Mutual Convictions

"That's... Gon?"

Afterwards, Gon Jie and the Chimera Ant King left the palace one after the other.

Morel and the others also noticed Gon's change and were astonished.

"Gon!"

Upon Biscuit's expression suddenly changed, and she immediately shouted.

But Gon just turned around and gave everyone a reassuring look.

He didn't speak.

"He..."

Morel's voice was serious.

Both he and Biscuit noticed something was wrong! Gon's condition...

Biscuit, as the teacher who trained Gon and Killua, felt the most complicated emotions upon seeing this scene, experiencing an unspeakable pain.

Constraints and vows are things that cannot be overdrawn at will.

Not everyone can do that...

It first requires you to have strong beliefs and awareness, which will cause your thoughts to change and then act on your body.

Right now, even if she and Morel wanted to fight the Chimera Ant King for Gon, they couldn't... because they couldn't overdraw their lives.

A meeting of minds and intentions.

Even if the two of them can overspend, they still need time to lay the groundwork and prepare.

Bang! Then, under the watchful eyes of the others, Gon and the Chimera Ant King shot into the sky one after the other, like two anti-aircraft guns. Relying on their brute lower limb explosive power, they seemed to fly, disappearing into the night with a loud bang and a tremor.

"You guys quickly contact the Association and inform them of the president's passing, but that the Chimera Ant King is still alive. Tell the management to send more people as soon as possible!" Biscuit turned around abruptly, staring intently at Knuckle Bine, Shoot, and Palm, and gave the order.

"Evacuate first, taking Killua and that girl with you. If the two of us don't come back... we'll be considered dead."

After saying that, Biscuit revealed her true form in front of outsiders, which was extremely rare for her. Her limbs began to swell and grow larger, and her muscles bulged.

Her physique was masculine, completely incongruous with her feminine identity, and the lines of her face became more angular.

Needless to say, she followed Morel and chased after the direction where Gon and the Chimera Ant King had disappeared.

The three were left staring at each other, still not having reacted. None of them had expected that the chairman would be defeated! And the Chimera Ant King seemed to be uninjured.

In the end... the entire expedition team was reduced to relying on Gon to stand up for them...

Knuckle Bine shed tears, and Shoot also looked remorseful.

Palm was concerned about Gon and wanted to follow, but was stopped by his teacher Knov.

The mission is not over yet.

Everything should be based on the mission plan; we must not lose sight of the overall situation.

At that moment, Knuckle Bine heard footsteps.

The people approaching were Fante and Anthony.

"You two bastards!"

Knuckle Bine a loud roar.

His anger stemmed from Oboro, who had taken away the two ants, Shaiapouf and Youpi, but hadn't disposed of them.

Instead, they returned with the Chimera Ant King.

If Youpi had been killed inside the palace at that time...

Furthermore, although Oboro Squad was not officially appointed, they were still members of the Association and comrades... yet they remained completely indifferent throughout the entire process.

"What's your name?"

Anthony picked at his ear, even picking up a wooden comb and styling his pompadour in a flamboyant manner, saying in a nonchalant tone, "We have no obligation to help you."

"You!"

Knuckle Bine's forehead veins bulged.

The members of Oboro's team joined the Association because of their reasons for joining, and because they were trained by Oboro herself... so they didn't have a deep affection for the Association. They obtained their Hunter License simply for convenience.

What they truly believed in and respected was Oboro.

It's not Association.

Moreover, the ant matter concerns a series of power struggles within the Association, Anthony and Fante would naturally not be able to interfere with.

As for the Chimera Ant King's rebirth and return, the captain had already given instructions on this matter beforehand.

The appearance of the Chimera Ant King made the two of them marvel once again at Oboro's uncanny foresight... so there was nothing to be surprised about.

"Oboro is already dead, but you two should still..."

"Shhhhhhh."

Knuckle Bine suppressed his anger, but before he could finish speaking, Anthony shook his comb and interrupted him, "Watch your words. I believe anyone in this world can die, including the guild master. But my captain will not die... at least not before he sets foot on that continent."

As he finished speaking, Anthony's gaze towards Knuckle Bine held a hint of hostility.

