Jed VS Meruem

"Ora ora ora ora ora!" With a storm of punches from Shen Hou, the Evil Spirit, one of the Dark Shadow Three Giants, finally fell in unwilling defeat. Not because Shen Hou was stronger than the Evil Spirit, but because Shen Hou's stamina completely overwhelmed him. The power of resentment granted by Jed was formidable, but it drained stamina far too quickly. This was the second of Jed's subordinates to be defeated, following Asura. As for Wei Yang and Purgatory over there... well, we'll leave them aside for now.

"Hoh? Looks like I'll have to handle this myself." Flinging off the cloak draped over his shoulders, Jed revealed a splendid outfit resembling formal attire.

"Heh!" Layer upon layer of ominous blue gas, visible to the naked eye, erupted from Jed like a fountain. It was reminiscent of a Super Saiyan powering up—except a Super Saiyan's aura was golden, while Jed's was a blue Resentment Aura. The massive wave of Resentment Aura surged toward the Anbu Twelve Stars like a tsunami, forcing even the weaker members to brace themselves with both hands just to withstand the relentless blasts of energy.

"So strong." Chou Niu struggled to force out those two words. They had only ever felt this terrifying presence from the King and the Royal Guards.

Jed waved a hand lightly at the Twelve Stars, and a fierce gale mixed with dreadful Resentment Aura swept through like a typhoon. The members of the Twelve Stars could only hold on like saplings battered in a storm, barely enduring. With just a casual gesture, Jed left them utterly helpless.

"Yo, looks like I arrived just in time." At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, bringing tears to the eyes of the Twelve Stars. The typhoon-like Resentment Aura dissipated instantly.

"Your Majesty, you're finally here."

A strange, massive hole appeared in the empty air, and a handsome green figure stepped out. Behind him followed three monsters radiating immense Nen—the Squad Leaders whose Nen had surged uncontrollably after consuming the Golden Silkworm Gu: Zazan, Gudo, and Aureole.

"To block my resentment so easily, you're quite impressive. Are you the King they speak of?" Jed kept his hand in the same waving motion, but no further Resentment Aura erupted beneath it. From his words, it was clear that Meruem had stopped his resentment. However, veins began to bulge on Jed's forehead, indicating he was exerting force in secret. This was a contest of strength between leaders.

"Your Majesty." Chou Niu spoke with a heavy heart. After all, Meruem's earlier orders had been to follow without acting rashly, but their lack of tracking skill and experience had led to premature exposure and a fight. If Meruem hadn't arrived in time, six of the Anbu Twelve Stars might have been lost here.

"You did well. Stand down for now."

"Yes." The Twelve Stars collectively sighed in relief, having made it through. Even though Meruem rarely punished his subordinates and was easy to talk to, the sheer gap in power was staggering. They always felt an inexplicable pressure in his presence, let alone when they'd messed up.

"My subordinates may be incompetent, but as their King, I can't let them be bullied like this." Meruem's expression remained unchanged as he spoke. The fact that he could chat casually with his men while Jed continued to exert force suggested that Jed's pressure wasn't burdening him at all.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. Why not let us Squad Leaders deal with this rude fellow for you?" Zazan, standing beside Meruem, spoke ingratiatingly. After realizing the absolute gap in power, the three Squad Leaders had abandoned all dignity and groveled before Meruem. But Meruem paid little attention to their near-zero loyalty, which only made them try harder.

"No need. The three of you are no match for him." Meruem stated flatly, simply telling the truth. Though their power had surged greatly, their opponent was a man who could trade ultimate moves with Netero. In his youth, Jed had fought Netero to a standstill multiple times. If the three of them had joined forces from the start and gone all out, they might have had a slim chance. But with their arrogant mindset from their sudden power boost, they'd die horribly. The Hundred Ghosts Curse - Rakshasa, a technique as renowned as the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, was no empty boast.

"Saying they're no match for me—as if you are." Jed's black eyes with golden pupils flashed with anger. This was the first person to dismiss him so thoroughly. Even Netero was cautious and never careless when facing him. Yet this man had repeatedly diverted his attention to talk to his subordinates. Didn't he know that left him wide open? It should have been a perfect chance to strike, but Jed dared not act. His instincts told him that attacking would mean defeat. This inexplicable sense of failure gnawed at him with intense irritation.

"You can try." Meruem glanced at Jed lightly, taunting him.

"Tell me, what do you want from me?" Jed forced down his rage.

"Oh, I came to ask you to do something for me."

