Gathering X Holding the Ring

"I wonder when the Chairman and the others will finally arrive."

Nobu adjusted the brim of his slightly worn Newsboy Cap, his voice revealing a hint of undisguised helplessness and anxiety.

His gaze unconsciously swept over the silent Royal Palace in the distance. "Time—it's really getting closer and closer."

His current role is logistics, and he can no longer help the others on the front lines.

As soon as he finished speaking, Melusina, who had been standing quietly beside Men Qi, suddenly widened her eyes slightly.

As if she had keenly sensed some invisible fluctuation, she suddenly looked up at the distant horizon.

A blinding, blood-red light appeared, like a blazing meteor tearing through the sky.

It ripped through the azure sky at a dazzling speed, approaching from afar with a piercing shriek!

Then, the red light, burning like a flame and radiating a scorching heat, suddenly contracted and dissipated as it approached directly above the stronghold, as if extinguished by an invisible hand.

A figure, accompanied by the gust of wind as it fell, landed steadily and silently, like a feather, on the open ground in the center of the crowd from a height of tens of meters.

It stirred up a barely perceptible ripple of dust.

Everyone felt a warm sensation, which then quickly dissipated.

"Kevin!"

Melusina exclaimed in delight.

The voice was like the warbling of a nightingale, filled with irrepressible joy and tender longing.

She flew over lightly and swiftly like a lark returning to its nest, bringing a fragrant breeze with her, and crashed into Kevin's arms.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, turning her head slightly in his arms.

Kevin smiled and hugged her.

Men Qi, Morel, Nobu, Kite, and others also got up from their respective resting or alert states.

Their faces simultaneously revealed expressions of relief and long-awaited excitement.

"It's only been a few days, why are you in such a hurry?"

Men Qi rolled her eyes, looking somewhat helpless.

"You've finally made it."

Kite spoke rapidly, then softened her tone, asking, "So you've come here to say—the operation is finally about to begin?"

Morel's rugged gaze quickly swept around, but he didn't see that iconic figure. He couldn't help but ask, his voice filled with concern, "Where's the Chairman? Didn't he come with you?"

Kevin gently patted Melusina's back, gesturing for her to stand up slightly.

He then turned to the crowd that had gathered around him, his steady gaze sweeping over each face like a searchlight.

You could see subtle signs of fatigue on everyone's faces.

Obviously, the pressure here is quite high.

"Chairman Netero still needs final adjustments and condition enhancements, which will require some time for him to complete alone. However, we can begin assembling here."

His tone was decisive, carrying an unquestionable command, "Immediately notify Gon and the others to withdraw completely! Continuing to cause damage on the perimeter is pointless, inefficient, and only increases the risk."

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping across the direction where the people were gathering, faintly visible in the distance.

As he walked over, he circled around the area a few times.

"Before the final battle begins, those misled Nationalist troops should not have enough time to arrive, which will minimize the increase of innocent casualties and allow us to focus wholeheartedly."

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted instantly, a glimmer of hope appearing on their tense faces, and they all nodded to indicate that they understood.

Kite was the quickest to react, having already taken out her specially made communication phone.

His fingers flew across the screen like lightning, quickly sending out the urgent instructions for the assembly.

The very instruction to assemble heralds the arrival of the final moment.

Having finished his explanation, Kevin turned around, his deep gaze passing over the sparse, withered trees to the silhouette of the massive Royal Palace in the distance, reflecting a cold metallic luster in the midday sun, like a lurking prehistoric beast.

This country was once a symbol of power.

Now, it's like a monster's lair.

He could clearly "perceive" a vast, almost tangible "roundness" that was terrifying.

Its irregular yet incredibly tight shape enveloped the entire Royal Palace and a large surrounding area like an iron barrel.

Within the Royal Palace, the invisible pressure felt like a heavy lead weight pressing down on one's heart.

"Do you really think the Ant King is still in the Royal Palace?"

Morel, with his signature huge Pipe dangling from his lips, walked over to Kevin and gazed solemnly at the deathly silent Palace.

