Hunter x Hunter: Card Master, the Strongest in the World.

Chapter 274 Human Malice! Prepare Yourself, Ant King!

boom!!

The light wave swiftly struck the Ant King and then exploded.

The ensuing aftershocks swept through the entire underground space, creating an incredibly powerful hurricane.

A strong wind swept up dust several stories high into the sky, shattering nearby pillars and causing varying degrees of damage to distant pillars as well.

All that remained of the spot directly exposed to the light bombs was a pile of scorched earth.

As if molten lava had swept across the land, leaving only a pool of scorched, blackish-red soil melted by the intense heat.

What was originally a specially constructed, sturdy terrain was completely turned into a pool of lava by the Zero Type impact.

As it sizzled and crackled, plumes of high-temperature steam rose into the air.

"Cough, cough—"

Nitero slumped to the ground, silently watching the scene he had created, coughing incessantly from the encroaching smoke and dust.

Even when he coughed forcefully, his chest didn't rise and fall much because he was extremely thin.

He no longer had any spiritual energy left to protect himself from the smoke and dust; it was practically exhausted.

He was completely drained, with most of his muscles atrophied and his limbs unable to even support him to stand up.

The once elastic skin has become loose, and the wrinkles on the face have increased several times over.

Because Zero had exhausted all its energy, Netero was now completely drained, almost a dried-up corpse.

They can even be knocked to the ground by the aftershocks of their own attacks, and then they can't get up again.

It's hard to imagine that this man was a radiant and energetic old man not long ago.

No one would dare to admit that this frail old man, who seemed to have one foot in the grave, was Chairman Netero.

At this moment, Netero finally had an appearance that suited his age.

Before he could cough a few times, Netero raised his head slightly, his sunken, dark eyes looking ahead with a look of horror.

Footsteps approached.

As if in response to Netero raising his head, the Ant King slowly emerged from the thick smoke and dust.

One could still walk naturally after being attacked, while the other was paralyzed on the ground and could not even get up.

It is obvious which one is stronger or weaker.

"That was a brilliant strike, worthy of praise."

The ant king looked quietly at the old man who was about to die, his eyes full of admiration.

Even the King Ant, who had been struck by Netero's full force, was no longer as composed as before.

His body bore countless charred marks from the intense heat, as well as minor abrasions, but they were only superficial injuries.

Regardless of whether there is internal damage, even if there is, it can be repaired in a short time.

Zero Style was Netero's strongest attack, but it still didn't have much effect.

Even Nitero, who had seen countless ups and downs, was deeply shocked at this moment.

He knew that even the Zero-type couldn't defeat the Ant King, but he hadn't expected it to be so weak.

He lost completely.

"You don't need to feel sad."

"My status as the ant king is an achievement nurtured by the entire ant colony, a product born from the accumulation of countless advantages."

"You humans are not like that; each of you is independent and fights your own battle."

"In other words, I represent the power of the collective, and you are just one of many humans. It's normal that you can't defeat me."

The King Ant, looking at Netero whose appearance had changed drastically, kept expressing his thoughts.

Contact with Niterlo has deepened its understanding of humans.

"Your efforts, even if you fight alone, will not be in vain."

"Because of your contributions, I will establish special human zones in the world under my rule."

"For your sake, a small number of people who deserve to live can stay inside."

"We will also be more selective when choosing food."

Even now, the Ant King still issues declarations in a superior manner, and there has been a new shift in how it treats humans.

Niterlo's desperate struggle revealed to him the instability of humanity, making them unsuitable for the hierarchical rule of their ant-like tribe.

They could only be given a small area to live in.

This shows considerable sincerity.

"I don't want to say it a second time!"

"Say my name!"

The King Ant's sharp eyes were fixed on Netero, who was as frail as a candle in the wind, and his gaze grew colder and colder.

Once and again.

It has lost its patience!

Netero lowered his head, the darkness in his eyes deepening, and spoke again after a few breaths.

