Netero's Death

The thick, viscous Ghost Mist hangs in the sky.

The Shaiapouf, splitting into 'granular' shapes, recombines again and again, trying to break free from the black mist.

But each time, as he flew to the highest point and was about to escape from the black tent, countless vengeful ghosts would entwine around him and grab his body.

They pulled him down again and again.

These ghosts are extremely wicked, as if they were toying with ants.

Each time, they gave Shaiapouf a chance to escape, only to drag him back into darkness just when he thought hope was within reach.

After failing to break through the Ghost Mist on his last attempt, Shaiapouf finally collapsed from exhaustion... mainly because his mind was disturbed and he could no longer fully control his body.

He fell from the sky, his body covered in Cursed Grudge, and crashed to the ground with a thud.

Oboro, accompanied by Youpi, also approached.

Looking at the dim-eyed Shaiapouf, Oboro gently raised his hand, and the Ghost Mist that enveloped the entire palace immediately dissipated, returning to his body like a whale sucking in water.

"..."

Long squinted his eyes with interest.

Youpi or Shaiapouf, they both seem to have the ability to regenerate their bodies... Even though their wings had been cut off, they have now grown back.

This is something that human flesh and blood could never achieve.

It seems... it has been refined to the cellular level.

"Um?"

Morel looked over from the side.

He remained in the darkness, not daring to make any rash moves.

According to the plan, once the battles ended, they were to support their teammates as soon as possible... However, they could not move an inch in the black fog and could not identify the location of the palace, so they could only stand still.

Then, he watched as Shaiapouf, whose body was surrounded by swirling dark energy, rose from the ground and stood on either side of Youpi.

"Hazy!"

Morel shouted.

The appearance of Long caught him completely off guard.

The chairman had never mentioned before that the Oboro Association was involved in this battle; in other words, the latter was not sent by the Association.

With a loud boom, Youpi's body transformed, sprouting a pair of fleshy wings, and it soared into the sky.

Oboro grabbed the ant's ankle and flew into the sky with Shaiapouf.

"He went to find the Chairman and the Chimera Ant King..."

Just as Morel was surprised, behind him... Knov, pale-faced, walked over, his fingers trembling as he pushed up his glasses.

At this moment, although he wasn't bald... he was still frightened by the aura emanating from the Chimera Ant King.

He didn't dare join the battle and instead hid somewhere... According to the plan, Knuckle Bine and the other three were to hold off Youpi, while he would cooperate with Morel to target Shaiapouf. The other two Palm and Biscuit, needed to investigate the situation throughout the palace, including the Chimera Ant scattered in other locations, to prevent any ants from providing support to the members of the two Royal Guards.

Yes, Biscuit also joined the battle.

Did you know he would come?

Morel realized something from Knov's words, and his expression changed slightly.

Look around you...

Knov said calmly.

Morel looked around and saw the corpses of ants in every building and palace entrance.

"This..."

Morel suddenly understood.

"That's right, he killed all the ants in the anthill too... He single-handedly slaughtered almost all the Chimera Ant, including the queen and the Squadron Leader and corps captains, using... this terrifying ability! Now, in the entire palace, presumably apart from the two he took away, all the other ants are dead... their souls have been taken away," Knov said.

A moment later, Shoot and Knuckle Bine also arrived.

Chao Morel described what had happened in the hall earlier, as well as Long's 'identity' in this mission.

Palm and Biscuit then appeared.

As for Gon and Killua, they went to take care of Komugi.

"The president knew about Oboro's existence and his purpose from the very beginning..."

Several people formed a circle, Knuckle Bine treated Shoot's wounds. Hearing Knov's words, he also looked over.

"But the chairman's meaning is that we shouldn't investigate further, and should pretend we don't know."

After Knov finished speaking, he glanced at Biscuit eyebrows were still furrowed.

Of the people present, Biscuit was the one with whom Oboro had the deepest friendship.

She definitely knows something...

"Trust the chairman."

Biscuit, meeting several gazes, said something earnestly.

In short, even if Oboro has some ulterior motives for appearing... it's not necessarily a bad thing.

At least they helped them get rid of the Chimera Ant, preventing casualties.

This allowed what appeared to be a serious crisis to be easily resolved.

"He... is too strong..."

However, Knuckle Bine couldn't help but sigh.

Immediately afterwards, the group heard a strange noise coming from a distance.

Following the sound, they discovered that the people who came were Fante and Anthony... members of the Oboro Squad.

However, they are all comrades of the Hunter Association.

The two sides didn't feel familiar at all... they just glanced at each other and didn't even greet each other.