A barely perceptible hint of lingering doubt, worn down by time, lingered in his voice. "Ever since we infiltrated the area around the Royal Palace, we haven't seen him again, nor have we seen any noticeable fluctuations in his Nen Aura. He's practically a ghost—"

There was no way to determine the Ant King's whereabouts, nor was the king ant spotted.

It can only be determined by the actions of the Royal Guards.

This gave him some reservations.

Kevin nodded without hesitation, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the thick palace walls and layers of guards.

"Don't worry, he's definitely still inside. I can sense that terrifying aura, like a lurking ancient beast, that makes your soul tremble and feels suffocating, with perfect clarity."

Kevin's expression turned extremely serious.

This should be considered the first time he had been so close to the Ant King.

It's confirmed once again.

This is definitely a monster. Its strength—while not quite at the Overlord level—is certainly not an opponent he can easily defeat.

"I just don't know if this is an unconscious surge of life force emanating from the other party, or if he's intentionally being so ostentatious, demonstrating his presence to us, and waiting for challengers to come knocking?"

The extreme sensitivity to deadly danger, honed in the perilous and treacherous environment of the Dark Continent, is almost instinctive.

Even from a considerable distance, Kevin could vaguely sense the chilling, deadly feeling of a thorn in his back, a deadly threat emanating from this powerful enemy capable of posing a devastating threat.

However, the enemies on the Dark Continent, unless they are powerful enough to pose a necessary threat to Overlord, will not rashly unleash their power.

It is usually only used as a warning within one's own territory.

Therefore, the aura emanating from the Ant King, which can only be sensed by those who have reached a certain level of strength, is more like an invitation and a provocation.

"Tell me what you've learned recently," Kevin said, turning his gaze from the distance to the group of people with varying expressions. His tone was calm. "I need to gather all the information to make a final judgment and plan."

Everyone nodded and accepted Kevin's leadership.

They tacitly gathered around, forming a temporary intelligence circle.

Men Qi, Morel, Nobu, Kite, and even Melusina, each shared their observations over the past few days: the patrol patterns of the guards, the subtle changes in their garrison locations, the troop movements faintly visible within the Royal Palace, the increase or decrease in the number of hatching cocoons, and their own speculations and concerns. They spoke clearly and concisely about these details.

Kevin listened attentively throughout, occasionally asking a few key questions to gain a clearer understanding of the situation.

After the last person finished reporting, a brief silence fell.

Kevin closed his eyes, pondering the intelligence summary.

After a moment, he slowly nodded, a meaningful, even somewhat relieved, sigh on his face.

"This Ant King —he's really an extremely arrogant fellow. But, for us, this is actually a good thing."

The opponent has made it clear that they want a head-on, decisive final battle.

Winner takes all, loser perishes—simple and brutal.

This is, in effect, a form of arrogance towards one's own strength.

But Kevin has to admit it.

The other side certainly has that capability.

The fact that the other side was so obediently hiding deep within the Royal Palace, remaining inactive, was an almost arrogant declaration to them. "Prepare yourselves, ants, and send out your strongest warriors for a battle of kings!"

I'll be waiting here!

The Ant King's behavior undoubtedly conveys such a naked and oppressive message.

He seemed to want to defeat humanity completely and utterly, crushing all resistance with absolute power, and ultimately achieving complete and utter submission.

"What a pity," Kevin said, a slightly mocking smile playing on his lips.

"This Ant King must have read too many human books and information, and been influenced by the idealized concepts meticulously depicted in those books."

Most widely circulated classic works advocate, or at least uphold, relatively upright, rule-abiding, and orderly behaviors and thoughts, and promote a certain idealistic spirit.

The unfathomable evil and irrationality of humankind are sometimes depicted in the book, but they are often artistically rendered or used as a negative example.

However, the harsh reality often doesn't work that way.

What truly determines victory or defeat and overturns the established order is often the ruthless "evil" of reality hidden beneath the glamorous rules.

Simple, brutal, and using every possible means.

This is the method that humans are truly accustomed to using.

Perhaps due to exposure to too much filtered and embellished human information, this young, socially inexperienced Ant King made a grave misjudgment of the overall behavior of humans.

Even if he might have pieced together some scattered records about the dark side of human history, in the deluge of information, these dark aspects are often blurred and glossed over, making it difficult for him to form a true and profound understanding.

