Chapter 42: Prediction and Exposure
Based on the situation in the original work, the Ant King's strength was extremely formidable. Even the Chairman couldn't handle it and ultimately had to resort to mutual destruction.
Now, the situation was different. The Chairman had four helpers. Mizusaki and Old Smoke could hold back the Ant King, while Su Xiao and Dust possessed powerful offensive capabilities. In a five-versus-one scenario, as long as the Ant King couldn't break through the defense line formed by Netero, Mizusaki, and Old Smoke, the Ant King would surely die.
The Ant King, whose skull had nearly been shattered, shook its head. The Duke of Annihilation's bullet hadn't fully penetrated its cranium; instead, it was deflected by the carapace on its head.
The numbness in its chest and the blurry vision made the Ant King realize one thing: the three enemies around it posed little threat, but the two humans in the distance were far more dangerous.
Only now did the Ant King understand that today's events were not a "farce" but a carefully laid ambush—one that could potentially kill it.
Realizing this, the Ant King abandoned its previous intention of "learning how the surrounding few fight." Now, if it could break through the three people around it, it would live; otherwise, it would die.
Before the Ant King realized this, it hadn't been fighting at full strength.
Crack, crack...
Cracks spread across the ground beneath the Ant King's feet.
On the distant watchtower, Su Xiao saw the Ant King gathering power through the scope. After observing its movements, Su Xiao was visibly stunned. The Ant King's combat experience was utterly pathetic.
Thinking about it, the Ant King had only been born a few days ago. Even if its learning ability was terrifying, the time was too short.
If the Ant King were allowed to accumulate rich combat experience, develop a suitable fighting system, or master a few Nen ability techniques, its strength would definitely reach the Fourth Rank.
Unfortunately, the Ant King now only fought with its body—or rather, it fought with brute force—so it only had the combat power of a top-tier Third Rank.
If we're talking about destructive power, the current Ant King could also reach the Fourth Rank, but destructive power and combat power are two different things. A strong lion, when facing a human with a gun, can't even put up the most basic resistance.
With a crack, the ground beneath the Ant King's feet fractured, and its body instantly vanished from its original spot. This was its first active attack.
As soon as the Ant King disappeared, Su Xiao quickly adjusted the scope and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A shockwave spread as the bullet flew out.
With a crash, the vanished Ant King reappeared, tumbling to the ground and rolling several times. A gaping hole the size of a bowl appeared in its lower abdomen.
The Ant King stood up, disbelief in its eyes. It had run straight into the bullet—or rather, the enemy had predicted its position.
"Beautiful!"
Old Smoke rushed toward the Ant King. Su Xiao's predicted shot shook Old Smoke's confidence, making him wonder if Su Xiao had really switched to being a sniper.
Pulling the bolt, a new bullet was chambered. This time, it was an Elemental Bullet (Dark).
Su Xiao's finger rested on the trigger, waiting for the opportunity Old Smoke had mentioned.
"Smoke Wreath."
As he charged forward, Old Smoke stretched his hands, and a web-like smoke appeared between his fingers.
The Ant King, clutching its lower abdomen with one hand, looked up and met Old Smoke's gaze.
"Not good!"
At that moment, Old Smoke felt the fear of death.
Boom!
The ground within a two-hundred-meter radius shook. The Ant King turned into a blur, appearing directly in front of Old Smoke, its fist aimed at his face.
"Smoke Substitute."
Old Smoke suddenly appeared in the distance, leaving a bewildered Mizusaki in front of the Ant King.
Mizusaki wanted to curse Old Smoke's ancestors for eighteen generations, but there was no time. Ice crystals quickly spread over her body, and the distant Frost Giant shrank several times in size.
With a boom, Mizusaki was sent flying by the Ant King's punch. Ice shards scattered everywhere. The ice crystals on her body shattered completely, and her back, which had taken the Ant King's punch, was deeply dented.
"False."
In the distance, Old Smoke slapped the ground with one hand, and a puff of smoke appeared on Mizusaki's body, rapidly restoring her sunken back.
Had Old Smoke tried to kill Mizusaki earlier? No. He knew she could withstand that punch from the Ant King, and he could only swap with her. If Old Smoke had taken that punch, he would have died for sure.
Mizusaki hit the ground and immediately jumped up, staring at Old Smoke in the distance. After a moment, she sighed helplessly.
"Too early."
Mizusaki flipped Old Smoke the middle finger. Old Smoke shrugged, indicating it was a necessary choice; otherwise, the Ant King would have crushed him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, shall we continue cooperating? If not, the difficulty of besieging the Ant King next time will increase several times. After we kill it, we take half the heart."
Old Smoke pressed his index finger against his wireless earpiece.
"Continue."
Dust's voice came through the earpiece.
"I don't mind either way."
Su Xiao also spoke. From the start of the battle, he had sensed something off about Old Smoke and Mizusaki. As the fight continued, that strange feeling grew stronger because their coordination was too tacit.
Logically, the four of them were cooperating for the first time. Even if Old Smoke, Mizusaki, and Dust had worked together against Pouf before, Old Smoke and Mizusaki's coordination was far too seamless.
Just now, Old Smoke had revealed his relationship with Mizusaki. They had started cooperating three derivative worlds ago and signed a temporary team contract.
This contract wasn't very binding—different in nature from an adventure group—but it ensured that Mizusaki and Old Smoke wouldn't turn on each other.
"Then let's continue. According to the information I've gathered, the Ant King gets stronger the longer it fights. The best method is to kill it instantly before it learns how to fight. Mizusaki, send in the Frost Giant. I'll help it with armor."
Old Smoke began to coordinate openly with Mizusaki.
Boom, boom...
The rumbling continued as the Chairman fought the Ant King. Although the Chairman was no match for the Ant King, he could hold it off for a short time.
Old Smoke and Mizusaki began to retreat. The Frost Giant Mizusaki had summoned returned to its original size. Not only that, but it was also covered in a layer of gray armor, wielding two heavy hammers.
Mizusaki sat cross-legged on the ground, her head lowered. She had transferred her consciousness into the Frost Giant's body, allowing for more precise control.
Old Smoke stood beside Mizusaki, both to protect her real body and to buff the Frost Giant, enhancing its strength and speed.
The Ant King was indeed getting stronger as Old Smoke had said. Earlier, it could only withstand the Chairman's attacks. Now, it had learned to release Nen and use it to sense enemy attacks instead of relying on sight. It had learned this from the Chairman three minutes ago.
Pfft.
The Ant King's palm blade thrust forward, severing one of the Chairman's arms.
The Frost Giant charged forward, stomping the ground and releasing a pulse of freezing energy.
Compared to the threat posed by the Chairman and the Frost Giant, the Ant King's attention remained fixed on the east side—where Dust was located.
Dust extended his index finger, the tip gathering an extremely dense concentration of dark elements. This move was called "Destruction Finger," one of Dust's five ultimate techniques.