HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 178: Don’t Die!

Chapter 178: Don’t Die!

Above the palace, as the golden dragons dispersed, countless Dragon Dives rapidly descended, some already hitting the ground at incredible speed.

Yet, a large portion still remained in the air.

But Neferpitou paid no attention to the attacks—compared to them, the person hidden within was far more dangerous!

"Where are you?!" Neferpitou crouched at the top of the palace tower, her body arched like a cat sensing danger.

Anxious, she heightened all five of her senses to the maximum, scanning every inch of the area in an instant.

Found you!

The moment Neferpitou detected Netero, she kicked off the ground, launching herselves like a cannonball.

Amidst the storm of Dragon Dives, Neferpitou shot straight towards Netero, appearing right before him in the blink of an eye.

Face-to-face with Netero, Neferpitou’s instincts screamed louder than ever, prompting her to unleash her trump card immediately.

Terpsichora!

Almost instantly, a phantom-like figure composed of blood-red Aura materialized around Neferpitou.

It resembled a puppeteer wielding silver strings, with Neferpitou as the marionette under its control.

This was the Nen ability branch Neferpitou had developed—Terpsichora.

It was a technique used only when Neferpitou fought at full strength, requiring a mere 0.1 seconds from activation to attack.

In other words, it was instantaneous!

This was a Nen ability branch Neferpitou had created on a whim.

Originally, Nen abilities were meant to make the user the controller and other things the controlled.

So why couldn’t they make themselves the controlled?

Thus, Neferpitou developed this ability.

The puppeteer manipulated Neferpitou’s body via Aura Strings, allowing them to surpass their physical limits in both power and speed.

It was somewhat similar to the ultimate technique of Phantom Troupe member Shalnark—both used Nen to control themselves, unlocking greater potential.

The difference was that Shalnark couldn’t control his own actions, whereas Neferpitou retained full autonomy.

Neferpitou had once declared "Terpsichora—the dance that surpasses all limits."

That statement became the namesake of the ability.

Facing an opponent of Netero’s caliber, Neferpitou had no choice but to play her trump card from the start.

"Though I’ve imagined many possible exchanges, this is a bad move, isn’t it?"

"Little ant!"

Neferpitou’s body froze, her expression drastically changing.

Though it lasted only an instant, she had unmistakably heard the other party’s voice.

Yet Chairman Netero remained suspended in midair, descending slowly, appearing not to have spoken at all.

In the next moment, Netero slowly raised both hands, tracing a circular path before finally bringing his palms together in prayer.

The entire motion was executed with seamless fluidity, as natural as flowing water.

Netero’s Aura was terrifyingly still, as if completely dormant and unable to move.

After over a century of training, Netero had honed both his body and spirit to an unfathomable depth.

From his once razor-sharp brilliance to his current state of profound inner restraint, it signified that his power had become even more fearsome.

No living being could discern his next move from the fluctuations of his Aura.

In battles between Nen Users, advanced techniques like "Ren" and "Ken" were often employed.

At such times, the Aura within the body would shift, allowing opponents to observe their movements using "Gyo".

But Netero was different.

His Aura remained utterly still; even when using advanced techniques, others couldn’t perceive it.

Thus, it was nearly impossible to react appropriately.

At this moment, Neferpitou felt as though time had frozen—everything around her seemed to move in slow motion.

She could only watch helplessly as the old man swung his arms.

It appeared as though time had stopped, but in reality, it was simply Netero’s speed being too fast for comprehension.

Netero’s movements were completed in an instant between Neferpitou activating her Nen ability and her attempt to charge forward.

In the next moment, Netero swung his clasped left hand outward with explosive force, carving a golden arc through the air!

This is—!

Neferpitou struggled desperately, but her body refused to obey.

Netero’s movements were too fast—far beyond what her body could react to.

"BOOM!!"

A massive golden beam erupted from beneath Neferpitou at an impossible angle, engulfing her petite frame entirely.

An attack from a direction that shouldn’t even be possible?!

Netero’s position was diagonally above her, yet the attack had come from below.

Neferpitou’s eyes widened in shock as she frantically channeled her Aura to withstand the blow.

Though she barely managed to mitigate the damage, the sheer force sent her hurtling uncontrollably backward.

"If only she could keep flying away like this, I’d be grateful," Netero murmured to himself as he watched Neferpitou being blasted away.

Neferpitou continued soaring through the air at breakneck speed, showing no signs of stopping.

No! If this keeps up, I’ll only get farther from the palace!

