HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 179: Hyper Beam!

Chapter 179: Hyper Beam!

"Hohohoho..." Netero chuckled knowingly, his solemn expression vanishing as if he had returned to his usual self.

He stroked the last remaining tuft of his beard and, mimicking Akira, mouthed back across the distance.

Don’t worry about me.

Beside him, Zeno silently watched the exchange and shaking his head slightly, no longer willing to humor the stubborn old man.

At the front, the Ant King cast a glance towards Akira, his eyes narrowing.

His presence is slightly stronger than the humans behind me... So there’s another enemy of this caliber?

Still, it only earned a brief moment of the Ant King’s attention—hardly enough to take Akira seriously.

Because neither the elderly human behind him nor the young human over there possessed strength greater than his own.

Little did it know that the one who would soon kill him was the very young human he deemed unworthy of his attention.

’No need to worry about me...?’

’That’s exactly why people would worry more.’

Akira naturally understood Netero’s lip movements and couldn’t help but facepalm, feeling somewhat helpless about this old man.

He probably didn’t want Akira to rescue him.

Clearly, the Ant King and Netero were preparing to move further away for their battle, as neither could fully unleash their full power here.

Netero was mainly concerned about avoiding collateral damage to Morel and the others.

The Ant King on the other hand, seemed preoccupied with Komugi’s safety.

Though somewhat unusual, compared to his Royal Guards, the Ant King indeed appeared more concerned about Komugi’s wellbeing.

Perhaps they had arrived earlier than in the original timeline, or perhaps other reasons were at play.

Currently, Komugi hadn’t been injured by the Dragon Dive like in the original story, so she didn’t require Neferpitou’s healing either.

Inside the room the Ant King had emerged from, the blind girl Komugi remained trembling, still confused about the situation.

Akira’s movements also caught the attention of the two youngsters nearby, drawing their gazes towards Netero.

’It’s Grandpa!’

Excitement flashed in Killua’s eyes.

He hadn’t been mistaken earlier—that had indeed been Grandpa’s Dragon Dive.

Meeting family in such a place could be considered quite a coincidence.

Then Killua seemed to realize something, tilting his head slightly to look at the green figure standing before Zeno.

Which meant... That was the Ant King!

Zeno naturally sensed Killua’s gaze, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

There would be time for reunions later.

Before he could make any move, the Ant King spoke first.

"Shall we begin?"

"I understand your desire to minimize casualties."

Hearing this, Zeno and Netero exchanged sidelong glances, both recognizing the other’s readiness.

"Sigh." Zeno stroked his long white beard, then suddenly his expression shifted as streams of pure Aura began radiating from his body!

The energy resembled rising steam, boiling upward with an extraordinary presence to behold.

Zeno slightly crouched, lowering his center of gravity as he assumed a stance for energy projection.

In an instant, countless streams of Aura gathered in his hands, rapidly expanding within moments.

Then a massive golden beam shot skyward!

The beam was so enormous it could completely envelop Zeno’s body.

Its size even rivaled the nearby tower.

This demonstrated the sheer volume of Zeno’s Aura reserves!

"Dragon Head!"

With Zeno’s quiet utterance, the colossal beam instantly transformed into a lifelike golden dragon.

The Aura dragon flew into the distance, the Ant King hooking its claws with his tail while Netero rode upon its back.

Within moments, the golden dragon disappeared from view.

A battle between S class beings would create tremendous impact—just a few exchanges here would reduce the area to ruins.

Watching the distant dragon, Zeno clasped his hands behind his back, staring intently before finally looking away.

Zeno walking forward leisurely, now resembling nothing more than an old man out for a stroll.

Upon reaching the edge of the platform, Zeno’s figure flickered before appearing on the ground below.

His task completed, it was time for him to leave.

Seeing this, Gon and Killua also leaped down from the platform—this was how they had intended to descend in the first place.

"Grandpa!" Killua’s voice reached his ears.

Zeno paused, then turned to look at the approaching boy.

"Hm." Zeno nodded, his expression as composed as ever, though inwardly, he was puzzled.

He could tell Killua’s demeanor had changed—gone was the previous hesitancy and fear.

’Has Illumi’s Nen needle been removed?’

Zeno’s gaze swept past Killua’s forehead, but he didn’t say anything more.

"Fight well with your partner. I’ll be heading back now."

Zeno had considered the possibility that Killua might remove that Nen needle, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

Could it be related to him?

Akira’s figure flashed through Zeno’s mind.

Hopefully, someone can pull that stubborn old man back.

At his age, still refusing to listen to advice—it’s really unbearable.

