Unable to Match by Force X, Desire for Strength

Within these magnificent underground Palace Ruins.

The real top-tier battle is about to begin.

Netero clasped his hands together, his eyes gleaming like lightning, and his body radiating fierce Fighting Spirit.

The magnificent illusory image of the Hundred-Type Guanyin of Guanyin behind him seemed to solidify a bit, representing Netero's will at this moment.

This time, it won't be a merciful hand that pushes or slaps away.

It is not Straight Punch, but a pure act of destruction born for victory!

"Drink!"

With a short, sharp shout, Guanyin's giant fist burst forth, faster and more concentrated than her previous palm strike!

The air was compressed to the extreme, emitting a piercing shriek, and the space seemed to twist and tremble wherever the fist passed.

Meruem's golden pupils suddenly contracted.

The power of this punch was completely different from the previous ones.

He wanted to repeat his old trick, using his speed to find an opening in the attack or to break through with a direct confrontation.

But the shadowy fist in the spiritual world was invisible, as if it had predicted all his evasive trajectories. When he moved to the side, it was as if he had walked right into a trap and crashed into it.

It arrived instantly, carrying an unparalleled pressure.

"Bang-Crack!"

A heavy, muffled thud was accompanied by the faint cracking sound of the outer shell being squeezed.

Meruem was thrown backward as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed train.

The punch landed squarely on his chest and shoulder.

The excruciating pain instantly spread throughout my body, far more profound than any previous blow.

He crashed violently into a massive stone pillar, instantly causing spiderweb-like cracks to erupt across the hard surface, sending shards of stone raining down.

Meruem barely managed to steady himself and land, instinctively covering his left shoulder where he had been hit with his right hand.

I could clearly feel the burning and tingling sensations emanating from the bones there as they rapidly repaired themselves, driven by the body's regenerative abilities.

A hint of solemnity and—pain—flashed in his golden eyes.

It's different now.

He hadn't noticed the initial, powerful blow, but this second time, he seemed to feel much more.

Meruem quickly analyzed the situation in his mind.

It's not just an increase in strength and speed; this attack method—the fist?

It has a more concentrated power and stronger penetrating ability.

Moreover, he could sense the shift in will within it.

Does our mindset change as our bodies get younger?

Will this give him a chance to find a weakness?

He stared intently at Netero, who had once again assumed the prayer position in the distance, his gaze growing increasingly sharp.

The core attack pattern remains unchanged; it's still the same action of clasping hands together to launch an attack.

The methods and preferences of attack seem to have not changed much, following the patterns that humanity has developed over time.

It has a fixed trajectory and rhythm that reflects his personal preferences.

The enhancement of his physique did not change his fundamental core as a human martial artist and his habits.

This is the opportunity.

Meruem's mind raced.

A younger body, a stronger attack.

Even if a person's physical abilities reach their peak, it wouldn't mean much to him, especially since his vulnerability in close combat wouldn't change much just because he's young again.

As long as I can seize that one in ten thousand chance to get close to him, just like before—the outcome will be no different.

Once he gets close to Netero, inflicting serious injury on him is so easy.

A younger body is still just a body, still just a human body.

While pondering, Meruem had already adjusted his tactics.

He no longer tried to take the hit head-on or look for pointless evasive routes, but instead pushed his speed to the limit.

I tried the same method as before.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

His figure instantly transformed into a blurry golden Flowing Light, no longer following a straight line, but instead rapidly bouncing, turning back, and changing direction in the air, on the ground, and among the ruins in a dazzling manner.

Each time he stepped on the air or the ground, a shockwave would erupt, moving so fast that it left afterimages. This was the ultimate application of the deceptive high-speed movement tactic he had used to close in on Netero.

Moreover, it was even more dazzling than before, making it impossible to catch.

At least Kevin, who was watching from a distance, could clearly sense it.

In just this short time, he made progress again.

He was like a golden bouncy ball, creating countless false attack routes within a limited space, intending to disrupt Netero's predictions, compress his reaction time, and find that fleeting breakthrough point.

In the instant of a high-speed change of direction, using the rebound of the stone pillar to create a visual trap.

Meruem spotted a tiny opening that seemed to have been created by Netero's punch, an opening that had appeared before.

