Second One

On the steps inside the palace.

The battle between Gon and his friends Youpi was also interrupted by the sudden influx of black mist!

"Gon!"

Killua was the first to shout.

"It's Oboro, he's here!"

Killua reacted quickly and informed his companions.

The changes on the battlefield were not caused by the enemy, but by their own people.

This will undoubtedly tip the scales of victory in their favor.

Killua's tone was excited, and his previously tense mood relaxed considerably...

This ant in front of them was too difficult to deal with; even the four of them couldn't get past it for a while.

The opponent's flesh and blood can change and recombine, and corresponding organs can grow in any part of the body. Even the limbs can change their shape and number.

The four of them worked together, but as soon as they got close, they were all sent flying by Youpi's several arms.

Youpi swiftly swung his arm, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, completely blocking the staircases leading to the upper levels of the palace with a dense barrage, making it difficult to infiltrate.

Knuckle Bine was injured as a result, while Shoot was more seriously injured, with a section of his lower leg being cut off.

Although the muscles were contracted in time, mobility was already affected.

Chimera Ant are incredibly strong. Once attacked by Youpi's arm, unless one uses their Nen power to focus on defense, a moment of carelessness can result in being cut off or pierced.

Youpi's limbs were like hard, sharp metal!

Killua was excited because, of all those present, only he knew that... Neferpitou's death was caused by Oboro.

Now that Oboro has appeared, there's no need for them to take action...

Furthermore, he was relatively familiar with Oboro's abilities...

I have also experienced the power of Cursed Grudge.

"Spread!"

Killua shouted in the darkness.

This surprised Gon and his two companions.

According to the original plan, the four were supposed to cooperate closely, launching a tight offensive that wouldn't give the ants a moment to breathe. Now, they were going to scatter and waste their initiative? With a whoosh.

Nakuru was Knuckle Bine. He heard Gon's retreating footsteps. Trusting his companion, he could only turn and run away.

The four had no intention of infiltrating deeper into the palace; their initial target was Youpi —to stall him and kill him if possible...

If we can't kill them, we'll wait for the guild leader to return, or for reinforcements from other battlefields to arrive.

Youpi lost his sight.

But he continued to wave his hands frantically, further expanding the area of the afterimages around him.

So much so that even the nearby stone pillars, and the steps beneath our feet, were smashed to pieces...

The shadow of the arm can not only indiscriminately harm slower-moving people in the dark, but it can also form a protective circle around the person, resisting some sneak attacks and enemy approach.

"Another human?"

A thought flashed through Youpi's mind.

"Shaiapouf ..."

Before the main hall was filled with black mist, he vaguely sensed that... Shaiapouf's aura was somewhat Exhaust.

Oboro did not arrive at the battlefield immediately; he dealt with Shaiapouf first.

The Ghost Mist drifted here before him.

After Gon and Killua created some distance between themselves, Knuckle Bine rushed towards the spot where Shoot had just been before retreating.

The latter had a leg injury and was unable to move easily... If he didn't intervene, he would most likely die from the relentless bombardment of ants.

But... he was still too slow...

Because of Youpi's writhing body, it seemed as if another arm had appeared, shooting out like a spring and instantly becoming twenty or thirty meters long, directly grabbing at Xiutuo, who was leaping in the black tent using only one leg and was a Shoot slower.

Knuckle Bine couldn't see any of this... but he could hear the noise.

"Oops!"

He realized something.

"Run!"

He shouted.

"Leave me alone..."

His response was a very calm voice from the darkness.

The Hunter x Hunter participated in this ant-hunting expedition all came prepared to die.

Although Shoot was timid and fearful by nature, and often felt awe and fear in the face of powerful forces, this time, he broke through his inner demons!

He would be happy to die if it could give his comrades an advantage.

"I can't project my psychic power outwards... I can't react! Damn it, this black mist seems to be devouring my Nen power ... The ant's senses are superior to his own, so he was the first to pinpoint Shoot's location!" Knuckle Bine's eyes reddened. As a true man, he could not abandon his friend.

He raised his fist, darted towards the source of the sound, and punched into the darkness.

The sound of something cutting through the air was, without a doubt, the sound of an ant's arm being launched.

He hoped his fist would hit the ant's flesh, or at least deflect the ant's attack trajectory.

In this way, even if Shoot is hit, it might not be fatal.

Unfortunately, because his senses were affected by the black mist, Knuckle Bine's counterattacks were essentially ineffective, and he hit nothing...

