Fall

PS: Can't you all see the pictures I posted? Why can I see them myself? 00

"Are you insane?" Jed shouted.

"No, he isn't. I'm afraid he received a commission from those leaders." Netero gradually regained his clarity. He only needed to think for a moment to understand. His old friend Jed had likely been used by the Ant King—or rather, he himself had been part of the scheme as well. First, the Ant King used Jed's eagerness for revenge to create a massive disturbance. Then he deliberately allowed himself to be captured, letting Jed threaten the entire world: if they did not reveal the Dark Notebook, he would execute Netero. Naturally, those leaders would refuse such an exchange. Yet because of Jed's strength, they had no way to eliminate him. After all, even he, the Chairman of the Hunter Association, had been captured. Then, when those leaders were in complete disarray, the Ant King would appear at the right moment. As long as he could eliminate Jed and resolve this crisis, those leaders would certainly trust him. No—simply killing Jed probably would not be enough. Netero himself was likely on the Ant King's kill list. All he had to say publicly was that he had arrived too late, that Jed had broken his promise and tried to kill Netero. After that, he only needed to feign weakness and ask those leaders to grant the Chimera Ants some living space, offering information about the Dark Continent in return. Those greedy leaders would very likely agree to his terms. They had coveted the Dark Continent for a long time. Then the Hunter Association would have no excuse to openly move against them. And after Netero died, perhaps only Morel would understand how terrifying these monsters were. His previous proposal to eradicate the Chimera Ants would probably be rejected. What terrifying scheming. The only thing he did not understand was why the Ant King had been so certain that Netero would fail and be captured by Jed.

If Meruem knew what Netero was thinking, he would surely tell him: he had watched the anime and knew what Jed's backup plan was, which was why he had arranged things this way.

But sadly, no matter how clever the scheme, he was still just an insect. It seemed that tonight, no matter what, he would die here. It was only a pity for the ordinary citizens of this city. Ant King Meruem, tonight I'll show you humanity's malice. That was not something ants like you could bear.

"You bastard! You actually used me!" Jed was no fool. He quickly understood Meruem's plan. He had actually been used by this damned monster. Jed roared furiously at Meruem.

"There's no such thing as using you or not using you. Even if I hadn't come to you, you were planning to do this anyway, weren't you? The winner takes all. It's that simple. Your goal is to kill Netero, and so is mine. What do you say? Submit to me, and you can still kill Netero yourself." Jed was quite strong. If possible, Meruem truly wanted to recruit him into his ranks. The Chimera Ants simply had too few elite combatants. Counting them, there were only himself, Pitou, Pouf, and Youpi. Those Squad Leaders and the Anbu Twelve Stars could only be considered decent. They were not yet top-tier combat power.

"Not a chance, you damned monster!" Jed rejected him without hesitation. By now, he hated Meruem to the bone. Meruem's idea had been a good one. If Jed were willing to abandon the plan to reveal the Dark Notebook and give up revenge—though that would only be temporary, since Meruem had no intention of obediently becoming those leaders' lapdog—it might have worked. But Jed had his own pride, the pride of a warrior. He could never submit to anyone, especially not someone who had deceived and exploited him. He was not someone who feared death.

"Ah, negotiations have broken down. Then I can only kill all of you." Meruem wore an expression as if he had expected this, then spoke casually. His confident tone made it sound as though he were doing something utterly insignificant. In truth, it was more or less that simple. Against two wounded men, if Meruem still could not kill them, that would be truly absurd. Even if they were uninjured, Meruem could kill them both. Of course, that was assuming there was no nuclear bomb.

"What a joke. I won't let you have your way. Asura, connect me to the network. I want the whole world to see this live broadcast!" Jed glared at Meruem through gritted teeth as he gave the order. Was this mutual destruction? Since you ruined my plan, then I'll ruin yours.

Sadly, Jed received no reply from Asura.

"Asura! Did you hear my order? Asura! Damn it!" Jed snarled.

Yet in the surveillance room of Heaven's Arena, Asura, one of Jed's Dark Shadow Three Giants, lay in a pool of blood. Beside him stood a winged man—Pouf, one of the Ant King's Royal Guards.

"My apologies. To keep certain people from causing trouble, my loyal subordinate has already taken care of a few matters for me. Sorry, Jed-san, but your hopes have been dashed. I told you already. Today, you will all die." Meruem flashed his white teeth in a smile at the two of them.

