Above the dense and viscous ghost fog.
Pouf, split into 'granules,' repeatedly reformed, trying to break free from the black fog.
But each time, as he flew to the highest point, about to escape the black shroud, countless vengeful spirits below coiled around him, grabbing his body.
And dragged him back down, again and again.
These ghosts were malicious, as if toying with the ant.
Each time, they gave Pouf a chance to escape, only to drag him back into the darkness just as hope seemed within reach.
After failing to break out of the ghost fog for the last time, Pouf was finally exhausted… primarily because his consciousness was being interfered with, and he could no longer fully control his body.
He plummeted from the sky, his body enveloped in curses, and crashed to the ground with a bang.
Oboro, with Youpi, also approached.
Looking at Pouf's dimming eyes, Oboro lightly raised his hand, and the ghost fog that had enveloped the entire royal palace immediately dispersed, being drawn back into his body like a whale absorbing water.
"…"
Oboro narrowed his eyes with interest.
Whether it was Youpi or Pouf, they both seemed to possess the ability to regenerate their bodies… His wings had been severed earlier, yet they had grown back.
This was something human flesh and blood could never achieve.
It seemed… it had been refined to the cellular level.
"Hm?"
Morel looked over from the side.
He had remained in the darkness, not daring to act rashly.
According to the plan, after the battles in various areas concluded, they were supposed to immediately support their teammates… However, moving in the black fog was extremely difficult, and they couldn't even discern the palace's location, so they could only stay put.
Then, he watched as Pouf, surrounded by dark energy, stood up from the ground, standing like a puppet beside Youpi, flanking Oboro.
"Oboro!"
Morel shouted.
Oboro's appearance had caught him completely off guard.
The Chairman had never mentioned that Oboro would interfere in this battle, meaning he wasn't sent by the Association.
Boom!
Youpi's body transformed, growing a pair of fleshy wings, and he shot into the sky.
Oboro grabbed the ant's ankle, flying towards the sky alongside Pouf.
"He's going to find the Chairman and the Ant King…"
Just as Morel was astonished, behind him… Knov, with a pale face, walked over, his fingers trembling as he adjusted his glasses.
At this moment, although he hadn't gone bald… he was still terrified by the aura emanating from the Ant King.
He didn't dare to join the fight and instead found a place to hide… According to the plan, Knov and the other three were to stall Youpi, while he was to cooperate with Morel to deal with Pouf.
Furthermore, Pam and Bisky were tasked with investigating the situation within the entire royal palace, including any Chimera Ants scattered in other areas, to prevent them from providing support to the two Royal Guard members.
Yes, Bisky had also joined this major battle.
"You knew he was coming?"
Morel realized something from Knov's words, his expression changing slightly.
"Look… around you…"
Knov said calmly.
Morel looked around and saw ant corpses at the entrances and exits of various buildings and palaces.
"This…"
Morel suddenly understood.
"That's right, the ants in the ant nest were all killed by him… He alone slaughtered almost all the Chimera Ants, including the Queen Ant, the division chiefs, and the soldier ants, using… this terrifying ability! Now, within the entire royal palace, except for the two he took away, all other ants are likely dead… their souls reaped." Knov said.
A moment later, Shoot and Knov also arrived.
They described the scene inside the hall earlier to Morel, as well as Oboro's 'identity' in this mission.
Pam and Bisky also appeared afterward.
As for Gon and Killua, they had gone to take care of Komugi.
"The Chairman has known about Oboro's existence and his intentions all along…"
The group formed a circle, with Knov tending to Shoot's wounds. Hearing Knov's words, he also looked over.
"But the Chairman's intention is for us not to investigate further, and to act as if… we don't know."
Knov finished speaking and glanced at Bisky, who had been frowning.
Among those present, Bisky had the deepest relationship with Oboro.
She must have known something… "Trust the Chairman."
Bisky said earnestly, meeting their gazes.
After all, Oboro's appearance, even with some hidden motives… was not a bad thing.
At least he had helped them deal with the Chimera Ants, preventing casualties.
This made a seemingly critical crisis easily resolved.
"He… is too strong…"
However, Knov couldn't help but sigh.
Immediately after, they heard a commotion from afar.
Following the sound, they saw Fante and Anthony approaching… members of Oboro's team.
However, despite being fellow Hunter Association members.
There was no sense of familiarity between the two parties… they merely glanced at each other, without even exchanging greetings.
Fante and Anthony walked into the palace on their own… with no desire to interact with Bisky and the others.
...
On the other side.
Youpi's flight speed was extremely fast, like a supersonic fighter jet.
Pouf followed closely behind.