Bang! At the critical moment.

He heard a loud bang in front of him.

Immediately following is the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

There was also the faint groaning of the ants.

"It... is injured?"

Knuckle Bine reacted instantly, and someone made a move, cutting off Youpi's arm that was grabbing at Shoot.

Da da da...

Just then, the sound of leather shoes clicking on the stone slabs reached my ears, followed by a man's soft chuckle, "So lively..."

Long waved his hand, and the pitch-black mist in the main hall immediately dissipated.

Everyone present regained their sight.

Looking up, one sees Youpi, with his crimson body, standing on the collapsed pile of stones. His arms, which had been waving wildly, have stopped their attack, and he is staring at the suited human who is walking in from the palace entrance.

Beneath the rubble lay Shoot, slumped on the ground, his clothes stained with blood... A few meters away from him stood Knuckle Bine, still in a punching stance.

Between Shoot and Youpi, a long, severed arm remains on the ground...

It was clearly the flesh and blood newly generated by Youpi ...

The target was not caught.

The person who saved Shoot's life was naturally Oboro.

"Call..."

Seeing this, Killua exhaled a breath of stale air, jumped to Gon's side, and looked at Oboro: "You finally came... I thought you wouldn't get involved, but you are Hunter x Hunter after all. If the elders give the order, you can't disobey, can you?"

Killua and Oboro made a promise, so... he won't tell anyone about the night Oboro killed Neferpitou.

However, the mission of the Oboro Intervention Association is a fact.

It would be a shame if such a powerful force didn't show itself... Instead, it would allow others with weaker strength to charge into battle.

No reason...

In Killua's view, Oboro must have been acting on Netero's orders.

Unlike before at NGL.

"Hazy..."

Knuckle Bine and Shoot both looked at the newcomer.

"Thanks."

The injured Shoot said something.

"Mr. Oboro..."

Gon was also greatly encouraged by Long's appearance and shouted with a hint of joy.

"Um... I wasn't commissioned by the Association; I'm only here for personal reasons," Oboro explained to Killua and the others.

Personal stance?

"Anyway... this ant, and the one outside, are somewhat useful to me... so, I'm sorry, you can't kill them for now. But don't worry, these two ants will eventually die... I promise." Long revealed a row of white teeth, and after speaking, he walked straight towards Youpi under the gaze of the others.

I don't want to explain too much.

They also did not adopt a defensive stance.

"Mr. Oboro!"

Gon was startled by what he saw and wanted to warn Long that this Chimera Ant was quite dangerous.

Knuckle Bine also confused and tried to stop Oboro.

But as soon as he took a step, the man who was in front of him moved behind him and stepped onto the ruins, approaching Youpi step by step.

"It's you?"

Youpi looked down at the approaching humans with indifference.

I recognized Oboro.

He sensed a clear danger emanating from this man... completely different from the other small fry around him.

This human... is very likely the one who killed Neferpitou!

The expression on Long's face already indicated his agreement.

"You've come at the perfect time... I thought you were hiding and didn't dare to show your face."

Youpi grinned, his smile radiating malice.

As soon as he finished speaking, his body suddenly swelled and grew larger, resembling a small giant, without showing the slightest fear.

The fleshy bulges on the back and sides of the abdomen, from which countless arms emerge, as if they were about to lash out like long whips, sweeping away everything in their path.

However, Oboro showed no sign of making a move whatsoever; he merely gave her a look.

The Ghost Mist that had been spreading out instantly gathered again, turning the space pitch black and engulfing Youpi in it.

"Ahhh!"

Gon and the others then heard Youpi's angry roar and painful cries.

It was as if something strange and terrifying had happened in the darkness.

A dozen ferocious ghosts clung to Youpi's body, like cats that had smelled fish, climbing back and forth on its massive form and emitting sinister laughter.

Youpi's movements were stiff, its pupils sometimes clear and sometimes possessed by the energy of the Cursed Grudge; its soul was struggling in agony...

The sea of consciousness has been completely occupied and wreaked havoc by ghosts.

Besides the ghosts outside the body, countless other ghostly creatures had already entered its body along with the mist, penetrating every nook and cranny. In the instant it brushed against the body, they darted into it like streaks of light.

The soul is just a form... it can change.

"Ah!"

Youpi roared with all his might.

Large, bulging veins appeared on his body... He was resisting the chaotic consciousness in his mind.

