Chapter 116: Mord's Arena
Chimera Ant Nest, Queen's Palace.
A massive arena stood in the center of the palace. Mord faced the group of Squadron Leaders and declared, "Some of you asked earlier how you could make your Queen eat."
"Now I'm giving you a chance."
"As you can see, this is a combat arena. I will hold this challenge for ten days. During this time, anyone who can withstand ten moves from me will be rewarded with one meatball for your Queen."
The humans previously captured and brought back to the ant nest had long been processed by their labor soldiers (the pig-headed cooks) into giant meatballs.
In the storage room, meatballs were piled mountain high, alongside heaps of white bones.
"Is this guy crazy?"
"The moment he leaves the Queen's side, we'll immediately rescue Her Majesty."
"Good, let's do it."
"Since he wants a fight, we just need to kill him."
"Don't be careless. Bihorn probably died by his hand. We need to plan this carefully and make thorough preparations."
"Let's do this and that, like this and like that..."
...
The ant Squadron Leaders whispered among themselves.
Mord saw everything but did nothing to stop them, not even a flicker of change in his expression.
No scheme is of any use in the face of absolute power.
Mord could kill the Chimera Ant Queen at any time; it was far beyond their ability to prevent.
He slowly walked onto the arena and said, "Of course, as you are now too weak, I can first help you become stronger."
"No need, we are plenty strong," the Squadron Leaders refused Mord's offer.
After discussing with the other Squadron Leaders, Advisor Penguin sent Mantis to battle.
Mord stood at the center of the arena, calmly watching the Chimera Ants before him.
In a flash.
"To insult Her Majesty the Queen is a capital offense!"
Mantis stepped onto the arena without another word.
Its arms spread wide, as if holding two incredibly sharp long blades, it charged toward Mord at extreme speed.
Its entire body moved with astonishing swiftness, perfectly embodying the characteristics of a mantis.
"Guess which one is the real me."
As the words echoed, the Mantis Squadron Leader suddenly split into two identical figures, making it impossible to discern which was the real body and which was the illusion.
The Squadron Leaders below cheered at the sight.
This clone technique was Mantis's signature killing move.
By the time an enemy realized what was happening, they would already be sliced in two by its dual blades.
"Pathetic." Mord, who had mastered the use of En to perfection, saw through this visually deceptive attack with ease.
Moreover, this move was far less intriguing than the Rhythm Echo technique of the Zoldyck Family.
"Die!" The Mantis Squadron Leader's eyes gleamed with a terrifying ferocity as it raised its right blade to strike.
Mord's Zanpakutō left its sheath at his waist, unleashing an astonishing aura the moment it was drawn. A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped his opponent.
Without even releasing its Shikai, the Zanpakutō simply cleaved straight toward Mantis.
The Mantis Squadron Leader tried to evade, but to its horror, it found its body completely immobilized. The overwhelming pressure felt tangible, as if it had sealed the very space around it.
It could not dodge, nor was there anywhere to dodge!
The laughable clone vanished instantly, revealing its helpless true form frozen in place. Its eyes could only watch as the terrifying blade loomed larger and larger in its vision.
It tried to raise its arm-blades to block, but in that moment, its arms felt as if weighed down by tons of iron, moving slower than a crawling ant.
An ant?
The Mantis Squadron Leader found the sudden thought in its mind strange, but in the next second—
"Thud!"
The Zanpakutō descended, and the Mantis Squadron Leader's body erupted with countless sharp sword energies from head to toe, instantly disintegrating into countless chunks of flesh. Crimson blood splattered across the arena.
Whether it was the Chimera Ant Queen behind Mord, the Squadron Leaders below the arena, or the Squadron Leaders further away, all stared in stunned silence.
Bam!
At that moment, a heavy thud echoed.
A figure that had been sneaking toward the Chimera Ant Queen was kicked flying by Mord, crashing hard in the distance.
It was Cheetu who had attempted to seize the opportunity to rescue the Chimera Ant Queen—a plan devised earlier by the staff officer, Peggy, since Cheetu was the fastest among all the Squadron Leaders.
All of this happened in an instant.
Having accomplished this, Mord acted as if he had merely done something trivial, slowly sheathing his Zanpakutō. He looked at the Squadron Leaders below and spoke.
"As you are now, forget about ten moves—you couldn't even withstand a single one."
"If you don't grow stronger, you'll have to watch your Queen starve to death right before your eyes."
For the Chimera Ant Queen, her own life was of little consequence. But if it threatened the King growing within her, that was utterly unacceptable.
The Chimera Ant Queen transmitted a message via brainwaves to her children: from this moment on, everyone had only one mission—to defeat the man before them!
"Did you see it just now?" Peggy suddenly asked.
"See what?" The other Squadron Leaders were still immersed in Mord's overwhelming power, unable to snap out of it.
The shock this man had given them was simply too immense.
"Was it the light on his sword?" The birdman Colt suddenly spoke up.
"I saw it too," Leol added.
Recalling the earlier scene, the other Squadron Leaders nodded one after another.
They then inquired with the lower-ranking Army Leaders, who also confirmed seeing it. However, when it came to ordinary soldier ants at this level, they couldn't perceive it at all.
Standing on the platform, Mord looked down at the Chimera Ants below and said, "That's right. This is what I was telling you about earlier—the method that can make you stronger."
"I've said before that humans possess abilities we don't have, making them more formidable than we imagined," Peggy remarked with a bitter expression, gazing up at Mord on the platform. The sheer power of this man left him without any will to resist.
"If it's a human ability, then we, who carry human blood in our veins, should be able to use it as well," the birdman Colt declared with determination in his eyes. He took several steps forward, approached the platform, and knelt on one knee, speaking loudly.
"I want to become stronger. I want to learn your ability."
"As long as it makes me stronger, I'll agree to anything you ask."
For the sake of Her Majesty the Queen, I am willing to pay any price.
Colt lowered his proud head before Mord.
Mord lifted his gaze, and the Squadron Leaders below the arena, swept by his glance, one by one lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
A slight smile curled at the corner of Mord's lips.
"Good."
"Then let's begin."