Shaking his head, Zeno walked away with light steps, like an old man hurrying off for tea.

Seeing his grandfather leave, Killua quickly followed Gon’s footsteps, running towards where Neferpitou was.

However, by the time they arrived, the battle was nearly over.

***

I can’t land a single hit!

Neferpitou hovered midair using [Terpsichora], locking eyes with Gardevoir.

Yet there was nothing she could do to it!

Every one of her successive attacks had been dodged by its teleportation ability.

And its teleportation positions were completely unpredictable—there was no discernible pattern.

This was the conclusion she had reached after this prolonged battle.

A suffocating conclusion.

She couldn’t land a hit on her opponent, yet every one of Gardevoir’s attacks always hit her!

Especially those strange glowing leaf attacks—no matter how she dodged, she couldn’t evade them.

After several rounds of exchanges, her own injuries had worsened, while Gardevoir remained completely untouched.

Even when she considered dragging out the fight, she soon realized the flaw in that plan.

Her [Terpsichora] consumed a significant amount of Aura.

If this continued, she would be the first to exhaust her reserves!

Neferpitou’s expression shifted rapidly, growing increasingly grim, until finally, she made a decision.

If that’s how it is... Then i had no choice but to go all out!

"AAAHHH!!"

Neferpitou let out a piercing scream as the crimson Aura around her grew more vivid, continuously surging from her body.

This overflowing energy caused the puppeteer behind her to expand dramatically.

Now more than twice its original size.

The puppeteer’s face twisted into an even more grotesque and terrifying visage, eerily mirroring Neferpitou’s current expression.

At the same time, the number of Aura Strings the puppeteer pulled increased, connecting to various parts of Neferpitou’s body.

In an instant, the space between Neferpitou and the puppeteer became densely packed with countless Aura Strings.

Previously, Neferpitou had only allowed the puppeteer to control her joints, enabling smoother transitions between stances.

It also enhanced her speed.

But now, it wasn’t just her joints—most of her muscles were being manipulated by the Aura Strings.

This allowed every single muscle to be utilized to its maximum potential, unleashing power and speed far beyond her normal limits!

Of course, this came with severe drawbacks.

First was the time limit—Neferpitou couldn’t maintain this state for long.

Each Aura String required a constant expenditure of Aura.

Second, this placed tremendous strain on her body.

Once the time was up, she might be completely immobilized.

Because every muscle would be pushed far beyond its limits.

If not for this desperate situation, Neferpitou would never have resorted to this last-ditch method.

’Going all out, are we?’

Gardevoir gently tucked a wind-tousled strand of hair behind her ear, her expression turning serious.

She intended to end this battle now!

Thus, under Neferpitou’s incredulous gaze, Gardevoir’s body began to emit a dense white light.

Within the radiance, Gardevoir’s form gradually transformed, its aura rising steadily in intensity.

’It must not be allowed to succeed!’

In the blink of an eye, Neferpitou’s body lunged towards Gardevoir at blinding speed.

With a ferocious expression, Neferpitou’s hands bore razor-sharp claws, both wreathed in deep crimson Aura as thick as blood.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

As Neferpitou shot forward, her claws sliced through the air, producing a series of deafening sonic booms.

The sound was comparable to explosions, audible even to Gon and Killua, who were rushing toward the scene from afar.

In an instant, Neferpitou appeared before Gardevoir, her blood-red claws poised to strike.

I made it!

At this moment, Neferpitou could already envision tearing her opponent apart.

Die!

And so, under Neferpitou’s eager gaze, this attack—concentrated with an immense amount of Aura—landed squarely on Gardevoir’s... green protective barrier!

Normal-type move—Protect!

"Clink!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Neferpitou’s claws, amplified by the blood-red Aura, were several times larger than usual.

A mere swipe could produce sonic booms.

It could even unleash blade-like attacks in the form of energy waves.

Yet, despite such a fierce and terrifying assault, it was blocked by this unknown, paper-thin Aura shield!

What is this?!

Panic surged in Neferpitou’s heart.

She immediately prepared to strike again, refusing to believe she couldn’t shatter this barrier.

Unfortunately, time was up.

The white light rapidly dissipated, scattering into specks of glowing particles in the air.

What appeared before Neferpitou’s eyes was Gardevoir—now Mega Evolved!

A pristine, billowing gown shimmered under the moonlight, enhancing its ethereal beauty.

At this moment, Gardevoir was no longer just an elegant noblewoman.

It had become a fairy of transcendent grace!

In an instant, Mega Gardevoir vanished from Neferpitou’s sight without a trace.

