HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 183: You Underestimate Humanity!
CHAPTER 183: YOU UNDERESTIMATE HUMANITY!
"BOOM!!"
The wave of light struck the Ant King in an instant and the massive energy blast detonated.
The resulting shockwaves swept through the underground space, giving rise to a frenzied hurricane.
A gale-force wind, carrying dust towering several stories high, surged upward toward the surface.
Nearby pillars shattered into fragments, while those farther away suffered varying degrees of damage.
But the most terrifying transformation occurred at the epicenter of the blast—now reduced to nothing but scorched earth.
"Cough... cough..." Netero slumped to the ground, silently observing the devastation he had caused, coughing uncontrollably from the billowing dust.
Even when coughing, his chest barely moved, his body was so weak.
Now, there wasn’t even a trace of Aura left around him to shield against the dust—it was nearly all exhausted.
His entire being seemed squeeze dry, his muscles withered to the point where his limbs could no longer support him to stand.
His once-elastic skin sagged loosely, the wrinkles on his face multiplying several times over.
Having expended all his vitality in Zero Hand, Netero was now completely hollowed out, little more than a dried corpse.
He couldn’t even withstand the residual shockwaves of his own attack, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise again.
It was hard to imagine that not long ago, this man had been a vigorous, spirited old man.
No one would dare believe that this decrepit figure was Chairman Netero.
Only now did Netero finally look his age—like a living fossil over a hundred years old.
After just a few coughs, Netero weakly lifted his head, his sunken, shadowed eyes gazing forward.
And there, a flicker of shock passed through them.
Tap... tap...
As if in response to Netero’s movement, the Ant King slowly emerged from the thick dust.
One stood unscathed, walking naturally despite the attack, while the other lay collapsed, unable to even crawl.
The difference in their strength was painfully clear.
"That was a splendid strike. Worthy of praise." The Ant King’s clarity had returned, as if Netero’s blow had jolted him awake.
His eyes filled with admiration as he observed the old man before him, now on the brink of death.
Even the Ant King had lost his earlier composure after enduring Netero’s full-powered attack.
His body was riddled with tattered skin and countless scorch marks from the searing heat.
Here and there, wounds from the explosive light bullets oozed blood slowly.
But these were merely superficial injuries—most of the damage was skin-deep.
Any internal harm would heal in no time.
In the end, it hadn’t been enough.
This was why Netero was stunned.
He had known Zero hand wouldn’t defeat the Ant King, but he hadn’t expected it to inflict so little damage.
The wounds looked severe, but they couldn’t deceive Netero’s seasoned eyes.
He could tell—the Ant King was barely affected.
"You need not grieve." The Ant King spoke his thoughts aloud as he observed the withered Netero.
"As the Ant King, I am the culmination of the entire colony’s nourishment—a being born from countless perfected traits. Humans are not like this. Each of you stands alone, fighting your own battles. In other words, I embody collective strength, while you are merely one among many humans. It’s only natural you couldn’t overcome me."
Clearly, his encounter with Netero had deepened his understanding of humanity.
"Your solitary struggle will not be in vain." The Ant King declared, with the bearing of a ruler.
"Thanks to your efforts, I will designate a special human zone in the world I rule. In your honor, a select few deemed worthy of survival may live there. And I will be more selective in choosing my food."
His approach to humanity was taking a new turn.
Netero’s desperate struggle made him realize the unpredictable nature of humans, incompatible with the strict hierarchical rule of the ant colony.
The only solution was to grant them a designated area, allowing a small number of humans to live within it.
This was the utmost sincerity he could offer.
"I won’t repeat myself again!" The Ant King’s sharp eyes bore into Netero, whose gaze grew colder by the second.
"Say my name!"
Again and again.
His patience had run out!
Netero lowered his head, the shadows in his eyes deepening.
After several breaths, he finally spoke again.
"I was never fighting alone~" Netero thought of Ging, Botobai... and finally, Akira—fellow members of the world’s top five Nen Users!
"Human strength extends far beyond Nen abilities. And there are far too many powerful humans—I’m merely one insignificant speck among them."
"You’ve underestimated humanity!" Netero, withered like an ancient tree, slowly raised his head.
His sunken eyes resembled two black holes devouring souls.
"Meruem!"
As the words left his lips, the Ant King had no time to process hearing his own name.
His pupils contracted sharply, then dilated in an instant.
