All Set

PS: Another new week, same old rules. If today's recommendation hits 100, I'll add an extra chapter ╭(╯ε╰)╮~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The pieces are all set. All that's left is to wait." Meruem toyed with a small bottle of purple blood in his left hand—this was Jed's blood. In his right hand, he held a chess piece. Unfortunately, due to his personality, Meruem had no interest in beating humans at chess games.

Moreover, while his past life had loved the pairing of the Ant King and Komugi, and in the original story they died together, which could be considered happiness, if it were him personally, Komugi would never be his type. He could like her personality, but he would never fall in love. Still, in this life, Meruem had found Komugi's home and given her plenty of help, a small compensation. Matters of the heart were something even someone as strong as Meruem couldn't force.

Sorry, Komugi. I can't give you love.

"My King, according to the reports from the three Squad Leaders, Jed has reached Heaven's Arena. Also, following your orders, we have killed the man named Goreinu." Already Snake, one of the Anbu Twelve Stars, knelt on one knee before Meruem and reported.

"Good. Well done." Meruem revealed a faint smile. The pieces were finally starting to move. Make a ruckus, make a ruckus—the bigger the mess you make, the better for my plan. As for killing Goreinu? Having already claimed Neferpitou as his own, Meruem couldn't tolerate even a speck of sand in his eyes. Even if that plot wasn't the original, even if it was just... ahem.

"Forgive my bluntness, my King, but why go to such lengths to find a man of no power?" As time passed, the Anbu Twelve Stars, whom Meruem trusted deeply, gradually became less formal in his presence.

Or rather, Meruem himself wasn't a serious person.

"I'm actually quite easygoing, as long as you don't go against my will." Meruem had said this more than once in front of others.

"That's none of your concern. I have my own methods." Meruem didn't want to dwell on the issue of spending massive manpower to find and kill Goreinu in the vast sea of people. Simply put, he just didn't like Goreinu. Well, it did have something to do with that doujin about Goreinu and the cat girl training.

"Yes."

Heaven's Arena was located within the Republic of Padokea. It was a paradise for fighting fans and the largest arena in the Hunter World.

Heaven's Arena had 251 floors and stood 991 meters tall, making it the fourth tallest building in the world. The entire tower was filled with fighting rings. From the first floor to the 200th, every ten floors was a tier, and only victors could advance upward. Over a billion spectators from around the world visited each year, and more than four thousand challengers lined up at the registration desk every day.

It was a place where the strong could earn money and the weak faced nightmares. In the original story, Gon and Killua had farmed money here.

From floors 1 to 99, all contestants had to test their strength on the first floor, which was packed with fighting rings. Judges would decide within three minutes, based on performance, which floor each contestant should be assigned to. Naturally, the stronger the performance, the higher the floor. Of course, the prize money here was the smallest—enough to buy a soda or a candy.

From floors 100 to 199, contestants got single rooms, and this was the best spot for farming money. Starting from floor 200, most fighters were Nen Users. Although there weren't many top-tier experts, they were all skilled in using Nen. The important thing was that after floor 200, there was no prize money—it was said to be for honor.

From floors 220 to 250, each floor had a Floor Master, theoretically the strongest beings in Heaven's Arena. But that number 250 always felt like Togashi was insulting the readers—maybe it was just an illusion.

Back then, Hisoka's fight with Kastro was only on floor 200, even though Hisoka was far stronger than the Floor Masters, based on the Movie Version's power scaling. And following the old TV series and the Movie Version, the strongest person in Heaven's Arena was probably the elevator girl.

That was all beside the point. In short, Heaven's Arena had a huge reputation, drew a lot of outside attention, and housed many powerful Floor Masters and Nen Users.

So it made sense for Jed to target it—provided he was strong enough.

After parting with Meruem, Jed spent a few days healing himself and his three subordinates, then a few more days rescuing the surviving remnants of the Shadow members imprisoned in various places. Though not as large as before, there were still several hundred people. Jed used some of his own blood to modify them all. But since these remnants were ordinary people in terms of talent, their power increase was very limited. And Jed never really considered them his main fighting force.

Unlike the Movie Version, Heaven's Arena wasn't hosting the giant biennial fighting tournament at this time. Nor were there thirty incredibly powerful Floor Masters from floors 220 to 250.

