The three Black Rock Giants stood imposingly on the black earth, their overwhelming presence undeniable.
Though individually not as massive as the tree-men, their numbers—three standing side by side—made their oppressive aura no less formidable.
Not to mention, their strength was all at S- rank.
Simply put, what stood before the group now was roughly equivalent to the three Chimera Ant Royal Guards.
However, due to their size, their imposing aura was slightly more intimidating.
Faced with these three giants, most people found even breathing difficult as they slowly backed away.
Only a handful in the team could confront three S- rank creatures without being significantly affected.
"Three of them—so one each, then?"
"Though it might take some effort."
Ging sized up the giants, a glint flashing in his eyes, before turning to Beyond and Akira.
"BOOM!"
Before Beyond could respond, a sudden change occurred on the battlefield.
Suddenly, a massive spatial rift appeared in mid-air, from which a colossal figure descended.
The heavy form landed directly on the Black Rock with a resounding crash, causing the ground to tremble violently.
What appeared before everyone's eyes was an enormous robot, its design resembling a Gundam.
Its overall color was a striking white, gleaming with metallic luster under the sunlight.
The design was incredibly sleek—not only resembling a Gundam, but also featuring distinct feline characteristics in its head, with a golden coin emblem prominently displayed on its forehead.
This was none other than the giant robot crafted by Meowth!
Meowth had named it "Meowth One".
indicating it was its first robot, with the likelihood of a "Meowth Two" and "Meowth Three" in the future...
This massive robot was even larger than the Black Rock Giant, its sturdy armored shell housing an array of cutting-edge technology.
Including, but not limited to, missiles, armor-piercing rounds, lasers, and sleep-inducing bombs...
One could say this robot was Meowth's magnum opus, incorporating all its knowledge of high-tech weaponry.
At the same time, it represented a groundbreaking leap in innovation.
At least to those who had never seen a "Gundam" before, such a thing was nothing short of a fantasy.
Among them, Golem best understood the significance of "Meowth One" and how difficult its creation must have been.
Having long worn armor resembling a robot himself, he naturally knew the immense challenges involved in constructing such a massive machine.
Before today, he could never have imagined such a colossal robot existing in the world.
And as for its creator...
Glancing at the robot's unmistakable Meowth-themed head, Golem couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Who would believe it if I told them? A cat is actually a revolutionary super Inventor?!"
Golem wasn't the only one stunned—the others were equally astonished.
"You mean this was also built by that cat of yours?!"
"A giant robot?"
Ging's lips twitched as he watched the battlefield's giants increase from three to four, at a loss for words.
It seemed... perhaps... he had still underestimated Akira's Nen beast, that cat?
What Ging didn't know was that there were even more eye-opening surprises to come.
"That's right, it built this too. No need for you all to intervene—it can handle this on its own."
No sooner had the words been spoken than a crisp, adorable voice came from Meowth One.
"That's right, nyaa! Leave it to me, nyaa!"
At this moment, Meowth was stationed in the robot's head—the control center of the entire machine.
The interior was designed like a proper robot cockpit, with multiple screens displaying a full view of the surroundings.
Meowth was surrounded by a control panel filled with buttons and levers of various colors.
Its task was to pilot Meowth One.
This was also the perfect opportunity to test the capabilities of its magnum opus and see if it met expectations.
Though no one could see Meowth,
just from its tone, everyone could vividly picture the cat standing before them, pounding its chest in assurance.
After spending considerable time together, everyone had grown familiar with this talking, bipedal Nen beast cat.
They all adored the little creature—it was like the team's mascot.
Sometimes it would go out and act with everyone, while other times it would stay in the space to research and invent.
Although everyone knew Meowth had invented many powerful tools, witnessing this giant robot firsthand still left them in awe.
As the group marveled and Meowth faced off against the giant, Akira suddenly had an idea.
Waves of invisible shadows spread out around them.
In an instant, all nearby movements were muffled—even loud combat sounds and disturbances wouldn't carry beyond the area.
This was an idea Akira had after reviewing the illustrated guide's information.
