Chapter 151: The Unbelievably Powerful Me
Fundamentally, this war was nothing like what the King of Ants understood.
The King of Ants had broken free from his brutal nature and was willing to spare humanity, which was undoubtedly his growth.
He was there, passionately discussing his grand ideals with Netero, talking about establishing some so-called equal nation.
In reality, however, Netero was here purely for personal reasons—he just wanted to fight someone, someone stronger than him.
That was all.
Originally for Netero, eliminating dangerous species for humanity's survival was at least a noble justification.
But the King of Ants' transformation caught Netero completely off guard.
Even so, nothing would change.
The King still failed to recognize that humans and ants could never be equated.
"King of Ants, this discussion will lead nowhere." Netero extended his hands in a prayer gesture.
Under the King's astonished gaze, a colossal 100-Type Guanyin materialized behind Netero.
Netero slowly executed a chopping motion.
Before the King could react, one of the Guanyin Bodhisattva's arms transformed into a chopping hand that descended upon the King's seated position.
The strike broke the sound barrier.
Only moments later did the explosive boom resonate.
The palm strike carved out a massive crater, instantly filling the air with dust and debris.
Rattle...
Small rocks continuously tumbled down the crater's edges when an overwhelming aura instantly dispersed the surrounding dust.
The King leaped effortlessly from the pit, completely unscathed aside from the dust coating his body.
"Not bad at all. I couldn't trace your attack trajectory at all." The King praised while walking.
He stopped ten meters from Netero and resumed his royal seated posture.
"Have you vented your anger?" The King looked up at Netero.
Netero narrowed his eyes at the King, certain he had landed a solid hit moments earlier. Such resilience...
"I won't repeat myself." The King stated.
Observing the King's posture, Netero's expression grew increasingly grave.
Even after being struck, he still wants to sit and negotiate?
I can no longer... hesitate.
100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva · Second Hand!
The gigantic 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva deity extended two massive hands, slamming them toward the King from left and right.
The Guanyin's palms closed together.
Any living creature caught between them would meet only one fate—being crushed into pulp.
But this time, Netero discovered the 100-Type Guanyin's hands couldn't fully close.
Through the gap between the palms, the King could be seen using both hands and feet to forcibly hold apart the ten-thousand-ton heavy palms.
Are you... that eager to die?
An utterly terrifying aura erupted from the King as he exerted force, shattering the Guanyin's two massive hands.
By a king's measure, the resentment he just released was but faint anger—like parents tolerating a willful child...
Yet this was enough to make Netero double his usual combat distance, for even this slight anger carried alarming omens.
The King's dismissive laughter at Netero's unwavering resolve struck a blow to Netero's confidence.
Gazing at the distant Netero, the King calmly stated: "You should know—the only thing you can exchange with me is words."
What does this newborn brat understand? This isn't something that can be resolved through talk.
Netero stared fixedly at the King.
He indeed harbored personal motives, but all his pursuits were built upon one fundamental premise: eliminating the Chimera Ants.
Selflessness supporting selfishness.
This was precisely why Netero had implanted the Poor Man's Rose inside his body before setting out.
"Negotiations aren't entirely impossible. If you can make me admit defeat, I'll agree to your terms." Netero stroked his beard, a peculiar smile spreading across his face.
Since the King of Ants remained unwilling to fight, he had no choice but to resort to this alternative approach.
Just as expected, upon hearing Netero's words, the King of Ants rose from the ground once more.
"So I must defeat you until you surrender... without taking your life..."
"This is akin to me having to sacrifice both my rook and bishop to compete with you." The King of Ants assumed a combat stance. "Very well. Even under these conditions, I can checkmate you swiftly."
As the King of Ants gave his response, Netero leaped into the air.
His left leg slightly bent, right leg crossed, and palms pressed together, he assumed his unique prayer posture.
This time, not only did the colossal 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva manifest behind him, but an ethereal lotus throne also began to materialize beneath him.
Then Netero separated his palms and assumed a stance, unleashing countless phantom palm strikes toward the King of Ants below!
[100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva · Ninety-Ninth Hand]
Dozens of arms from the 100-Type Guanyin behind Netero coiled back before violently hammering down upon the King of Ants!
Each palm strike generated tremendous wind pressure, resembling a violent storm!
Just as before, the King of Ants couldn't clearly perceive Netero's movements. By the time he realized what was happening, his body had already been pounded deep into the ground by the storm-like assault.
The earth collapsed.
Revealing an extraordinarily magnificent underground palace.
Without the slightest hesitation, Netero flew down after him, knowing full well that his previous attack wouldn't be enough to claim the King of Ants' life.
...
In just a matter of seconds, Mord had given Gon and the others two completely different impressions. This was because, after absorbing the power of the two guards, he couldn't control it freely at first, allowing his internal aura to leak out unintentionally.
Later, when Mord consciously restrained his aura, he naturally returned to the person they originally knew.
Mord now felt incredibly strong.
He seemed to understand Netero's perspective a little.
He was eager to find out exactly how strong he had become.
Mord opened his character status panel and took a look.
[Name: Mord]
[Nen Ability Level: A-]
[Nen Abilities: Zanpakutō]
[Awakened Attributes]:
[Pierce, Gonryōmaru! — Freely adds lightning damage to Nen Ability attacks (LV3: 5000/5000, Bankai unlock available)]
[Shatter, Gegetsuburi! — Possesses immense destructive power (LV2: 823/3000, Shikai unlock available)]
[Awaken, Benihime! — Has the power to alter all things (LV2: 3250/10000, partial Shikai abilities usable)]
[Specialist-Type Energy: 8830 (can draw related attributes)]
[Enhancement-Type Energy: 9000 (can draw related attributes)]
Across the vast wilderness, a streak of lightning swiftly darted toward the direction of the battle between the King of Ants and Netero.
At this speed, it would only take about five or six minutes to reach the scene.
"Old man, you better hold on."
...
In the underground palace.
The King of Ants began launching fearless attacks against Netero, over and over again.
Though he was swatted away each time, he would immediately charge back at Netero with even greater speed.