Chapter 181: The Squad and the Serpent
Colin proved his worth once again.
Spears flew from his hands in a rapid-fire sequence, each one infused with
enough kinetic force and aura to skewer multiple flying ants before gravity
claimed it.
The rest of the squad didn't remain idle. Nen users erupted with power, using
high-caliber rifles or specialized Hatsu to suppress the incoming swarm.
But the flying ants were too numerous. Within minutes, the squad realized that a
stationary defense was a death sentence.
A group of four specialists performed a Collaborative Conjuration. In a flash of
light, a massive, reinforced mountain-offroad vehicle materialized in the
clearing.
The vehicle was built like a tank. Even when winged ants slammed into the frame,
the metal held—protected by a dense, overlapping layer of Nen.
As the squad piled inside, Colin stopped throwing his physical spears. He had
limited stock, and he wasn't going to waste his high-value ordinance on "trash
mobs."
He knew the "Final Boss" was still waiting deeper in the hive.
The driver floored the accelerator. The engine let out a bestial roar as the SUV
tore through the jungle.
Soldier ants appeared in their path, but they were simply crushed under the
reinforced tires.
However, the ants were learning.
In the previous skirmish, Ronin's Shadow Clone had killed them too fast for a
response. But against the slow-moving vehicle, the ants adapted. They spun
around, aiming their abdomens at the SUV.
Squelch!
A deluge of thick white silk erupted from the swarm, blanketing the vehicle.
But the expert's earlier analysis hadn't been ignored.
The SUV's windows slid down. Two Emitters appeared, each wielding a high-output
Nen Flamethrower.
They knew the raptors were flammable, and they gambled that the ant silk—a
biological protein—would share that weakness.
They were right.
The moment the triggers were pulled, the webbing caught fire.
The SUV, looking like a flaming meteor, smashed through the burning lines. The
spiked ram on the front bumper became a harvesting tool, shredding any ant that
didn't move fast enough.
Bam! Thud! Crunch!
The vehicle carved a bloody path through the trees. Even large prehistoric
trunks were uprooted as the mech-enhanced SUV plowed forward.
But the strain was taking its toll. The Emitter maintaining the vehicle's
defensive shield was turning pale. He had been holding a total-body Ken for the
entire vehicle for over a minute.
His aura was being siphoned off at an alarming rate.
The shield flickered.
With a sharp crack, a winged ant breached the aura-barrier. Its serrated claws
screeched against the roof plating.
A split second later, a handgun muzzle pressed against the ant's head.
BANG!
The creature's head exploded. The corpse was tossed away by the wind pressure.
Standing on the roof, anchored by his boots, was a man in sunglasses holding
dual revolvers. He maintained a steady Ren, his body absorbing the shock of the
bumpy ride as he picked off the swarm with clinical precision.
Two minutes later, the air was clear. The flying ants had retreated, and the
soldier ants on the ground had been bypassed. The hive entrance and the jagged
cliffs finally came into view.
As the vehicle reached the base of the cliffs, its duration expired. It vanished
into thin air.
The passengers tumbled out, performing combat rolls to bleed off the momentum.
The five specialists who maintained the construct slumped to the ground, gasping
for air. The Emitter who held the shield looked like he was one breath away from
fainting.
The man with the sunglasses—the shooter—was also panting, but he didn't rest. He
scanned the cave entrance with a grim intensity.
He sensed something.
Before he could shout a warning, a massive, muscular tail erupted from the dirt
beneath him.
The limb punched through his chest and out his back, hoisting him high into the
air like a trophy.
The squad reacted instantly. Some dropped into combat stances; others scrambled
backward to open the distance.
But the ground was a minefield. Two more Hunters were skewered by rising tails
within seconds.
"WATCH OUT!" Benket screamed.
Beside him, a Conjurer threw a metallic disc onto the ground.
It hit the soil and expanded, releasing a dark green Nen net. He hoped to
entrain the creature lurking below.
But before the net could settle, a massive snake-ant head—the size of a
car—erupted directly behind the Conjurer.
The jaws snapped shut. Only the man's legs remained on the pavement.
Panic finally reached Benket's eyes. He threw a smoke sphere to the ground.
Poof!
A thick, grey fog filled the area, masking his position.
The giant serpent turned its head toward the smoke, its vertical pupils
vibrating with confusion.
Another tail whipped out, piercing the fog, but it found only empty air. Benket
had already relocated.
Suddenly, a spear whistled through the air.
Colin had found his opening. The projectile slammed into the serpent's head,
shattering scales and aura. But the hide was too thick; the spear caught in the
muscle without reaching the brain.
"DETONATE!" Colin barked.
The Nen-infused spear exploded inside the wound.
The serpent shrieked, its head becoming a mangled mess of blood and burnt meat.
The pain seemed to trigger the rest of its body.
The earth began to heave and buckle. A truly monolithic creature was preparing
to breach the surface.
The squad's morale shattered. Colin reached for his last high-purity spear, but
his hands were shaking. He knew another shot wouldn't be enough.
But then, a humming sound reached his ears.
A spinning orb of sapphire energy streaked from the forest edge, trailing
high-velocity wind blades in its wake.
It was aimed directly at the serpent's open maw.
BOOM!
The collision was deafening. The Rasenshuriken hit the snake's head and
detonated.
A sphere of blue Chakra expanded, millions of microscopic wind blades shredding
the serpent's head and the immediate area into molecular dust.
The tremors stopped. The tails went limp and crashed to the ground.
Ronin stepped out from the shadows of the jungle, his Sharingan glowing.
"One down," he noted.
☆☆☆
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