In less than fifteen minutes, the person and two ants had arrived in an area tens of kilometers away from the royal city.
The vast land also began to become pitted and uneven, with no vegetation… it was bare, all stone and soil.
The undulating potholes on the ground were remnants of explosions caused by the East Gorteau military during their weapons testing.
"Have they started fighting already?"
After a short while, Oboro controlled Youpi to land on a protruding rock mountain due to the lower terrain.
Looking into the distance, he saw a golden light conspicuously shining in the night sky. The emanating aura and powerful will could be felt even from such a distance.
It was Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin!
The roar of the Hundred-Type Guanyin's attack was also clearly audible.
Dust was constantly kicked up in the distance…
Oboro dared not get too close, fearing that when Netero 'activated' the Rose of Poor, he might get caught in the crossfire.
However, he had a way to witness this top-tier battle between the creatures of the human world!
The Rose of Poor was merely a microscopic nuclear bomb that could be implanted in the human body, so its explosive power was not the strongest among humans.
Even so, the radiation range, with a radius of thousands of meters, could destroy everything within ten kilometers, as there were secondary and tertiary residual effects.
This was not the most fatal aspect… The most fatal was the infectious virus.
The spread range was even larger than that of the ammunition itself…
"It's beyond the limit of my aura control range… but…" Oboro muttered to himself.
Immediately, a small patch of black fog rose before him. He reached his hand into it, and with a piercing scream… a human-shaped ghost, like a mass of slime, was pulled out of the fog.
This was soul separation!
Severance.
Once deprived of the nourishment of the ghost fog, these ghosts wouldn't exist in the world for long and would easily dissipate.
But it was inherently a post-mortem Nen… though not strong and prone to dissipation, it had a time limit.
Oboro imposed his own will onto this ghost, then released his hand… and watched as the vengeful spirit flew towards the battlefield of Netero and the Ant King.
Its speed was not fast, but it should be enough time…
...
At this moment, the Ant King and Netero had already fought their way from the ground into an underground space buried beneath the earth.
There were also some dilapidated ruins of old buildings scattered around…
Netero clasped his hands together, and behind him, a colossal Guanyin manifestation condensed from his vast Nen power, shining golden.
The old man's fingers formed special mudras.
Each time he formed a mudra, the Hundred-Type Guanyin's arms would unleash terrifying power, striking at the invisible figure in the air.
The Ant King, meanwhile, moved rapidly around Netero, searching for openings, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
However, in his eyes, the human elder, whose movements appeared slow and far from his own speed, always managed to perfectly defend against or deflect his attacks.
This left the Ant King somewhat bewildered.
In his perception, his own movements were clearly faster… and the old man's eyes might not be able to track his trajectory.
He couldn't see… his reaction couldn't keep up, yet he could still parry his attacks and even hit him precisely?
This forced the Ant King to once again re-evaluate his understanding of humans.
There were special existences among humans… not all humans were suitable to be livestock for his future kingdom.
He had spoken with Netero, promising that if humans surrendered, he could grant Netero and some powerful Nen users status and positions, rather than treating them like ordinary people destined to be food or livestock for the ant colony.
But… the old man had laughed at his overestimation.
Oboro's manipulated ghosts flew into the battlefield. This wisp of post-mortem Nen was like a candle in the wind, liable to extinguish at any moment, unable to last much longer…
However, Oboro, through the soul's perception and the effect of his Nen ability, could see the scene on the battlefield.
Netero and the Ant King had naturally sensed this sudden 'energy,' but neither of them was in a state to pay attention to external matters at the moment.
Bang bang bang!
Netero's mudra movements appeared slow, but the dense attacks of the Hundred-Type Guanyin behind him, like flashes of golden light, with arms descending like a rain curtain, were enough to make one's scalp tingle.
In just a few seconds, the Hundred-Type Guanyin had launched dozens of attacks, and the Ant King's attack frequency and number were comparable.
The Hundred-Type Guanyin, from Zero to Ninety-Nine forms.
Each form had different variations… unpredictable and profound.
This was the culmination of Netero's lifelong pursuit of martial arts, his ultimate techniques, and his insights.
The Ant King had clearly sensed an inexplicable aura from the old man.
It also understood that the old man's abilities were not merely a manifestation of Nen, but also a fusion of realm attained through relentless tempering and reaching the pinnacle.
The most transcendent aspect of one's life.
"Hiss…"
Oboro, far from the battlefield, closed his eyes, his eyelids twitching constantly.
The scene of Netero and the Ant King fighting played out in his mind…
His heart was stirred.
The offense and defense of both sides were too fast!