"Even though I'm not afraid of them, taking them out one by one would be a hassle." That was Jed's own words. Unlike the Movie Version, where the Floor Masters were unreasonably weak, this was reality. While Jed's strength definitely surpassed all thirty Floor Masters, they wouldn't be pushovers either. Dealing with them would take some effort, and he might even get injured—which was completely unnecessary. So choosing a time outside the biennial tournament was important. After all, not every Floor Master stayed in Heaven's Arena twenty-four hours a day—that would be boring. Everyone was a martial arts master, and constant training was the right path. Normally, only about five or fewer Floor Masters were permanently stationed at Heaven's Arena. Since there were challengers, some Floor Masters had to be present.

But five Floor Masters were nothing to Jed with the help of three Chimera Ant Squad Leaders.

Each Squad Leader would handle one Floor Master, and Jed would take on two himself. The remaining fighters on the other floors would be dealt with by Purgatory, Asura, and Evil Spirit. After defeating their opponents, they would inject them with Jed's blood to control them. As long as they weren't the type to prefer death over submission, they would all comply.

In just two hours, Heaven's Arena was purged.

The plot began to develop toward the Movie Version.

Now all that was left was Netero.

"What? Heaven's Arena has been taken over by a group of unidentified terrorists? They're demanding Chairman Netero come alone to a banquet, using the lives of all the spectators as hostages?" News of Heaven's Arena's fall quickly reached the Hunter Association.

No, it reached the entire country. The local military prepared to attack Jed and his group, but unless they used weapons of mass destruction, ordinary forces couldn't inflict any real damage on powerful Nen Users.

So, the local self-defense forces were wiped out.

"Oh, long time no see, Netero. Do you still remember who I am?" Using Asura's powerful mechanical control ability to instantly hack all the televisions, Jed appeared brazenly in the public eye.

"If you want everyone in this arena to be safe, then come in alone. I'll be waiting for you at the top floor. I'll repeat myself: I'll give you ten hours to think it over. If you want this—"

"This is... Jed!" With such a commotion, Netero couldn't help but know. He set aside his research plan on how to kill Meruem for now and quietly pulled a half-coin from his pocket. This was perhaps the one thing in his life he owed.

"Netero, looks like you still have some unfinished business." The speaker was a small old man who looked like an ET. The strongest existence in the Hunter World's strongest assassin family—Maha Zoldyck. A super-expert on par with Netero.

"Heh, that guy is the one I helped you take care of back then, right? Called Jed, wasn't it? That was decades ago. Brings back memories. That guy's strength back then wasn't much weaker than yours." Maha narrated while holding a teacup.

"How about it? Want my help this time?"

"No need, old friend. I want to handle this myself. I owe him this. I never expected him to be resurrected like this, in such a monstrous form." Netero's expression was somewhat dejected—an expression he hadn't even shown when facing the overwhelmingly powerful Meruem.

"Alright. He's already gone down the wrong path. He's no match for you now. Finish it quickly." With those words, Maha vanished from his seat. Maha Zoldyck's ability to read people was extremely sharp. As the world's top assassin, assessing a person's strength was the most basic skill, and Maha had fought Jed before.

Maha Zoldyck had once attempted to assassinate Chairman Netero, and Netero was the only person to survive an encounter with Maha Zoldyck. But in reality, the two had always known each other. For certain reasons, their relationship was both adversarial and friendly. In the original Chimera Ant Arc, when Netero attacked the Ant King's palace, the ally he invited was Maha Zoldyck's grandson, Zeno Zoldyck.

"Chairman, please let me go with you! It's too dangerous for you alone, and you still haven't fully adapted to that new arm, have you? Knuckle is already missing. I don't want you to..." When Netero, dressed in white, arrived in front of Heaven's Arena, a man in sunglasses with a huge pipe on his shoulder spoke up. A one-star Marine Hunter—Morel. Netero's right arm, which should have been severed by Meruem, was back, though the color and muscles were a bit off. That's right—it wasn't Netero's original arm, but another one. While there were many strange and varied Nen abilities, there were some that could regrow an arm. But it would take a long time to return to its former state, and until then, it would be useless in battle. So to quickly restore his combat power, Netero had to replace his arm. Though not as strong as before, it was functional in battle, with only occasional discomfort.

"Enough. Jed's target is me, and I have a score to settle with him." Chairman Netero's eyes were no longer as kind as usual, but sharp like a sword about to be drawn. "And your mission is to rescue the hostages with the Zodiac Twelve. As for that man Jed, you're no match for him yet."

"Sigh... Understood."