CHAPTER 180: MEGA LUCARIO!

Neferpitou was dead.

But she wasn’t the first among the Royal Guards to fall.

Shaiapouf had died even earlier—because his opponent was Gengar!

***

In a smoke-filled chamber somewhere within the palace...

Such overwhelming presence!

Impossible!

This rivals even the King’s power!

Shaiapouf stared blankly at Gengar emerging from the shadows, his face was cold as ice, yet his mind rolled with towering waves of disbelief.

He refused to accept that a human could possess strength comparable to their King!

How could this be...?

Yet the truth lay before him, undeniable even if he wished otherwise.

If anything, Gengar’s appearance only solidified his resolve to eliminate every enemy present.

Just as Neferpitou, upon witnessing Gon’s descent into darkness in the original timeline, had immediately sought to destroy him—to prevent any threat to the King.

Shaiapouf now felt the same, willing to die if it meant removing this danger to the Ant King.

Unfortunately, the gap in their power was far too vast and Shaiapouf possessed no Nen ability capable of turning the tables.

"Geeeeen~gar!" Gengar let out a bone-chilling laugh as violet-black Aura separated from its body, swirling around it.

Then, several will-o’-wisps, glowing with sinister hues, shot toward Shaiapouf like homing missiles.

Shaiapouf’s heart lurched—he realized dodging these unnatural flames was impossible.

Activating his Aura in a flash of radiant light, his body instantly split into countless miniature Shaiapoufs.

This was one of Shaiapouf’s Nen abilities: [Beelzebub]

[Beelzebub]: Allows Shaiapouf to divide his body into innumerable tiny clones.

This ability can be used to evade attacks, surveil enemies, or manipulate targets.

However, the core consciousness controlling the clones must remain—hence the name [Beelzebub].

Using [Beelzebub], Shaiapouf swiftly fragmented into microscopic entities.

A complete escape was impossible now.

He could only prioritize survival, minimizing losses from this assault.

BOOM!

The ghostly flames clung like parasites to the swarm of miniature Shaiapoufs.

In an instant, the tiny embers erupted into a vast, grotesque inferno across the clones.

Shaiapouf’s strategy worked—though many clones burned away, a significant portion survived.

Wasting no time, Shaiapouf manipulated his remaining clones, testing whether their minuscule forms could breach the smoke’s confinement.

But as soon as he had this thought, his body involuntarily froze in place, as if something unseen was influencing him.

Is this also the enemy’s ability?

Shaiapouf was right—this was the effect of Gengar’s Mean Look.

From the moment it entered this room, the outcome had already been decided.

Under Gengar’s deliberate control, Shaiapouf not only died but also had his body preserved as intact as possible.

A glimmer of light flashed across the ground, followed by the appearance of a spatial rift, into which Shaiapouf’s corpse fell.

This was also arranged by Akira—having Gengar stored their corpses felt somewhat unsettling.

It was simpler to just store them in the digital world for retrieval later.

"This is..." Morel was momentarily puzzled by the disappearance of Shaiapouf’s body before remembering that it was likely Akira’s doing.

So, Akira had taken the enemy’s corpse away.

After repeatedly confirming there were no remaining clones, Morel finally dispersed the white smoke.

This battle was surprisingly easy for me—all I did was cast Smoky Jail and nothing else.

What Morel didn’t know was that he had actually contributed quite a bit compared to the rest of the extermination team.

Gon and Killua hadn’t even reached the battlefield before Neferpitou was defeated by Gardevoir.

Knov and Meleoron were still on the sidelines, unable to intervene in Lucario’s battle with Menthuthuyoupi.

Morel shook his head, shouldering his large smoking pipe as he walked outside, intending to check on the others’ progress.

Just as he had this thought, a sudden tremor ran through the palace, causing the entire structure to shake slightly.

An earthquake?

At that moment, Hyper Beam struck the ground and the resulting shockwaves were strong enough to reach the palace.

"Neferpitou and Shaiapouf have been dealt with." Akira murmured from atop the platform, standing firm despite the palace’s slight tremors.

"Now, only Menthuthuyoupi remains."

Of the three Royal Guards, only Menthuthuyoupi was left.

Among the three, Akira found Shaiapouf the most useful.

Primarily because of his Nen ability.

Shaiapouf possessed three abilities.

The first was Spiritual Message, which allowed him to sense emotions and hypnotize others.

This was decent but not particularly remarkable.

The second was Beelzebub, which enabled him to split his body into countless tiny clones.

This was more useful than Spiritual Message, ideal for reconnaissance.

