HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 177: Lucario vs. Youpi!

Chapter 177: Lucario vs. Youpi!

High above the East Gorteau, a massive, bizarre bird soared through the skies.

Calling it a bird wasn’t quite accurate—it resembled a draconic magical beast instead.

It had three pairs of wings, each larger than the last, slicing through the air and leaving trails of turbulent currents.

Any creature that approached this beast would be cowed by its sheer presence.

It was no mere showpiece—it possessed formidable strength.

After all, it was a magical beast raised by the Zoldyck Family!

Yet despite its ferocious aura, two figures stood firmly on its back.

"I’d say you’re going a bit overboard, no?" Zeno Zoldyck glanced at Netero beside him, his weathered eyes filled with confusion.

"You’re even wearing that outfit now?"

He didn’t know exactly how strong this so-called "Chimera Ant King" was supposed to be.

But he did know that Akira was also part of the extermination team.

With Akira present, was there really a need for an old man like Netero to go all out like this?

If even Akira couldn’t defeat it, then surely Netero in his current adjusted state wouldn’t stand a chance either.

Clearly, Netero must have some other purpose for acting this way.

Was it simply about fighting at his peak condition? Zeno felt it couldn’t be that simple.

As the foremost assassin family, the Zoldyck Family always had excellent intelligence networks and thus knew some secrets.

For instance, the alliance between Beyond and the Kakin Empire, and even had some vague suspicions about the origins of these Chimera Ants.

"Perhaps you don’t need to go this far." After a moment of contemplation, Zeno slowly turned around and spoke earnestly to Netero.

At this moment, Netero was wearing the legendary "Heart" T-shirt in Zeno’s eyes.

The thin fabric perfectly outlined Netero’s muscular physique.

Under the T-shirt, Netero’s robust muscles appeared even more impactful, each one brimming with boundless power.

Despite his aged face, he possessed an extraordinarily fit body.

This was the result of Netero’s lifelong, uninterrupted training.

For this battle, he had done everything possible to adjust all aspects of his condition to their peak.

Not only had he cut his hair, but he had also trimmed most of his treasured beard, leaving only a small tuft.

In a battle of S-class magnitude, even the slightest factor could lead to disaster.

This was also to ensure a fight with no regrets.

If Akira had been present, he would have seen Netero’s current power rating as S rank.

Netero’s Aura was not only solid and vast, but his physical body had also been tempered through countless trials.

If one ignored his face, it was entirely the body of a young man.

But as an old man himself, Zeno knew full well that the person before him was a centuries-old monster.

When Zeno was born, Netero had already been an old man.

Now that Zeno had become an elder with several grandchildren, Netero remained as vigorous as ever.

Perhaps because they had known each other for too long, or perhaps because he couldn’t bear to see such a monster die like this, Zeno still tried to dissuade him.

"Zeno." Netero softly called his name, then shook his head without uttering another word.

So it’s like that... Zeno gave Netero a deep look, sighed inwardly and said no more.

Once this old man set his mind to something, not even a thousand horses could pull him back.

No. Perhaps there was still one person who could.

Zeno’s gaze drifted downward as he recalled the scene he had witnessed at the ’New Five Strongest Nen user’ meeting.

If Akira were to intervene, he might be able to stop him.

When the flying beast reached a certain point, Zeno suddenly brought his hands together at his waist, golden Aura wildly gathering around them.

Simultaneously, the two vanished from the creature’s back, plummeting straight downward.

***

On the roof of the luxurious palace, Neferpitou suddenly sensed something and sharply raised her head, her keen eyes scanning the sky.

It was nighttime, but few stars were visible.

The cloudy weather allowed only faint streaks of moonlight to pierce through the thick clouds covering most of the sky, making it difficult for Neferpitou to see what might lie above them.

In truth, her En was currently deployed around the palace, not reaching such heights.

Her reaction came more from animal instinct.

Shaiapouf who had been playing the violin nearby noticed Neferpitou’s unusual behavior.

He stopped playing, narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky.

At that very moment, golden flashes of light appeared sporadically through the heavy clouds, strangely shifting positions—sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left—as if dancing across the skies.

Seeing this, both of them realized something was wrong.

Neferpitou immediately extended the En spread around the palace upward into the sky.

The blood-red En stretched toward the clouds like a crimson staircase.

Just as the En expanded upward, a dazzling golden light erupted from the clouds, as if tearing through the dark sky!

Neferpitou and Shaiapouf’s pupils simultaneously contracted as they stared fixedly at the emerging phenomenon.

It was actually a "Golden Dragon" completely composed of Aura!

The dragon’s massive size alone revealed the depth of its creator’s Aura reserves.

The outer layer shimmered with golden Aura, while the inner core pulsed with violet energy—it could also be called a "Violet Golden Dragon."