"Hmph, why should I help you?"

"Because I'm stronger than you."

"Heh heh heh ha ha, fine. If you want a fight, then a fight it is!" Jed laughed in fury. Meruem's tone, as if stating an undeniable fact, pushed Jed to the brink of eruption. Even a Buddha has its limits, let alone Jed—the leader of the Shadow Clan, a man on par with the Hunter Association's Chairman, Netero.

"Alright. But if I win, you'll do what I ask."

"Deal. But only if you can beat me! If you lose, you die!"

"Oh? Don't worry, if you lose, I won't kill you." Meruem said with a serious face. Though it was the truth, the man on the receiving end didn't see it that way.

"Go to hell!" What greeted Meruem was Jed's Iron Fist, fueled by furious Resentment Power. Though it seemed like a simple punch, as a martial artist, Jed infused every move with his understanding of the martial way. Often, elaborate techniques were too cumbersome; a straightforward straight punch or kick was more effective. And this simple punch moved faster than Ten Times the Speed of Sound. Even Cheetu, going all out with his Nen, might not have dodged it.

But unfortunately, his opponent was Meruem, the pinnacle of physical prowess.

"Baka na!" His full-power Sure-Kill Strike was caught effortlessly by Meruem's right hand. The Resentment Power coating his fist was crushed to dust by Meruem, dissipating into the air. Worst of all, Jed couldn't pull his fist free from Meruem's grip. Not only could he block a full-power attack, but he could also perfectly annihilate Jed's seemingly invincible resentment ability. Even Netero couldn't do this. When had such a powerhouse appeared in this world? He handled it so easily, like a monster. In truth, not just Jed—if Netero had his fist caught by Meruem, he'd only end up crushed too.

"Hmph, Jed of the Hunter Association's Anbu, leader of the Shadow Clan, and you use your strongest move against me. Looks like you still look down on me." Meruem released Jed's fist, now bruised purple. Honestly, in straightforward battles of pure Enhancement or physical strength, Meruem feared no one in the Hunter World. Especially after obtaining Chairman Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. At this point, Meruem stood at the physical pinnacle, but that wasn't enough. His goal was to reach the martial pinnacle of this world as well.

With Meruem's learning ability, if he saw an opponent's martial arts once, he could perfectly replicate them. If he obtained a part of them, he could integrate their style into his own in just a few days. That was Meruem's most terrifying trait: an invincible body and a fearsome learning ability. Infinite potential for evolution, growing stronger against any foe.

For Nen Users without bizarre abilities, Meruem was an unsolvable existence. Otherwise, why would Jed have lasted this long? If Jed weren't still useful to Meruem, and if Meruem didn't want to seize his martial arts, he'd have been blasted to pieces long ago.

"You seem to know quite a bit about me. Who are you, really?" Was he forced to use his strongest technique? His opponent hadn't used any moves at all—just simple defense—and yet Jed was pushed to go all out? How frustrating! How utterly frustrating! I hate this! I hate it!

"What, my useless subordinates didn't introduce themselves? Fine. I am Meruem, the King of the Chimera Ants from the Dark Continent. Surrender quickly. I am busy." The total amount of that strange resentment power on this guy had increased? Earlier, when facing me, it must have been frustration, or maybe resentment? Resentment? So his ability is tied to his resentment. That means his style grows stronger based on his emotions? Possible. But it can't rely solely on resentment. Young Jed didn't have such deep grudges, yet he could match Netero of the Heart Source Style. So this style is powerful too. And since he was friends with Netero, a righteous Heart Source Style master, it doesn't seem like an evil path. Based on the Movie Version and Netero's words, it seems Jed strayed into the Demonic Path of his own style. In simpler terms, Jed had gone berserk and fallen to the dark side.

"Chimera Ants? Never heard of them. But since you're so confident, do you dare take my strongest move?" Jed had grown manic, subconsciously ignoring the key point Meruem mentioned—the Dark Continent. As a member of the Hunter Association's Anbu, how could the Shadow Clan not know of the Dark Continent's reputation?

Why had only one exchange pushed Jed to this point? Was the Hunter Association's Anbu truly so pathetic? No. From Meruem's arrival to their clash, they had already fought many times in secret. But Jed was overwhelmingly defeated each time. Combined with the instinct that attacking meant losing, Jed—already driven mad by his fall to the Demonic Path—plunged into full frenzy.

"It seems you're finally going to use that move. Let me shatter that pride of yours."

"Arrogant!"