At that moment, under Netero’s words, the entire battlefield transformed into a hellish landscape in the Ant King’s vision.
Behind Netero, a massive skull materialized, accompanied by an overwhelming tide of malice!
The field flooded with hues of crimson and violet, evoking the sensation of standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
’What the hell is this guy?!’
The Ant King instinctively took a step back—his first retreat since the battle began!
"Ant King Meruem! You don’t understand!" Netero gradually lifted his face, his decaying features twisting into a horrifying grin.
"The bottomless malice of humanity!!"
His mouth gaped open, revealing a pitch-black void within, as if ready to swallow the Ant King whole.
Stunned by Netero’s terrifying visage, the Ant King felt dread.
Every cell in his body screamed warnings.
Death was coming!!
Trembling before Netero’s overwhelming malice, the Ant King broke into a cold sweat.
He couldn’t comprehend why.
This was just a dying old man, devoid of any remaining strength.
Why did he feel such an ominous premonition?
Yet he could sense it—this old man wasn’t spouting nonsense.
He truly possessed the means to kill him!
For the first time since his birth, the Ant King faced the threat of death.
’If there’s a hell, we’ll meet again there!’
Suddenly, Netero extended two bony fingers and drove them swiftly towards his own heart.
He had long planted the ’Poor Man Rose’ there—the moment his heart stopped beating, the ’Poor Man Rose’ would detonate!
This was his final gambit!
Even if he couldn’t defeat the Ant King, he could take it down with him!
Witnessing Netero’s action, only one thought filled the Ant King’s mind.
Run!!
’This old man was right! I underestimated humanity!!’
Even a dying old man could evoke such a sense of threat in him, filling the Ant King with a surge of dread towards humanity.
Suddenly, the atmosphere on the battlefield froze.
Netero’s finger hovered mid-air, unable to press down.
"Old man, no need to leave so soon" A voice all too familiar to Netero rang out.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, Netero’s figure vanished from his original position, leaving behind only slightly disturbed air.
"Hmm?" The Ant King, who had just leaped back a few steps, frowned in confusion.
Why had the man suddenly disappeared?
After scanning his surroundings, the Ant King spotted several figures that had appeared out of thin air on the other side, with Netero slumped weakly among them.
’I can’t move...’
Netero looked at the dense pink Aura enveloping his body and realized he was being restrained.
Psychic-type move — Psychic!
Under Gardevoir’s psychic control, Netero couldn’t continue driving his finger into his chest.
With this sudden interruption, the overwhelming malice surrounding Netero dissipated, unable to sustain itself.
"Sigh~ So you came after all?" Netero glanced sideways at Akira, who stood with arms crossed, letting out a faint sigh.
At this point, Netero didn’t even have the strength to speak properly.
"Chairman, you promised to stay forever young. I remember that clearly, so naturally I won’t let you die." Akira chuckled lightly, his words stirring old memories in Netero.
’He actually remembered that?’
Netero knew exactly what Akira was referring to.
When they first encountered Neferpitou, he had mentioned not wanting to grow old.
He never expected Akira to keep those words in mind.
"Old man, your current state is absolutely terrifying~" Ging, hands in pockets, observed Netero’s withered, corpse-like appearance with a grave expression.
"This is the first time I’ve seen you like this."
He had witnessed Netero’s Zero Hand technique firsthand.
Without exaggeration, he knew he couldn’t possibly withstand it.
Yet despite that terrifying power, the Ant King had endured it and could still move freely.
This was, without doubt, the most formidable enemy he’d ever encountered!
Beyond the Ant King’s strength, the sheer malice radiating from Netero moments ago had chilled him to the bone.
It was as if countless Death Aura from ancient ruins had been compressed into that single moment.
The space around Netero had transformed into a vision of hell itself.
’The malice of mankind...’
Ging’s eyes flickered with understanding as he grasped Netero’s intentions.
"That move you were about to make, old man—you were planning to detonate something, weren’t you?" Ging stared intently at Netero, as if his gaze could pierce through flesh to see the small box nestled against the old man’s heart.
"Using it as a last resort means it must be incredibly powerful, at least something you believed surpassed Zero Hand. And you didn’t place it anywhere else but right by your heart. That reminds me of something, The ’Poor Man Rose’!"
That was the so-called ’Poor Man Rose’.
Due to its relatively simple production process once the proper techniques were mastered, it was frequently used in large-scale warfare.