That very deep voice was like a pronouncement from hell.

"I've never been fighting alone~"

"Human strength is demonstrated by far more than just Nen abilities."

"Moreover, there are far too many powerful beings among humans; I am merely one of the insignificant ones."

Netero thought of King and Potter, both of the world's five greatest Nen users—and finally, he thought of Lynn!

He is undoubtedly the strongest!

Even the ant king, who thinks he is invincible, is no match for Lynn!

"I lost, but humanity didn't lose!"

"You underestimate humanity!"

"Meruem!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Netero slowly raised his head, his deep-set eyes like two soul-devouring black holes.

The ant king didn't have time to think about his name; his pupils suddenly contracted and then rapidly dilated.

At this moment, under Netero's words, the entire arena appeared as a hellish scene in the eyes of the Ant King.

Behind Netero, a huge skull seemed to appear, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of malice!

The field was filled with red and purple hues, giving the impression of being surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

This guy!

What exactly is this extreme sense of fear?

The ant king's expression changed, and it subconsciously took a step back. This was the first time it had taken the initiative to retreat since the fight began!

"Meruem, the King of the Ants! You simply don't understand!"

"The bottomless malice of humanity!!"

Netero slowly raised his head, and an extremely terrifying smile appeared on his withered face. His mouth was wide open, revealing a dark, empty hole inside.

The Ant King stared blankly at the terrifying-looking Netero, a strange sense of unease creeping over him; his beastly instincts were kicking in.

The Ant King didn't know why.

The opponent was clearly just an old man on the verge of death, completely incapable of fighting.

However, it could sense that the old man in front of it was not talking nonsense, but truly had the confidence to kill it!

This was the first time since the King Ant had ever felt threatened with death!

If there is a hell, let's meet there.

Thinking this, Netero suddenly stretched out two thin, dry fingers and quickly stabbed them into his heart.

He had already placed the "Rose of the Poor" in his heart, as soon as his heart stopped beating.

The poor man's rose will explode!

This was also his backup plan!

Even if I can't defeat the Ant King, I can take it with me!

Suddenly, the atmosphere on the field froze, and Niterói's finger remained frozen in mid-air, unable to fall.

"Grandpa, is it really necessary for you to leave so soon?"

Immediately afterwards, a voice that Netero recognized very well rang out.

Lynn appeared beside Netero at some point and reached out his right hand to grab the latter's arm.

Even without using much force, he could still easily control the latter, who felt as if his arm was sealed and could not move an inch.

Naturally, he could no longer stick his fingers into his chest.

The spy device is still being streamed live.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Lynn appeared and rescued Netero.

Regardless, it's good that the person was saved.

Moreover, Lynn's presence could help control the situation to some extent.

Within the mental space, Jin looked at Netero, who resembled a dried-up corpse in the image, and his expression became solemn.

He had just witnessed Netero's Zero attack, and it's no exaggeration to say that he absolutely couldn't have withstood it.

Despite such terrifying power, the Ant King was still able to move around naturally afterward, and was basically unharmed.

This was the most terrifying enemy he had ever encountered!

Jin's eyes flickered slightly as he recalled Netero's words and actions just now.

Was the old man trying to detonate something with that action just now?

Since it's used as a trump card, its power must be very strong, or at least it's believed to be a method that surpasses the power of the Zero Type.

And it wasn't placed on any other part of his body, but specifically on his heart—which reminded him of something that had been forbidden for a long time.

The poor man's rose!

Kim stared intently at the thin Netero on the screen, as if he could see right through him and directly into the square box at his heart.

As one of the forbidden weapons, the most common use of the Poor Man's Rose is to surgically place the box inside a person's heart.

They can pose a threat to the enemy as human bombs.

It seems the old man has indeed made all sorts of preparations.

Jin shook his head, then turned his attention back to Lynn.

So what would you do then?

Faced with an enemy that is almost impossible to defeat, shouldn't we resort to forbidden weapons?

