"Ron, the time has come."
Ron nodded and stood.
In the next moment, his figure flickered and rose into the sky. Beneath him appeared a magical beast, its wings beating as it carried him higher and higher until the palace below looked no larger than a small block.
Netero's eyes followed Ron's ascent. Not far away, Morel, Knuckle, Shoot, Gon, Killua, and even the octopus Chimera Ant and the chameleon Chimera Ant who had temporarily joined the human side—all stood ready.
Ron's figure reached the air directly above the palace. Below, the King, Pouf, Youpi, and Neferpitou all seemed to sense something.
"There's something above us."
At that instant, another figure appeared beside Ron. It was Natsu. At the same time, Ron produced the Six-Harmony Sphere.
Flames erupted from both of Natsu's hands. As he brought his palms closer, the two red flames merged into one and turned golden.
"Ice!"
"Fire!"
"Explosion!"
"Corrosion!"
"Storm!"
"Lightning!"
Six different aura bullets formed in Ron's hands. Under his control, they fused together, releasing an immense pressure. Ron signaled to Natsu.
Natsu looked down and hurled the golden flame from his hand.
Like a falling meteor, it grew larger and larger as it descended.
Boom!
The moment it touched the ground, the golden flame detonated and spread outward at high speed, engulfing the surrounding area in a blazing sea of fire.
The flames roared. The shockwave toppled countless buildings.
Youpi felt the impact and smiled. "This attack is interesting."
Pouf narrowed his eyes.
The King's expression hardly changed, as though he considered such an attack unworthy of concern.
Neferpitou looked up. In the next instant, they bent their knees and leapt with tremendous speed straight toward Ron's position in the sky.
But Ron threw the aura bullet from his hand. The fusion of six attributes, combined with the vast amount of aura he poured into it, created a blast that even Neferpitou could not simply endure and continue climbing.
The attack forced them back, driving them downward until they struck the ground.
Bang!
Neferpitou twisted aside the instant they landed, but the explosion's power was impossible to evade completely. Multicolored energy flooded outward.
Compared to the Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame Natsu had unleashed earlier, this aura bullet was even more destructive. The entire palace felt its impact.
A squad captain-level Chimera Ant was killed instantly in the blast's aftermath. The human subjects who served the King fared even worse, utterly annihilated.
Nearly a third of the palace was destroyed.
Youpi, Pouf, and Neferpitou all grew solemn. This attack had surpassed their expectations. Even the King revealed an intrigued expression.
"To think someone could suppress Pitou. Are there humans this strong? Or perhaps this is what a true human powerhouse looks like."
Ron gazed down calmly as his body began to descend. Neferpitou prepared to strike again.
But before they could, Natsu clapped his hands together.
"Position Exchange!"
Suddenly, Youpi's body was wrenched away by a tremendous force, flung uncontrollably to the distance. In exchange, Netero appeared where Youpi had been.
The sudden appearance of Netero, radiating an aura even more overwhelming than Ron's, drew the attention of Neferpitou, Pouf, and even the King.
Netero looked at Pouf. He extended his fist and struck forward.
The colossal force smashed into Pouf before he could react, sending him hurtling far into the distance.
Only then did Ron land on the ground.
Netero's eyes locked onto the King. Ron's gaze fixed on Neferpitou.
"Shall we fight in earnest?"
Netero addressed the King. "You must also feel it, don't you? A desire for this battle. You and I, one on one, giving our all until one of us dies."
"Are you the strongest of humanity?" the King asked.
"No. I am not your match. But I can fight you."
The King paused. "Very well. I will fight you."
"Then follow me."
Netero turned and walked toward the battlefield he had prepared.
"King!"
Neferpitou tried to pursue, but Ron blocked their path.
"Your opponent is me."
Elsewhere, Youpi and Pouf were held at bay. Morel and the others were no match for the two Royal Guards, but by exploiting their limited understanding of Nen and coordinating through numbers and teamwork, they could at least stall them for a time.
The true battlefields numbered only two.
One was Netero versus the King.
The other was Ron versus Neferpitou.
Ron had been waiting for this day. He had reached the peak of an A-rank Nen user, just a step away from S-rank. He had absorbed nearly eighty percent of the Chimera Ants traits. Facing an opponent like Neferpitou—whose physical strength alone placed them in the S-rank—Ron was eager to see how he would fare.
A fight at full power.
Neferpitou glared at Ron, their expression dark. They lunged forward.
But before they could reach him, another figure appeared in front of Ron, blocking the strike.
"Rashomon, Susanoo!"
A dark red aura wrapped around Uchiha Sasuke. In this state, his defense was even stronger than Natsu's.
Bang!
Even so, against Neferpitou's charge, Sasuke could only retreat step by step.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Deep footprints sank into the earth beneath him.
But by then, Ron had already moved away. When Neferpitou turned to strike him again, Natsu's attack fell first.