Chapter Summaries

Kevin and the Hunters broke through the Ants’ defenses and reached the Seventh Floor Incubation Room, only to find the Ant Queen and unborn King gone. Kevin discovered his marks on Youpi’s escaping body and remained confident he could track them.

• Kevin blasted a new passage through the wall to bypass the German Shepherd Chimeric Ant’s road-blocking ability, allowing Morel, Kite, Men Qi, and Buhaci to charge toward the Ant Queen.
• Kite shot the German Shepherd Chimeric Ant in its limb joints, and Morel bound it and knocked it unconscious, but its Nen blockade remained active.
• Youpi tried to rush past Kevin, who pinned him with a Nen Orb; Youpi tore a hole through his own chest to escape, transformed into Mosquito Fly Clones, and flew toward the Incubation Room.
• Kevin and the Hunters entered the Seventh Floor Incubation Room and found it empty, while Kite concluded the Ant Queen and King had been relocated during the fight.
• Kevin noticed the escape hole and revealed that his dust had marked Youpi’s body, leaving him able to track the fleeing Ants.

Kevin realized that Neferpitou had secretly moved the Ant Queen while the battle drew the Royal Guards away, and Netero recognized that the operation had failed. The Ant King was born prematurely outside the nest and ordered the Royal Guards to take him to food, leaving the dying Ant Queen behind.

• Kevin concluded that Neferpitou had used her Clone to relocate the Ant Queen during the fighting, while the returning Division Leaders approached the nest.
• Netero recognized that the objective had failed and headed toward the nest, amused that Kevin had disrupted the hidden instigator’s plan.
• Neferpitou argued with Youpi and Menthuthuyoupi about moving the Ant Queen, and the three Royal Guards agreed to prioritize the King’s safety.
• The Ant Queen went into distress and the Ant King tore his way out of her belly before his intended birth.
• The Ant King struck Youpi for failing to prepare food, ordered Neferpitou to wipe his tail, and commanded the Royal Guards to take him to the hunting grounds.
• The Royal Guards carried the Ant King away, leaving the barely breathing Ant Queen behind.

Kevin and the others waited outside the empty Incubation Hall for returning Division Leaders, and Rukira arrived seeking the Ant Queen. After Kevin admitted that a Guard had secretly transferred her, Rukira collapsed in despair, believing that Kevin’s group had captured her.

• Morel, Kite, Men Qi, and Kevin decided to wait outside the Incubation Hall for the returning Division Leaders rather than leave the nest.
• Rukira flew into the empty Incubation Hall, found no sign of the Ant Queen, and approached Kevin’s group despite sensing their overwhelming danger.
• Rukira asked where the Ant Queen had gone, and Kevin questioned why he showed so little hostility toward them.
• Rukira inferred from Kevin’s response that the Royal Guards had taken the Ant Queen and prepared himself to die.
• Rukira abruptly collapsed and accused Kevin’s group of capturing the Ant Queen, prompting Kevin to explain that a Cat Woman Guard had secretly transferred her before they broke in.

Kevin and the others learned that Rukira could sense the Ant Queen’s life fading, while Netero confirmed he had failed to catch Neferpitou. Nobu then revealed that he had witnessed a monster claw its way out of the Queen’s belly, leaving the group stunned by the Queen’s apparent mortal danger and the creature’s birth.

• Rukira broke down and revealed that he sensed the Queen’s life rapidly fading, while Kevin explained that the guards had taken her away.
• The Penguin Chimera Ant deduced that the guards had removed the Queen, and the returning ants panicked over her danger.
• Netero arrived with an exhausted Nobu and confirmed he had failed to intercept Neferpitou, deepening the group’s uncertainty about the Queen’s fate.
• Rukira explained that his ability let him sense the Queen’s life slipping away, and Nobu said he had seen the direction the guards fled.
• After Kevin gave Nobu a mental recovery potion, Nobu recounted hiding in the jungle and seeing the Queen’s belly torn open from within.
• Nobu revealed that a monster had clawed its way out of the Queen’s belly, then collapsed in terror.

Nobu revealed that he had brought the critically injured Queen into Hide and Seek, and Kevin agreed to save her after learning that her death could free ambitious ants to breed new generations. Kevin stabilized the Queen and rejected her plans for Meruem, declaring that he would kill her son himself.

• Nobu opened a door to Hide and Seek and revealed that he had brought the Queen back.
• Kevin, Netero, Rukira, and Penguin entered the white room and found the Queen close to death, while Rukira begged Kevin to save her.
• Penguin warned that several escaped Division Leaders wanted to become Kings and could breed successors if the Queen died.
• The Queen asked about her son and revealed that she had named him Meruem and intended for him to become King of the world.
• Kevin interrupted the Queen's farewell, removed a valuable organ, and used potions to stabilize her injuries.
• Kevin told the Queen he would tell Meruem his name before killing him, declaring that humans were supreme over Chimera Ants.

