"Ahahaha, ora ora ora, take this!" Ogre hurled wave after wave of ki blasts like something out of Dragon Ball at his opponent. But his opponent wasn't the movie's self-defense troops or Heaven's Arena floor masters—it was Shen Monkey, one of the elite division captains of the Chimera Ants, a member of the Anbu Twelve Stars.
Renowned for agility, Shen Monkey easily slipped past one barrage after another.
"Not bad. Then I'll get serious." Pale blue flames flared around Ogre's huge fists as he kicked off hard, charging Shen Monkey. Close combat and raw power were his forte.
"If you want war, I'll give you war!" Shen Monkey's body rapidly bulked up. If he'd looked like a scrawny little monkey before, now he was a big black gorilla—massive arms and a barrel chest that didn't look any weaker than his opponent's.
"Adadada!" Just as their fists were about to collide in a head-on smash, Shen Monkey's forearm fur turned to steel-like needles, and the color of his arms shifted from black to a cold metallic sheen.
Ogre didn't care; he still swung for a brutal clash. The impact screeched like metal grinding across stone.
"Not bad, kid." Ogre rubbed his aching right hand; the blue flames guttered a bit. Meat against metal hurts, and Shen Monkey wasn't any better off.
The needle-like fur was starting to soften and melt, and his right fist was swollen red from the strike. Ogre's flames weren't simple either. Both were surprised by the other's power and began to take each other seriously.
Ogre's fists erupted with hotter, fiercer blue fire, while Shen Monkey's arms went faintly translucent—an upgrade from metal: diamond.
"Mechanical Devourer—Phantom!" Shura, the tall black-haired one, spread his ten fingers and sent countless deep-blue lines streaming out, whipping up a duplicate of Dog right in front of Dog.
"Heh heh. Whatever technique you use, my Mechanical Devourer—Phantom will use the same. You have no chance!"
"Not necessarily!" Dog said with confidence, then began to inhale harder and harder at Shura's position. A powerful suction centered on Dog pulled in the surrounding grass and flowers.
"Parlor tricks. You think a little suction will deal with me?" Shura and the phantom Dog stood steady within the pull, completely unbothered by Dog's breathing technique.
Dog's belly swelled bigger and bigger with each breath, finally reaching a critical point. It looked ready to burst.
"Going to self-destruct and take me with you?" Arms folded, Shura watched like it was a show, plainly not taking Dog seriously.
Shura didn't move—but his phantom Dog launched a rapid attack at Dog's position.
"Holy crap, that damned mutt's using that move! Quick—cover your ears!" Aside from Wei Goat, Shen Monkey, and Dog, the other three of the Anbu Twelve Stars immediately clapped hands over their ears when they saw Dog's setup, smirking at Shura.
"Hmm? Not good. This looks bad. Attack now!" Only then did Shura realize Dog's earlier actions were just prep. What came next had to be his real finisher.
"Too late." Dog's lips curled.
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!" Like thunder, a colossal bark exploded from Dog's mouth, the sound manifesting into ring after ring of sonic shockwaves. Their target: Shura, who'd sensed danger and was about to rush in. The concussion also left everyone nearby temporarily deaf.
"Damn you, mutt—shit, warn us before you pull that!" In the middle of fighting the mohawk—er, Ogre—Shen Monkey and Ogre both had to stop and clutch their ears. Shen Monkey dug a finger in and swore, then scraped out a big clod of mustard-yellow earwax. "Ah, there it is. Much better."
"Ugh, that hurts!" Standing at ground zero, Shura had it worst. His clothes looked like they'd been flensed by a thousand blades, and dark red blood trickled from his ear canals. Dog's move likely left him deaf. It was like a Chinese lion's roar—an attack through sound, hard to defend. Even with ears covered, sound still gets through. Bulletproof glass would shatter under it—let alone fragile eardrums.