This was Zeno’s Nen ability: Dragon Head!

As a Transmuter, he could shape his Aura into draconic forms for both offense and transportation.

Now, standing prominently on the spiraling, descending dragon were two figures!

One was Zeno—slightly hunched with hands clasped behind his back, his gaze razor-sharp.

The other was Chairman Netero—standing casually, yet with muscles coiled tight.

Enemy attack! And strong enemies at that!

The same thought flashed through Neferpitou and Shaiapouf’s minds simultaneously.

Neferpitou licked her lips, eyes alight with excitement as her body instinctively tensed.

Finally, she could relish the thrill of battle again!

But before she could leap into the air, the spiraling Golden Dragon suddenly dispersed, dissolving mid-flight.

"No way... could it be?!" Shaiapouf stared blankly at the golden radiance filling the sky, his unease peaking at this moment.

The massive dragon instantly fragmented into countless golden streaks, raining down like meteors.

Another application of Zeno’s Nen ability—Dragon Dive!!

The precision with which he dispersed the dragon at optimal altitude demonstrated his masterful Aura control.

Though it couldn’t compare to Akira’s Pokemon’ Dragon Meteor, the spectacle remained breathtaking.

For a moment, the dark night sky became completely illuminated by golden light, making Neferpitou feel as if daytime had abruptly arrived.

How many attacks were falling from the sky? A hundred? A thousand?

Neferpitou couldn’t count—her entire field of vision was filled with golden light!

Her eyes darted around, searching for where the two figures had disappeared.

If she didn’t locate them quickly, they could pose a serious threat.

But she couldn’t manage alone, so she turned to seek Shaiapouf’s assistance.

"My King!"

Instead, she saw Shaiapouf carelessly discard his violin, frantically flying toward the Ant King’s location.

Terrified that his king might suffer even the slightest harm, he thought only of reaching the king’s side.

Realizing Shaiapouf was useless, Neferpitou knew she’d have to find them herself.

***

Meanwhile, a pink flash suddenly illuminated the palace corridors as Akira and five others materialized on the scene.

With Akira’s participation, they didn’t needed extensive planning.

Nor did Knov need to pre-establish the Four-Dimensional Mansion—Gardevoir’s teleportation had brought them directly inside.

The mission outline was simple: Chairman Netero would separate and eliminate the Ant King.

The others would handle the three Royal Guards.

Knov and Meleoron were assigned to deal with Menthuthuyoupi.

Morel was tasked with dealing with Shaiapouf.

Gon and Killua volunteered to take on Neferpitou.

Of course, relying solely on them to face the three Royal Guards would be suicidal, so their role in the battle wasn’t as the main force.

The true main force was Akira’s Nen beasts!

Each member of the Royal Guards would be countered by one of Akira’s Nen beasts.

Their purpose was to provide support for the Nen beasts.

One could say they were just there to fill a role—whether they were present or not made no difference, as Akira would be the one handling things anyway.

After all, Akira wasn’t just after the Ant King’s experience points—he wanted the Royal Guards’ as well.

Coincidentally, the moment they appeared, they ran into Menthuthuyoupi, who was on patrol.

They stood at the entrance, facing a massive staircase that led directly to the second floor.

At that moment, Menthuthuyoupi happened to be sitting on the grand staircase, meaning that to reach the second floor, they would have to get past him.

"Hmm? Intruders?" Menthuthuyoupi scratched his head, muttering to himself.

Even without intentionally releasing it, the beastly aura emanating from him was terrifying.

Morel and the others froze for a moment, but Gon immediately dashed forward, intending to charge up the staircase.

"GON!" Killua quickly called out, trying to stop him.

"That one’s for Knov and the others—our target is Neferpitou!"

Gon’s gaze remained resolute as he sprinted toward the staircase, his mind set solely on avenging Kite.

"Exactly. Menthuthuyoupi is ours—Meleoron and I will handle him. You two just keep moving forward." Knov adjusted his glasses, a glint reflecting off them.

Beneath those lenses was a sharp, determined gaze.

With Akira by their side, Knov confidence had reached its peak.

Seeing this, Killua had no choice but to follow Gon’s lead and rush toward the staircase.

Gon’s reasoning was simple: if Neferpitou wasn’t on the first floor, he’d charge to the second.

If she wasn’t there either, he’d search the entire palace until he found her.

Meanwhile, Menthuthuyoupi, seeing the two kids completely ignore him, felt rage boiling inside.

He decided right then to teach them a lesson.

His crimson arms surged with scarlet Aura, the mere sight of it evoking images of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

His massive fists wrapped in deep red Aura were horrifyingly large—one hit from them would surely reduce a person to pulp.

Yet, just as his strike was about to crush Gon’s skull, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Menthuthuyoupi.