He wouldn't mind teaching a lesson to anyone who spoke rudely to him.

The atmosphere between the two was tense.

"Alright."

Fante patted his teammate on the shoulder, then looked at the group led by Knov and said calmly, "The Chimera Ant King is gone... Didn't you notice that the two ants that were left behind are not making any noise?"

After he said that...

Everyone then realized what was happening and looked up at the top of the building, at the terrace where Gon and the Chimera Ant King had just been standing.

Shaiapouf and Youpi, who had shrunk in size, should theoretically still be on top.

These two ants actually wanted to kill humans, especially Shaiapouf... but for them, the king's command was absolute.

The Chimera Ant King has already said that he will not kill these people and will let them go.

Therefore, even if Shaiapouf was unwilling, he dared not carry out the killing.

Of course, imprisoning and torturing these humans is still an option... Shaiapouf had already wasted some time persuading the hesitant Youpi to capture a few Nen first. But just as they were about to act, it was sudden and without warning.

Their own flesh and blood decayed, and their vitality rapidly diminished...

At the same time, foul blood overflowed from his nose and mouth.

They risked their lives to rescue the Chimera Ant King, entering... the very center of the nuclear explosion, an area already severely corroded by toxins, not to mention that they had transferred most of their life essence to Meruem.

The palm-sized Shaiapouf fell directly to the ground from mid-air, his pupils constricted, and he struggled to breathe.

Youpi, as usual, grew larger and was about to leap off the terrace onto the ground outside the palace when the poison took effect.

This caused it to stagger and fall backward.

At that moment, a human climbed up from below the terrace and landed steadily between the two ants.

It was Fante.

"Really..."

Fante held the cigarette butt, took a deep drag, and his eyes gleamed as he scanned the two ants.

"Humans..."

Miniature Shaiapouf stretched out his tiny arms and reached for Fante's ankle, which was very close by, as if he wanted to say something.

Instead, all that responded to it was a cigarette butt left behind by a human, still burning...

After the cigarette butt went out, Shaiapouf also breathed his last with his eyes wide open.

Fante then walked to the edge of the terrace and said in a deep voice to Knuckle Bine and the others below, "These two ants are dead... but it's not advisable to get close now. They are highly toxic and radioactive, making them very dangerous. They need to be handled by professionals."

Dead?

Knuckle Bine and the others were stunned.

After Fante finished speaking, he walked down the steps, keeping his distance from the two ant corpses.

He couldn't see the souls of the two ants that had fallen; only Oboro could.

But he knew that there was a time limit after the soul fell... so he had to stay here and guard it.

Although ants carry highly venomous substances, as long as you don't get too close or stay for too long... it's still okay.

Then, Knuckle Bine and the others hurriedly ran up as well.

They saw the state of Shaiapouf and Youpi's deaths.

They looked at Fante and Anthony, but the two seemed unwilling to explain...

"Just stay put, our captain will be back soon."

Fante sat on the steps, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, and exhaled smoke as he spoke in a deep voice.

They didn't need to explain. After the Chimera Ant King's death, the Association's higher-ups would naturally know Netero's secret: the implantation of a miniature nuclear bomb.

Therefore, it is impossible to claim credit for the death of two ants.

But Oboro did indeed subdue Youpi and Shaiapouf, reducing casualties and lowering the danger of the mission... If these two ants had maintained their full fighting strength, Knuckle Bine and the others would definitely not have gotten the better of them.

Their current situation might be even worse.

After confirming that they were far enough away from the capital city that the battle would not involve others.

The corrupted Gon then launched a direct attack on the Chimera Ant King.

Both of them were moving at supersonic speeds within the space... their shadows were completely invisible, and all that could be heard was the sharp sound of air being torn apart, and a trail of dust rising from the ground.

The Chimera Ant King was very surprised! Because Gon's senses had completely detected him.

That One-Punch Man, imbued with concentrated Nen power, landed precisely on his abdomen.

It should be noted that he has already been reborn, and with his talent and potential for growth, he has been further elevated after his battle with Netero.

In other words, he is now far, far stronger than when he fought the human elder...

Both in terms of combat mindset and ability.