He wanted to attack Long, but his movements didn't obey his brain at all. He would lift his hand and then put it down again, or pause... like a program infected by a virus.

It's already broken...

"Let you meet her..."

In the end, Oboro stood calmly in front of Youpi.

She said it with a smile.

His arm ignited with ghostly flames, taking on a spirit-like form, and then pierced Youpi's abdomen like a sharp knife.

In that instant, Youpi, whose body had been trembling due to the struggle of his consciousness, suddenly quieted down.

His eyes dimmed, and his head drooped limply.

In his mind, dense ghostly figures parted to both sides.

A figure that Youpi found very familiar stepped out from the crowd.

He had never seen 'this person' before, but his subconscious told him... the spirit before him was... his companion who died at the hands of humans, Neferpitou! In her Neferpitou Neferpitou exactly the same as in life, the only difference being that, like other ghosts, she was filled with an extremely negative aura...

Neferpitou lay prone on the ground, staring at Youpi, assuming an attack stance, knees bent and waist bent.

The next second, a howl rang out, and it suddenly lunged at Youpi's soul.

The four members of the Gon were terrified, except for Killua, who was relatively calmer.

He knew that Long would be alright...

Strangely, the hall was quiet.

Apart from Youpi's loud roar and some strange noises, it quickly became completely quiet.

There was no fierce fighting or imposing presence as expected.

"Its aura... is disappearing, and it's changing..."

Knuckle Bine, a chill running down his spine.

The black mist in the hall began to thin out little by little, allowing his sensory system to regain its 'signal'. All the black mist surged towards one place like a tide, forming a whirlpool.

It's Youpi's body!

Knuckle Bine finally saw it clearly... On the ruins, the ants had their heads down, as if they had lost their will.

Oboro, who was standing in front of the ant, pulled his arm out of its body, but the surrounding black mist was still frantically pouring into Youpi's body.

Like the body of an ant, it is a bottomless pit.

Knuckle Bine felt a chill because the scent of the ants... had transformed from its initial ferocity and murderous intent into a very evil black energy.

Although he didn't know what that energy was... just one glance at it, and the intention attached to the energy was faintly transmitted... which made him feel terrified.

In no time, Youpi's entire body was enveloped in the Cursed Grudge...

As Oboro stepped down from the ruins, the ants followed closely behind him like puppets.

"This..."

The four were shaken.

I don't know what Oboro did... It seems that this ant is being controlled by some kind of power.

Such a powerful creature... such a terrible crisis, and it was just resolved like that?

When they fought the Youpi, they truly experienced its terror...

Even though Oboro had a great reputation in the Association and was a three-star Hunter x Hunter, they knew that Oboro was very strong, but they never expected it to end like this.

From the moment Oboro entered the palace until now, only two or three minutes have passed...

I feel like... is it... too simple?

"Don't worry... your mission is over."

Oboro prepared to lead Youpi away.

"Where are you going?"

Knuckle Bine questioned Oboro, then realized his tone was off and quickly corrected himself. "There are still many Chimera Ant soldiers and..."

"They're all dead..."

Before he could finish speaking, Long interrupted.

"..."

Silence reigned.

Knuckle Bine's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes.

Oboro's abilities were beyond his comprehension, and seeing how certain Oboro was, Knuckle Bine had no choice but to believe him.

Although... I don't understand how Oboro did it.

This was the first time he had gained any understanding of the top Hunter x Hunter within the Association ...

To be more precise, this was the first time he had ever seen such a terrifying and mysterious Nen user ...

They only caught a glimpse of the tail of how Oboro 'captured' the Chimera Ant...

"Since it's a personal stance, you're not a member of the extermination team and didn't participate in the mission... Therefore, according to mission regulations, we must confirm the ant's death before the threat is truly eliminated..."

Shoot, who was standing to the side, came to her senses and suddenly spoke up.

What he wanted to say was that Oboro couldn't just take Youpi away like that.

Who can guarantee that this powerful ant will survive... or that unforeseen events might occur that could once again pose an immeasurable danger or disaster to humanity?

"Gon..."

Oboro completely ignored the former and pointed to the ceiling, "In a side hall up there is a human girl named Komugi... Go and take good care of her."

"Yes."

Gon nodded heavily upon hearing this.

Then, he took Killua with him and left.

Then, Oboro Youpi out of the palace.

Knuckle Bine and Shoot exchanged a glance, opened their mouths as if to speak, but ultimately did not dare to stop them.