Starting Today, I'm the Demon King

PS: Since I updated early in the morning, give me your recommendation votes =￣ω￣= Rolling around begging for votes.

"Your smile is ugly." Netero, are you planning to kill yourself and use the "Poor Man's Rose" nuclear bomb against me? Too bad—you won't succeed. I've been guarding against that move all along.

"Checkmate! I'll be waiting for you in hell! Your end was always meant to be death." Netero trembled as he raised his left hand, forming two fingers and slowly driving them toward his own heart.

"Don't be in such a hurry to kill yourself, Netero. That backup plan of yours is a nuclear bomb, isn't it? Or should I call it 'Poor Man's Rose' instead? Do you really think something like that could kill me?" Just as Netero prepared to end his own life, Meruem spoke, mocking him.

"How is that possible? Why... how do you know?" Netero's trembling fingers stopped at the spot over his heart. How did this monster know this secret? This was a top-secret plan that even humans shouldn't have known about—how did this creature find out? He had been fully resolved to sacrifice himself, no matter what. Why? Unprecedented shock rippled through Netero, the man who always seemed to have everything under control, who never lost his composure. Even he finally wore that expression now. It was a look filled with despair, confusion, and deep anger. Who had betrayed humanity? Who had betrayed him?

"Netero, you must be wondering who betrayed you right now, aren't you? Too bad—I won't tell you. Go to hell with your doubts and resentment. But I won't be joining you. You'll meet plenty of companions there, though—your Hunter Association... companions." Meruem paid no heed to Netero's despairing gaze, instead laughing with great satisfaction. It was the smile of someone who had finally avenged a great wrong. Look at you now. You, who pressured and threatened me even before I was born. In truth, there was no real enmity between us—you just did things you shouldn't have. When I watched the anime in my past life, I deeply admired your self-sacrificing spirit. But now that your self-sacrifice is aimed at me, I can't say I'm pleased. Sorry, Netero. Don't be a Hunter in your next life.

"Four-Dimensional Mansion Transfer!" The threat of the nuclear bomb had already been dealt with by Meruem during his fight with Jed. That punch he threw at Netero wasn't just an ordinary blow—it contained Meruem's probing and spatial transfer abilities. That single punch had already marked the bomb inside Netero. It was a modified version of the Nen ability Four-Dimensional Mansion, which Meruem had taken from Knuckle. As long as Meruem wished, he could transfer the bomb at any time. He simply hadn't done it earlier to avoid arousing Netero's suspicion—after all, something inside one's own body is easy to detect. And on the other end of the dimensional passage, Meruem had marked the Hunter Association headquarters. The bomb exploding there would certainly be very interesting.

"Goodbye, Netero!" The moment he transferred the "Poor Man's Rose" nuclear bomb to the Hunter Association headquarters, Meruem also ended Netero's life.

"My hands are stained with blood. But I don't care, because in truth, every one of us is an executioner, ending the lives of other creatures without even realizing it. My wish is actually very simple—I just want to live on properly. Being able to come to the world of Hunters is truly a blessing. But there will be more worlds ahead, and I really want to experience them all. There's still a little time left before I leave this world. For me, this world is still too dangerous. Even with my past-life knowledge of the anime, this world's scope is just too vast. There are too many uncertain factors. But one day, I'll return. And when I do, no one will be able to defy my words. I will be the Kami of the new world." Meruem murmured as he watched Netero's blood drip from his fingers onto the ground. His voice grew louder as he spoke, and by the time he declared himself the Kami of the new world, there was a hint of madness in his eyes.

"Pfft, I'm way too chuunibyou. Heh heh hahahaha." As the saying goes, coolness never lasts more than three seconds—that's exactly the kind of person this is. With a few unrefined laughs, he completely ruined the solemn atmosphere he'd built up. Good thing no one was around, or they'd think some patient had escaped from a psychiatric ward.

"Well then, let me be chuunibyou one last time. Fellow Hunters of the Association—explosion is art!" Meruem covered the left half of his face and one eye with his palm, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

Thousands of kilometers away, a rose-shaped mushroom cloud rose above the Hunter Association headquarters. Then came the magma formed from vaporized buildings and endless wails, creating a scene like a living hell.

The group that had left when the building collapsed earlier gradually returned. After all, their respective leaders were here. But the Hunters who came only found Netero's corpse, dried up like a mummy.

"Chairman!" The first to notice Netero's state was Morel. After all, Morel was one of the Hunters who had followed Netero the longest, and he knew that Netero had been preparing his ultimate move, Zeroeth Hand, to deal with the Ant King. He also knew that using it would drain all of Netero's life force. So he recognized the mummified Netero at a glance. But because Meruem was standing in front of Netero's body, he didn't dare step forward—it was a purely instinctive fear from Morel's body.

