The Powerful Squad Leader

PS: Updated~~

"Lord Cheetu! Lord Cheetu!" Just as Cheetu and the Troupe were about to clash, several voices rang out from another exit in the ruins. A Crab and a Kangaroo arrived—Squad Captains, reporting in.

"Strong Nen!" The Troupe assessed the newcomers' strength the moment the two Squad Captains appeared. The verdict: their power was formidable. Even if the Troupe won in a fight, they'd at least sustain injuries. Add in that unidentified, lightning-fast Leopard, and casualties within the Troupe were likely if a battle broke out.

"Honestly, Lord Cheetu, you ran too fast. You didn't even wait for us underlings," the Kangaroo complained, hopping around.

"Ahahaha, you guys are just too slow," Cheetu laughed carelessly again. "Besides, if I'd come with you, this guy would've died, right?" He jostled Zazan on his shoulder.

"Huh? Who's this big lizard? Didn't the King send us to rescue Lord Zazan? Where's Lord Zazan? Did these humans kill Lord Zazan? Boohoo..." The Crab Squad Captain burst into loud sobs.

"Don't cry, idiot! The guy on my shoulder is Zazan!" Cheetu was utterly exasperated by his two subordinates' antics. One crybaby, one hyperactive.

"Huh? Huh? Huh! Lord Cheetu, you're saying this ugly big lizard is the beautiful Lord Zazan?" The Kangaroo bounced around Cheetu, examining Zazan on his shoulder and even poking him with a tiny finger. "Are you fucking kidding me?" The Kangaroo suddenly roared in a gruff voice completely different from before.

Cheetu had a massive headache. Ugh, this hyperactive one even had a split personality. This was exactly why he'd rushed over in Speed Mode earlier—he couldn't stand these two goofballs. Now that they'd arrived, he had a better chance against those strong humans, but he still couldn't take them. Whatever happened to Squad Captains respecting Squad Leaders? What a mess.

But compared to Cheetu's headache, Zazan on his shoulder was the one truly crying inside. He'd been invaded by a bunch of random humans who'd stormed his palace, killed all his subordinates, and nearly finished him off with that Shorty. On top of that, he'd transformed into this hideous form, only to be seen like this by former comrades who rescued him and carried him around, jostling him back and forth. He was injured, damn it! If they kept shaking him, he'd throw up even without a reason. And now even a Squad Captain was mocking him. It was utterly humiliating. Just a few hours ago, he'd been the Queen here, with a bunch of underlings serving him. Life's ups and downs couldn't get more extreme than this.

"Hey, you guys over there, done chatting?" Phinks was annoyed by the ants who'd started talking among themselves.

"You've been jabbering on and on since a while ago. Do you think the Phantom Troupe doesn't exist?"

"Huh? Looks like we're still fighting," Cheetu said casually, tossing Zazan off his shoulder toward the still-crying Crab, who fumbled to catch him. Then he started stretching. "So, are you all coming at me together?"

"What's that? Arrogant bastard. I'll kill you!" "Let me teach him a lesson." "Hold on, Feitan lost, so it's my turn next, right?"

"You bastards, I haven't been beaten yet!" Feitan, shirtless, shouted furiously at the others. "A guy like this, I'll—"

"Feitan, you're no match for him now." Phinks put a hand on Feitan's shoulder, cutting him off seriously. "Your arm and body injuries, plus using that move earlier, have put a heavy strain on you. I don't want to admit it, but this guy's not on the same level as the last one. If you're careless, you might even lose your life. I don't want to have to find a new member after you get killed." Phinks, as the one closest to Feitan in the Troupe, knew how to persuade him—anyone else, and Feitan would've forced himself to fight.

"...Fine. Don't get yourself killed." Feitan said coolly, then turned away.

"Shalnark, I told you, he was just bluffing. He's almost out of stamina. Looks like I win." As Feitan walked off, he vaguely heard Phinks and Shalnark muttering.

"Ah, Phinks. He can hear you." "Don't change the subject. A bet's a bet."

"You two bastards! I'll kill you!" Feitan was about to lose it.

While the rest of the Troupe bickered, Bonolenov, wrapped in bandages, stepped in front of Cheetu. He'd won the coin toss earlier. That meant after Feitan, he was the next to fight.

"Oh~ So you're my opponent, huh. You sure you don't want to come at me all together? One-on-one, I might just kill you. (｡•ω•｡)" Under his auburn hair, his otherwise plain eyes sharpened.

"Kill me? You've got some nerve saying that." Bonolenov's bandages slowly unraveled one by one, revealing his body.

