Jed 2

PS: I drank a little too much today. Today's vote count was 160 (September 2). If the count reaches 260 on September 3, I'll post an extra chapter on September 4. No bullshit! I've got plenty of chapters saved up anyway!

Three days later, "Four-Dimensional Mansion" GET!

As the saying went, good things came in pairs. On the very day he had fully mastered this spatial Nen ability, Ace from the Anbu sent word about Jed.

"King, the Anbu Twelve Stars have found the man you were looking for. White hair, golden eyes, black pupils, and a kind of ominous power even more unsettling than that of us Chimera Ants. But..." Chou Niu, one of the Anbu Twelve Stars and among their strongest members, reported to Ant King Meruem.

"The power he uses is not Nen. It is called Resentment, an extremely powerful ability with severe side effects. What is it? Did you run into some trouble?" Meruem first explained Jed's power before asking. Resentment came from the Movie Version. However, such an ability did not exist in the original Hunter x Hunter setting. Meruem had only learned by chance that the Hunter World contained a Movie Version character—the leader of the Shadow, Jed. Unlike the original story, where the Movie Version took place after the GI game but before the Chimera Ant arc, Jed existed in this world without the events of the movie having occurred. Thus, Meruem suspected that Jed had not yet begun his revenge plan.

In the Movie Version's setting, Resentment was a special power opposed to Nen. Nen represented light, while Resentment represented darkness. Netero was the representative of light Nen, while Jed was the representative of dark Resentment. In truth, though, this was an utterly ridiculous setting compared to the original Hunter x Hunter canon. The original work did explain that Nen could grow stronger after a person died. But that stronger Nen was still Nen in essence. Although Nen represented life energy in the original work, it had nothing whatsoever to do with so-called light. Nen was simply Nen, a powerful life ability capable of unleashing strength greater than its user through restrictions and vows. Resentment, however, was worth examining closely. In the Movie Version, Jed's Resentment represented ominousness and darkness. It was the sort of ability that screamed villain at first glance. Moreover, from the battles between Resentment users and Nen Users in the Movie Version, it was clear that its application was basically similar to Nen.

In other words, Resentment truly existed in the Hunter World, but it was also a type of Nen ability. The original work stated that Chairman Netero was the grandmaster of Heart Source Style, so what opposed Jed was not Nen itself, but Heart Source Style—or rather, a conflict between two schools. This was plainly evident from their respective Nen abilities. Netero's Nen ability was the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, while Jed's Resentment ability was Hundred Demons Curses! Rakshasa. Netero's Heart Source Style was peaceful and orthodox, while Jed's Resentment school was extreme and cult-like. Jed's abilities also included the power to grant and take away life. Most importantly, only Jed remained in this school. As for his three subordinates, they had merely received power bestowed upon them by Jed.

One more thing was worth mentioning. In the original work, the powerful floor masters of Heaven's Arena were reduced to extras in the Movie Version, beaten half to death by Killua and Gon before they had even experienced the Chimera Ant arc. In the original work, even Hisoka would not dare claim certain victory against some floor masters. If the floor masters were only this strong, then even Kastro, whom Hisoka killed in the original story, would rank among the top three of them.

"King, the man you seek, Jed, possesses tremendous power. I'm afraid... I'm afraid this subordinate is incapable of bringing him back." For Chou Niu, one of the Chimera Ant Anbu Twelve Stars, to say such a thing proved that Jed's strength was beyond doubt. In the Movie Version, he had temporarily sealed Chairman Netero's Nen. Even after the seal was lifted, he had fought Netero for quite some time. Though he was indeed inferior to Netero in pure strength, he was still an exceptionally formidable opponent. He also had three fairly powerful subordinates. If they refused, the Anbu Twelve Stars alone truly could not bring them back. But Meruem had just acquired a new ability. This was the perfect chance to test it.

"Report your location immediately. Wait there, do not come into conflict with him, and keep a close watch on them. I'll be there shortly." He could bring those three along as well and let them cause a scene there. Two months remained. As long as he had two more months, he could leave this world. Just wait. When I return next time, I'll make this entire world know the name Chimera Ant—and tremble before it.

"Jed-sama, a few little bugs seem to be following us. Should we...?" To be honest, the Chimera Ants had arrived in this world far too recently. Though they were naturally gifted and had undergone Meruem's special training, that training had focused only on combat ability and Nen application, not other skills. When it came down to certain matters, they still lacked experience. Take this moment, for example. The ants with special abilities had unique methods for locating people. But when it came to tracking... well. Sigh. Not only Jed, even the Mohawk-haired brute among Jed's three followers had noticed them. As he spoke, he drew a finger across his neck in a throat-slitting gesture.