Panic-stricken, Neferpitou suddenly had an idea and activated her Nen ability, [Doctor Blythe].

[Doctor Blythe] had one limitation—once summoned, it would remain stationary and Neferpitou had to stay within 20 meters of it.

Without hesitation, she deployed [Doctor Blythe].

If she flew any farther, she’d be in trouble.

The massive form of the repairer materialized in an instant, anchoring Neferpitou’s body and halting her flight.

Just as Neferpitou thought the ordeal was over, something astonishing appeared above her.

In her eyes, two moons now hung in the sky—one large, the other noticeably smaller.

The smaller moon seemed illusory, flickering faintly as if it might vanish at any moment.

"Garde!"

Before Neferpitou’s disbelieving gaze, the strange moon suddenly lunged toward her.

Fairy-type skill—Moonblast!

"BOOM!!"

Before she could stabilize herself, the colossal moon crashed into her with full force.

Along with the nearby Doctor Blythe being shattered, Neferpitou’s body plummeted towards the ground.

"Terpsichora!" Just before hitting the ground, Neferpitou suddenly shouted, streams of Aura overflowing from her body.

Formed within 0.1 seconds, the crimson Aura completely enveloped Neferpitou, suspending her midair.

Though she managed to stabilize herself, Neferpitou had still been struck by Moonblast, leaving her in a far from ideal condition.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth and several holes marred her body.

This was the first time since birth that she had been so thoroughly humiliated.

First, she had been sent flying by an old man, then inexplicably struck by the moon’s power.

Neferpitou raised her head in fury, eyes brimming with a bloody glow as she glared at the figure above.

Bathed in the pure moonlight, Gardevoir’s form appeared increasingly graceful, like an ethereal fairy.

Pale pink Aura swirled around it like celestial mist.

"Crack, crack..."

A series of crisp sounds emanated from Neferpitou’s joints, piercingly loud in the silent clearing.

Under the Puppeteer’s control, Neferpitou twisted into an impossibly contorted pose no normal being could achieve.

"I’ll tear you apart!" Neferpitou snarled at Gardevoir, her face nearly distorted with rage, the once-lively eyes now completely bloodshot.

As the words fell, an immense surge of Aura erupted from Neferpitou.

The crimson Aura billowed endlessly, shooting skyward until the entire skies were dyed red.

Gardevoir watched the frenzied Neferpitou calmly, entirely unaffected by the surrounding chaos.

***

On the palace’s second floor

As Gon ran past a window, his peripheral vision caught the terrifying crimson Aura in the distance.

"Screech—"

With an ear-piercing skid, Gon immediately halted, turning to look outside again.

Noticing this, Killua stopped too, following Gon’s gaze to witness the sky-spanning Aura.

"Found them!" The two boys exchanged a glance, speaking in unison.

"Hahaha, I’ve found something too." Morel peered through a window just in time to see Shaiapouf flying into the tower, continuing to sprint forward without pause.

***

When Shaiapouf urgently flew into the room where the Ant King usually resided, all he found was ruins.

The ceiling bore multiple holes, clearly left behind by the piercing Dragon Dive.

After smashing through the ceiling, the meteors had continued downward, punching through the floor, leaving the room marked with craters.

The collapsing ceiling, the floor reduced to dust... debris filled the space.

Yet there was no trace of the Ant King.

Not even knowing our King’s whereabouts!

Not even being aware of our King’s safety!

Shaiapouf, how can you call yourself one of the Royal Guards!

Shaiapouf stood frozen, inwardly berating his own inadequacies.

His loyalty to the Ant King was so absolute that even the slightest matter concerning him could send him into disarray.

No, it’s not just being unworthy of the Royal Guards!]

Only Death could atone for such failures!

Twin streams of tears flowed from his eyes, dripping slowly to the ground as Shaiapouf’s gaze became webbed with bloodshot veins.

At this moment, how he wished the Ant King would appear before him and kill him with his own hands.

Shaiapouf! You truly deserve to die!

Shaiapouf slowly closed his eyes, immersing himself in the tragic little theater of his own heart.

After a long while, though his eyes remained shut, Shaiapouf still sensed the changes around him and spoke softly.

"Could you let me go find the King?"

"I’m afraid that’s not possible," Morel said, standing nearby, holding his large smoking pipe, wisps of white smoke curling from it.

"I finally managed to catch a little butterfly—no, a little ant, I should say."

The entire room was now enveloped in Morel’s white smoke, forming walls that sealed off every direction.

Smoky Jail!