If they were to clash again, the Chimera Ant King was confident that he could break through Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva's blockade in an instant.

But... the 'boy' in front of him kept up with his reactions and movements with ease.

It's not the kind of ideology that Netero has reached the pinnacle of, but rather, his physical attributes alone are already very close to his level.

Boom! With One-Punch Man punch, a golden sun exploded high in the sky, its sound shaking the heavens.

The Chimera Ant King immediately shot towards the earth as a straight black line.

The moment it touched the ground, the land within a radius of several hundred meters surged into the air, and the horizon cracked and sank.

An endless storm surged forth.

Gon's offensive continued unabated, almost at the same speed as the Chimera Ant King as it fell...

His expression was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

He gathered a thick layer of Nen power in his fist again, as if... he didn't care about the consumption of Nen power at all, nor did he look for the right opportunity to use his ultimate move.

His offensive style is very simple... it's a straight shot.

At this moment, there is no room for trickery or adaptation; it is simply a matter of violence against violence.

Boom boom boom.

How terrifying was Gon's battle with the Chimera Ant King? Biscuit and Morel chased after him with all their might, but still couldn't get close to the battlefield; they were still a great distance away.

Even so, the two still saw the incredibly dazzling light emanating from Gon's Nen power in the night sky...

The sheer magnitude of that energy was something no human being could possibly generate; at least... Biscuit nor Morel had ever seen anything like it before.

The capacity of one's thoughts is linked to the vitality of one's flesh and blood. To control a vast amount of Nen power, one must first have a transcendent body.

While this level of Nen power may not seem significant, and it may not be as awe-inspiring as the Netero 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva... it is, however, a Nen!

It's a technique.

Gon compressed his even more vast and powerful Nen power. If he hadn't compressed it, the range of its pure explosion would have been far greater than that of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.

"He's fighting desperately!"

Biscuit clenched her fists.

This Nen is certainly terrifying, but its cost is proportional to the amount of life it consumes.

Gon... never even considered living.

He only wanted to kill the Chimera Ant King.

Morel was also moved...

In their eyes, that boy was just a child.

The shockwaves and sounds of the fierce battle followed one after another.

Biscuit and Morel could both sense it...

This situation is like a massive army conducting a continuous stream of missile tests, bombarding and destroying the land with abandon.

"What to do?"

As they ran at top speed, Morel looked at Biscuit.

The closer they got to the battlefield, the clearer it became that they were powerless to intervene... Even entering the core area posed a constant threat to their lives.

The lingering effects of the fight between the two sides... once they were affected, the consequences would be very serious.

This also means that the two of them couldn't stop Gon.

If Gon can kill the Chimera Ant King, that's fine, but if he can't... then the two of them will most likely die here too.

"Once the battle is over, use your ability to create smoke, and I'll hold it off... You take Gon and go," Biscuit said in a deep voice.

"..."

Morel opened his mouth.

In the end, he still didn't say it.

He felt it was pointless... He understood Biscuit's feelings.

However, judging from Gon's reckless fighting style, even if he ultimately kills the Chimera Ant King, Gon himself will likely...

And if the Chimera Ant King wanted to kill them, it might only take... a single thought.

In the face of absolute power, no strategy is of any use.

He and Biscuit rushed over... but actually, it was just that as elders and seniors, and out of a sense of responsibility for the Hunter x Hunter's legacy, they didn't want to see a young boy sacrifice himself before them.

Even if there's only a one percent or one ten-thousandth chance... we should still give it a try.

"Um?"

Just then, the two noticed something was wrong.

The commotion on the battlefield seemed to have subsided.

It's not as intense as it was before!

"It's over?"

Biscuit's expression changed drastically.

Too fast! However, with the battle over and its lingering effects no longer sweeping through, it was safer for the two to approach each other and infiltrate deeper into the territory.

A few minutes later, the two of them arrived late, finally reaching the edge of the field.

But what she saw made Biscuit freeze in place.

Dust and haze particles still floated in the air. Directly in front of her was a flat and vast Gobi Desert, where some of the original protruding rocky mountains or crustal structures had been completely erased... What was striking was that a sinkhole-like depression had appeared on this land as far as the eye could see.