Kevin secured the Queen and planned to use her as bait to eliminate the returning Chimera Ants while preparing for the Ant King, whom Nobu believed could defeat Netero. He stayed in the nest to research targeted poison, leaving the others to handle the ants returning over the next week.

• Kevin regrouped with the others after saving the Queen and proposed using her as bait to draw out the rampaging Chimera Ants.
• Nobu assessed the Ant King's strength as greater than Netero's, prompting Netero to ask Kevin for a spar so he could recover his peak condition before pursuing the King.
• Netero left with Nobu and four others to track the Ant King, while Kevin summoned four Nen Beast maids to guard the captured ants.
• Kevin explained that the returning ants would likely arrive in scattered groups and said he would give the Loyalist Faction one chance, eliminating those who sided with the Queen's rebellion.
• Kevin decided to keep the Queen and selected ants as a safeguard and potential sources for tailored poison, then assigned the others to deal with returning ants while he researched medicines in seclusion.

The Loyalist Faction debated what to do as the Queen's loss of reproductive ability weakened the ants' bonds and the returning ants hesitated outside the nest. Kevin revealed what he had learned about their human memories and relationships, then showed Melusina and Kite a newly developed A-Rank medicine, leaving its effects unexplained.

• The Penguin Chimera Ant estimated the returning ants would reach the nest within days and explained that the Queen had lost her ability to reproduce, prompting unrest among the Loyalist Faction.
• Kevin, Melusina, and Kite watched the ants from above as Kevin explained that their animal templates and awakened human memories influenced their personalities and choices.
• Kevin revealed that Rukira and a Soldier Ant were former siblings, and that Rukira's vow to protect his sister had become loyalty to the Queen.
• Returning Division Leaders debated whether to enter the nest, and Leopard refused to scout until Lizard appeared from the shadows.
• Kevin showed Melusina and Kite a new A-Rank medicine made using an organ removed from the Queen, but did not explain its effects.

Kevin explained that his Cocoon of Rebirth potion could add human genes to other creatures, and he planned to use it to help selected Chimeric Ants recover their human identities and find a place among Hunters. Peggy, a former Anti-drug Hunter whose memories had returned, pleaded for the innocent ants to be spared, but Kevin sensed someone else hiding nearby.

• Kevin revealed that the Cocoon of Rebirth potion let him combine his genes with other creatures and said he would use it on Chimeric Ants who passed his test.
• Kite and Melusina approved of Kevin's plan to give selected ants a chance to join his Hunter group and explore the New Continent.
• Kite, Melusina, Men Qi, and the others left to hunt the evildoers while Kevin returned to the temporary residence.
• Peggy introduced himself as a former Anti-drug Hunter from NGL and explained that his memories had mostly returned after the Queen's control weakened.
• Peggy knelt and asked Kevin to spare the innocent ants, explaining that many had been controlled and made to kill former drug lords.
• Kevin said he would remember Peggy's account, then noticed someone hiding in the shadows.

Kevin discovered Meruem infiltrating the nest and learned that he wanted to help destroy the hostile Chimeric Ants. Kevin agreed to work with Meruem and Peggy, offering them a way to become more human while assigning them separate tasks.

• Kevin and Peggy realized an invisible Meruem was nearby, and Meruem revealed himself and confronted his father, Peggy.
• Meruem explained that he had recovered his memories and offered to use his [Perfect Plan] infiltration ability to help Kevin defeat the hostile ants.
• Kevin detected Meruem with a rapid use of En and learned about his complementary [Partner Perfector] ability.
• Kevin offered bloodline genes that could help the Chimeric Ants become more human, then tasked Peggy with selecting suitable Loyalist Faction members.
• Kevin tested Meruem by punching him without injuring him, accepted his cooperation, and sent him with a maid Nen Beast to meet Kite.

Netero’s team planned to infiltrate East Gorteau and locate the Ant King, while the King absorbed human knowledge in the Palace. As the Chimera Ants gathered near the nest and some fled, Kite and Meruem prepared to strike, and Pakunoda brought down a runaway Bat Chimera Ant at the NGL border.

• Morel briefed Netero’s group that the Ant King might be in East Gorteau, and Netero ordered them to infiltrate the country and find him.
• The Ant King struck Youpi for disturbing his reading, and Youpi and Neferpitou discussed the King’s strength, his need for food, and the threat posed by humans.
• Meruem secretly scouted the Chimera Ants gathered near the nest and reported their numbers and missing members to Kite, who decided to launch the planned operation.
• Bat Man deserted his unit and flew toward the human world, but Pakunoda shot both of his wings and left him stranded in the forest.

