30 kilometers south of the Royal Capital of the East Goto Kingdom.
Boom.
A deafening explosion rang out, followed by a shrill scream.
The screams came from a large basin. Several low mountains stood along its edges.
Bang, bang, bang...
Dull gunshots rang out from around the basin. These were the distinctive shots of sniper rifles. Seven Snipers were hiding around the basin and on the nearby mountain peaks, raining fire down on the people below.
"Hold the line! We absolutely can't retreat, or we'll all die."
"Boss, Daal is dead."
"What?"
Shouts and furious roars came from below the basin.
At that moment, dozens of Contractors were surrounding a humanoid creature with bright-red skin. The creature was astonishingly ferocious. Despite being surrounded by dozens of people, it showed no signs of falling behind and might break through the crowd at any moment.
The one being surrounded was Meng Tu Tu Youbi, one of the Ant King's three Royal Guards. It was the highest-level Chimera Ant apart from the Ant King. Its genes came entirely from various beasts, allowing it to change its body shape at will. Its Nen ability belonged to the Enhancement category.
Youbi differed from the other two Royal Guards. It acted impulsively, with anger being the emotion it felt most strongly. It could even use that anger to fight.
Those surrounding Youbi consisted of a medium-sized Adventurer Team and more than a dozen unaffiliated Contractors. The medium-sized Adventurer Team was called the Spark Adventurer Team. Its members were few, but they followed an elite route. Earlier, the team had recruited members through the Derivative World Contact Platform. Its purpose was already obvious: to surround and kill Youbi, one of the three Royal Guards.
Within the battle formation, a white fireball smashed into Youbi. Its arm suddenly