His eyes were bloodthirsty, and his body shot forward like an arrow, whistling through the air, as he lunged at Netero once more.

This time, the target was Netero's exposed rib area from throwing a punch.

However, faced with this ghostly attack, Netero's young face revealed a triumphant and confident smile.

The feeling of being young—it's wonderful!

The sluggishness in neurological responses caused by aging has long been swept away by peak performance.

Meruem's exquisite, superhuman movements, though fast, were no longer "uncontrollable" in Netero's perception at his peak.

This would have been a flaw for him in his old age, but now it's a change he can reflect.

With her hands still clasped together, and a slight thought in her mind, the giant fist of the Hundred-Type Guanyin already carried an even greater power than before, striking first despite being slower than before.

This time, the punch was aimed directly at the trajectory of Meruem's lunge.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar, like muffled thunder, exploded once more.

At the critical moment, relying on its beast-like instincts and astonishing evolved reflexes, Meruem finally made a move completely different from its previous attempt to withstand the attack head-on.

He suddenly crossed his arms, his forearms, covered in hard armor, acting as the strongest shield, protecting him fiercely.

The giant golden fist slammed heavily onto the crossed arms.

"Snap!"

The sickening cracking sound of bone breaking rang out again, but much milder than before.

The powerful impact still sent Meruem flying, crashing into another half of the stone pillar and kicking up clouds of dust.

This time, however, Meruem only stumbled a couple of steps when he landed before regaining his balance.

He looked down at his crossed arms, where the carapace covering them showed obvious bruises, and his arms felt icy and painful.

However, it was far from the extent to which other parts of the body were hit.

He slowly lowered his arm, his eyes not showing defeat, but rather a strange light, as he stared intently at Netero.

He seemed to be calculating and analyzing something at high speed, as if the successful block had opened the Gate a new world for him.

Kevin, who was watching from a distance, instantly became extremely serious.

He clearly noticed the change in Meruem's eyes and the adjustment of his posture after successfully blocking the shot.

"Here it comes----"

Kevin felt a sinking feeling in his heart and muttered to himself in a low voice.

"Under this level of pressure, this guy's learning and evolution speed is simply inhuman."

"He personally experienced the force of the punch, adapted to the rhythm of the attack, and began to defend."

It wasn't that the Ant King didn't want to defend, but rather that it was pointless.

In his aged state, Netero's palm strikes were practically harmless to Meruem.

This resulted in Meruem showing no intention of defending at all, just constantly attacking, knocking away enemies, and repeating this process.

If it doesn't matter to him if he doesn't defend, then why waste time and energy defending?

Simply focus all your energy on offense.

Therefore, Meruem's defense remained largely unchanged, but his offense and ability to exploit weaknesses improved significantly.

And now.

When Netero's fist slammed into him, causing him pain, he finally learned how to defend against such attacks.

He understood after only two blows.

With arms crossed, the Nen Aura in his body rapidly increased to counteract the power of the fist.

He mastered Nen ability techniques without any instruction and became proficient in them instantly.

The battle on the field has changed once again.

This time, Netero didn't stand still and wait.

He didn't want to wait in place any longer, but Meruem's attacks were so frequent and intermittent that Netero had to adopt a defensive stance, turning defense into offense.

His youthful body gave him more energetic movements.

Lean forward, clasp your hands together, and throw a punch.

The enormous fist slammed towards the direction where Meruem was located.

Feeling the force of the punch, Meruem instantly dodged to the side, but this time his dodge was clearly anticipated.

He immediately changed his approach, curling up and channeling his Nen Aura.

His entire body was sent flying like a ball, but after hitting the ground, he immediately leaped out of the dust.

Under his defense, fists became one of the attacks he could withstand.

It is acceptable.

Watching this scene, Netero continued his attacks, throwing punches forward.

He was not discouraged by this situation, or rather, it was something he had expected.

Although his strength has doubled, Meruem's strength is far more than twice that of his older self.

Essentially, he was bullying a child.

Meruem is like a child who possesses immense power but doesn't know how to use it.

Compared to previous battles, it's just that Meruem has gone from practicing against punching bags to learning how to fight, to practicing against enemies to experience the thrill of combat.