One common method involved surgical implantation of the device near the heart, creating human bombs capable of delivering devastating blows to enemies.
What set the ’Poor Man Rose’ apart from other explosives wasn’t its destructive power, but rather the deadly toxins it contained.
Upon detonation, it forms an explosion cloud resembling a rose, rapidly dispersing countless extreme toxins.
Turning vast areas into lifeless wastelands where no one can survive!
This is also why the ’Poor Man Rose’ was later banned by nations.
"That’s right, it’s that one." Netero nodded slightly, stating the answer all three already knew.
This also meant he had long prepared for mutual destruction!
Netero had considered Akira might appear, but hadn’t expected Ging to be here.
Most likely, it was Akira who brought him here.
Akira looked at the gaunt and diminutive Netero and with a thought, Blissey appeared before him.
"Blissy..." Blissey stood before the frail, candle-in-the-wind figure of Netero, eyes filled with sympathy, eager to heal him as quickly as possible.
Even its tone was several shades softer, clearly reflecting its concern.
Pure Aura rapidly gathered in the pouch on its chest and the egg it carried suddenly emitted a gentle glow.
The soft light illuminated Netero’s body and brightened the shadows in his dim eyes.
Normal-type skill—Soft Boiled!
As Blissey prepared, Akira also reflected on Netero’s earlier words.
Hearing Netero’s words firsthand was an entirely different experience from watching it on Earth.
Back on Earth, Akira had always thought Togashi handled this part exceptionally well.
While Chairman Netero’s departure was undeniably regrettable, the final touch—the ’Poor Man Rose’—was nothing short of brilliant.
Amidst the clichéd victories through sudden power-ups, Chairman Netero’s choice to use the ’Poor Man Rose’ stood out vividly.
Rather than relying on human strength to defeat the Ant King, winning through so-called "technology" carried a far more profound impact.
This, Akira surmised, was precisely the message Togashi intended to convey.
While human strength is undoubtedly important, the power of technology should never be underestimated.
The advancement of technology is a manifestation of human wisdom and an integral part of humanity’s "strength."
Compared to defeating the Ant King through sheer individual might, using the ’Poor Man Rose’ to kill him better represented the collective power of humanity.
This was one interpretation of Netero’s words: "I have never fought alone."
The Ant King had his advantages, drawn from the collective strength of his species, but humanity too possessed the crystallization of its long-standing wisdom.
Against any enemy that challenged humanity, people could overcome it through these manifestations of wisdom.
Over the long course of history, humanity would continue to progress, overcoming hardships and resolving invasions.
The one thing that could never be shaken was humanity’s relentless, unyielding heart!
This was the boundless malice humanity had cultivated through its long evolution.
As Akira pondered, Blissey held out its egg, which radiated a rich aura of life.
Just a single whiff of it made Netero feel invigorated, as if he had regained some strength.
’Could it really heal me?’
Until now, Netero had fought with the resolve to die, never imagining he could survive.
Let alone be fully healed.
But since it was Akira offering the treatment, Netero couldn’t be certain.
Blissey cradled the egg before Netero, its face etched with worry.
He barely had the strength to open his mouth.
So Blissey gave the egg a firm squeeze and the dense Aura within it scattered outward.
The dispersed energy shimmered like a brilliant river of stars, flowing into Netero’s mouth.
This—!
Netero was stunned, for he could feel the drastic changes occurring within his body.
Not just Netero—even Akira and Ging beside him, and even the Ant King watching from afar, could see it clearly.
"How is this possible?!" From a distance, the Ant King instinctively exclaimed, fists clenching involuntarily at the sight of Netero’s transformation.
The originally withered and frail Netero began to transform rapidly, his shriveled limbs suddenly filling out.
His face regained its radiance, wrinkles swiftly diminishing as his deeply sunken eye sockets returned to normal.
Like an old tree rejuvenated by spring, Netero was quickly reverting to his condition before using Zero Hand!
"Blissey~" Seeing that it was about enough, Blissey stuffed another egg into Netero’s mouth.
’Soft-Boiled’ could restore half of one’s health in a single use.
After two consecutive ’Soft-Boiled’ applications, Netero had fully recovered to his original state in just a few seconds!
And not just that—he was restored to his peak condition before the battle with the Ant King, with his Aura completely replenished!
"This is nothing short of a miracle!" Netero raised his hands, carefully examining his own body, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing.
Yet the surging power within him made it undeniably clear—this was all real!
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