No Need to Be Nice to Those Bastards Anymore
As Youpi and Shaiapouf's souls lay dying, Oboro managed to absorb the souls of the two ants.
Fortunately, he had left a mark in the palace beforehand, namely an 'eye'.
He had originally planned that if anything unexpected happened after the Chimera Ant King was resurrected and tried to hunt him down, he would simply teleport away.
Always keep something in reserve.
However, nothing unexpected happened. After being 'resurrected,' Meruem still cared most about Komugi and didn't want to waste time on outsiders.
At this point, several hours had passed since Gon's battle with the Chimera Ant King.
All members of the expeditionary force left.
Oboro called Killua back and had Komugi play chess with the Chimera Ant King, continuing the spiritual bond between the two different creatures, just like in the original story.
"Komugi... are you still there?"
"Meruem... I'm here..."
"Komugi ..."
"Yes... I'm here."
Standing at the palace gate, Oboro listened calmly to the conversation coming from the room behind him.
The venom within the Chimera Ant King's body could no longer be suppressed...
It is currently on the verge of death.
And Komugi stayed with him the whole time.
Long also sensed the change in Komugi's aura while she was playing chess, as well as the girl's incredibly pure soul.
His current magical power has brought his Nen power strength to another dimension, resulting in better development and transformation of his Nen. Therefore, Oboro can now sense the soul of a creature through its body from a certain distance... and Komugi's soul exudes a special 'fragrance'.
As for Meruem's soul characteristic... it's simply a sense of power.
The power of one's spirit and consciousness makes the fire of the soul burn fiercely.
Unfortunately, the current Chimera Ant King's soul flame flickers and could be extinguished at any moment.
The only reason he remained somewhat lucid was because of a strong belief that he wanted to spend more time with Komugi.
Snap snap snap...
The sounds of chess pieces being placed on the board could be heard continuously from inside the room.
Fante and Anthony stood some distance away, not daring to get too close for fear of being infected by the virus.
Long didn't always stand outside the door; she only came over occasionally to 'take a look'.
I won't disturb you.
"Captain, Jin's son... he won't die, will he?"
After a while, seeing Long walk over, Anthony asked.
The fact that the boy could fight the Chimera Ant King was enough to shock anyone who saw it.
No, it won't.
Long said something.
Then he looked at Fante and said, "Give me a cigarette."
Fante was stunned.
This was the first time they had ever seen the captain ask for a cigarette.
Fante handed him one, and Long took it and lit it.
He hasn't smoked since he transmigrated here, whereas in his previous life he was a heavy smoker.
He was so focused on becoming stronger and cultivating his skills that he naturally wouldn't touch tobacco, nor would he have the inclination to smoke.
The environment can change a person's mindset.
"It's all over."
He took a drag on his cigarette, pondering to himself.
Now, only two questions remain.
First, the position of the Association president.
Second, the Kakin Empire and Beyond.
Long's eyes were somewhat cold; it was time to eliminate the obstacles and head to the Dark Continent.
Having become as powerful as he is now, there's no need for him to play mind games or schemes with those people anymore; let's just let our fists do the talking...
To be honest, Long is quite tired.
The reason he has been able to get to where he is today, besides his relentless pursuit of power, is that he plans everything step by step with meticulous care.
However, he himself does not like to play tricks, and his shrewdness is not as sophisticated or unfathomable as some outsiders believe.
But... he knows this world too well, and he knows these people too well.
What does V5 mean?
Long stood on the high place, looking down at the entire palace.
"Their people are on their way, and they told us to make sure the scene after the Chimera Ant King's death is clear... and wait for them to arrive and handle it." Anthony noticed that his captain's expression was different from usual, and was inexplicably affected by it, so he said in a deep voice.
The entire expedition team withdrew because of Gon's situation.
The rest was left to Oboro and the other two.
Although the three of them did not participate in the mission, they were still members of the Association.
V5 has a complete understanding of the situation.
"The 'processing'... is to take the corpses of a few ants back for research, shall we?" Oboro said coldly.
"..."
Should we intervene?
"Fante asked."
"..."
Long didn't say anything, but simply threw away the cigarette he had barely taken a few puffs of.
Time slowly passed...
"Get a good night's sleep... Meruem."
"I'll be going with you soon too..."
Several hours later, the Chimera Ant King finally found peace on the Komugi's lap, dying in the girl's warm embrace.
My wish has been fulfilled.
Long stood alone outside, watching the clear sky and the rays of sunlight streaming down, listening to the sounds coming from the room behind him, his eyes calm and still.
He turned and stepped into the house, ignoring the infectivity of the virus and the radiation. For Long, short-term contact would be of little harm.
At this moment, in the room, Komugi gently held the lifeless Meruem, whose nostrils were bleeding, and she was about to follow in the footsteps of the Chimera Ant King.
Hearing footsteps, Komugi raised her head and gave a sincere smile, "Thank you... thank you, sir, for allowing me and Meruem to spend this precious time together."
Komugi cannot see.
But the girl seemed to know everything.
"There's no need to thank me... my payment has already been made."
The voice was calm.
I saw the soul of the Chimera Ant King fall.
Meruem wasn't lying; he indeed had the ability to prevent himself from obtaining a soul, because the soul power that was falling away at this moment was extremely dense! Clearly, before his death, the Chimera Ant King held some kind of will or belief to keep his soul as intact as possible... a way that is the same as the Post-Mortem Nen.
This is the first time since Oboro began harvesting souls that a living being has shown autonomy before death, manipulating souls by altering their consciousness or spirit.
Terrifying! The Chimera Ant King had only seen Oboro's Nen a few times before, yet he had already analyzed its characteristics.
Most people are unable to unite their will and soul.
This is also a gift of gratitude to Long.
A wisp of Ghost Mist rippled out, sweeping away Meruem's soul.
Instead of absorbing it immediately, Long looked at Komugi, "Do you... have any wishes or regrets?"
"There is none left..."
Komugi shook her head. "I'm already very content. I never imagined that someone like me could have this kind of happiness..."
"..."
Hearing the sound vaguely, he turned and left.
He didn't intend to harvest the soul of the Komugi.
Because although it has some effect, it is not significant.
Moreover, Meruem protected the girl until after his death.
He offered his own soul in the hope that Oboro would not take Komugi's soul...
"Thank you again... May you have a safe journey."
Behind him, Komugi politely nodded and bowed her head, greeting Long's retreating figure with a gentle and warm tone.
She had a smile on her face and looked very happy.
The V5 team has already entered East Gorteau and will arrive soon.
Oboro left alone, instructing Fante and Anthony to find a place to bury the Chimera Ant King and the girl together after confirming that Komugi was dead.
For V5, Komugi was of no research value; what they wanted was the corpse of the Chimera Ant King.
Fante and the other person were somewhat surprised to hear what Long said.
Doing so will definitely invite questions and anger from V5.
Oboro left only one sentence.
"We've spoiled them too much all this time... Now, there's no need to give those bastards any more face."
"I... am not Netero."