King against King, General against General

"Gudo, stay out of this. That guy's my prey." Zazan forced Yin Hu and Kanzai back with her scorpion tail before shouting at Crocodile Gudo.

"Are you done with your side?"

"Of course. Those guys were way too weak to be fun. They died in no time, but they tasted pretty good. These Nen-using humans really are the most delicious thing in this world." Crocodile Gudo patted his belly as he spoke. He'd already taken out the floor masters in Heaven's Arena.

"Damn, another monster. Where the hell are these things coming from? Each one's stronger than the last. There probably aren't even that many humans this strong. Could these be the Chimera Ants that Chairman Morel and the others were investigating? That bastard Morel could handle one, but I've been stuck on this one forever. And that bitch wasn't even fighting me seriously before!" Yin Hu's face darkened, his fangs grinding against each other. If he wasn't sure he'd lose, and if another monster of unknown strength hadn't shown up, he'd have torn them to shreds already. Let them keep looking down on him.

"This kid's got some skill. If possible, I want him in my Ant Soldier Army." Zazan flicked her long hair back and shot Kanzai what she thought was a seductive glance. If she knew Kanzai saw her as nothing but a disgusting monster, she might just kill him herself.

"You still haven't given up on that Queen dream?" Crocodile Gudo's brain couldn't keep up. Women—he'd never understand what they were thinking.

"None of your business!" Zazan shot Gudo a glare, then turned to Kanzai.

"Kid, you've got talent. How about becoming my subordinate? Big sis won't treat you badly." She licked her lips as she spoke. Since her power boost, Zazan's personality had shifted. From her clean-freak narcissist days to this. Probably spring fever.

"No way. You're disgusting enough to make me sick." Kanzai refused without hesitation. He'd rather die than bow to a monster. And from what that new monster said, they ate people? Sure, Kanzai wasn't a saint, but he wasn't about to become a traitor to humanity!

"Hahaha! Zazan, you got rejected by your food!" Gudo and Zazan were never close anyway. If not for Meruem, the three of them wouldn't even be teaming up. So seeing Zazan humiliated, he laughed without mercy.

"Shut up, you gluttonous crocodile! Say one more word and I'll kill you!" Zazan's face burned with fury at the blunt rejection.

"Hmph. If the King hadn't banned infighting, you'd already be in my stomach." Gudo shot back just as fiercely.

"Fine, kid. You've pissed me off. I'm going to kill you." Zazan ignored Gudo, her killing intent surging toward Kanzai.

"Try it." Kanzai had no confidence, but he wasn't about to back down verbally. He had a hot temper.

"Power Reincarnation Injection." This time, Zazan didn't pull off her tail to transform. Instead, she stabbed the stinger at the tip into her own body. A burst of unimaginably powerful Nen erupted from her. Then her arms, legs, and limbs began to change, swelling rapidly into solid muscle. This was one of her new Nen abilities, Power Reincarnation Injection. An improvement on her old "Aesthetic Reincarnation Injection," which was useless in combat. As the name suggested, it boosted her strength.

"Speed Reincarnation Injection." After the transformation, Zazan went from a woman to a muscular tomboy, like Gem Hunter Bisky reverting to her true form. But she wasn't done. She stabbed the scorpion stinger into herself again. This time, it was Speed Reincarnation Injection, boosting her speed. Her thighs swelled another size, the bulging veins showing it was no small increase.

"I might actually die here." Cold sweat dripped from Kanzai's forehead. Even the earlier Zazan had been tough enough. Now she was an enhanced version—her speed and power had to have skyrocketed.

"Alright, I'm coming for you." The transformed Zazan gave Kanzai a contemptuous glance. But before the words even reached his ears, her attack was already there.

"Pfft, ah." Kanzai reacted in that instant, instinctively using Ken. But he still flew backward, slamming hard into the wall. The sheer force shattered even Heaven's Arena's reinforced walls. Kanzai couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood. Pain—he figured he'd broken several bones, maybe even damaged his organs. His lungs burned like fire.