Huge! Incredibly huge!

Its east-west width is at least over a kilometer!

In the deep pit that resembles the bottom of a valley, two black dots stand facing each other, one on the left and one on the right.

The one on the left is the Chimera Ant King.

Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, and he had some injuries on his body, though they weren't too serious...

The person on the right is Gon.

Unlike his appearance in the palace, his long black hair, which had previously stood on end and floated in the air, was now disheveled and unkempt, with his legs awkwardly curled up as he sat cross-legged on the ground.

What shocked Biscuit was that... Gon's exposed limbs had atrophied.

His once robust body seemed to have shrunk, becoming much smaller.

"Is it okay now?"

The Chimera Ant King glanced at the two humans who had intruded into the battlefield, ignoring them. Instead, he flicked his tail, looked at the exhausted boy, and said calmly, "I have allowed you to vent your anger to your heart's content... From a human perspective, what you have accomplished has far exceeded my expectations! You have earned my respect..."

Meruem said, extending a hand to Gon, and spoke sincerely.

Judging by pure strength alone, this young man is more than qualified to be its opponent.

More dangerous than the old man from before...

In fact, his injuries were quite serious.

But killing him... is impossible.

The boy is strong and has the potential to threaten him, but... in terms of overall strength, he is no match for him.

Before his rebirth, given his disdain for and vague understanding of humanity, he might have truly lost to this boy, but now...

"It's over. This battle has no winner or loser... Purely in terms of will and resolve, we each have things to do and beliefs to uphold." The Chimera Ant King said, turning to leave. "Your condition is very bad..."

After speaking, the Chimera Ant King glanced at Biscuit and Morel, who were frantically running towards him. "Take him away..."

The implication is that the Chimera Ant King didn't want to kill them.

If the boy is saved now, there may still be a glimmer of hope for his survival.

The Chimera Ant King's words startled Biscuit and the other girl slightly.

Why? Because... this doesn't resemble the Chimera Ant they know, this invasive species.

On the contrary, it sounds like the tone and thoughts of a human being.

There's something surprisingly human about the Chimera Ant King? "Hey..."

Before the two could get close to Gon, seeing that the Chimera Ant King was about to leave, Gon, who looked Exhaust and on the verge of death, suddenly shouted.

His muscles atrophied and shrank again.

But the aura that had been dissipating suddenly became even more terrifying, filled with murderous intent.

A head of black hair danced wildly on his head, and his slowly raised face was filled with a ferocious and chilling killing intent, making it difficult to look at... all that could be seen was that his face was pitch black and his eyes were empty, yet they shone with white light like torches.

"Don't get me wrong, you're not human... Don't pretend to be human!"

"I don't... need your sympathy either."

"The battle isn't over yet... Don't even think about running away..."

Gon spoke slowly and deliberately, his words coming out haltingly and becoming somewhat incoherent.

"Gon... that's enough!"

"That's enough!"

Upon Biscuit immediately shouted.

Just as she was about to step forward, Gon suddenly waved his hand.

An explosive blast of air Biscuit flying, hurling her more than ten meters away.

It's clear that Gon still retained a tiny bit of self-awareness at this point; otherwise, he would have been injured much more severely Biscuit.

His current appearance... is clearly a point where his will has been condensed.

Kill the Chimera Ant King in front of you!

His brain was no longer capable of considering anything other than executing this one command.

"It's over!"

When Morel saw this scene, his heart sank to the bottom.

Gon's condition is beyond saving... Unless the Chimera Ant King dies, his obsession will not be eliminated.

He ran over to check on Biscuit's condition.

The Chimera Ant King, who had been about to leave, stopped, turned back to look at the 'boy' regaining his strength, and frowned. "It's useless...you can't kill me. I also have...things that are extremely important to me. Things more important than my own life, just like yours..."

"I can apologize for what happened before... I am even willing to make up for your losses at any cost."

He wasn't just saying this to Gon, but also to express his attitude to Morel and Biscuit.

"However, my time is also limited. If you insist on fighting me, I will have no choice but to kill you first."

With that, the Chimera Ant King turned around to face Gon directly.