In the future, when he reached the Dark Continent, Akira could have Ditto transform into Shaiapouf and use Beelzebub for scouting.

The last ability—and the one Akira found most valuable—could be called Ability Awakening {Cocoon}.

Shaiapouf could encase others in cocoons, unconsciously guiding them to develop the Nen ability best suited to them.

For a Nen User, their Hatsu is of utmost importance.

Yet not every Nen User can develop an ability that truly fits them.

Take Kastro, for example, whom Hisoka once criticized as "a waste of potential."

His original ability, Tiger Bite Fist, was well-suited to him and could unleash considerable power.

But when he fought Hisoka again two years later, he had developed the ill-fitting Double Doppelganger.

In the end, his talent was squandered and he died at Hisoka’s hands.

This alone demonstrates how crucial Shaiapouf’s ability is.

No effort needed to develop the perfect Nen ability.

All you need to do is lie inside the cocoon for a while and you’ll emerge with the Nen ability most suited to you.

In the original work, many Chimera Ants’ Nen abilities were developed by Shaiapouf using this method.

The only question worth exploring is whether this ’Cocoon’ only works on Chimera Ants.

After all, in the original work, Shaiapouf only used this ability on Chimera Ants, so there’s no guarantee it would work on other creatures.

This is something that will need to be tested later when the opportunity arises.

Overall, compared to the other two Royal Guards, Shaiapouf’s Nen ability as a support was more useful.

****

On the first floor of the palace

BOOM! BOOM!

...Intense collision sounds echoed one after another.

"This is incredible..." Knov kept wiping cold sweat with his handkerchief, utterly overwhelmed by the ferocity of the battle.

He and Meleoron could only stay in the corner, silently watching the repeated clashes between the two, unable to offer any assistance.

Menthuthuyoupi now had several additional arms compared to before and their shapes no longer resembled normal arms.

Crimson tentacles, like boiled octopus limbs, whipped through the air, leaving afterimages in their wake.

But it wasn’t just about the tentacles—Menthuthuyoupi could also morph his flesh into various forms.

The tips of his tentacles transformed into weapons resembling swords, hammers and more, significantly enhancing its lethality.

With countless tentacles amplifying his attacks, every swing produced violent sonic booms.

The entire battlefield was never silent.

Beyond the arm transformations, countless eyes of varying sizes had sprouted across his body.

It seemed there were as many eyes as there were tentacles.

From every angle—front, back, left, or right—his body was covered in eyes, leaving no blind spots.

To counter Lucario’s speed, Menthuthuyoupi had opted for more arms and more eyes.

Yet, it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Menthuthuyoupi was still at a disadvantage, merely enduring the onslaught.

"Rrragh!" Lucario’s body was now completely enveloped in a dazzling blue Aura, faint ripples of energy pulsing around it.

It was precisely this Aura that allowed Lucario to continuously evade Menthuthuyoupi’s storm-like attacks.

But Lucario wasn’t just dodging—it was also building up power!

BOOM

An observant eye would notice that Lucario’s fists occasionally flashed with a deep crimson light upon impact.

And with each subsequent strike, the force behind its punches grew stronger.

Fighting-type move—Power-Up Punch!

[Power-Up Punch] not only dealt damage but also enhanced the user’s attack power.

Throughout this prolonged battle, Lucario had already used Power-Up Punch multiple times.

Menthuthuyoupi felt this the most.

If he had initially held the upper hand in raw strength, he was now completely outmatched!

The only way he could compensate for his lack of power was by multiplying his arms to gain some advantage.

Were it not for Menthuthuthuyoupi’s ability to amplify his strength through rage, he would have already lost to Lucario.

But that moment was approaching.

While rage could boost Menthuthuyoupi’s power, it also eroded his rationality.

His attacks became wild and chaotic, devoid of any technique.

This gave Lucario—who was analyzing every move with its Aura—the perfect opportunity to strike!

Finally, Lucario spotted a flaw in Menthuthuyoupi’s movements.

As a brilliant surge of Aura erupted, Lucario’s right fist blazed with radiant light.

Empowered by Aura, the fist resembled a falling meteor, carving a luminous trail through the air.

Tiny, diamond-like specks of light scattered in its wake, creating an ethereal beauty.

Yet beneath this dazzling "meteor" lurked a deadly, unstoppable force!

Steel-type move—Meteor Mash!

With too many arms to control and having lost all reason, Menthuthuyoupi was effortlessly caught off guard by Lucario.

At this point, he couldn’t even defend himself in time.

