Jed VS Meruem II

"Hundred Ghosts Curse!" Jed, the leader of the Hunter's Dark Shadow of the Anbu, finally erupted. This was a technique as powerful as Chairman Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, the manifestation of an Enhancement Type Nen User's ultimate state. As the resentment around Jed intensified, a monster resembling a Japanese Ogre with horns on its head, clad in a kimono, a pale face, and a double chin, appeared before everyone. Its overwhelming aura was unmistakable, and the three Squad Leaders were instantly stunned.

Had they actually proposed fighting someone of this caliber? Were they delivering themselves on a silver platter, or what?

When had human experts become so numerous? Netero, who could slaughter a Squad Leader with ease, was bad enough, but now this Jed, who wasn't much weaker, had popped up too? Were they brothers? The three Squad Leaders' minds raced like ten thousand stampeding horses. They'd thought their own power had grown immensely—not invincible, but enough to carve out a kingdom. Who knew that every random encounter with the King would bring them face-to-face with such terrifying opponents? No wonder the King said they couldn't win. Indeed, if it came to a real fight, they'd likely die.

"An interesting ability." Meruem's reaction was very calm, only slightly curious as he sized up the ogre manifested by Jed's Hundred Ghosts Curse. In the Movie Version, this thing's arms could stretch to attack, and it seemed to have an AT Field too, but somehow it felt like a cheap imitation of 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. Was that just his imagination?

"An opening! Hundred Ghosts Curse—Destruction!" A glint of delight flashed in Jed's black eyes with golden pupils. He assumed Meruem was stunned by his Hundred Ghosts Curse. So what if the opponent's body was tough? So what if he'd been investigated? This technique of his couldn't be captured in mere words. A Nen User's battle wasn't absolute, nor was it the rigid logic of whoever had more strength and speed winning. Ability, intelligence, power, and experience—all were indispensable! The massive ogre's mouth spewed a Destruction Cannon as powerful as the Kamehameha, striking Meruem, who still stood in place.

"Even if he's not dead, he's badly hurt. To be looking around in the middle of a fight. But I won't let this chance slip—your life is mine, Jed. Die!" Jed watched Meruem get hit by his devastating attack and finally smiled. But he didn't intend to let it go at that, knowing full well that while the strike was powerful, it wasn't lethal enough to instantly kill someone, especially an opponent of Meruem's caliber. Still, he had great confidence in this move—even if the target survived by luck, they'd be gravely wounded. Strike while the iron is hot! A real fight didn't care about some so-called one-on-one Knightly Spirit of taking turns. That was for idiots or arrogant fools. Turning the tables from the brink of death, pressing the advantage, and seizing every opportunity—that was what a true strongman did.

So, Jed's Hundred Ghosts Curse launched a storm of attacks at Meruem's position.

"Such terrifying power. Do you think the King might get taken out?" Gudo watched the Japanese Ogre in the sky and swallowed hard. When Jed first unleashed the Hundred Ghosts Curse, the three of them had fled far away. It wasn't cowardice—they just didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of these two gods fighting. A single graze, and they'd be laid up for half a month.

"This guy's strong, but I don't think he can beat the King. The final winner will be the King." Aureole was calmer than Gudo.

"Not 'will be,' but 'definitely will be.' You two idiots, think back carefully to the King's power, like a demon god." Zazan was very confident in Meruem. She recalled the Nen Meruem had released when disciplining them in the palace. This man Jed was strong—so strong that the three of them together might not be a match. But he still fell short of the power the King had shown then. If facing Jed, the three of them had a sliver of hope, but against Meruem, even if they multiplied their strength several times over, there was none.

Yet even a King of this level didn't dare claim to be the world's strongest. Just how terrifying was this world?

"Right, the King will definitely beat this guy. Anbu Twelve Stars—Chou Niu greets the three Squad Leaders." Standing not far from them was a member of the Anbu Twelve Stars. As for Wei Yang and Purgatory's fight, it had stopped when Meruem appeared. The Dark Shadow Three Giants had moved to the other side, weaker than the Chimera Ant army and not wanting to be quietly killed while watching.

"Mm." A simple grunt was their only reply to Chou Niu. "Anything else? If not, move aside. You're blocking our view."