Unexpectedly, these books and information led the other party to make this choice.

They actually just stayed obediently in the Royal Palace, like a champion waiting for a challenger, patiently waiting for a king versus king match.

That's too naive.

All I can say is that the opponent is ultimately a "baby" king who has only been born a short time ago.

If he could honestly infiltrate human society, walking among the common people like a real spy, and observe firsthand the naked, ruthless "evil" hidden in the corners, the evil that will stop at nothing to survive.

After this real-life social experience...

Perhaps only then can the other party truly understand how to use the power they possess in the face of harsh reality, and truly comprehend the iron will and ruthlessness that a king of a race should possess.

From this perspective...

This Ant King was born with the heavy responsibility of becoming the king of his race, possessing the supreme talent to become the king of his race, but he had not yet acquired the profound insight that a king of his race should have—the insight into the coldness and cunning of the world.

Suddenly, Kevin felt a surge of intense relief.

That's great that the other party is in this situation.

To be honest, in his early strategic simulations, he had been very worried that the Ant King's actions would be too realistic and cunning.

For example, they might use their superior strength to constantly harass, divide, or wage guerrilla warfare, or simply hide and infiltrate human society.

Simply by surrounding and intercepting them, we can keep them constantly on their toes.

This would consume a great deal of their valuable time and energy, and the situation would become extremely passive.

The Royal Palace.

Neferpitou sat like a stone sculpture atop the cold top of the highest stone tower in the Royal Palace.

Sharp claws unconsciously scraped against the rough stone surface.

She has feline genes, and making her sit like that every day really goes against her nature.

She suddenly raised her head, her cat-like eyes fixed on the distant trail of intense flames that tore through the sky and vanished in an instant.

Even from such a distance, the faint yet highly recognizable Battle Aura lingering in the fireworks stirred ripples in her keen senses, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

A sense of instinctive, almost instinctive, vigilance instantly overwhelmed me.

That's definitely a sign of a formidable enemy!

Fluttering -

A faint sound of wings flapping rang out, Youpi, with its magnificent butterfly wings fluttering, appeared silently beside her like a ghost, hovering in mid-air.

Neferpitou didn't lower his head, his voice carrying a hint of displeasure at being disturbed, and coldly asked, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be staying by the King's side at this time?"

The three guards had clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

As for the weakest of the Youpi's core mission is to serve the Ant King like a Loyalty shadow, fulfilling all of the King's needs and commands at any time.

"The King needs an undisturbed space for contemplation," said Youpi, his voice like an elegant aria. He glanced at Neferpitou and continued, "Moreover, the King has already shown some impatience. Although he has shown far more patience than his worth towards this inferior race of humans, such patience is ultimately limited."

Humans had besieged them for so long, and they knew they had been lying in wait in the Royal Palace for so long.

But even now, the other side seems to be dragging their feet, showing no intention of having a final showdown.

This made the Ant King, who had already extended an "invitation" and was waiting for his opponent to come to him, feel a little annoyed.

Is human efficiency really that low?

Fortunately, from the vast sea of human books and the chaotic news information from the outside world, he had already learned about the drawbacks of the huge and bloated human social system—slow decision-making and sluggish action.

He could "understand" this inefficiency, which is why he chose to wait patiently.

After he rules the world.

These abhorrent diseases that hinder human development will be completely eradicated and reshaped by him with swift and decisive measures.

Humans are indeed a very troublesome and inferior race.

But it doesn't matter.

The incubation of a large army will also take time.

A few people alone could not stop the people from gathering at the Royal Palace.

So time ultimately prevailed on their side.

Unless the enemy is willing to see their army begin to swell, they will inevitably have to confront him.

"Then you can go and report to the King," Neferpitou said, withdrawing his gaze from the distance, his tone confident. "If nothing unexpected happens, those humans will likely be making their move soon."

She told Youpi about the unusual fireworks she had just seen, and the subtle pressure emanating from them.

Youpi's face remained expressionless; he merely nodded slightly, then gracefully flapped his wings.

It silently left the top of the tower, transforming into a streak of Flowing Light and flying deep into the Royal Palace.

"Well----"