Gowen fought Shacuan and her defecting Chimeric Ants, killing Shacuan after she transformed into a powerful monster. He then faced Spider, who stayed to fight, and promised her an honorable death.

• Shacuan led a group of Chimeric Ants away from the nest to become Queen, and Gowen confronted them in the forest.
• Gowen killed or incapacitated the attacking ants, leaving Shacuan and Spider as the last two opponents.
• Shacuan tore off her tail and transformed into a much larger, heavily armored monster, but Gowen pierced her defenses with Armor Piercing and killed her.
• Spider attacked Gowen with countless threads rather than fleeing, and Gowen acknowledged her Loyalty as he prepared to grant her an honorable death.

Kevin and Peggy examined how awakened human memories were changing the ants, then Kevin used his Cocoon of Rebirth Nen ability on a young ant girl who desperately wanted to become human again. The girl remained sealed inside a translucent Cocoon as Kevin began testing how much Nen Aura the transformation required.

• The crab, lobster, and toad Chimeric Ants discussed their recovered memories and their resentment toward the Queen, then fell silent when the Maid arrived to take a timid Logistics Soldier away.
• Kevin and Peggy discussed how human genes and souls had altered the ants, and Kevin questioned an ant girl whose memories had awakened half a month earlier.
• Peggy speculated that the girl's young age and mostly ant genes had helped her memories return quickly.
• Kevin chose the girl as the first subject for his Cocoon of Rebirth because she feared and rejected her ant body, and promised to help make her human again.
• Kevin's Nen Aura formed a pink Cocoon around the sleeping girl, and he discovered that it continuously drew Aura from him while Peggy stayed to observe it as leverage with the wavering Loyalist Faction.

Meruem helped Kite, Men Qi, and the others eliminate the Chimera Ant teams outside the Nest, and Kevin gathered the colony to judge what would happen to them. Lena emerged from the Cocoon of Rebirth and restored Rukira’s memories of his sister; Kevin then screened the ants, leaving a handful unharmed and eligible for his help.

• Meruem confirmed that three Division Leader teams remained outside, and Men Qi joined Kite’s group as they finished hunting them down.
• Melusina led the group back into the Nest, where Kevin ordered every Chimera Ant to gather beside the Cocoon of Rebirth.
• Kevin challenged Rukira’s loyalty to the Queen, and the Cocoon shook before Lena tore her way out and called Rukira her big brother.
• Rukira remembered that Lena was his sister, embraced her, and apologized for failing to protect her.
• Kevin used his Fist of Good and Evil to judge the ants, killing some, injuring others, and sparing fewer than ten who acknowledged their humanity.

The Ant King approved Youpi’s modified human Soldier and ordered the Chimera Ants to gather more Soldiers and food. As Gon, Kiy, and Morel infiltrated East Gorteau, they discovered that the population was being driven toward the capital, where the Ants had already emptied the city; Morel sent Purple Smoke Machine Soldiers in to scout, and Neferpitou ordered them attacked.

• The Ant King examined Youpi’s modified human Soldier, approved it, and ordered him to select more Soldiers and prepare food.
• Neferpitou and Youpi discussed the danger of their location being exposed and the need to build manpower quickly.
• Gon and Kiy crossed into East Gorteau, learned about its surveillance networks, and followed villagers who were heading toward the capital.
• Morel reached the capital and realized the nationwide assembly could be meant to provide the Ants with Soldiers or food.
• Morel found the capital deserted and Neferpitou guarding it with a vast En, then sent Purple Smoke Machine Soldiers into the city to gather intelligence.
• Neferpitou sensed the Machine Soldiers and sent several figures to attack them.

Kevin led the surviving Chimeric Ants toward the war and offered them a chance to join his future expedition to another continent. After reaching East Goth, his team began infiltrating the capital, where Morel and Nobu assessed the Ant King’s forces and considered approaching the Palace.

• Kevin burned the Queen’s corpse, then took the nine selected Chimeric Ants toward the battlefield while detaining the other survivors.
• Men Qi asked Koala about his past, and Koala admitted he had been an assassin before Kevin and Kite discussed his guilt over the lives he had taken.
• Kevin explained that he wanted the Chimeric Ants for a dangerous expedition to another continent and promised them a chance to live as humans if they returned.
• At the Boundary, Kevin briefed his team on infiltrating East Goth, and Nobu agreed to support the mission with his Nen ability.
• Morel told Nobu that hundreds of thousands of citizens had died and that at least a thousand Nen users had been selected, prompting Nobu to consider opening a way near the Palace.

