Explosions Are Art

PS: Sorry, today's update is a little late. Hurry up and hand over those votes!

"If you want to fight, then fight. Hyakki Yagyō!" Behind Meruem, a hundred different kinds of demons and monsters materialized once again.

"100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva - First Hand, Second Hand, Third Hand!" Netero paid no attention to Meruem, simply unleashing his signature techniques in a relentless assault.

"Once I've seen a technique, it can't succeed against me a second time." Though Meruem had never faced Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva directly, he had a complete grasp of its forms and movements. Netero had no idea that Meruem possessed a broken ability like Taotie Feast. After Netero's arm was devoured, Meruem had already mastered most of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. The only one he hadn't learned was the Zeroeth Hand.

"100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva - Ninety-Ninth Hand!" Seeing his attacks completely ineffective, Netero could only resort to his strongest technique aside from the Zeroeth Hand.

"Naive. Do you really think a move like that will work on me now? I told you, you can't win. Since that's the case, watch it again—Hyakki Yagyō - Lord of Chimi Mōryō!" The hundred demons gradually merged into a single black shadow radiating malevolent intent.

The massive black shadow threw a single punch at the Guanyin Bodhisattva before it, which was continuously slamming down with enormous palms. An incredibly simple punch. No matter how many attacks you throw, I only need one.

That simple punch not only blocked the descending palms but also struck the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Bodhisattva hard, producing a sound like a bell being struck.

"Pfft." As the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Bodhisattva took the hit, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from Netero's lips. Defeated, defeated. His prized 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva had been broken by a single straight punch.

"What technique is that?"

"Complexity reduced to simplicity. This is what they call the realm of the heavy sword without edge, great skill appearing clumsy. You probably don't understand that, so just think of it as absolute power shattering your flashy, impractical moves." Were Netero's moves truly flashy and impractical? Of course not. Meruem only said that to demoralize him. Whether it would affect Netero's state of mind—who knows? ┑(￣Д￣)┍. If it did break Netero's spirit, wouldn't that be a win? But it was true that Meruem had shattered Netero's technique with absolute power. No matter your tricks, I only need one punch. Don't back down, just face it head-on! Cowards lose for life, and fist-to-fist combat is a man's romance! These had always been Meruem's beliefs.

"Hehehe. I never thought the strongest martial artist I'd meet in my life would be a monster. I never thought the one who could defeat me would be a monster." Netero stared at his own hands, muttering to himself. "Ohohoho, I never imagined I'd encounter an opponent like you in my old age. I'm very happy, truly happy. I may not be your match, but take one more move from me. I'll use this move to break your martial path!" Netero looked at Meruem, not discouraged by the breaking of the Ninety-Ninth Hand, but instead burning with renewed fighting spirit.

"Interesting. Bring out whatever new tricks you have. Let this King shatter your pride to pieces." The next move must be the Zeroeth Hand. I wonder what feeling it'll bring me. But after this move, it'll be your death, Netero. Tonight has dragged on long enough. Let's end it soon.

In the original story, the Ant King used his physical advantage to endure countless strikes from Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, found openings, and then tore off one of Netero's arms and one leg with sheer brute strength. In other words, the original battle between Netero and Meruem was simply a fight between a powerful beast and a martial artist. But now, the battle between Meruem and Netero was different—it was a fight between two martial artists. Though one still relied on overwhelming force, the level was entirely different. What Netero wanted was to use the Zero Hand to break Meruem's martial path, because compared to the beast-like fighting of the former, the martial artist's path offered far greater potential for growth. Netero believed that even if he couldn't win, he could at least leave a flaw in Meruem's martial path. That way, future generations might have a chance to defeat him. A proud Chairman of the Hunter Association, placing his hopes on future generations—how pathetic.

"Hmm!" Netero clasped his hands together, every muscle in his body trembling continuously. Surges of powerful Nen flowed through him, finally concentrating between his palms. Even Meruem had to admit that Netero's move had the potential to harm him. The Nen within those palms was already astonishing.

"Ha!" With a loud shout from Netero, the Guanyin Bodhisattva behind him emitted a blinding light.

"Ohh, so this is the secret of the Zeroeth Hand. Concentrating all the Nen in your body to deal damage to the opponent. A very all-or-nothing move. But not practical at all. You see, every technique should use seven parts force and hold back three. If this desperate move fails, you'll fall into an abyss of no return. And it's even draining your life force? This old man doesn't want to live anymore. He's planning to use a nuclear bomb as his final trump card, trying to blow me up? Do you think I'll let you have your way?" Meruem observed the Zeroeth Hand's characteristics while commenting, finally flashing a mocking smile at Netero.