According to the data, these three Blackrock Giants were merely the lowest-tier existence among stone giants.
There might be other stone giants here, or perhaps this entire rocky terrain was their nest.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Akira decided to have Marshadow intervene and confine the battle's commotion to this immediate vicinity.
Marshadow acted swiftly, completing the setup before Meowth even engaged in combat.
And then—the earth-shaking battle erupted!
The three Blackrock Giants charged at Meowth One in unison, their massive stone fists clenched as they threw several straight punches!
Perhaps due to their enormous size, the moment the giants moved, the air around them stirred violently, whipping up fierce gusts.
The space around those straight punches became perilous in an instant.
Anyone nearby wouldn't just risk being hit by the fists—the sheer force of the hurricane-like winds alone could tear an ordinary person apart.
Despite their towering stature, these giants moved with far greater agility than one might expect.
They didn't lumber like creatures made of rock but moved with the nimbleness of humans.
Facing simultaneous attacks from three giants, Meowth in the control room remained unfazed—if anything, it grew even more excited.
This was its first real battle, and it was determined to perform well and not disappoint its master!
At this moment, the scanner's analysis revealed a spherical object at the center of each giant's torso.
Thermal imaging also showed that these spots were the hottest within their bodies, radiating intense energy.
Meowth had every reason to believe those spherical objects were the Blackrock Giants' cores—akin to a human heart.
With their weak points identified, the next step was simple.
Break through their defenses!
In an instant, Meowth's hands flew across the control panel, leaving afterimages in their wake.
The rapid-fire clatter of keystrokes blended into an indistinguishable cacophony.
Meanwhile, outside, the giants' fists were already closing in!
"BOOM!!"
Under the tense and worried gazes of Muheer and the others, three punches struck Meowth One barrier with pinpoint accuracy!
Just as the fierce blows were about to land on the robot, a silvery-white barrier suddenly materialized around it.
It effortlessly blocked the attacks!
If Meowth One offensive capabilities relied on high-tech weaponry, its defense was entirely dependent on Aura Tools.
After all, while the Six Continents had no shortage of metals, none were hard enough to withstand S-rank attacks.
So Meowth turned to Aura Tools, using their effects to compensate for its lack of defensive strength.
This silvery-white barrier was none other than the Guardian Necklace—one of the items Akira had obtained from the Hunter Association!
Guardian Necklace: When worn around the neck, it creates an invisible wall with a 2-meter radius around the user's body.It can protect you from external attacks and other dangers.
Drawback: It must be worn around the neck at all times and requires constant infusion of aura to function.
After Meowth's modifications, the Guardian Necklace has been integrated into the robot, activating its effects whenever the robot is attacked by enemies.
At the same time, its energy consumption has been significantly reduced, even allowing electricity to partially replace the required energy.
It's essentially an electronic barrier now.
Originally, the three Aura Tools Akira retrieved from the association did not include the Guardian Necklace.
But since he became the chairman, he naturally gained access to the association's resources.
Not to mention that even V5 had become part of his influence, providing many Aura Tools for Meowth to invent and modify.
"Blocked just like that?"
Lilith covered her mouth lightly, hardly believing that those three terrifying attacks had been so effortlessly intercepted.
Without exaggeration, three S- rank attacks—especially from giant fists—could likely obliterate a small mountain if unleashed together!
Yet now, they were stopped by a seemingly thin barrier.
What the others didn't know was that the energy bar in the control room, displaying the remaining power, was steadily decreasing.
Enduring this round of attacks wasn't as effortless as it appeared, but in Meowth's eyes, it was all worth it.
It bought precious time!
Immediately, before the rock giants could react, Meowth One's chest suddenly opened.
Three pitch-black holes appeared, each aimed at one of the giants, resembling bottomless voids exuding a dangerous aura.
The next moment—light erupted!
Blue-white radiance surged from the holes, followed by three dazzling, brilliant lasers shooting forth!
Even in broad daylight, everyone could see three "shooting stars" trailing faint fluorescence.