"Damn it. What kind of monsters have this kind of speed and power? I have to use my Nen ability to fight back, or I'm dead in a few more hits. And I can't let her knock me down again, or I'll be a lamb for slaughter. Let's try it!" Kanzai's eyes turned blood-red. As they changed, his mouth and arms shifted too. Long fangs grew from his jaws, and sharp claws sprouted from his palms. His body hair thickened.

It was like a werewolf transformation. The character on his forehead became clearer and more distinct.

"Oh? Same kind of ability as mine? Looks like a body-enhancement type. Let me tear you to shreds! Yahahaha!" With a mad shriek, Zazan charged at Kanzai again.

"Tch, he dodged." Kanzai, his blood-red eyes wide, sidestepped Zazan's lethal strike as if he'd seen it coming. She kept attacking, but he either dodged with uncanny foresight or barely blocked, even landing a few counterattacks. But those were just minor scratches to Zazan—they'd heal soon enough.

"Hmm? Seems like it's not just simple body enhancement. Interesting." Zazan rested one hand on the other, stroking her cheek as she studied Kanzai curiously.

"But you're still going to die!" With that, she leaped at Kanzai again.

"Who's there?" Before reaching him, Zazan suddenly jumped back dozens of meters, staring warily at the spot behind Kanzai.

"Yo, Kanzai. Never seen you this pathetic." A rough voice sounded from behind Kanzai. Footsteps approached, and a man stepped out. He was bald except for two tufts of white hair on each side, like little braids, and his face was painted in colorful patterns like a Peking opera mask.

"Just finished a mission. Heard something big was happening here, so I came to check it out. Didn't expect to see you in such a sorry state. Rare sight." One of the Zodiac Twelve, the Three-Star Criminal Hunter Portwhite Gikante. Said to be the one closest to Chairman Netero in both reputation and strength among the Zodiac. Rumored to be the strongest of the Twelve, aside from Ging and Pariston, whose abilities were unknown.

"Cough. Didn't expect you to be the one saving me. If it's you, I can relax. Looks like I'll live after all." Kanzai spat out some bloody foam—he was pretty banged up. But the moment he saw the newcomer, his expression eased, even showing a hint of relief and gratitude.

"You're strong! Zazan, this one's mine. Don't you steal him." Gudo's face lit up at the sight of the man, then he turned to Zazan.

"You idiot. Can't you tell this man is incredibly strong? Even you and me together might not beat him." Zazan had learned her lesson about underestimating opponents, so she'd worked hard on gauging strength. She wasn't always accurate, but from the Nen spilling out around him, he was at least on her level—even her enhanced self. If they clashed head-on, she'd probably die first.

"Who said we're fighting him alone? Let's team up!" Crocodile Gudo grinned slyly. None of these Squad Leaders were pushovers. Even the arrogant Gudo was now suggesting a joint attack.

"Fine!" Zazan agreed without a second thought. The King's order was to kill all intruders, including this new guy. She couldn't beat him alone, so why not team up?

"Boom!" At that moment, the entire Heaven's Arena shook again. This time, it was more violent than any before.

"That's some strong Nen. Is the Chairman fighting someone? That feeling... Jed!" Portwhite looked up, muttering. His eyes seemed to hold a hint of nostalgia? From his tone, he knew Jed. Given his age, it made sense—he might have met Jed before the Shadow Organization was purged, not during the Chairman's era.

On the rooftop of Heaven's Arena.

Jed and Netero lay on opposite sides. But from their injuries, Netero looked far better.

"Jed, you've lost." Netero stood up, hands clasped together.

"Lost? I'm not as strong as you now, but I haven't lost." Jed slowly got up, leaning on the wall, and gave Netero a strange smile.

"Fifty-two." "Fifty-one." "Fifty." A faint voice counted something. Then a soft pfft—the sound of a blade piercing flesh.

"Refuge Vajra." A voice as emotionless as a machine rang out on the rooftop.

"Not good!" That was Netero's first thought.

But

Too late.