The Chimera Ant King Leaves

Some time later, the next day, in the ant nest.

The queen ant, with her abdomen swollen and huge, lay on a platform made of earth, resembling both a chair and a bed, stroking her round belly with one hand.

The message was conveyed through mental fluctuations. "My child... you are the future king who will rule the entire world, the one who will reign..."

"Ah!"

Before it could finish speaking, it suddenly let out a scream.

It's fetal movement... that huge shadow in my belly seems to be eager to come out.

"Don't rush, wait a little longer, your current nutrition..."

The Queen's voice sounded somewhat panicked.

Although it produces ants that combine excellent genes, such as a Squadron Leader, its own genes cannot be reversed, and it cannot speak. It can only 'speak' through a special way of transmitting signals between ants.

Immediately, the queen ant was filled with fear and anxiety, and the intense pain caused her to let out a shrill scream.

Because a fist broke through the abdominal cavity and came out...

As a figure slowly rose from its hunched posture, the Chimera Ant King, her body covered in slime, was born...

The first to arrive were naturally Shaiapouf, who had a pair of butterfly-shaped wings, and Youpi, whose skin was crimson. The two transformed into black ribbons and approached, immediately kneeling on one knee in submission.

Meruem glanced back at the queen ant with indifference, flicking his tail with the stinger attached, unmoved by her miserable state.

Shaiapouf and Youpi then introduced themselves.

Next came the Squadron Leader, who had come upon hearing the news...

The moment all the Squadron Leader saw the king, they were all trembling with fear and awe that came from the depths of their souls.

Then, the scene unfolded just like in the original story.

Among the Squadron Leader, a turtle-like fellow stepped forward, attempting to flatter the Chimera Ant King... but in the blink of an eye, his head was shattered by his tail, and he collapsed to the ground.

Another Squadron Leader also died.

Because these ants are not yet aware of Meruem's personality, their behavior will inevitably contain aspects that displease Meruem... No matter how many times it is repeated, or what the circumstances, the death of Squadron Leader is inevitable.

"You mean there were three members of the original Royal Guards... The missing one, Neferpitou, has been killed by humans." Meruem said calmly, looking at Shaiapouf kneeling on the ground.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shaiapouf responded.

Meruem doesn't need to ask about some basic information about humanity, as this part is already in its genetic consciousness.

It's just that our understanding of human beings isn't deep enough.

"I did sense a presence when I was in the womb... that must have been her. However, since she's dead... that's enough to show she was useless, just like these trash, unworthy to follow me." The Chimera Ant King glanced at the trembling division Squadron Leader beside him, then stepped out of the cave between Shaiapouf and Youpi.

This is the nature of ant colonies... After a new king is born, it will break away from the original ant colony and create its own power and territory.

And it... deep within its genes, has an added mission... to dominate this world.

He understood this from the moment he became conscious.

So... Meruem left without hesitation.

Shaiapouf and Youpi didn't even glance back at their kind before following the king and disappearing into the cave.

Meruem ... He doesn't know his own name yet.

After the three left, the Squadron Leader finally came to their senses and checked the queen ant's injuries.

The injuries were too severe...

They were in imminent danger, and their abilities were simply insufficient to save them.

Immediately, Kourudo thought of humans.

The only way to save the queen ant is to ask humans for help...

At that moment, he couldn't care less about anything else.

At least, these Squadron Leader served the Queen.

Because of their different personalities, some of the Squadron Leader felt no grief at the impending death of the queen ant, but instead thought it was a good thing... With the queen dead, they would be free and no longer have to guard this small piece of land... They could fully enter the human world and fulfill their ambitions and dreams.

The lion Haggya, the scorpion Zazan, the leopard Cheetu, and others successively expressed their desire to leave the group... and their squad leaders naturally followed suit.

Kourudo never expected that... the seemingly united group would suddenly be 'disintegrated' from within with the birth of the Chimera Ant King.

Even before leaving, Haggya mocked Kourudo's blind loyalty.

It's ridiculous that they, as superior beings, would ask humans for help.

But Kourudo didn't care about all that. Without a second thought, he flew out of the anthill, holding a white flag, and began searching for Nen user among the humans... He knew that the humans had already launched an attack against them, and the number of ants hunting outside had been decreasing during this time.

Not far from the ant nest, Oboro stood upright on the trunk of a tree, waiting for Kourudo to appear.

He had just sensed an extremely terrifying aura... but he dodged it at the last second before he could touch it.

Because as soon as he comes into contact with that aura, the creature emanating that aura will sense his presence... and that would be dangerous.

Meruem, the Chimera Ant King.

Even so, as Oboro retreated while maintaining a great distance, he still sensed a gaze seemingly directed in his direction.

However, because he had reached the pinnacle of concealing his aura, even if he attracted Meruem's attention, he probably didn't take him seriously. Or, in the latter's eyes, he was just an insignificant ant, or some kind of weak creature that couldn't be brought to the table.