Each attack rivaled the destructive power of Hyper Beam, containing immense energy fluctuations.
Their targets were the cores of the three giants!
"BOOM!!"
A blinding white flash, then a deafening explosion—three sounds overlapping into one.
The choice to use lasers instead of missiles or similar attacks was the result of Meowth's careful consideration.
The Black Rock Giants possessed formidable defense and tremendous counterforce, making both melee combat and explosives ineffective.
It needed attacks with greater penetration!
Lasers were the perfect choice.
The lasers collided violently with the Black Rock, and after the deafening explosions, thick smoke slowly rose.
An indescribable scent filled the air, as if something had been scorched.
As the smoke dissipated, clear wounds became visible on the chests of all three giants—gaping holes torn open.
Something faintly glimmered inside, but the edges of the wounds were already writhing.
The injuries were healing at an astonishing speed.
Seeing this, Meowth pressed several more buttons without hesitation, though the energy bar dropped further.
As the lowest tier of stone giants, these three Black Rock Giants had S- rank strength but few special abilities.
Their main attributes were their incredibly tough bodies, formidable attack power, and decent speed and regeneration.
But against Meowth One, which surpassed them in every aspect, defeat was inevitable.
Had Meowth been facing the Chimera Ant Royal Guards, Meowth One might not have emerged victorious.
Since the three guardians all possessed unique abilities, this was an extremely crucial aspect in actual combat.
Meowth's feline eyes flashed with a sharp glint as it donned the nearby helmet, which flickered with red and green lights.
Once the helmet was on, Meowth began circulating aura within its body.
A white glow shimmered across its fur, faintly revealing the silhouettes of several swords.
At the same time, both Meowth and the entire Meowth One's aura surged dramatically, brimming with aggression!
State Linker: When worn, it connects the user with Meowth One, sharing both glory and disgrace.
If the user's state improves, Meowth One's state also improves.
Conversely, if Meowth One is attacked and damaged, the user will also suffer.
In an instant, Meowth One's arms transformed, splitting into several additional limbs.
Six of them were normal metallic palms, while the other three were feline arms with three sharp metallic claws each!
At this moment, Meowth One resembled a spider-like robot, its nine arms moving with lightning speed.
This was also part of Meowth's design—the massive arms were composed of countless smaller limbs.
If necessary, it could even split the arms into even more sections.
Facing the Black Rock Giant's renewed assault, Meowth activated the machine's high-frequency mode, boosting its reaction speed to another level.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
The metallic palms intercepted six black-fisted strikes, like "rock" being wrapped by "paper" in a game of rock-paper-scissors.
The fists were firmly grasped, momentarily unable to break free.
Then, the three clawed arms lunged toward the still-unhealed gaping hole, their sharp claws slicing through the air with a piercing screech.
Despite being metallic arms, a faint glow of aura suddenly appeared on their surfaces.
Steel-type move: Metal Claw!
Inside the control console, Meowth's own paws were also coated in a silvery-white aura glow, directing the robot to deliver the final blow!
With the State Linker in use, Meowth One became even more responsive, as if Meowth had merged with it.
Not only could the effects of Sword Dance be shared, but even moves could be executed simultaneously!
"Is that... aura?" Ging muttered keenly, immediately noticing the energy on the robot's arms.
Could this massive robot be an Aura Tool?
Otherwise, why would it have aura?
Even the well-traveled Ging couldn't figure out Meowth One's mechanics right away.
But he knew one thing—Meowth was an incredible Inventor!
"Screech!!"
"Pop!"
First came an ear-grating scraping sound, like a cat's claws dragging across glass.
Then followed a series of noises resembling bottle caps being twisted open.
Meowth controlled the three clawed arms to steadily extract the core inside!
This was also part of Akira's plan.
The cores of these Rock Giants were clearly extraordinary, likely holding significant value.
****
While Meowth battled the three Rock Giants, far deeper underground—so deep its depth was unknown—countless massive figures filled the space.
Had Akira and the others been present, they would have realized that the underground was teeming with an innumerable army of Stone Giants!
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