Chapter 40: The Ant King's Weakness
A gale swept through, blowing away the dust and smoke within the palace ruins as wisps of cold air drifted into the distance.
"Old Smoke, why don't you send your Smoke Soldier to test him out?"
Mizusaki's voice came through the wireless earpiece.
"Why not send your Frost Giant? It's more suited for this kind of thing."
"The cold air it emits can reduce the Ant King's speed, so it can't afford to be shattered."
"..."
Old Smoke glanced at Mizusaki, then took a deep drag from the cigarette in his hand.
"Whoosh~"
Old Smoke exhaled a large cloud of smoke, which coalesced in front of him, eventually forming a figure identical to himself.
"Chairman Netero, perhaps you could make a probing attack? I can provide cover."
Old Smoke didn't use his Smoke Soldier but instead created a smoke clone. This clone had the exact same aura as him—it wasn't just a lifelike imitation; it was practically another Old Smoke in the flesh.
"Just what I had in mind."
Netero clasped his hands together in front of his chest. The movement seemed slow, yet no one could actually see how he did it.
As Netero made this gesture, golden light blazed behind him, and a towering golden statue over ten meters tall appeared, bearing dozens of arms.
This was Netero's ultimate technique, the Hundred-Type Guanyin. The term "Guanyin" could be completely disregarded, as the statue behind him bore no resemblance to any deity. The naming of Nen abilities was a matter of personal preference, and only Netero himself knew how he came up with this name.
"First Form."
Netero's hand chopped downward. As he made this motion, the statue behind him moved as well. One of its arms raised high and rapidly extended.
Boom!
A massive golden palm struck down on the Ant King's head. When hit, the Ant King's expression showed clear surprise, as it hadn't seen where the attack came from at all.
After the thunderous roar, a long, rectangular crater appeared where the Ant King stood. Sitting inside the crater, completely unharmed, was the Ant King.
"An attack too fast for the eyes to catch, huh."
The Ant King muttered, its gaze shifting to Netero, who happened to be looking back at it.
"Completely... unharmed."
The Chairman's eyes widened. He had anticipated the Ant King to be strong, but he never expected it to emerge unscathed after taking a direct hit from the 'First Form.'
Netero sighed inwardly. He was indeed getting old. The decline in his physical functions had led to a significant drop in his Nen abilities. As an Enhancement-type user, if he couldn't overpower his enemy head-on, defeat was likely.
"Is that all you've got?"
The Ant King stood up from the stone crater.
"It's not over yet."
The Chairman thrust both palms forward, and the Hundred-Type behind him extended two arms.
Crack!
A dull sound like a bell toll echoed as the Hundred-Type's massive hands clapped together, trapping the Ant King between them.
The Ant King couldn't dodge the Chairman's attacks at all. The Chairman's greatest strength wasn't his power but his speed. At the Hundred-Type's speed, not even the Ant King, which relied on visual tracking, could evade—nor could Su Xiao, who fought using instinct.
The Ant King seemed formidable, but its abilities were too simplistic. In truth, it had no real combat style; it relied solely on its powerful body—using strength, speed, and durability to fight.
The most troublesome aspect was the Ant King's durability. It felt as if it were forged from an alloy, its body exceptionally tough.
"Petty tricks."
Crack, crack, crack...
A grating sound came from between the Hundred-Type's palms, and a pair of blood-red eyes appeared. The Ant King was growing angry.
Drip.
The sound of water dripping reached the Ant King's ears. It was puzzled—the dripping seemed to be right beside its ear.
Drip.
Another drop of water fell, and a sharp pain shot through the Ant King's shoulder. It exerted force with both arms, pushing the Hundred-Type's palms apart with a thunderous crash.
Mizusaki stood behind the Ant King, holding a curved blade that was stabbed into its shoulder. The Ant King had been wounded, though the cut was less than a centimeter deep.
The Ant King turned its head to look at the woman behind it. This simple motion caused Mizusaki's undergarments to be instantly soaked through with cold sweat.
"Water poison... didn't work."
Whoosh~
A tail blurred past.
With a sharp crack, blood splattered. Mizusaki's head was directly crushed. The headless corpse took a step back before thudding to the ground.
"Ninety-Ninth Form."
The Chairman's hand swung forward rapidly. The Hundred-Type statue behind him raised its dozens of arms and slammed them down toward the Ant King and Mizusaki's corpse.
Boom, boom, boom...
Stone fragments flew, and smoke billowed. Faced with the Chairman's visually imperceptible attacks, the Ant King could only cross its arms in front of itself.
After over ten seconds, the Chairman's assault ended. Wisps of blue smoke rose from the Ant King's arms. Aside from the shallow wound on its shoulder, it remained otherwise unharmed.
After devouring that contractor with Nen abilities, the Ant King's physical strength had increased by at least 10%. This might seem minor, but considering the Ant King's already monstrous physique, a 10% boost was terrifying.
"Do you think I'm dead already?"
Mizusaki's voice came from beside the Ant King's ear. Its tail whipped around, turning the Mizusaki behind it into a mist of blood.
Not far from the Ant King, a small smoke formation enveloped Old Smoke. His face was deathly pale, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Old Smoke wasn't the only one inside the smoke formation. Mizusaki, who had been killed twice, also stood within it. Her real body had never approached the Ant King.
"Don't you fucking push it."
Old Smoke gritted his teeth and growled.
"Two more times. After two more, I'll definitely be able to immobilize it."
Mizusaki's expression wasn't much better. Though her body wouldn't be shattered by the Ant King, she had to endure the excruciating pain of death—far from a pleasant experience.
"Old Smoke, after actual combat, I've noticed the Ant King is more pathetic than expected. It's not obvious in a one-on-one fight, but facing this situation, it doesn't seem to know who to attack first. Or rather, is it learning quickly?"
"Right, I feel it too. This guy's only advantage is his freakish physical strength. In terms of combat experience, the Chairman can outclass him. But his learning ability is terrifying—it won't take long for him to figure out how to fight."
Old Smoke and Mizusaki's observation was also noticed by Chairman Netero. He immediately leaped backward. If they continued probing attacks, the Ant King would quickly learn his fighting style.
At first, the Ant King took the 'First Form' head-on. But when the Chairman used the 'Ninety-Ninth Form,' it had already learned to block with the armor on its arms, constantly adjusting its body angle to minimize the area under attack.
"Bai Ye, Chen, I can buy you five to one second. During that time, you must at least injure the Ant King and reduce its speed. Otherwise, this guy will only grow stronger the longer the fight goes on."