflow.
The puppeteer attached to her body swelled to more than twice its original size.
Its face twisted into something hideous and terrifying, eerily mirroring the fierce look on Neferpitou's own face.
At the same time, the puppeteer's hands pulled more thought strings than ever before, connecting to almost every part of Neferpitou's body.
The space between them filled with dense, writhing threads of control.
Before, the puppeteer only manipulated Neferpitou's joints to allow fluid movement and increased speed.
But now, it had control over nearly all her muscles, using the thought strings to maximize the power and speed she could generate, pushing her body far beyond its limits.
Of course, this came with serious drawbacks.
For one, she couldn't maintain this state for long, since each string constantly consumed her aura.
And on top of that, the intense strain put a heavy toll on her body.
When the effect wore off, she risked being completely immobilized.
But even so, Neferpitou was ready to push herself to the edge and see if this gamble could turn the tide.
Every muscle in Neferpitou's body was pushed to its limit.
She wouldn't resort to such a desperate move unless it was absolutely necessary.
Gardevoir reached out gently, tucking the strands of hair blown by the evening breeze behind her ears, his expression growing serious.
He was determined to end this battle once and for all.
To Neferpitou's shock, Gardevoir's body began to glow with a strong white light.
Within this light, his form gradually shifted, and his aura intensified.
'We can't let him win,' Neferpitou thought.
Suddenly, under the puppeteer's control, she lunged at Gardevoir with incredible speed.
Her face twisted into a fierce snarl, sharp claws extended from both hands, glowing with a deep blood-red aura, a sign of the intense aura she had concentrated.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of Neferpitou's claws slicing through the air echoed loudly, sharp enough to rival a sonic boom.
Even Gon and two others rushing over from a distance could hear the noise.
In an instant, Neferpitou appeared right before Gardevoir, her bloodied claws poised to strike.