Hundred-Type Guanyin, Tenth Form of Straight Punch.

Seizing the opportunity, Netero launched a fierce Straight Punch.

A huge fist suddenly hurtled towards Meruem, and just as he was about to block it with his arms, he suddenly realized that an attack seemed to be coming from the side as well.

He was hit instantly, and his entire body was suspended in mid-air without him even realizing it.

"Cough!"

With a soft groan and a cough, he vomited blood.

He pushed his fist away with all his might, took advantage of the opening, and ran out, landing on an open ground some distance away.

He crouched down, blood still dripping from his mouth.

Meruem wiped it vigorously, his expression showing slight pain.

No, Netero's attacks could pose a threat to him.

He didn't have as much time as before to find that slight opening in Netero's attacks.

Although it's easier to find them than before, it's still necessary to understand Netero's current attack patterns.

After all, his reaction speed is faster now.

The problem now is that he can no longer withstand Netero's attacks indefinitely, just like before.

Or choose another method: stall for time.

This situation certainly cannot last long.

But how long can it actually last?

It's impossible to be sure, and if he continues to endure such attacks, even if he ultimately wins, he will definitely be severely injured.

Kevin's presence forces him to maintain a certain level of readiness to cope with the situation.

Ever since Kevin used drugs to bring Netero to his peak condition, Kevin's threat and importance in his mind have increased dramatically.

No human being can compare to him.

He's not strong enough; compared to Netero now, he's not strong enough.

For the first time since birth, he felt his own weakness.

For the first time since birth, he longed to become stronger.

He knew that he had been at the top since birth, and that both guards and humans were far too weak compared to him.

He wasn't particularly interested in improving his skills.

Even though he can strengthen himself through eating, he rarely indulges his appetite.

He only ate the food that Youpi prepared for him every day, but this still allowed his strength to increase.

Now he himself wants to grow.

The problem is, there's nothing left for him to eat; only Netero and Kevin available.

Netero across from him frowned slightly.

Kevin, watching from a distance, couldn't help but shift his gaze.

Both of them sensed the change in Meruem.

The Meruem of the past didn't seem like a Chimera Ant at all, nor did it seem like an enemy of humanity.

He truly seemed like a human king.

But things are different now; that kind of enemy of humanity, that kind of aura, is beginning to emerge.

Netero instinctively assumed a defensive stance.

Meruem has acted once again.

The body rapidly shifts and refracts in the air.

Netero stood in the middle, his eyes constantly watching and following Meruem's every move.

After deflecting the attacks, Meruem surprisingly didn't launch an attack; instead, he created distance.

Only when he stopped did the two notice the change.

"Not good."

Kevin immediately stood up and even tried to rush over.

But he abruptly stopped.

Netero was faster, clasping his hands together as he was about to throw a punch.

This time, Meruem kept his distance from the start and didn't fight Netero at all.

Holding Netero's severed arm in one hand and Netero's severed leg in the other, he quickly created distance.

His face wore a sinister and malicious smile.

Hahahaha!

Meruem let out a maniacal laugh.

Netero's face darkened; he knew he was powerless to stop it.

That damned Chimera Ant was an insult to Netero.

His expression turned extremely grim and angry.

Kevin, standing some distance away, also frowned.

At this point, Meruem's elaborate effort to retrieve the severed arm he had previously discarded must have had a purpose.

Furthermore, judging from the combat characteristics of Nen user, it is very likely that it is Meruem's Nen ability.

Meruem has not displayed his Nen ability since the start of the battle.

"Amazing, is this what top-tier humans are like?"

"This is simply a fountain of life gushing forth from the earth, containing the will of all spirits—how delicious!"

The Ant King laughed heartily, but to Netero, those words were grating.

Even with Youpi's preparations, every meal he ate was made from the flesh and blood of Nen user.

The flesh and blood of Nen user contain vibrant life and are indeed delicious, but once you get used to it, you don't care much about it anymore.

Therefore, he instinctively believed that Netero was no different from other Nen user, although they had differences, but Netero's were completely different.

A surge of Life Force flowed into his body.

Feeling the changes it brought to my body, the minor injuries I had sustained were instantly healed.

His strength also began to grow.