These three didn't think much of the Squad Captains, especially the so-called Anbu Twelve Stars. Before they'd grown strong, one of those Stars had taught them a lesson—not a fond memory. If not for the fact that these people were Meruem's subordinates, they might have killed them outright. A grunt was already a concession out of respect for Meruem, and it wasn't easy.

But while they thought that way, others didn't. Even as Squad Leaders, they had no right to be so arrogant. The other members of the Anbu Twelve Stars darkened their expressions, glaring at the trio. The twelve of them rose and fell together. Even Chou Niu, who'd been trying to make friendly contact, looked sour. Even a good-natured person couldn't take such treatment.

A few of them were already itching to act, but Chou Niu stopped them with a look. These three are still useful to the King, and we can't beat them now anyway, he communicated telepathically with the rest of the Anbu Twelve Stars. Though the last part was probably the real point.

"Everyone, bear with it for now. Don't worry—these three won't last long." Chou Niu said very confidently in their shared telepathic discussion. As members of the Anbu Twelve Stars, the King's most trusted Anbu after the Royal Guards, they knew many things other Chimera Ants didn't. Truth be told, Meruem had never fully trusted the Squad Leaders, not even those who'd followed him from the start. He only trusted Sky General Lei Zhenzi, Kolt, and Chief of the Reconnaissance Corps Cheetu. Kolt was bound by a great debt to Meruem and the existence of Reina—a Squad Leader with Bonds was the easiest to control. Cheetu was just too simple, almost unbelievably so for a Squad Leader, and that type was also easy to handle.

Aside from these two, even the Anbu Captain, Ace, wasn't fully trusted by Meruem. Instead, many Squad Captains had earned his trust. Compared to Squad Leaders, they were naturally weaker and less scheming, making them easier to control. The Anbu Twelve Stars were elite Squad Captains trained by Meruem over a long time, capable of handling even some strong Squad Leaders. Their loyalty to Meruem was second only to the Royal Guards. Meruem entrusted many tasks to them, so they knew more than other Chimera Ants.

Just then, Jed's assault began to ease. The massive double-chinned ogre behind him retracted its sharp claws, baring two long fangs in a grin. Its already small eyes narrowed into slits when it smiled. Without the fangs and horns, it might have looked less like a terrifying Hundred Ghosts and more like a Feminized Maitreya Buddha—ugly-cute.

"Hmph, I really am the strongest. You're next, Netero!" Jed turned gracefully, ready to leave without looking back. He believed no one could survive such a relentless barrage.

"Hey, where are you going? Is that all?" Before Jed could take two steps, a cold voice sounded behind him. Sure enough, villains could never stay cool for more than three seconds, and his earlier smug confidence had been a massive overplay.

"Nani? Masaka? Bakana!" Jed turned around stiffly. As the dust kicked up by the Hundred Ghosts Curse's attack settled, he saw that everything within a mile of the strike zone was in ruins. But one spot, less than a meter wide, remained untouched, and the person standing there was unharmed—just a bit of dirt on his clothes, not a single wound. What kind of defense was this? Not even Netero, with his life-costing 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva Zero, had done more than scratch Meruem in the original story, and that was against a premature, imperfect Ant King. This Meruem was the optimal product in every way—still capable of growth, but already near perfection. How could he be hurt by the Hundred Ghosts Curse, a technique that had lost to Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva? Impossible. To put it simply, in a head-on fight, Meruem feared no one. Especially after absorbing Netero's flesh and integrating the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva into his own martial arts, he couldn't even be hit unless he wanted to—like now, to absorb the essence of Jed's Hundred Ghosts Curse.

"Hey, esteemed Jed-sama, show me everything you've got." After enduring Jed's Hundred Ghosts Curse attack, Meruem had basically grasped its essence. All that remained was the strongest move, Hundred Ghosts Curse - Rakshasa, and some of Jed's flesh to fully master it. In short, it was a terrifying technique on par with the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. As for why it lost, that came down to the user.

"Damn it! You forced my hand! I was saving this for Netero, but dying to it should be an honor." Faced with the flawless Meruem, Jed was backed into a corner and prepared to unleash his life's ultimate technique: "Hundred Ghosts Curse - Rakshasa"!