This was another application of Morel’s white smoke—condensing it to trap enemies in a confined space.

The enemy couldn’t escape from the smoke-sealed area, hence the name "Smoky Jail."

"Is that so?"

"Then there’s no other way!"

Shaiapouf suddenly opened his eyes—bloodshot and terrifying to see.

As his eyes snapped open, the wings folded behind him abruptly unfurled.

They were a pair of magnificent wings, adorned with colorful spots—the wings of a butterfly.

Countless shimmering, multicolored scales scattered from them, quickly filling the sealed space.

Spiritual Message!

These were Shaiapouf’s Nen ability.

By attaching them to an opponent, he could sense their emotions and psychological fluctuations.

They also had hypnotic effects.

The Smoky Jail not only confined Shaiapouf but also trapped Morel.

In such an enclosed space, Shaiapouf’s scales could exert their effects more easily.

But Morel, as a sea hunter, possessed extraordinary lung capacity and could easily avoid inhaling the scales.

Compared to the other two Royal Guards, Shaiapouf lacked combat prowess, which was why he could be trapped this way.

And Morel wasn’t the only one assigned to deal with Shaiapouf!

Hmm? His emotions are dominated by relaxation and confidence—how is that possible?

Does he feel no tension at all?

Shaiapouf could hardly believe the feedback from his scales.

The man before him showed almost no fear.

Soon, he understood the reason for Morel’s confidence.

Abruptly, Morel’s shadow began to ripple violently, as if something were about to emerge from it.

Could it be...

A sense of foreboding flashed through Shaiapouf’s mind, his expression darkening further.

The aura emanating from that shadow far surpassed Morel!

How was this possible?

In an instant, a purple-black gaseous Nen beast leaped out.

"Gengar!"

Gengar’s crimson eyes glared viciously at Shaiapouf, sending a wave of panic through him.

At the same time, a pair of pitch-black, eerie eyes materialized above Gengar’s head.

For some inexplicable reason, Shaiapouf felt an inexplicable certainty—he couldn’t leave this place now.

Normal-type move—Mean Look!

With eyes as dark as ink that seem to ensnare the soul, the target is rendered unable to escape!

Morel’s Smoky Jail. Gengar’s Mean Look.

Under the double safeguards, even with Shaiapouf’s clone Nen ability, escape was impossible.

If necessary, Gengar could even Mega Evolve.

Mega Gengar’s ability was Shadow Tag.

This was the third layer of security!

No matter how fast Shaiapouf’s wings were, there was no way to flee.

As the weakest of the three Royal Guards, it was almost an honor for Shaiapouf to be dealt with by Gengar.

And so, all three Royal Guards were matched against Akira’s three Pokemon!

Neferpitou vs. Gardevoir! Menthuthuyoupi vs. Lucario! Shaiapouf vs. Gengar!

***

Meanwhile, Gon and Killua were too hasty and couldn’t find a suitable way down.

They were currently on the second floor, and the staircase leading to the first floor was still engulfed in battle.

So Gon decided to jump directly from the platform extending from the second floor and rush straight to where Neferpitou was.

However, as they ran from indoors to the outer platform, what greeted their eyes was—Akira!

"Akira?!" Gon exclaimed while running toward him.

Just moments ago, Akira had been on the first floor, yet now he was suddenly on the second-floor platform.

"Yo." Akira shifted his gaze from the distant red Aura and turned to look at the two youngsters behind him.

This spot had a better vantage point, allowing a clear view of the battle between Neferpitou and Gardevoir.

At that moment, Akira suddenly sensed something and turned his head toward another platform.

A dark green figure emerged from the passageway, its terrifying presence palpable even from afar.

It was the Ant King!

Following closely behind were the elderly duo—Zeno and Netero.

Truly terrifying... this aura!

Zeno subtly glanced at the Ant King, unable to suppress his astonishment.

The last time he had felt such an overwhelming presence was during the meeting with Akira.

In other words, only Akira could stand against this Ant King!

Did you really pick such an opponent for yourself?

Zeno glanced at Netero beside him and sighed inwardly, deciding not to say anything more.

In Zeno’s eyes, even the current Netero would have little chance of victory against this so-called "Ant King."

To put it bluntly, it would be suicide.

They still needed Akira to step in!

At that moment, Netero paused slightly and turned his gaze toward his left—where Akira stood.

Despite the distance, Netero could clearly read Akira’s lips.

"Don’t die on me, old man."

------------------------------

Read 40 Chapters ahead and support me on patreon.

patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator