Beyond the wilderness lay a stretch of plain.
Netero was already waiting there.
He wore his distinctive martial arts uniform.
As Lucky had grown stronger, Netero had stopped simply playing chase with Phoenix.
Three years ago, he had begun formally sparring with Lucky, even displaying the Hundred-Type Guanyin.
"From Tina's introduction, it seems you've developed swordsmanship? And you're quite skilled at it!" Netero asked, clearly wanting to see it for himself.
"Compared to your Hundred-Type Guanyin, Master, I'm still far behind."
It had to be said, the Hundred-Type Guanyin attacked far too quickly. Before an ability could even be displayed, or before an attack method could be used, one would be sent flying with a single slap. Any ability or technique would be useless.
Especially when there was nowhere to brace oneself. Even if one could perceive the trajectory, it was impossible to mount an effective counterattack.
That was the conclusion Lucky had reached after personally experiencing Master Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin.
There were several key reasons Meruem could defeat Netero.
First, he was incredibly durable. That went without saying. Only by withstanding the attacks could there be any further possibilities.
Second, after learning through games with Komugi, he had mastered a special "breathing" technique. More accurately, that breathing allowed him to grasp his opponent's "attack habits" and "combat mentality."
When applied against Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin, it meant memorizing its attack patterns, allowing him to evade more effectively.
Lastly, there were the pillars and walls of the underground palace, which he could use to move by leveraging off them.
If the battle had taken place on open plains, Netero might not necessarily have been able to defeat Meruem, but Meruem would not have found it easy to hurt Netero either.
That was what Lucky had found after experiencing it himself. A