The Ant King waited confidently for the Hunters while the enemy’s blockade and attacks disrupted the mass gathering of citizens at the Palace. Outside East Gorteau’s capital, the Hunter team concluded they could not safely infiltrate Neferpitou’s defenses and would have to wait for the final battle.

• The Ant King defeated and killed the country’s chess champion, then ordered Youpi to find exceptional humans before learning that the enemy had severed the Palace’s communications and blockaded them.
• The Ant King accepted the setbacks and chose to wait calmly for the enemy, confident he could defeat the humans when they arrived.
• Youpi guarded the Palace and longed for Kevin to be the first enemy to reach him so he could avenge his defeat.
• Neferpitou watched the city from the Palace’s tallest tower and noticed another Soldier had died while the Hunters observed her from outside the capital.
• Kite, Nobu, Morel, Men Qi, Melusina, Buhaci, and the others rejected a risky infiltration plan because Neferpitou’s En covered the Palace’s core without an apparent opening.
• Kite reported that Gon and the defected Chimeric Ants were disrupting the citizens’ movement toward the Palace, and the Hunters decided to surround it and wait for the decisive battle.

Kevin visited Netero as he meditated before dawn, and they discussed the Dark Continent and Netero’s determination to prevent official expeditions there. Netero confirmed that he intended to face the Ant King in a final challenge, while Kevin learned that Netero had also barred his son Beyond from returning to the Dark Continent until his death.

• Kevin approached Netero’s cliffside meditation and waited until dawn, when Netero rose and greeted him.
• Netero recognized Kevin as Biscuit’s student and treated him as a fellow Shingen-ryu disciple.
• Kevin described the Dark Continent as vast, dangerous, and rich in resources, and Netero explained why he had joined V5 to block large-scale expeditions.
• Kevin questioned whether Netero had brought only Morel and Nobu to the Chimeric Ant crisis because he intended to risk his life against the Ant King, and Netero admitted he welcomed the chance to fight as a challenger again.
• Netero revealed that his son Beyond shared his drive to challenge nature and was forbidden from returning to the Dark Continent while Netero remained alive.

Kevin and Netero fought on a cliff, each countering the other with powerful Nen techniques. After Netero trapped Kevin beneath an overwhelming force and struck him, Kevin endured the blow and prepared a forceful counterattack.

• Kevin understood that Netero knew Beyond had likely engineered the Chimeric Ant crisis to force him to kill his son, and Kevin challenged Netero to fight.
• Kevin launched a swift throat strike and sweeping kick, but Netero blocked both, twisted Kevin off balance, and kicked him into the cliff.
• Kevin unleashed Wind Blades, then used an invisible Nen Whip to halt his charge midair and kick Netero into the sky.
• Kevin roared out powerful shock waves that drove Netero higher, but Netero steadied himself in midair and dove toward Kevin.
• Netero pressed down on Kevin with an invisible force and struck his side, shoving him across the crater despite Kevin's overlapping Nen barriers and silver Snake Scale.
• Kevin gathered his strength and punched the ground beneath his feet.

Kevin fought Netero in a close-quarters battle, but Netero’s superior technique and experience repeatedly put him at a disadvantage. Kevin realized his exceptional durability and vast Nen reserves gave him the endurance to keep fighting, and suspected Netero was using him as a sparring partner to regain his fighting condition.

• Kevin smashed the cliff apart, escaped Netero’s invisible restraint, and countered Netero’s kick with layered Nen shields.
• Kevin’s shifting blade and drill attacks grazed Netero and then drove him through several trees, but Kevin emerged with almost no injuries.
• Kevin assessed Netero’s superior combat technique and recognized that his own close-combat skill could not match the old master’s.
• Kevin concluded that his powerful defense and enormous Nen reserves gave him an advantage in endurance and wondered whether Netero was using him as a durable training partner.
• Netero emerged from the trees with his imposing presence undiminished.

Kevin provoked Netero into using his invisible Nen attacks, and the two fought with increasingly powerful blows. Netero’s shifting palm strikes overwhelmed Kevin’s defenses, leaving him bracing for a faster attack from the side.

• Kevin taunted Netero about holding back and challenged him to use his invisible attack.
• Netero unleashed the Golden Thousand-Handed Guanyin’s force, blasting Kevin backward, but Kevin stopped himself with Nen Whips wrapped around two ancient trees.
• Netero rushed Kevin and hammered down with successive invisible palm strikes, forcing him to block overhead.
• Kevin activated Power Roar and struck upward with Comet Fist, meeting Netero’s palm in a powerful collision.
• Netero changed the angle of his attack and swept an invisible palm toward Kevin’s side, while Kevin turned and raised his arms to block.