Generally speaking, battles between Nen users would have gaps for reaction and information gathering, and even if not, they would create them…
But at this speed, ordinary Nen users would likely be dead before their brains could even process anything.
Such a pace… had already exceeded the frequency that the human brain could keep up with.
But Netero had managed it…
Each attack of the Hundred-Type Guanyin, although it didn't hit the Ant King, still caused astonishing destructive damage.
The entire underground space was filled with dust and mist… as if bombarded by countless missiles.
Such power felt like it wasn't caused by one person, but by an army!
"In just this short time, a few minutes? These two have exchanged blows at least thousands of times…"
"If it were me…"
Oboro was doing something even more extreme. While he was 'observing' the scene within his consciousness, he imagined himself participating in the battle, fighting against the Ant King or Netero… and simultaneously deducing his situation and combat outcome in each of their moves.
"Unless it's Zero Form… otherwise, the old man's Hundred-Type Guanyin, the other ninety-nine forms, seem unlikely to inflict fatal damage on me."
After a long pause, Oboro arrived at an answer.
There was no choice. His current Nen intensity had greatly enhanced the defensive capabilities of his Nen.
Coupled with the increase in armor… After all, Zero Form was Netero's ultimate move, condensing all his life force.
Once unleashed, he himself would be spent.
Of course, aside from Zero Form, other moves could still injure Oboro… but it would only be minor injuries, not serious.
And for the Ant King… it was at a level where it couldn't even be injured.
Oboro saw it…
The Ant King had been knocked down countless times, not only without bleeding but without even a slight impact on its movements.
From this perspective, it was even more terrifying than him!
"After all, there are no variables…"
Oboro murmured softly.
Dragging this out was meaningless… Netero was just a human, and his stamina couldn't compare to the Ant King's.
Moreover, as a supernatural life form, Meruem's adaptability was also astonishing… he would soon find the weakness of the Hundred-Type Guanyin!
As long as Netero made a single slip, causing a delay or discrepancy in the Hundred-Type Guanyin's attack speed and trajectory, it would be over.
Time slowly passed… Netero and Meruem exchanged countless blows, perhaps thousands, perhaps tens of thousands…
But eventually, at a certain point, Netero, just like in the original work, made a mistake…
The Ant King, with its super-high-speed movement, broke through the Hundred-Type Guanyin's defense, found the fleeting opening… and successfully landed on the ground from a high position, brushing past Netero.
And after Meruem landed, he was holding the old man's leg in one hand.
"You lost… If you regret it now, I can still spare you." Meruem threw away the human leg and turned to look at Netero calmly.
He had no desire to attack, instead sitting down on the ground, as if giving Netero ample time to think and choose.
The old man chuckled, stood on one leg, and contracted his muscles to close the wound.
Then, he suddenly looked up towards a corner in the dimness above.
"Little guy… you guessed right!"
As he spoke, a faint ghost, thin as wisps of cloud, drifted out from the shadows.
It seemed as if it could be blown away by the breeze from the sky at any moment.
"You shouldn't have listened to them…"
The ghost suddenly spoke, and Oboro's voice came through.
"Hahahaha… I haven't lost yet."
Netero burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Rarely, he seemed like an old man indulging in youthful exuberance.
"Watch carefully, Oboro, this is… my last lesson for you!"
Netero's eyes widened in anger. After shouting, he stared at Meruem, "Little ant, don't underestimate humans…"
The Ant King frowned upon hearing this.
He could live, so why did humans still resist?
Was it a meaningless act of seeking death?
Next, Netero unleashed his ultimate technique, Zero Form.
The Hundred-Type Guanyin attacked suddenly, forcing the Ant King, who was sitting in place, to move involuntarily, but it was still caught between two large hands.
Then, the golden Guanyin's head bowed, its face contorted, and it opened its mouth…
Finally, it condensed all of Netero's Nen, which was his life force, into a beam of light and blasted it at the immobilized Meruem…
The power of this move was astonishing.
The ghost driven by Oboro finally couldn't hold on any longer and was annihilated in the radiating aftermath.
Oboro's main body opened his eyes and looked into the distance. The land beneath the sky seemed to have collapsed…
The thunderous vibrations could be faintly heard.
Oboro instantly grabbed Youpi's arm, controlling the two ants to retreat rapidly.
Now, both Youpi and Pouf's minds were occupied by ghosts… not their own consciousness.
This meant that the two ants, although their souls could see the scene of the battle in the distance… and sense the Ant King, they were unable to react.
Because the control of their bodies no longer belonged to them.
After speeding further away, a dazzling mushroom cloud rose as expected, illuminating the surroundings.
Oboro knew… Netero was dead.
____________________
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