After several days of intense training, Merleon's power reached an unbelievable level. No one would have guessed that he could grow this strong in such a short time.
Judging by his aura now, Merleon is on par with Morel. He didn't just focus on building and using his aura; he also developed his own unique mind abilities.
The stronger he became, the more he understood the terrifying strength of the Ant King. His desire for revenge gradually shifted into a resolve to help Larry destroy the Ant King. After all, it was unrealistic to expect to reach the Ant King's level in such a brief period.
Thanks to his natural talent as a Chameleon, Meleoron developed the Nen ability called Perfect Plan, along with God's Accomplice, which allows him to make others invisible together by maintaining physical contact while holding his breath.
On top of that, he created a new Nen ability that wasn't in the original story, likely tied to constraints and oaths. This ability is called Judgment of God. It can only be activated when Meleoron is angry, and it consumes his own life force to drain the enemy's vitality.
The amount of life drained depends on the difference in strength between Meleoron and his opponent. If they are evenly matched, the life consumption is one-to-one, meaning Meleoron can drag the enemy down with him. If the enemy is much stronger, even if Meleoron uses all his vitality, he might only manage to drain a little from the opponent.
This is essentially a blood exchange ability. Normally, as a Chameleon, Merleon shouldn't be able to develop such a skill, so it's likely tied to his constraints and oaths, which were born out of extreme anger and come with the cost of losing vitality.
This makes the ability very practical since it uses life force instead of aura, allowing it to be used against any creature.
For example, Ditto can transform into Merleon and continuously drain the enemy's vitality, while Pokémon like Happiny and Gardevoir heal Ditto, enabling this back-and-forth life exchange until the opponent wears down. However, the ability does have its limits, especially in terms of range.
According to Meleoron, the target of this ability must be within 100 meters of the user. If the distance exceeds 100 meters, the ability can't be used, though this range can increase as the user grows stronger.
Larry also came up with a better way to use Judgment of God. It's not just Ditto who can copy other people's abilities, Marshadow can as well!
The difference is that Ditto changes its appearance to match the person it's copying, then uses their powers. Marshadow, on the other hand, keeps its own form but simply learns the abilities.
Ditto's strength depends on the strength of the person it imitates, but Marshadow's strength stays the same regardless.
Marshadow at SS level can use Judgment of God, and Larry can barely imagine how terrifying that is. Creatures thousands of miles away could be killed instantly with just a thought from Marshadow!
At SS rank, most creatures are far weaker than Marshadow. He doesn't even need to expend any energy to kill them, it's almost like there's no challenge at all.
But the real key is the distance factor. God's Accomplice covers both range and power, and Marshadow can target places extremely far away.
As long as the target is within that range, Marshadow can eliminate it with a thought. It's quick and convenient.
The only limitation is that this ability only activates when Marshadow is angry, but that's not a big deal, a little anger is enough. Plus, there aren't many situations where he'd need to use it, since long-distance kills aren't often necessary.
Larry once considered waiting until they reached the Dark Continent to have Marshadow use this ability to rack up experience points rapidly. But thinking about how hard it is for Marshadow to gain experience at this level, Larry gave up on that idea.
At SS rank, defeating weaker creatures barely grants any experience, practically none. To gain enough experience, you need to take down enemies of equal strength.
Instead of wasting time collecting those insignificant experience points, it's better to give them to Tyrannitar and the others. "Alright, let's go and take down the Ant King!" Larry said softly as he gathered his thoughts and stepped forward.
Standing in the middle at the front, Larry naturally took the lead, with the others spreading out on either side of him. Seeing Larry lead the way gave everyone a sense of security.
As long as they followed him, there was nothing to worry about. With Larry's command, the battle to defeat the Ant King officially began.
Meanwhile, above the Republic of East Gorteau, a massive, strange bird was soaring through the sky. Calling it a bird didn't feel quite right, it looked more like some kind of sub-dragon monster. It had three pairs of wings, with one pair noticeably larger than the others, cutting through the air at incredible speed and leaving airflow trails behind.
Any creature that got too close would immediately feel overwhelmed by its powerful aura. This wasn't just a pretty creature; it was incredibly strong, a beast raised by the Beating Dike family.
Despite its ferocity, two people were standing calmly on its back. "I told you, there's no need to push yourself so hard, right?" Zeno said, glancing at Netero beside him with a look of confusion.
Zeno didn't know exactly how strong the Chimera Ant King was, but he did know Larry was part of the expedition team. If Larry wasn't able to defeat the king, then why was Netero, an older man, pushing himself so hard?
Even with Netero's current prime condition, it seemed unlikely he could win. Clearly, Netero had other reasons for this, not just wanting to fight at his best. Zeno felt there was more to it.
As the head of the top assassin family, the Zoldyck family was well-informed and aware of many secrets, like the alliance between the Kakin Empire and the V5 Council, and even some knowledge about the origins of the Chimera Ants.
"Maybe you don't have to do this," Zeno said after thinking for a moment, turning to face Netero.
That's when he noticed Netero wearing the legendary "Heart" T-shirt, a thin shirt that clearly showed off his muscular build.
Netero's muscles stood out more because of the simple shirt, each one carrying strength built from years of training. His face showed signs of age, but his body was still powerful.
For this fight, he had forced himself into peak condition. He had even cut off his hair bun and most of his beard, leaving only a small part.
At an S-level fight like this, any mistake could lead to death. Netero didn't want to leave behind any regrets.
If Larry were here, he would say that Netero's strength was definitely S level. His thinking was clear, and his body was ready. Even though his face looked old, his body looked young.
Zeno understood that Netero was someone who had lived for more than a hundred years. His energy didn't seem to fade, even with grandchildren.
Maybe it was because they had been through a lot together, or maybe Zeno didn't want to see him fall. But he still tried to stop him.