Chapter 119: I'll Take On Ten!
"Grrraaah!"
A low growl rumbled from Scorpion Queen Zazan's throat.
The moment she tore off her tail, her entire body began to rapidly expand—first her limbs, then her torso—until she transformed into a massive, muscular, and grotesque monster.
With just a simple glance, her terrifying pressure made even the Squadron Leader-level Chimera Ants in the distance tremble with fear.
"Have any of you seen Zazan like this before?"
"No, this is the first time."
"In this form, her life energy has clearly become much more intense."
...
Below the arena, the Squadron Leaders watched Scorpion Queen Zazan's transformation and quietly discussed among themselves. Their competitive nature inevitably led them to compare her to themselves.
No matter how proud they were, many had to admit Zazan's overwhelming strength in this state.
Peggy observed everything calmly. Since earlier, he had been pondering one thing: whether their newly acquired power had other applications he hadn't considered.
Because when Mord killed Cheetu, he had seen a flash of lightning.
This form was Scorpion Queen Zazan's ultimate combat mode, sacrificing speed.
In exchange, she gained astonishingly powerful defense.
During the original Meteor City battle, even Feitan's full-power strike using Ko failed to break through her defense, instead shattering his own sword.
This alone spoke volumes.
Of course, besides defense, her offensive power was enhanced as well!
After losing her poisonous tail, her sharp claws became terrifyingly lethal.
"I will definitely kill you!"
Scorpion Queen's face contorted with rage. To her, Mord—who had forced her to reveal this form publicly—deserved to die a thousand deaths!
"Interesting."
Looking at Scorpion Queen Zazan, Mord couldn't help but recall another muscular woman—Bisky. However, even when Bisky reverted to her muscular form, her facial features still retained traces of her loli appearance.
Unlike Zazan, who looked like an entirely different species.
Mord decided to test her capabilities. Instead of dodging her attack, he chose to meet it head-on.
Boom!
The massive palm slammed fiercely against the blade of Mord's Zanpakutō.
Visible spatial ripples spread outward from Mord and Scorpion Queen Zazan.
The ground within three meters of Mord's position completely shattered, sinking a meter deep, while terrifying cracks spread over a dozen meters around them.
"How terrifying."
The other Squadron Leaders watching from below the arena couldn't hide their shock. Even Squadron Leader Alligator, renowned for his strength, was no exception.
High in the air, the bird-man Colt stared intently at Mord below, ready to launch a fatal strike the moment Mord showed the slightest opening.
Mord felt his right hand gripping the blade grow heavy, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
This power is acceptable.
In fact, even though these Squadron Leaders had only just awakened their Nen abilities, their strength was not to be underestimated—they could easily overpower over 95% of professional hunters.
Whether it was the raw power of the Scorpion Queen Zazan or the speed of Cheetu earlier, both were already top-tier abilities.
Unfortunately for them, they had encountered Mord.
"Out of respect for your strength, I'll show you my treasure," Mord said, shaking his blade to force Scorpion Queen Zazan back before flourishing it with a flick.
"Crush them, Gegetsuburi!"
The next moment, under countless shocked gazes, the blade in Mord's hand transformed into a spiked iron ball and chain.
"How is this even possible?!" Peggy screamed inwardly.
"So there is a secret after all! This mysterious power indeed has other applications!"
"Are you scared?" Mord taunted Scorpion Queen Zazan from a distance, the iron ball at the end of the chain faintly shimmering with a dark glow.
As his own strength grew, so too did the power of Gegetsuburi—it was steadily unleashing its destructive potential.
Taking an instinctive half-step back in the face of the dangerous aura, Scorpion Queen Zazan felt humiliated by her own reaction.
"Zazan, don't be reckless!" Colt shouted from above, trying to stop her, but it was already too late.
"I'll tear you to pieces!"
Scorpion Queen Zazan roared as she charged at Mord.
Mord's right foot slammed into the ground, and the black spiked ball traced an eerie arc through the air like a dark meteor crashing toward Scorpion Queen Zazan.
A clash of titans!
The spiked ball struck true, slamming heavily into Scorpion Queen Zazan's chest with terrifying force, sending her massive body flying backward.
The shell she had believed to be indestructible began to crack from the point of impact, spiderweb-like fissures rapidly spreading in all directions.
With a final explosive sound, the entire shell shattered completely.
Scorpion Queen Zazan vomited a torrent of blood before being blasted out of the nest, still entangled with the spiked ball.
While still in mid-air, her body began to dissipate.
Transforming into specks of starlight, it was absorbed by the Zanpakutō.
With a flick of his right hand, Mord's Zanpakutō returned to its Asauchi form.
He turned to the others, baring his pale white teeth in a grin as he said, "How about fighting ten at once this time?"
...
Meanwhile.
Kite, Killua, and Gon arrived at the rocky mountain riddled with bizarre caves. To investigate its secrets, the three ventured inside.
After passing through a long tunnel, they reached a factory-like area.
The scene before them showed extensive damage—facilities were destroyed, dried bloodstains covered the floors and walls, and human shoes, hats, and weapons lay scattered everywhere.
"Could this be...?" Killua glanced around and asked.
"Exactly," Kite nodded, confirming. "This is the hidden truth of NGL."
"A drug factory?" As someone from the assassin world, Killua was familiar with certain dark aspects of society.
"It's a production facility for D2 drugs—the ingestible narcotics currently rampant in streets worldwide. There should be Bira fields nearby serving as raw material sources. The so-called nature reserve is nothing but a joke." Kite's eyes grew increasingly cold.
"But it's not just drugs." Killua casually opened a wooden crate on site, revealing several submachine guns lying quietly inside. "Look, these are the same specially crafted firearms we saw on the road earlier."
This completely contradicted what the border station workers had told them.
"Probably only the upper echelons of NGL know the truth. The lower-ranking members are just people who genuinely believe in harmonizing with nature—they're being used." This much, Kite was willing to believe.
"This should be what they call NGL's core facility. The fact that it's abandoned like this means..." Killua began.
"The forces behind NGL must have been completely wiped out by the Chimera Ants."