"I'll take this move head-on. Let's see what you can do to me." Meruem crossed his arms, wrapping himself in Nen—"Ren." A basic Nen technique that enhances defense across the board. Meruem wasn't stupid. Saying he'd take the move head-on didn't mean he'd use his bare body.

"100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva!" The massive Guanyin Bodhisattva wrapped its hands around Meruem, who watched calmly.

"Zeroeth Hand!! Haaah!" The giant Guanyin Bodhisattva slowly opened its mouth toward the Meruem held within its hands, growing larger and larger. A beam of light containing terrifying destructive power enveloped Meruem. Then came a violent tremor. With the beam's attack, the entire Heaven's Arena began to collapse.

"Not good! Get out of here! What kind of monsters are fighting on the top floor? The level of Nen from earlier is like nothing a human should possess!" The Nen Users still fighting inside Heaven's Arena all dropped their opponents and prepared to flee. No kidding—with the combat power of those on the rooftop, everyone here combined would just be cannon fodder.

"Damn it! I didn't manage to kill that guy!" A massive, muscular red figure kept cursing. Beside him lay a crushed pipe and three corpses. The three were the other members of Morel's squad, while Morel himself, the strongest of the four, had narrowly escaped, though badly injured. This red figure was Youpi, the strongest of the three Royal Guards in terms of raw power. Standing beside him was an unusually respectful Lion—Aureole. Aureole had completely lost his former arrogance, replaced by willing submission. He had thought that after his enhancement, he had become incredibly strong, but one super-strong expert after another kept appearing. Now he finally understood the gap between himself and the King and Royal Guards. In the face of absolute power, there was only submission or death. Aureole didn't want to die. Only now did he realize the insignificance of his own strength.

"This building looks like it's going to collapse. Let's call it a day. Kanzai, let's go." Botobai Gigante looked at the cracks spreading across the floor and walls, then spoke to Gudo and Zazan. Neither objected. Though they were confident, they had no faith in surviving a collapsing building. But since Botobai Gigante had arrived, they hadn't fought much. With the situation unclear, no one made any rash moves—just a few probing feints.

"Boom!" Finally, Heaven's Arena's structure couldn't take it anymore and began to crumble. By then, all the Nen Users inside had already evacuated. The only ones left were probably the ordinary spectators. Truly, when gods fight, mortals suffer.

When the building fully collapsed, the battle's impact spread for hundreds of meters. Though the central area around Heaven's Arena was heavily damaged, the rest was relatively fine. Almost no lives were lost. It was just a pity that Heaven's Arena, a world-class fighting venue with centuries of history, had finally met its end today.

"Hah... hah..." Amid the rubble at the center of the former Heaven's Arena site, an aged figure like a withered tree gasped for breath. From the clothing, one could barely recognize him as Hunter Association Chairman Netero. But the old man who loved jokes and acted undignified was gone, replaced by a decrepit body on its last legs, with only a few breaths left before the oil ran out. His eyes, once sharp and spirited, were now hollow and lifeless. If not for the constant panting, he might have been mistaken for a dried-up mummy.

"Heh, hahahaha!" Just then, a hand emerged from the rubble, followed by a young man in tattered clothes climbing out. He had several scrapes, but nothing serious. He looked a bit disheveled, but compared to Netero's miserable state, it was nothing. This young man was Meruem. Unfortunately, Netero's life-costing attack hadn't dealt him any real damage. "Exhilarating, exhilarating. It's been a long time since I've felt this good. A long time since I've had such a fist-to-fist exchange with someone."

"Netero, it's a pity. The attack you paid with your life for couldn't harm me. And I've already learned your 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva. It's a shame—the techniques you spent years, even decades, perfecting are quite impressive. But now they belong to me."

"Damn ant. Even the Zeroeth Hand couldn't touch him. There's only that option left. I'm sorry to the residents nearby. But your sacrifice will be worth it. Killing this monster—everything is worth it. This guy is... too dangerous."

"Ant King Meruem, don't underestimate humans." Netero's smile turned eerily dark and strange. It was a different kind of confidence. Yes, he was smiling. Netero, whose life force had been drained to the last drop, barely clinging to existence, looked at Meruem with the gaze of someone staring at a dead man walking.