"But deafness alone won't make you the winner. I told you—illusions created by my Mechanical Devourer can perfectly copy your techniques." Shura's expression twisted with madness. That damned dog with such a disgusting trick—making him lose face before Lord Jed—unforgivable. "Now taste your own medicine!"
"He lost." Jed's face darkened. Was Shura such an idiot his wits were already scrambled? How had he still not noticed?
"Idiot, haven't you figured it out?" Dog sneered. Even if Shura couldn't hear him, the lip movements were plain enough.
"Figured… what? Why did my Mechanical Devourer phantom—" Shura panicked. His vaunted phantom had vanished. He couldn't summon it again. What kind of trick was this? That damned mutt had to be behind it.
"An exorcist," Jed murmured three words. Who would've thought that in such a remote place there'd be an incredibly rare exorcist—someone who could seal the Malice he'd bestowed. And this exorcist was a combatant. Losing to such a powerful exorcist wasn't unjust. The suction and massive bark had only been feints; Dog's true purpose was to remove and seal Shura's power.
Exorcists are those who remove Nen used by ability users. Generally, they're far rarer than Nen users. If Nen users are one in ten thousand, then exorcists are one in ten thousand among Nen users. Exorcists, at equal level, aren't much as fighters, and their rituals are often cumbersome—many need months between exorcisms. But this Dog overturned that concept. The man his comrades called Dog seemed to still have plenty in the tank; he could probably exorcise again.
The one fighting Ogre wasn't simple either—he didn't seem to be going all out. Jed's trio, after receiving his Malice, were high-level fighters by the world's standards. Yet a random encounter had them comprehensively suppressed. Had more masters risen while he was gone, or was this "Chimera Ant" organization producing elites? Either way, his curiosity deepened about the "King" they mentioned. Perhaps a worthy opponent. Interesting.
"Enough, Shura. Fall back. He's not your match," Jed's voice sounded in Shura's mind. Though Shura was deaf, give him a little time and these were minor injuries.
"Lord Jed, I can still—" Shura was unwilling, but he couldn't defy Jed. "Yes, Lord Jed."
At present, Shadow vs. Anbu Twelve Stars: 1:0. (Shadow: the organization Jed founded during his Hunter Association days, later purged by Netero for its unacceptable methods.)
The last of the trio: Wei Goat vs. Purgatory. Since both were girls, neither was the combative type, and Purgatory's technique "Return to Diamond" was prepared specifically to counter Netero and wouldn't be used here, this matchup was the dullest of the three. Two moe girls fighting, aside from the looks, offered little to see—one "kuudere" (Purgatory), one "shrinking violet" (Wei Goat).
Their battle went like this:
"Stare." Wei Goat unleashed "Big Sheep Death Glare." Not bad. She glared, big round eyes locked on Purgatory.
"Eek!" Startled by the sudden move. Hmph, take this! "Stare!" Purgatory used "Eye-Death You." Super effective!
I can do that too! "Stare!" Wei Goat refused to lose, firing "Death Gaze." Not bad.
Again! "Stare!" Purgatory used "Eye-Death You 1.2 Patch." Super effective!
"…"
"Sigh, Purgatory—I told you, you're actually strong," Jed said, a little helpless. It seemed he had no counter for this kind of timid girl either.
"Wei Goat… you can use Nen, you know! Use Nen!" Chou Ox cheered from the side.
"Mm!" Wei Goat puffed her cheeks, pouting like she was mad. It… didn't do anything. Just made her look cute.
To be chosen among the twelve strongest division captains and serve in the Anbu, none of them are weak. Chimera Ants are generally belligerent. But there are exceptions. Wei Goat is extremely gentle and loves quiet; she's the type who could stare at a road all day if left alone. Setting aside her personality, her Nen is terrifyingly strong. When she fully developed it, even Meruem was shocked. The pity is, unless you push Wei Goat to a certain point, you could go your whole life without ever seeing her use it.
(End of Chapter)
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