Pouf staggered and his body tilted downward.
"Beelzebub!"
Realizing he could not possibly be Ron's match, Pouf once again activated Beelzebub. His body instantly fragmented into countless parts that scattered in every direction.
But this time, Ron chose a different response.
Boom!
Flames erupted from Natsu's body, expanding at a visible speed until the blaze filled the entire surrounding area. Every fragment of Pouf's body was caught inside. It formed a sphere hundreds of meters wide, burning like a miniature sun.
Below, Hisoka sensed the immense aura of the fireball and tilted his head upward.
"Ron's aura. So this fireball was created by his Nen beast? He's grown stronger again. The pace of his progress… it's astonishing. He's already reached the level of that detestable old man."
He recalled his encounter with Netero during the Hunter Exam.
A gust of wind passed. A sphere rolled to Hisoka's feet—the severed head of the Chimera Ant Lion squad leader. An elite among squadron leaders, but still no match for Hisoka.
High above, the Dragonfly Ant and the Dog Ant that had been hiding in the shadows immediately fled when the Lion Ant fell. Hisoka did not pursue. They did not interest him.
"I had thought this time I might get to fight Ron… but instead, I've been given a different kind of surprise."
Shaking his head, Hisoka went off in search of another target. One Lion Ant was not nearly enough to satisfy him.
...........
.......
.
Pouf could not escape.
After Ron broke through to S-rank, Natsu had naturally been strengthened as well. Not yet S-rank itself, but already at Oster's level—an A-rank pinnacle. Within the Observation Platform, Natsu's strength was further enhanced, while Pouf's was suppressed.
Thus, when Natsu unleashed flames to form the massive fireball, Pouf's fragments had no chance of breaking through. Any attempt would mean only death. Pouf was forced to gather his fragments back together, reforming his original body.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
At that moment, a door appeared in the air. Natsu entered the fireball.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
His punch slammed into Pouf, driving him backward directly into the door.
Bang!
The door shut behind him. Pouf's body was sealed inside the Trial Grounds.
Natsu let the flames dissipate. Ron did not dismiss the Observation Platform, keeping it active, because his battle was not over. Neferpitou remained.
"Return."
At Ron's command, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon reverted to card form and returned to his hand. He put it away, then turned his gaze on Neferpitou.
Her condition was even worse than Pouf's had been. After all, Neferpitou's opponent had been Ron, while Pouf had faced only Morel, Shoot, and Gon. Even before breaking into S-rank, Ron was far stronger than those three combined.
Neferpitou glared, eyes burning with fury and unwillingness.
"Surrender, and I'll spare your life."
"Never!"
Her voice rose to a roar. "You insignificant human!"
But before the words finished, Sasuke's strike landed squarely across her face, slapping her aside. Her body flew through the air. Natsu appeared behind her.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The torrent of fire engulfed her. When it cleared, her body was scorched black in many places.
After Pouf's defeat, Neferpitou too had been pushed into a crushing disadvantage, a position from which recovery was nearly impossible. Ron's advantage was overwhelming. Even when still A-rank, he could fight her to a standstill—now his total strength completely surpassed her. Aura, abilities, techniques—everything stood higher.
Neferpitou could not even maintain Black Puppet Dance.
Ron stepped toward her. She panted heavily.
"Neferpitou, let me tell you a truth. You Chimera Ants are not creatures born of the Dark Continent. Your King was never destined to conquer the world. You are nothing but experimental products created by humans."
Her pupils shrank sharply.
"Impossible! Human, you're lying! You're trying to trick me into surrendering, aren't you? Keep dreaming! My loyalty is only to the King! The King is born as King—it has nothing to do with your lowly human kind!"
Ron smiled.
"Don't believe me? Then let me show you something."
He stretched out a hand and opened a door. From it, he drew a laptop.
"These are records. Oster's research materials. The experiments. The foundation that led to you."
It was not identical to the Chimera Ant project, but they were built on the same basis. With Neferpitou's intelligence, she could see the connection.
"Fake. All fake. These are fabricated!"
Ron closed the laptop.
"Fine. Say they're fake. Then answer me this, Neferpitou—you've noticed it yourself. Among your kind, some awakened human memories. You claim humans are only food. Then why do Chimera Ants awaken human memory? Does that not seem inconsistent? Are those with awakened memories humans, or Ants?"
"If one day you yourself awakened human memories, what would you be? And if your King awakened human memories, would you say the King is also food? That the King too is a base, lowly creature?"
Neferpitou froze.
Because it was true. None of it was easy to explain. And not having an answer planted the seed of doubt.