This was what Mo Laowu and the others thought, but Jin's intuition was different. Even though the possibility was very low, he always felt that Lynn would give them a big surprise—

"Sigh...it finally happened?"

Netero glanced at Lynn, who stood beside him with his arms crossed, and let out a soft sigh.

Nitero is now too weak to even speak.

"It would be such a shame to die like this."

"Seriously, old man, your current state is quite terrifying!"

"He's starting to look like an old man."

Lynn looked at the thin and short Nitro and casually slipped a pill into his hand.

At the same time, Lynn was also thinking back to what Netero had just said.

Hearing Netero's words in person is a completely different experience from watching them from Earth.

While Netero's departure was regrettable, the final "Rose of the Poor" was a brilliant finishing touch.

Among those countless "explosive" victories, Chairman Netero's use of the "Poor Man's Rose" stands out.

It feels more satisfying to win using so-called "technology" than to rely on the strength of human warriors to defeat the Ant King.

This is probably what Togashi wanted to express.

While human strength is important, the power of technology should not be underestimated.

The development of various technologies is a manifestation of human wisdom and also a component of human "strength".

Compared to defeating the Ant King alone, using the "Poor Man's Rose" to kill the Ant King better demonstrates the power of the human collective.

This is one interpretation of Netero's statement, "I am never fighting alone."

The ant queen has its advantages in utilizing the collective strength of the colony, and humans also have the fruits of long-term wisdom.

Over the long course of time, humanity will continue to progress, overcome difficulties, and resolve invasions.

The only thing that cannot be shaken is humanity's relentless pursuit of progress!

This is the bottomless malice that humanity has developed over a long period of evolution!

At that moment, a change occurred in Netero, startling him.

Not only Netero himself, but even the King Ant, who was watching from afar, could see it clearly.

"How is this possible?!"

Watching Netero's transformation from afar, the Ant King let out a low shout, his fists clenching involuntarily.

Nitro, who had been as thin as a withered tree, was rapidly transforming. His shriveled limbs suddenly became plump, and his face regained its radiance, with the wrinkles quickly diminishing.

Niterlo is recovering rapidly!

However, it did not return to the exact same state as before, mainly because it had escaped the line between life and death, but even so, it was still an amazing change.

"This is----

Netero raised his hands, carefully examining his body, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing.

But the power surging within his body clearly told him that this was all real!

Yes, Lynn just saved the dying queen ant.

Because he is Lynn, he can do it.

"I owe you an immense debt of gratitude—"

Nitero slowly stood up and sighed.

You can tell from his voice that he's much better now.

"Let's talk about repaying the debt of gratitude later. I'll look forward to it."

Lynn snapped his fingers, and a portal to the palace appeared instantly.

"Old man, you should go and rest first."

"Leave this to me."

Netero glanced at Lynn, whose expression remained calm, as if he wanted to say something, but instead nodded, turned, and stepped inside, sighing, "I wonder how much time has passed—"

"It's been a long time since I've been protected—"

Today, Netero experienced two rare things.

Be the challenger again.

And to be the one being protected again.

His era has long passed; now it is Lynn's era, and he is willing to believe in this legendary man.

The portal disappeared.

Lynn looked calmly at the ant king in the distance.

The Ant King also sized up Lynn, speaking first in an icy tone: "Lynn, is it?"

"The person known by humanity as the 'strongest in the New World'."

If the Ant King wants to conquer humanity, he must defeat the strongest among humans. Therefore, Shayapof had collected information about Lynn, and the Ant King naturally knew his name and appearance.

This young man is stronger than the old man from before.

It is also an existence that it must defeat to conquer the human world!

It won't miss such a good opportunity.

"Perhaps I should feel honored to have caught your eye?"

Lynn smiled.

"Don't look down on humanity just because you bullied an old man."

"Humanity possesses power far beyond your imagination, King Ant."

"You are not invincible."

"Just as you lost to humans in Go and military ceremonies, today will be no exception."

"Be prepared."