Zazan was as foolish as ever. She didn't even realize my intentions and, without hesitation, became my shield, just as I had predicted.
Gyro's expression remained grim as he took advantage of the brief second Zazan had bought with her life, completely completing the "Enhancement."
The "Ant Queen's" sudden death only momentarily halted the demon army's tidal wave of attacks before they threw themselves forward again, recklessly sacrificing their lives.
Zazan's death allowed the demons to break free from the "Queen Shot" restraint, but they were still shackled by the "King Shot."
As long as Gyro didn't call it off, they would continue fighting endlessly, as if it was as natural as eating or reproducing.
Gyro's will was to release his malice upon the world, and his nen ability was fixed in that direction as well.
After consuming the "King Shot," the demons' hearts were consumed by savagery, taking pleasure in the terror Gyro spread, disregarding life and death.
But in the end, they could only rely on their numbers to delay Germain for a moment, unable to even injure him.
Boom—
After another slash, Germain's path cleared, and finally, only Gyro remained in his line of sight.
As for the other demons, they were held back by Shizuku, Kurapika, Machi, and Pakunoda.
Germain's black cloak fluttered in the night wind, his footsteps splashing through the bloodstained ground as he approached the twisted, deformed Gyro.
Gyro's robe had been torn by his swollen form, the fabric falling in tatters around him.
His body no longer resembled that of a human, as if he had donned a gray, rigid armor, its mechanical shine reflecting in the moonlight.
A western dragon's head emerged, with sharp claws and fangs extending from its limbs. Its broad back raised a pair of bat-like wings and spread them wide.
This was the ultimate form of his demon.
From Gyro's perspective, the image of Germain walking out from the shadows kept changing, almost as if it was made up of multiple figures.
First, it was his father, then the leader of the opposition in NGL, followed by the chimera ant who killed him, and finally, it was Germain himself.
They all had one thing in common—each had brought Gyro the deepest fear.
Gyro realized he hadn't completely let go of the past as he thought. No, with no special method, how could anyone truly forget their past? It was because of that past that he became who he was now.
The intense pain from the dozens of "King Shots" still lingered, but they stimulated his brain, making his mind unusually sharp, and his physical abilities surged drastically.
This feeling gave him the sense that he was now qualified to look down on everything, to be the ruler.
"Germain."
Gyro's voice was low, mixed with strange noises, as if another person inside him was speaking at the same time.
"You are Germain, right?"
Germain's silence was an answer in itself.
"I know, you're the one who killed the 'Ant King' in the Republic of East Gorteau. That means, you're one of the few who have witnessed both 'Ant Kings' in the world."
"Tell me, who is stronger between me and that 'Ant King'?"
Germain didn't answer Gyro's question. Instead, he calmly approached Gyro and raised the Sacred Moonlight Sword, causing it to emit a faint blue glow in the darkness.
This attitude once again pierced Gyro's heart, but he didn't show it. He instead released his murderous aura without any more restraint!
"I see... Since you won't answer, let's see the answer through actual combat."
Boom—
Gyro's face twisted in rage, his eyes glowing with fury!
The dark killing intent exploded from beneath his feet, creating a half-circle crater, and the sharp malice made all living creatures around instinctively want to flee.
Except for Germain, who had no such intention.
He stepped forward, and in the next moment, broke through the seemingly impenetrable aura barrier, slashing down in front of Gyro, who widened his eyes in shock!
Swoosh—
The sound of shattered armor disrupted Gyro's calm. In disbelief, he quickly leapt back while looking down at the massive wound on his body!
Pfft, pfft—
His flesh and blood squirmed, as if needles were stitching through his skin, sewing up his internal organs and blood vessels.
If it weren't for taking the "King Shot" and temporarily gaining super-fast regenerative abilities, that last strike might have been the end of him.
Gyro landed several meters away, stopping only after a few moments, breathing heavily while warily watching Germain, who was standing still without taking any further actions.
"I see... I was careless. My defenses still couldn't withstand your full force..."
"The reason I didn't answer your question earlier," Germain suddenly spoke, interrupting Gyro, "was because I wanted to give a more accurate answer."
He looked down at the blood dripping from his Sacred Moonlight Sword.
"As far as physical strength goes... hmm... you're probably still at the level of Pitou or Youpi before they went berserk, right?"
Gyro's words got caught in his throat. It took him a while to understand Germain's meaning. He of course knew who Pitou and Youpi were.
"Is this your evaluation of me? That even after taking so many drugs and paying such a price, I still haven't reached the level of 'the Three Royal Guards'?"
Anger began to rise, just like when he killed his father. Hatred had been building up, and the eruption was just a moment.
Wait a little longer, endure for a moment. Once my accelerated regeneration ends, I will...
Buzz—
Even if it was just a thought, Germain had to interrupt Gyro.
A strange force was gathering, so much so that Gyro and those around them all felt the change.
No matter who they were facing, their eyes instinctively drifted toward this side.
The ground rumbled, like many tanks driving by. Ruins, broken stones, and shattered walls trembled, as if in fear.
Pop! Pop! Pop—
Blue light bullets rose from the ground, ascending like raindrops returning to the sky, before pouring into the Sacred Moonlight Sword.
"'Full-power strike'? It seems you misunderstood."
Germain slowly raised the Sacred Moonlight Sword, its tip pointing straight at Gyro.
"That was just a test."
Without giving time for any extra thought, the sword's tip shot out like a cannon, releasing the massive Nen Germain had gathered in a brief moment.
Boom—
Gyro instinctively spread his wings and shot into the air like an arrow, moving so fast that he could avoid most attacks he had faced before.
But this strike, he couldn't dodge. His leap seemed more like he was diving straight into the blast wave, instantly enveloped and consumed!
His armor shattered in an instant, his flesh burned to a crisp and turned to ash. His bones cracked, and his fragile organs were no exception...
Everything was beyond repair, even with accelerated regeneration. His will was reduced to a fleeting moment of clarity.
Gyro clearly saw that after releasing the strike, Germain lowered his great sword, turned, and left, as though he already knew the outcome.
And the outcome truly didn't exceed his expectations.
You…!
With most of his body destroyed, Gyro miraculously extended what was left of his left hand, as if trying to grasp the hem of Germain's clothes as he walked away.
Or perhaps, to grasp the hem of the clothes of his cold, indifferent father, who, even though present that day, had stepped on him and ignored his existence.
Gyro realized that he had probably already predicted this outcome long ago.
The reason he took those "King Shot" might have been just to make Germain acknowledge him as the "Ant King."
But he failed.
Germain, you…!
Gyro's silent roar ended at the moment his life did.
The months-long invasion of the Meteor Street ants came to an end that night, but the world didn't really care.
********
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