"Purgatory, release Netero now! Damn it! I never thought I'd choose to join forces with you! But if you and I work together, we still have a sliver of a chance. Purgatory, I order you! Release Netero!" Seeing Meruem's actions, Jed had completely lost his composure. Having fought Meruem before, he deeply understood just how terrifying his opponent's strength was. Let alone his injured self—even at his peak, he probably would not have had much chance of winning. His only hope was to join forces with Netero. Otherwise, there truly would not be even the slightest hope, because he knew Meruem absolutely had the strength to kill them.

Yet strangely, Purgatory, one of the Dark Shadow Three Giants, did not undo the black chains after hearing Jed's command. She merely continued staring blankly at the ground.

"Purgatory! I order you to release Netero!" Thinking that Purgatory had not heard him, Jed emphasized the command again.

Netero looked at Purgatory, then at Meruem standing some distance away with an amused expression. He understood.

"Jed, stop shouting. I'm afraid your subordinate has already—"

"Purgatory has betrayed you! Hahahaha!" Before Netero could finish, Meruem cut him off.

"How is that possible? Why?" Jed's mental state was already showing signs of collapse.

"Because you never understood what your subordinates wanted! Did you think everyone only wanted revenge? What could you give them? Did you really bring them hope? No! You only brought them destruction. Only a few hundred members of the Shadow Clan remained. Yet instead of finding them a stable life so they could continue on, you led them into the abyss. Did you really think everyone would follow you to their deaths? Jed, don't treat everyone like an idiot! Perhaps they want revenge too! Perhaps they want to personally kill the enemies who destroyed their homeland! But that isn't all they want! More people simply want to find a stable place and live peaceful lives! They know they lack the power for revenge. They know that the continuation of their race is what matters most! Because I will bring them a world without troubles, without sorrow, without harm—a world where everyone is happy, everyone is at peace, and everyone is equal!" Meruem's words stabbed into Jed's heart like swords.

"Does such a world really exist?" Netero murmured.

"You all deserve to die! Don't forget, you can only follow me, because your lives and deaths are in my hands! You signed contracts with Resentment! I'll make every last one of you traitors die!" In his rage, Jed pulled out a blue flame brimming with life from his hand and crushed it viciously. Those flames represented the members of the Shadow Clan who had signed contracts with Jed. In other words, Jed held their lives and deaths in his hands.

Yet after he crushed the flame, the shackles on Netero's body remained. And although Purgatory's life force dropped sharply the instant the flame shattered, she did not die.

"How is that possible? Why aren't you dead?!"

"What a pity, Jed! First, I must thank you! The Shadow Clan members who had not betrayed you were all killed by you just now." Meruem spoke as though he were discussing something immensely delightful, and in truth, it really did delight him. "Those Shadow Clan members who betrayed you—oh no, I should say, those loyal to me—are completely fine. Originally, it would have been troublesome for me to break their contracts with you. But now? You broke all of them yourself. They suffered a few injuries, but you saved me quite a bit of time."

"Resentment! You aren't the only one who can use it! I learned a technique of this level after seeing it once. And look carefully. It may seem similar, but that isn't the Resentment you bestowed!"

Following Meruem's pointing finger, Jed looked over. At some point, a chubby little bug radiating golden light had appeared on Purgatory's body, clinging to her head. The Resentment Aura around Purgatory had long since vanished. What radiated from her body was her own Nen. It was merely that when it gathered at the top of her head, the chubby bug concealed its original nature.

"No! Damn it! I'll kill you, you bastard! Hundred Ghosts Curse - Rakshasa!" Jed's pupils could no longer be seen. His eyes contained nothing but darkness. Rage had completely overwhelmed him, and he had lost all reason. Only one thought remained in his heart—kill Meruem.

"Don't, Jed! You're no match for him!" Netero shouted. He understood clearly that Jed was not Meruem's opponent. If Jed could kill Purgatory and free him now, perhaps the two of them would still have a sliver of hope by joining forces. But Jed had chosen the most foolish course possible: facing Meruem alone.

"Has rage clouded your reason? Heh heh. Then die. Before you do, let me show you the power of your Hundred Ghosts Curse after I improved it."

"Hyakki Yagyō - Lord of Chimi Mōryō!"