As if it had never been there at all.

Where did it go?!

Alarm bells blared in Neferpitou’s mind.

While expanding her En outward, she frantically scanned her surroundings.

She had to find Gardevoir—fast!

A few seconds later, Neferpitou finally detected Mega Gardevoir’s presence.

Not through sight, but via her En.

At this very moment, Mega Gardevoir was directly above her!

Neferpitou’s body froze.

Her pupils contracted sharply, as if witnessing something utterly terrifying—something she couldn’t bear to face.

Because, according to her En, an overwhelmingly powerful energy fluctuation loomed right above her.

If this attack landed, i will be dead!

But... It was already too late!

The moment Neferpitou realized it, Mega Gardevoir had completed its preparations.

A colossal beam descended from the sky!!

The radiant beam was enormous—ten times larger than Zeno’s earlier Dragon Head technique!

The sheer scale, combined with its blinding speed, left Neferpitou no chance to evade.

Normal-type move—Hyper Beam!

Originally a powerful move with 150 base power, its damage was naturally formidable.

Paired with Mega Gardevoir’s 165 Special Attack and the 1.2x multiplier from its ability, Pixilate.

Additionally, Pixilate could convert Normal-type moves into Fairy-type moves, granting them STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus).

Not to mention, Mega Gardevoir’s strength had reached S-rank after Mega Evolution!

Under such terrifying stacking effects, what appeared before Neferpitou—and everyone else—was a beam of light unlike anything they ever witnessed.

And this was the result of Gardevoir deliberately holding back much of its power to preserve the corpse as much as possible.

Still, the body was bound to sustain some damage.

Neferpitou stared at the colossal beam, completely losing any will to fight.

In that instant, She finally experienced the fear of death, memories flashing through her mind one after another.

She had fully entered the state of a life replay.

She recalled the battle with that person (Kite) shortly after her birth.

That had been the first time she felt the thrill of combat.

Then she remembered the birth of the Ant King—the moment her true purpose had finally begun.

To serve the King!

But now, that mission was about to reach its end.

My King!!

Neferpitou’s consciousness was utterly swallowed by Hyper Beam, her entire body buried in blinding white light.

Even after hitting Neferpitou, the Hyper Beam’s momentum didn’t slow in the slightest, continuing almost uninterrupted as it slammed into the ground.

"BOOM!!"

A deafening explosion erupted from the epicenter, rapidly spreading outward.

The sound didn’t fade even at extreme distances.

Meanwhile, Gon and Killua stood frozen in shock.

"Killua, are we...?" Gon hesitated for a split second, about to ask his companion.

But Killua immediately grabbed him by the collar and bolted back the way they came.

If we don’t run now, it’ll be too late!

Killua pushed himself to the limit, dragging the slow-reacting Gon at breakneck speed.

He even activated his Nen ability, his body instantly crackling with blue arcs of electricity.

His silver hair took on a lightning-like shape, multiplying his speed several times over.

Yet here he was, using such power just to flee for his life.

Survival instincts took precedence over everything else—Killua sprinted desperately, putting as much distance between them and the attack’s center as possible.

Even though they were somewhat far from Mega Gardevoir’s Hyper Beam, they still had to run like their lives depended on it.

Otherwise, the shockwaves would catch up to them! And even those residual forces were beyond what they could withstand.

Following the earth-shaking explosion came the sound of the ground fracturing!

A single Hyper Beam had an impact comparable to countless missiles striking simultaneously.

Dirt and debris erupted into the air, shrouding the entire clearing in thick dust and the destruction continued to spread.

***

Some distance away from the palace, in an open field—

"Hmm?!"

"This aura—!"

Zeno suddenly turned his head, spotting a towering "pillar" of light standing tall in the distance.

The flawless white beam radiated intense brilliance, illuminating the dark night.

It was several times larger than his Dragon Head technique—so massive that "beam" hardly did it justice.

"Truly terrifying..."

After a while, Zeno slowly closed his slightly agape mouth, yet the lingering shock in his eyes remained unmistakable.

Zeno didn’t even need to guess where this attack had come from.

It was undoubtedly related to Akira!

No matter the circumstances, Zeno firmly believed that listing Akira on the forbidden targets list had been an absolutely correct decision.

Had they accepted the Phantom Troupe leader’s contract to assassinate Akira that day... The Zoldyck Family might very well have been wiped from history by now.

Zeno stared at the Hyper Beam unleashed by Gardevoir, not moving until the radiant column of light gradually dissipated.

Yet as he walked away, his hands clasped behind his back trembled uncontrollably.

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