Fante and Anthony entered the palace on their own... showing no desire to interact with Biscuit and the others.

On the other end.

Youpi flies at an extremely high speed, like a supersonic fighter jet.

Shaiapouf followed closely behind.

In less than fifteen minutes, the man and the two ants had arrived at an area dozens of kilometers away from the royal city.

The vast land began to become pitted and uneven, devoid of vegetation... barren, all rock and soil.

The uneven craters on the ground are remnants of explosions caused by the East Gorteau military during their testing of weapons and ammunition.

"Has a fight already broken out?"

After a while, Oboro controlled Youpi to land on a rocky mountain that rose up due to its low terrain. Looking into the distance, he saw a golden light that was very conspicuous in the night. The aura and powerful will it emitted could still be felt even from such a distance.

It is none other than Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva!

The booming sound of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva was also clearly audible.

Dust kept rising in the distance...

Long dared not get too close, fearing that once Netero 'activated' the Poor Man's Rose, he would be dragged into it as well.

However, he had a way to observe this battle between the most advanced creatures in the human world! The Poor Man's Rose just a miniature nuclear bomb that could be implanted in the human body, so the power of the explosion was not the strongest among humans.

Even so, the radiation range is several kilometers in radius, and its all-encompassing coverage can destroy everything within a ten-kilometer radius, because there are also secondary and tertiary residual effects.

This isn't the most fatal...

The most deadly are infectious viruses.

The area affected by the spread can be much larger than the area directly impacted by the munition itself...

"It's beyond the limit of my ability to control my qi outside my body...but..." Long muttered to himself.

A small patch of black mist rose up in front of him, and he reached out and plunged his hand into it. With a shrill scream, a ghost in human form, like a lump of slime, was pulled out of the mist.

This is the separation of souls!

To cut or separate.

Once they lose the nourishment of the Ghost Mist, these ghosts will not exist in the world for long and will easily dissipate.

But it is itself a kind of Post-Mortem Nen... Although it is not strong and easily disappears, it has time.

Oboro imposed his own will onto the ghost, then released his grip... and watched as the vengeful spirit flew towards the battlefield between Netero and the Chimera Ant King.

The speed isn't fast, but it should be enough time...

Meanwhile, the Chimera Ant King and Netero had fought their way from the surface to the underground space buried beneath the soil.

There are still some dusty, dilapidated building ruins all around...

Netero clasped his hands together, behind him was a giant image of Guanyin formed from immense Nen power, gleaming with golden light.

The old man's fingers formed a special pattern.

Each time the knot is formed, the arms of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva carry terrifying power, striking the unseen figure in the air.

The Chimera Ant King was rapidly circling Netero, searching for an opening in the old man's defenses, waiting for the right moment to strike.

However, in his eyes, the human elder, who was clearly slow-moving and far inferior to him, always managed to defend against or neutralize his attacks perfectly.

This surprised the Chimera Ant King.

In his mind, it was clear that his movements were faster... and the old man's eyes might not be able to catch his trajectory.

He couldn't see it... and his reaction couldn't keep up, so how could he deflect his own attack and even hit it accurately? This made the Chimera Ant King refresh his understanding of humans once again.

Among humans, there are also special beings... not all humans are suitable to be livestock after its future nation is established.

It had spoken with Netero, promising that if humanity surrendered, it could give Netero and some powerful Nen user status and identity, instead of them becoming food for the ant colony or livestock like other ordinary people.

But... the old man mocked him for overestimating his abilities.

The ghosts summoned by Oboro flew into the battlefield. This wisp of lingering Post-Mortem Nen was like a candle flame in the wind, threatening to go out at any moment and unable to last much longer...

However, through the perception of her soul and the effects of her Nen, Oboro saw the scene on the battlefield.

Netero and the Chimera Ant King also noticed this sudden 'energy', but they had no time to pay attention to external things.

Bang bang bang! Netero's hand seals seemed slow, but the dense, golden attacks from the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva behind him, the arms falling like rain, were enough to make one's scalp tingle. In just a few seconds, the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva unleashed dozens of attacks, just as frequently as the Chimera Ant King's attacks.

100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, from zero to ninety-nine forms.

Each move has its own unique variations... unfathomable and profound.

This is Netero's essence of martial arts skills and insights, honed throughout his life as a martial artist.

The Chimera Ant King clearly sensed a strange aura emanating from the old man.

I also understand that the old man's ability is not just a manifestation of thought, but also a fusion of artistic conception after being honed through countless trials and tribulations and reaching the pinnacle.

The most transcendent aspect of one's own life.

"Hiss..."

Far from the battlefield, Long kept his eyes closed, his eyelids trembling.

Images of Netero fighting the Chimera Ant King flashed through his mind...

My heart and soul were touched.

Both sides' attacks and defenses were too fast! Generally speaking, in battles between Nen user, there are gaps for reaction and information gathering, and even if there aren't, they will create them themselves... But at this speed, an ordinary Nen user probably wouldn't even have time to think before they're gone.

This pace... has exceeded the frequency that the human brain can keep up with.

But Netero did it...

Although each of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's attacks failed to hit the Chimera Ant King, the damage caused was still astonishing.

The entire underground space was filled with dust, as if it had been hit by countless missiles.

Such power couldn't have been created by one person, but by an entire army! "In such a 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 perverse. While 'observing' the scene inside his skull, he imagined himself participating in the battle, fighting against the Chimera Ant King or Netero... at the same time, he deduced his situation and the outcome of the battle in each move of both sides.

"Unless it's the Zero Hand... otherwise, the old man's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, the other ninety-nine forms, don't seem to cause fatal damage to me."

After a while, Long received an answer.

There was no other way; the strength of his Nen power had greatly enhanced the defensive capabilities of his psychic abilities.

In addition, there's the increase in armor...

After all, Zero Hand was Netero's ultimate move, a move in which he poured all his life force into.

Once used, one is exhausted and burnt out.

Of course, apart from Zero Hand, other techniques can still injure Oboro... but only slightly, not seriously.

As for the Chimera Ant King... it's to the point where he can't even be injured.

Oboro saw it...

The Chimera Ant King has been knocked down countless times, but it doesn't even seem to have any effect on its movements, let alone draw blood.

From this perspective, he's even more terrifying! "Ultimately, nothing has changed..."

Long murmured softly.

This is pointless... Netero is just a human, and his energy cannot compare to that of the Chimera Ant King.

Moreover, as a supernatural life form, Meruem's adaptability is equally terrifying... It will soon find the weakness of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva! As long as Netero makes a sudden move that causes the attack speed and trajectory of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva to slow down or drop, it will be over.

Time slowly passed...

Netero and Meruem exchanged countless blows, perhaps thousands, perhaps tens of thousands...

But ultimately, at some point, Netero, just like in the original story, made a mistake...

With its super-fast speed, the Chimera Ant King broke through the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's defenses and found that fleeting opening... successfully flying from a great height to the ground, passing by Netero.

When Meruem landed, one of his hands was gripping the old man's leg.

"You lost... If you want to back out now, I can still let you go." Meruem threw away the human leg and turned to calmly look at Netero.

Instead of making a move, he sat down on the ground, as if giving Netero ample time to think and choose.

The old man smiled, stood on one foot, and controlled the muscles to contract the wound.

Then, he suddenly looked up at a dimly lit corner above his head.

"Little guy... you guessed it!"

As he spoke, a faint, wispy ghost drifted away from the shadows.

It seemed as if it could be swept away by a gentle breeze from high above at any moment.

"You shouldn't have listened to them..."

The ghost suddenly spoke, and Oboro's voice came through.

"Hahaha... I didn't lose."

Netero burst into laughter upon hearing this.

It's rare to see something like an old man suddenly feeling young again.

"Watch closely, Oboro, this is... the last lesson I'll teach you!"

Netero's eyes widened in fury as he shouted, then stared at Meruem: "Little ant, don't underestimate humans..."

The Chimera Ant King frowned upon hearing this.

Why do humans resist when they can clearly survive? Is it just a pointless suicide mission?

Then, Netero unleashed his signature move, Zero Hand.

The 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly attacked, forcing the Chimera Ant King, who was sitting in place, to move passively, but it was still trapped between the two giant hands.

Then, the golden Guanyin lowered its head, its face contorted, and its mouth opened...

Finally, Netero condensed all his Nen power, or life energy, into a beam of light, which struck the immobilized Meruem ...

This move is incredibly powerful.

The ghosts summoned by Oboro finally couldn't hold on any longer and were annihilated by the lingering power.

Oboro's true form opened its eyes and gazed into the distance; the earth beneath the sky seemed to have collapsed...

A thunderous tremor could be faintly heard.

In an instant, Oboro grabbed Youpi's arm and manipulated the two ants to retreat rapidly.

Now, the consciousness of Youpi and Shaiapouf is occupied by ghosts... rather than their own consciousness.

In other words, the souls of the two ants could see and sense the Chimera Ant King during the battle in the distance, but they were unable to react.

Because they no longer have control over their bodies.

After speeding along for a while longer, the dazzling mushroom cloud rose as expected, illuminating all directions.

Lonely knows...

Netero is dead.