Chapter 154: Purple Thunder
The King of Ants stared intently at Mord, his right foot stomping down violently, shattering the ground as he charged toward Mord at an incredible speed, so fast that he left a series of afterimages in the air.
"Comparing speed?"
The corners of Mord's lips curled slightly as he transformed into a bolt of lightning, slicing through the sky and instantly piercing and destroying those afterimages.
The two engaged in battle once again.
Perhaps inspired by his previous fight with Netero, the King of Ants raised his fists and instantly threw countless punches at Mord.
Countless fist strikes, like a violent storm, rained down on Mord, overwhelming and leaving him with nowhere to escape.
Such learning ability—truly worthy of the King of Ants.
Although this move was only similar in form, achieving this level in such a short time was already remarkable.
"This is how it should be." Amidst his laughter, Mord simultaneously slashed out hundreds, even thousands, of blade strikes in an instant.
Countless fist shadows were forcefully blocked by countless lightning blade rays.
The King of Ants was stunned.
"Thunder Fang Thrust!"
The moment the blade rays dissipated, a golden lightning bolt instantly appeared before him. At this critical moment, his tail swept over like lightning, blocking Mord's attack.
Yet, even so, the immense impact still sent him crashing from mid-air to the ground.
Boom!
The King of Ants slammed heavily onto the ground, causing the earth to crack and dust to billow up.
"Get up quickly, I know you're fine." Mord spoke as he watched the billowing dust clouds before him.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a violent aura scattered the dust, revealing the King of Ants emerging unscathed except for a slight charring on his chest.
Not only that, but the aura radiating from his entire body grew increasingly savage, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even fiercer.
The powerful Mord had completely awakened the King of Ants' primal instincts.
This King of Ants now embodied Shaiapouf's ideal vision of their Chimera Ant King.
"Alright, warm-up's about done. Time to get serious." Mord descended to the ground as well. Though similarly enveloped in a violent thunderous energy, careful observation revealed the fundamental difference between him and the King of Ants.
The King of Ants' violent aura stemmed primarily from bestial nature.
Whereas the thunderous power surrounding Mord represented celestial might—the majestic wrath of heaven.
The King of Ants glanced down at his chest, where the skin had been scorched by the terrifying thunder force. Had he reacted even slightly slower earlier,
He might have actually drawn blood.
This man's attacks differed from Netero's—the blade in his hand could truly harm me.
"Are you ready?"
"?" The King of Ants looked puzzled.
"Ready to face divine punishment?" Mord's eyes snapped open, lightning flashes making them gleam like golden orbs. "Bankai!"
Raising his sword single-handedly toward the sky, Mord's entire Hatsu began converging into his Zanpakutō, which erupted with dazzling purple light.
A savage aura continuously emanated from the blade.
As Mord's low shout faded, violent winds suddenly whipped up, sweeping across heaven and hell.
The starry night sky over the boundless wilderness became overcast with dark clouds, low rumbles echoing from within the cloud layers.
"What is happening?"
The King of Ants instinctively looked upward, sensing the tremendous pressure building behind the clouds.
On a distant hillside.
Netero was also staring at the sky.
His expression turned extremely grave, clearly sensing that the lightning in the sky was far more terrifying than what he'd encountered at Kukuroo Mountain.
Because the lightning snakes dancing within the clouds displayed an eerie purple hue.
"Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!"
A blinding purple beam shot from Mord's Zanpakutō straight into the overhead clouds.
The sky, receiving the Zanpakutō's thunder power, began rotating like a massive oceanic vortex, countless purple lightning snakes appearing as if from nothingness.
As the vortex intensified, the weather across the entire plain descended into chaos. Enormous electric serpents writhed through the swirling mass until gradually, the rotation ceased, transforming into an oval-shaped forbidden zone of lightning.
Viewed from afar, it appeared as if a noble's purple canopy had manifested in the sky above Mord, except this canopy was composed of terrifying lightning.
Netero gazed up at the sky, witnessing this dreadful display of celestial power, and suddenly burst into laughter. The force of his laughter tugged at his wounds, making him cough violently several times.
The King of Ants wore an expression of extreme gravity, his face darkening frighteningly. Rarely did he, who typically concealed his emotions, display such loss of composure.
Beasts naturally fear heavenly thunder.
Ants are no exception.
At this moment, the King of Ants felt as if his heart was being crushed by a massive boulder, experiencing a fleeting sensation of suffocation.
Oppression!
It was as if the entire world was pressing down upon him.
Humiliation!
This was absolutely a disgrace for a king like him.
Meanwhile, Mord appeared like the Thunder God descending upon the mortal realm, looking down upon all living beings as mere ants.
Although what he was gazing upon now was indeed an ant.
"Thunder Descent!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a series of deafening thunderclaps, a terrifying purple lightning pillar descended from the canopy above Mord's head, striking toward the King of Ants at lightning speed in an instant.
"I am the King!"
"Such trifling lightning—watch me shatter it!"
The King of Ants charged toward the violet thunderbolt, his figure swiftly engulfed by the pillar of purple lightning.
As the radiance faded, a figure stood firm, smoke rising from his body, not a single part of him intact—yet he had ultimately endured.
The King of Ants casually tore off a piece of necrotic muscle, blood dripping profusely. He lifted his head, revealing a ferocious grin as he stared at Mord.
"Your heavenly lightning cannot kill me!"
"Now it's my turn."
Spreading his hands toward Mord, the King of Ants began gathering an immensely terrifying aura between his palms.
The black energy surrounding him condensed into a massive Nen ball.
With a forward thrust of his hands, the King of Ants launched the Nen ball toward Mord, carrying an aura of utter destruction.
As an Emission-type Nen user, he had unlocked the method of using Nen bullets during his battle with Mord.
What greeted it was yet another violet thunderbolt!
Two terrifying forces collided once more.
At their point of convergence, space trembled, and the ground instantly split apart. Any rubble touched by the slightest residual energy wave immediately turned to dust.
"Interesting."
"Let's see how many of my heavenly thunderbolts you can withstand." Mord coldly watched the King of Ants, this time unleashing three heavenly thunderbolts simultaneously.
One after another, they came with such speed that the King of Ants had no time to gather so many Nen bullets.
He began to evade.
But the heavenly thunderbolts seemed capable of auto-tracking.
Seeing this, a glint flashed in the King of Ants' eyes. Suddenly changing direction, he charged at top speed toward Mord's distant location.
A violet thunderbolt followed closely behind him like a purple dragon, poised to devour him at any moment.