"Luca!" Lucario crossed his arms in front of him, completely blocking Menthuthuyoupi’s devastating punch.

Attack and defense clashed.

BOOM!

The collision of their immense Aura created a terrifying shockwave, sending violent winds radiating outward from the two.

Seizing the opportunity, Gon, Killua and Morel rushed past Lucario and up to the second floor.

Menthuthuyoupi’s eyes burned with fury as he glared at the fleeing trio, wanting nothing more than to tear them apart.

But with Lucario firmly in his way, Menthuthuyoupi’s expression grew even more monstrous, as if he wanted to devour Lucario whole.

"ROAR!!" Menthuthuyoupi let out a furious roar, his muscle fibers writhing like worms beneath his skin.

His form rapidly mutated.

Lacking human genes, his roar wasn’t a human scream—it was the cry of a beast.

"Wh-what the hell is this thing?!" Meleoron’s face showed astonishment as he gazed at the transformed figure of Menthuthuyoupi, unable to hold back his shock.

Menthuthuyoupi had now grown from his normal two arms to six—two on the left, two on the right, and two at the back.

Akira thought it was still normal—another pair could have sprouted from his chest.

His face which originally resembled Phinks’, had completely changed, no longer resembling a human head at all.

Aside from a ferocious gaping maw, the most striking—and most disgusting—feature was his eyes.

Menthuthuyoupi’s head was now covered in eyes of varying sizes, leaving no space except for his mouth.

Every single one of those eyes was the same blood-red hue as his skin, creating an eerie and terrifying sight.

Perhaps to better track Lucario’s movements and respond accordingly, Menthuthuyoupi had transformed into this multi-eyed, six-armed monstrosity.

Among the three Royal Guards, Menthuthuyoupi was the least capable of rational thought—once enraged, he would attack indiscriminately.

As a member of the Royal Guards composed entirely of magical beast genes, he could freely alter his physical form, converting his fury into destructive power.

This horrifying appearance was a manifestation of his ability.

Menthuthuyoupi’s aura had intensified even further compared to before.

If his earlier strike against Gon had been casual, now he was about to get serious!

In an instant, all six of Menthuthuyoupi’s arms moved simultaneously, each fist brimming with dense Aura.

A single hit from any of them could shatter even the sturdy pillars nearby!

Two left arms struck toward Lucario’s right, while two right arms aimed for Lucario’s left.

Meanwhile, the two arms on his back allowed Menthuthuyoupi to lean forward slightly, sending that pair of fists crashing down from above!

Six arms attacking simultaneously from three directions!

Witnessing this astonishing sight, Knov and Meleoron both held their breath, frozen in place.

Faced with a battle of this magnitude, they were utterly awestruck—even attempting to assist seemed impossible.

Lucario’s gaze swept across the attacks from above, left and right, its eyes reflecting newfound focus.

With only two arms to counter six, speed was its only advantage!

Suddenly, Lucario’s hands blurred into motion and the four sensory appendages behind its head pulsed with an azure glow.

Aura Power—activated!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom..."

In an instant, Lucario and Menthuthuyoupi clashed in a rapid exchange, the sounds of their collisions ringing out.

Despite being outnumbered six arms to two, Lucario handled the onslaught with effortless grace!

Knov and Meleoron stared wide-eyed, only able to catch glimpses of the attacks as afterimages.

This level of combat was beyond their participation—even the residual shockwaves would overwhelm them.

"Crack! Crack..."

As the fierce collisions continued, cracks spread beneath both Lucario and Menthuthuyoupi’s feet.

"CRASH!"

Finally reaching a breaking point, the staircase collapsed entirely, sending both combatants tumbling down—yet their battle raged on.

Just as the staircase gave way, beams of golden light descended upon the palace, piercing through the ceiling and illuminating every floor.

Everyone present witnessed this spectacular display of power!

The vast palace had now become the target of the Dragon Dive, gradually crumbling as streaks of golden light rained down.

At this moment, Gon, Killua and Morel were still on the second floor, searching for traces of the other two Royal Guards.

’This is... Dragon Dive?!’

’is Grandpa here too?’

When Killua saw this familiar technique, his heart skipped a beat, but his footsteps never faltered.

He hadn’t expected his grandfather to appear here, but he figured Chairman Netero must have invited him.

He didn’t even need to think—he knew the Chairman must have paid a hefty price this time.

Their family’s fees had never been low.

Gon and Morel also noticed the attack but didn’t pay it too much mind.

While dodging the Dragon Dive, they continued searching for their enemies.

Despite the constant sounds of collisions from below, they felt no fear, knowing that with Akira here, everything would be fine.

From the moment they decided to launch this extermination—no, from the moment Akira joined the team—the fate of the Chimera Ants had already been sealed!

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