Even though the eyes covering his body saw Lucario’s attack coming, the speed was simply too fast—there was no time to react.

"BAM!!"

A strike louder than any before resounded.

When Meteor Mash landed on Menthuthuyoupi, his right waist bent inward in a horrifying manner.

Paired with his crimson skin, his entire body arched like a boiled shrimp.

Then, Menthuthuyoupi’s massive frame was sent flying as if he was struck by a real meteor.

"BOOM! BOOM!..."

He crashed straight into the nearby wall, shattering it instantly and continued hurtling backward.

After the intense battle between the two, this floor was already in ruins, nothing but collapsed debris in sight.

Lucario shook its right hand, its gaze still fixed on the direction Menthuthuyoupi had been sent flying.

Lucario knew that single strike alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat it.

At this moment, Menthuthuyoupi’s entire body was embedded deep into a distant wall, the bones in his right waist completely shattered.

Not just shattered—there was now a gaping hole in his waist, faintly revealing the organs inside.

Pain and fury intertwined in Menthuthuyoupi’s heart, his rage burning so intensely it seemed to take physical form!

Veins bulged on his forehead, and an even more terrifying surge of Aura erupted from his body.

An endless tide of bloody Aura burst forth from Menthuthuyoupi, as though he had emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

The walls around him were instantly pulverized by the crimson Aura exploding outward.

At the same time, Menthuthuyoupi’s body began mutating wildly once more.

First, the wound on his right waist healed completely.

Then, the muscles in his lower body writhed and shifted.

Finally, his two legs transformed into four, morphing it into a centaur-like form.

The muscles in his upper body also changed, forcibly forming a grotesque armor-like layer of flesh over his body.

In his extreme fury, Menthuthuyoupi regained a sliver of sanity after taking this form.

But the obsession in his heart remained unshaken.

He had to kill Lucario!

****

"Is he... dead?" Meleoron gulped, staring at the trail of shattered walls before whispering to Knov beside him.

Before Knov could respond, they heard the sound of galloping hooves from deep within the ruins.

"CLOP, CLOP..."

Each step caused the ground to crack like a spiderweb, trembling slightly with every impact.

What appeared before their eyes was none other than Menthuthuyoupi—now in the form of a centaur!

His speed had more than doubled compared to before and in an instant, he closed the distance to Lucario.

Wielding a lance forged from his own flesh, he charged like a knight in full gallop.

Everything happened in a flash—Menthuthuyoupi was already upon Lucario.

There seemed to be no way to dodge.

’DIE!!’

Menthuthuyoupi roared inwardly, his face—if it could still be called one—twisting into an even more monstrous visage.

Cloaked in a dense, blood-soaked aura, he resembled a knight from hell.

The sharp, crimson spear tip gleamed with a chilling light, making one believe it could pierce through anything.

"BANG!"

Unfortunately, it struck a green protective barrier.

Though cracks formed on its surface, it failed to hit Lucario.

Normal-type move — Protect!

Simultaneously, a brilliant white light erupted from Lucario’s body.

Within the protective shield, its form continuously shifted.

This moment was just like that moment!

Not only did Neferpitou grasp the terror of Pokemon moves, but even Menthuthuyoupi felt the same.

Watching Lucario’s aura surge relentlessly, He frantically unleashed more Aura, desperate to kill Lucario before it could complete its transformation.

Yet, the ’Protect’ barrier stood like an insurmountable chasm, firmly separating him from Lucario.

Moments later, the white light dissipated, revealing Lucario’s current form.

It should now be called "Mega Lucario"!

Mega Lucario had more black stripes on its body, its skin tone darkened and its feet turned red.

The cream-colored fur on its body grew longer, its thighs became slimmer and more spikes emerged on the backs of its hands and soles.

Both its limbs and the wave-sensing appendage on the back of its head were tinged with a red hue, symbolizing courage.

This was Lucario’s first Mega Evolution.

Compared to before, Mega Lucario appeared even more heroic, its every movement radiating immense intimidation.

The ’Protect’ barrier silently shattered, revealing something far more terrifying to Menthuthuyoupi.

"ROAARR!"

Mega Lucario spread both arms outward and a shining "bone club" suddenly materialized between its hands.

With a firm grip, Mega Lucario wielded the radiant bone club.

In its grasp, the bone club resembled a peerless sword, effortlessly twirling with a flick of its wrist.

With the bone club in hand, Mega Lucario’s presence grew even more terrifying, freezing Menthuthuyoupi in place.

In that instant, the anger in Menthuthuyoupi’s heart quietly faded, replaced by fear!

His fate seemed already sealed!

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