Ging, standing nearby, glanced at the elated Netero and then at Larry, who appeared completely unfazed.
Ging sighed quietly, sensing there was more to [Soft-Boiled] than they realized.
To them, it was just a simple skill, but its true power was far more terrifying.
Once Netero had fully recovered, the three of them stood side by side, staring intently at the Ant King across from them.
The Ant King felt a flicker of pressure under their gaze.
If the old man used that move again, he knew he wouldn't die, but he wouldn't be comfortable either.
Plus, there were two others beside him, and judging by their vague auras, neither was weaker than the old man.
The Ant King had seen Larry before, back in the palace, but Ging was new to him.
Still, he didn't feel overwhelmed, just cautious.
"Ready for another round, old man?" Larry asked, glancing at Netero, who looked relaxed and confident.
"Hoo ho ho, I, the old man, have had my fill of fighting. I'll leave this one to you," Netero replied, shaking his head to show his fighting spirit was spent and that he wanted the younger man to take over.
"In that case, I won't hold back," Ging said, loosening his robe as he prepared to face the Ant King.
"No, let me take this one," someone else interrupted.
"There will be plenty of chances for you later, so I hope you don't lose your courage," Larry said, holding out his hand to stop Ging.
There was something meaningful in his words.
Ging, sensing this, held back his excitement and stayed where he was, ready to see what Larry would do next.
After all, last time when Larry struck gold and silver ingots, he had asked Ging to take the first shot.
Now, Larry was returning the favor.
But what did that second sentence really mean?
Ignoring Ging's thoughtful expression, Larry turned his attention to the Ant King, who was on high alert.
"Ant King, I've got a question for you," Larry began with a playful smile curling on his lips.
"You think you're unbeatable, but if you had to fight yourself, who would win?"
At that moment, a dark green figure appeared beside Larry.
'This is... me?!'
The Ant King trembled, his pupils shrinking as he stared at the figure next to Larry.
It was almost an exact copy of himself, same body shape, same appearance, even the same aura.
The only difference was that this new version looked pristine, without any burns or scars from high temperatures.
It was the Ant King after Ditto's transformation!
"Wow, this scene feels so familiar," Netero chuckled, stroking his freshly grown mustache with a mischievous grin.
He was genuinely curious about what would happen next.
The situation reminded him of a time at the Sky Arena when he'd witnessed something similar.
What surprised him now, though, was that Larry's Nen beast could imitate more than just one person, which meant it had a much broader range of abilities.
Ging, standing nearby, had the same thought.
He'd considered it when watching a live broadcast with Ickshonpe.
The ability to perfectly mimic someone else, and even use their Nen abilities, was terrifying.
If the Nen beast could imitate the old man and the Ant King, could it imitate him too?
'Could it use his abilities?'
The more Ging thought about it, the more he realized how frightening Larry's Nen beast really was.
Most importantly, it seemed to have no limits, it could even copy the Ant King, someone Ging had only just met.
The Ant King advanced with a powerful, almost dragon-like and tiger-like stride, closing the distance step by step, his cold expression radiating an intense intimidation.
The original Ant King watched every move and expression carefully, hoping to catch any sign that this impostor was fake.
But to his surprise, he found nothing.
A strange confusion crept into his mind, how could this fake be exactly like him?
Wasn't he supposed to be unique?
There was no time to dwell on the thought because the impostor was already upon him.
With a fierce swing of his tail, the impostor slammed it into the ground, creating a sharp crack that sounded like a signal.
Immediately, a surge of dark purple aura burst forth, aura identical to the one the original Ant King knew so well.
As soon as the impostor's tail hit the ground, the real Ant King vanished without a trace, as if he had simply disappeared.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind the impostor and launched a right straight punch charged with terrifying aura aimed at the back of the impostor's head.
The moment the real Ant King vanished, the impostor heightened all his senses to detect any movement around him.
Feeling the rush of wind from the punch behind his head, he instinctively ducked just in time, narrowly dodging the attack.
The punch whooshed past his head, a hit that would have caused serious damage otherwise.
But instead of just dodging, the impostor quickly reached out to grab the real Ant King's right arm, planning to counterattack.
However, as he focused on the arm, the impostor's tail, now transformed from its original green into a thick, dark purple whip wrapped in dangerous aura, struck hard.
The tail smashed into the impostor's left waist with a heavy "bang," making his body bend slightly under the force.
Normally, Netero's attacks wouldn't hurt the Ant King, but this copy created by Ditto was different.
The same level of power was enough to break through the impostor's defenses.
The Ant King's body was hurled backward by the massive impact, crashing into a pillar and breaking it before finally coming to a stop.
The version of the Ant King created by Ditto had only half of the original's aura, but it possessed something the real Ant King didn't: skill.
While the current Ant King still fought relying purely on its wild beast instincts, it hadn't learned the refined techniques developed by humans.
Its body, being humanoid in shape, was naturally suited to mastering human skills.
If given enough time to train, it could become an even tougher opponent.
During its previous fight with Netero, the Ant King had started to realize this, but unfortunately, it never got the chance to fully develop those skills.
With a casual slap against the pillar behind him, the Ant King's sharp eyes flashed red once again.
Waves of aura, several meters high, burst out from his body, surrounding him in a sea of purple flames.
In that dark purple aura, his scarlet eyes stood
...out vividly, radiating an overwhelming sense of dominance and menace.