Holes. That's right—Bonolenov's entire body, from his limbs to his face and neck, was covered in countless wind holes of varying sizes. Or rather, it was riddled with holes. Bonolenov was a member of the Gondowan tribe, a minority group. Gondowan men underwent a rite of passage at age three, inserting small needles into various parts of their bodies, then replacing them with thicker rods as they grew. They were called Battle Dancers, warriors of dance. As adults, the wind holes produced different sounds depending on their movements. Whether in rituals or battles against beasts, they used their bodies to play dance music, inspiring themselves to fight fiercely. They believed the more beautiful the music, the stronger they became, with the greatest Battle Dancers rivaling gods. Bonolenov was one of the best, though the Gondowan tribe seemed to have been wiped out. In other words, Bonolenov could be considered the last survivor of the Gondowan tribe. Still, this custom was a nightmare for anyone with trypophobia.

"Ah! Ah! This is so fun, so fun!" Cheetu clapped and shouted. Before him, Bonolenov wasn't attacking—he was twisting his body, and a strange yet beautiful melody emanated from him.

As the music reached its climax, Bonolenov's body began spinning rapidly, blurring into motion.

"Battle Cantabile: Overture!" A figure emerged, wearing a strange grass skirt, holding a spear, and donning a tribal mask. The spear thrust straight at Cheetu, who was listening intently.

"Whoa! That was close, that was close." Cheetu patted his chest and leaped left, dodging Bonolenov's fierce strike. He said it was close, but his relaxed demeanor showed he wasn't fazed at all—this level of attack was too easy for him to evade.

"Sigh (╯▽╰), is that all your ability's got? The power's weak, but the tune's pretty nice. Though, are all you humans' Nen abilities just costumes? You, and that Shorty earlier who changed clothes too..." Cheetu started running his mouth again, stirring up trouble.

"I'll kill him." The word "Shorty" caught Feitan's ear. "Bonolenov, stop playing around. Kill him now, or I'm stepping in."

"You kidding me, you loser? It's clearly my turn next!" Phinks. "Say that again?! I'll kill you!" Feitan. "Come on, everyone, calm down." Shalnark.

"Oh, got any more moves? Show me something impressive." Ignoring the Troupe's antics, Cheetu started taunting Bonolenov.

"You think a Battle Dancer only has that one move? The real fight's just beginning." Bonolenov ignored the taunt, twisting his body again to start that strange dance, and the music resumed.

As the music quickened, Bonolenov's attacks on Cheetu grew faster.

"Battle Cantabile: Suite!" "Battle Cantabile: Impromptu!" "Battle Cantabile: March!" At the same time, Cheetu noticed his body starting to feel sluggish.

"Tch, looks like your music can mess with my mind." But Cheetu's expression stayed relaxed—this level of interference was still within his limits.

"Only noticing now? Too late. You're pretty strong and fast, I'll admit. But I've found your weakness, just like the last guy I took out. I'll kill you with the same move—the perfect death for you ants." An unprecedented melody rang out from Bonolenov's body, and powerful Nen burst forth.

"Battle Cantabile: Jupiter!" A massive planet appeared above Cheetu's head, formed from layers of sound waves. Few could survive this attack.

"As fast as you are, you're still slower than sound!" The giant planet-like object slammed down toward Cheetu. Bonolenov's voice echoed from within it.

"Impressive move, but are you saying I'm slower than sound?" Cheetu looked up at the massive planet, a confident smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Die, you damn ant!" With a thunderous roar, a huge crater appeared where Cheetu had stood—several times larger than the one left by the Pufferfish Squad Captain Bonolenov had killed earlier.

"Heh, that was my full power. Pathetic ant!" Bonolenov turned around confidently, not even glancing at the crater. A real man never looks back at an explosion!

"Bonolenov, you idiot, dodge! You didn't kill him!" Feitan shouted a warning. Others might not know Cheetu's speed, but Feitan had some idea. Saving the "Queen" and hiding within his "Sun's" range—that kind of speed was no joke.

"What? No one can survive my Jupiter!" Bonolenov spun around frantically to look at the crater, but there was only a deep hole—no trace of any remains.

"Heh, maybe no one can take that move, but what if it didn't hit?" A soft voice whispered in his ear. It was Cheetu. When had he circled behind him?

"In Speed Mode, I can surpass the speed of sound. Gotcha~ little mouse."

As Bonolenov reflexively turned, he was met by a pair of powerful leopard claws! They easily pierced into his body.

"Careless..." That was Bonolenov's last thought before losing consciousness.