"Don't rush. Once we leave this town and reach the wilderness, you can test their strength. But those people do not seem to be human. Be careful. Our plan has not begun yet, so do not make too much of a disturbance. Find out their purpose. If they have decent aptitude, we can consider granting them Resentment. If not, kill them." Jed spoke casually, as if discussing what to have for dinner. The group of four wore the cloaks customary for villains, so the other three could not see Jed's expression. In truth, however, Jed looked extremely grave. It was not that he had failed to notice the six people following them. He simply had not expected to draw attention so soon after appearing, and they did not seem weak—at the very least, they were no weaker than his three companions. That alone was not enough to concern him. Their identities were the real issue. Hopefully, they were not from the Hunter Association. His plan had not yet begun, and for now, he did not wish to clash with Netero, though he did not fear him.

"Yes, my lord." It was hard to imagine a hulking brute bowing and scraping before a thin young man, but in the Hunter World, such a sight was perfectly normal.

"It's time." Once they reached the outskirts, the brute suddenly attacked the place where the six people were hiding. Enormous pale-blue, flame-like Ki Blasts poured forth as though they cost nothing. This revealed the Chimera Ants' lack of experience. Who clustered together while tailing someone? Among the Chimera Ants, perhaps only a handful with extraordinary perception could conceal themselves properly—or perhaps they needed to be Squad Leader level?

"Damn it, we've been discovered!" The six were all quite strong. Though they had been ambushed, the attack was too straightforward and failed to hit any of them.

"What do we do, Captain? The King ordered us not to act rashly and to wait for his arrival. But they don't seem willing to let us keep following them." The speaker was a handsome young man with a somewhat melancholic appearance. If not for his permanently extended tongue, animal ears, and tail, he would have been quite good-looking. His tone was anxious. As the strongest sensor among the six, he clearly knew that the man standing at the very back of the four was terrifyingly powerful and ominous. He felt that even a Squad Leader—one who followed the Ant King, at that—might not be a match for him.

"Greetings, sir. We bear no ill intent. We merely hope that you will wait here for a moment. A most distinguished gentleman wishes to meet you." Unlike Xu Gou's panic, Chou Niu, the leader of the six-man team, remained composed. Though he too knew how terrifyingly strong the other side was, everything would become simple as long as they stalled until Meruem arrived.

"Heh heh heh, interesting. It seems you are not from the Hunter Association." Dodging the question, Jed looked at the Anbu Twelve Stars with interest. There was something else he did not say. Though the Hunter Association recruited non-humans into its outer ranks, official Hunters would never be of another race. It seemed that a new organization had emerged during the time he had been absent from the world. Were they Magical Beasts? Jed had only recently been resurrected, so he did not yet know of the Chimera Ants' existence.

"Hunters? My apologies, honored sir, but we do not know what Hunters are. We are Chimera Ants, and we followed you under the King's orders. If we have offended you, we offer our deepest apologies. Please wait a moment; our King will arrive shortly." Chou Niu emphasized their mission once more. The meaning was clear: he wanted Jed and the others to wait awhile. A wise man submitted to circumstances. The other side was already stronger than them, so there was no need to fight head-on. Besides, their mission was only to stall Jed, not attack him. Therefore, Chou Niu's tone remained polite. The Chimera Ants revered strength, and Jed's strength had clearly earned the recognition of the Squad Captains.

"Oh? The King? I can wait a little longer, but that depends on whether you have the qualifications. Purgatory, Evil Spirit, Asura, the three of you, test the strength of these self-proclaimed Chimera fellows." Since he had noticed that someone called the King had yet to arrive, Jed considered himself too important to step in personally. On one hand, while the opponents were not weak, his three subordinates were experts he had painstakingly trained. This was a good opportunity to let them warm up before that plan began.

"Yes, Jed-sama." The three replied respectfully.

"Just what I wanted. Then, you self-proclaimed ants, let Lord Evil Spirit crush you. I hope you are not too weak. I'd like to have some fun." The Mohawk-haired brute pointed at the ants and spoke arrogantly.

"Captain!" The Twelve Stars' expressions darkened in fury. They called themselves Chimera Ants, but that did not mean they were willing to be called vermin. That was hardly pleasant. They acknowledged Jed's strength, but that did not mean they acknowledged these three. If not for Meruem's order not to act rashly, they would already have rushed forward and torn the trio apart.

"Wei Yang, Shen Hou, Xu Gou, you three go. Remember, don't kill them!" Chou Niu's expression was dark as well. It seemed they had to display some strength. Being looked down upon was not a good thing. More importantly, since when had the Chimera Ants ever feared anyone?