"Nonsense! How is that possible? Such a powerful Chairman—how could this be? Who the hell are you? What do you have to do with the Chairman's death?" The speaker was Yin Hu, Kanzai. Upon hearing Morel's voice, he stared at the mummy-like corpse with an expression of disbelief. Though he looked down on Morel's strength, he knew that Morel, as a fellow Hunter, wouldn't joke about something like this.

"You bastard." Yin Hu, Kanzai, clenched his fists in fury, glaring viciously at Meruem. Just as Kanzai was about to charge forward and fight Meruem, a large hand pressed down on his shoulder.

"Do you want to die? Don't go over there!" The one stopping Kanzai was Portwhite Gikante of the Zodiac Twelve. Like Morel, he sensed Meruem's boundless Nen.

"That guy's strength is beyond what you can imagine. Even I might not be his match. Going up there would just be throwing your life away. Fall back."

"Damn it! As a fellow member of the Zodiac Twelve, don't think you can order me around. Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Kanzai punched a nearby piece of building rubble in frustration, shattering it to pieces.

"King." At the same time, several members of the Chimera Ant Army arrived before Meruem, staring down Morel's group. But without Meruem's orders, they wouldn't act rashly—even though their numbers and strength were enough to wipe out the opposition. The Hunter team, meanwhile, didn't dare to leave or attack. The man before them was incredibly powerful, and his allegiance was unclear. Whether he was connected to the Chairman's death was still unknown. And those monsters they had been fighting earlier were now standing beside him—the enemy was likely not a friend.

"Good evening, friends of the Hunter Association. First, let me introduce myself. I am Meruem, King of the Chimera Ants. I came here on the orders of the world's leaders to eliminate the extreme evildoer named Jed. By the time I arrived, Jed had already gravely wounded Chairman Netero. I gave my all to rescue him, but Jed's strength was too great. In the end, Chairman Netero and I had to join forces just to hold him off. Unfortunately, Netero was getting old, while Jed only grew fiercer. With no other choice, Netero unleashed the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva - Zeroeth Hand—truly a technique of the highest caliber. In the end, we managed to eliminate that villain. But Chairman Netero exhausted all his life force. He had only a few breaths left, but he refused to live on in that state. He asked me to end his life—he would rather die fighting than wait for death in silence. He was a truly admirable man." Meruem lied without batting an eye or missing a beat. After all, the only one who knew the truth, Purgatory, had already been transferred along with her people into Meruem's Four-Dimensional Mansion. And even if they spoke, who would believe them? He was the only living witness left—he could spin the story however he wanted. As for whether they believed him? Believe it or not—as long as the leaders believed it, that was enough. What could the Hunters of the Association do? Their headquarters had been blown up by a nuclear bomb. What could the survivors do to him? If they didn't like it, SOLO! He'd slap them silly.

"I deeply regret Chairman Netero's death, but I believe this was the way to respect him—to respect a martial artist. A warrior must die spectacularly; the battlefield is their true home. If you want revenge, come at me. I won't fight back." To make his story more convincing, Meruem put on a righteous and noble air, as if he truly would let them strike him down. Unfortunately, aside from Kanzai, no one present was simple-minded. They didn't believe a word of Meruem's nonsense. But on the surface, they didn't dare defy him, repeatedly claiming they wouldn't dare.

"But what about those guys? Why were they fighting us earlier?" Kanzai pointed at Pouf and the others standing behind Meruem. Morel and the others inwardly cursed. Though they didn't know why the enemy hadn't silenced them, bringing this up now was clearly ill-timed.

"Oh? You mean these subordinates of mine?" Seeing Pouf about to speak, Meruem waved his hand to silence him. He didn't need to hear it—he knew exactly what Pouf would say. Something about insolence or rudeness. He acknowledged Pouf's high intelligence, but whenever it involved Meruem himself, the guy turned into a brainless idiot.

"They all came here with me to eliminate Jed and his Shadow Army. The conflict with you was probably because they mistook you for Jed's allies. In fact, I'm the one who's curious about why you're here. The leaders' orders never mentioned any Hunter Association involvement." Meruem continued his bullshit.

"But—" Kanzai seemed unwilling to let it go, wanting to argue further.

"Enough, Kanzai. Now is not the time for this. What matters now is settling the residents here and preparing Chairman Netero's funeral." Portwhite Gikante interrupted Kanzai again. Though he had his doubts, his instincts told him the man before him was definitely suspicious. But he didn't want to stir up more trouble and cause unforeseen incidents.

"I deeply admire Chairman Netero. I hope I can attend his memorial service." As Morel and the others left, Meruem spoke with a sincere expression.