I had some insight... but I didn't realize it was human, which wasn't enough to pique its interest.

That aura... is different from Neferpitou 'Neferpitou.

If Neferpitou's magnanimity is a vast lake, then the Chimera Ant King Meruem... is an ocean.

Judging from its capacity alone, it has exceeded human comprehension.

If we're talking about Neferpitou's magnanimity, Netero at his peak or Gon decades later could rival, or even surpass, it's simply impossible for the Chimera Ant King.

As for the strength of his Nen power, Oboro wasn't entirely sure... because they hadn't fought, he could only make a slight inference from the will contained within the 'ki' emanating from his opponent. Judging from the fact that Meruem couldn't break through Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva in the original work, even if the Chimera Ant King's Nen power was slightly stronger than Neferpitou's, it wasn't by much.

What's truly terrifying is the physical body.

The strength of Nen power is related to one's heart and will... Compared to the Ant King, who experienced spiritual sublimation and perilous situations after encountering Komugi and undergoing the baptism of the 'Poor Man's Rose,' even if the newly born Chimera Ant King has a strong Nen power, it will never be stronger than Oboro.

Of course, it wasn't that much worse.

The Chimera Ant King's innate abilities are terrifying enough...

It devours and grows! It's very similar to Oboro's Nen —there's no limit to its potential!

Given enough time, it... will indeed become a catastrophe for all of humanity.

Therefore, both V5 and Netero made very wise decisions.

The Chimera Ant King... must die!

No matter the cost.

Only after confirming that Meruem had left did Oboro approach the ant nest, knowing that Kourudo would appear... and that the queen ant's life was nearing its end.

High in the sky, Kourudo with mixed feelings. He didn't know how to negotiate with humans, or whether they would be willing to help him.

But just as he spread his wings and flew across the sky, suddenly his pupils contracted. With his excellent eyesight, he clearly saw a familiar figure standing in a gap in the shade of a tree, waving at him.

After confirming the other person's identity, Kourudo a chill run down his spine.

It's him!

The powerful human in a suit, the monster that terrified the Chimera Ant.

Kourudo was terrified, and at this crucial moment, when the queen ant's life was in danger, he returned... What did this man want to do? A massacre?

Kourudo is clever. The Chimera Ant King, Shaiapouf, and Youpi have already left, and the anthill is in disarray. They simply don't have the power to stop this human! The gap between the two sides is too great, even if the opponent is only one person...

He realized that rather than being afraid now, the queen ant's life was the most important thing. As long as he could get help from humans, he didn't care if it cost her its life.

With this thought in mind, he spiraled down from the sky and landed on a tree branch in front of Long, waving a simple white flag he had made for surrender.

We surrender!

As soon as he stood firm, Kourudo knelt down before Oboro and said in a deep voice.

"We hope to receive your help..."

After speaking, Kourudo looked up at Oboro with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

This man possesses such formidable strength that he must be a top-tier figure among human Nen user, someone who can speak with authority.

In Kourudo's view, the other human Nen users who have been active on his territory recently are more or less related to the person in front of him, and may even be in the same group.

Oboro arrived at the exact time to prevent others from having contact with Kourudo.

He likes to wait for opportunities to come to him.

"Is the queen ant dying?"

Before he could finish speaking, Long smiled slightly.

Kourudo somewhat taken aback, not expecting Oboro to know.

"That's right... Our Queen is now in critical condition and urgently needs..."

"Shhhhhhh."

Oboro interrupted him again.

"You only need to answer one question for me, and then I'll consider whether or not to help you?"

Long smiled with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.

"Are all your Squadron Leader still in the lair...? They haven't left yet, have they?"

"...Yes."

Kourudo swallowed hard, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

"Um..."

"Have you ever counted how many humans you've killed?"

"I asked calmly."

"..."

"As outsiders, you barged into someone else's home without permission, causing a ruckus... and then demanded that the homeowner clean up your mess... Do humans owe you anything?" Oboro, hands in his pockets, slowly bent down, staring at the kneeling ants. "Among you, while some have awakened memories of your human past and can be considered to have a conscience, most cannot shake their ingrained vices, which are inherited from their genes..."

"If the Queen hadn't been in trouble... would you have sought peace with the humans? By your very nature, humans are still food, aren't they?"

Glug.

Kourudo's throat bobbed, and cold sweat broke out on his face.

"Look... we're just participating using the game and rules you've chosen. Now you want to change the rules... that won't do."

"Therefore, my answer is: refuse to cooperate."

"However... I still want to thank you for sending this message."

After speaking, Oboro took out a hand, Ta Bu into the air, and slowly reached out to grab Kourudo.

The latter stared at the fingers that were gradually approaching her cheek, her eyes filled with despair.

I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cellar.

He knew... it was over!