Faster!
Faster!
I can go faster!
Ha—
In the suffocating exchange of offense and defense, Meruem felt the same sensation he'd experienced only when playing Military Chess with Komugi: time seemed to slow down.
In that sensation, Meruem could think things through fully and put his thoughts into action.
He could even use those moments to think about things that had nothing to do with the battle.
For instance, his name. Meruem supposedly meant "the light that illuminates everything."
The Ant Queen had named him with great expectations, as one might imagine.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The most important thing was that Meruem no longer needed to hold back.
Komugi was a greater genius at Military Chess than Meruem, but she was far too fragile in every other respect.
Even by human standards, her Physique was especially frail. She seemed like she'd shatter at the slightest touch.
Among the Three Royal Guards, both Menthuthuyoupi and Youpi had survived a single blow from Meruem.
But only a single blow. If they truly fought, they wouldn't stand a chance against Meruem. Their deaths would be inevitable.
Besides, as members of the Three Royal Guards, they would never do anything to offend Meruem, let alone attack their "king" as if committing sacrilege.
That was the result of the Chimera Ants' structure. Their hierarchy and rankings of strength were both clear-cut, never vague as they were among humans.
Netero's strength had earned Meruem's admiration. He'd even considered recruiting the man from another species as a subordinate, and Netero's indomitable fighting spirit was worthy of praise.
But in the end, Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin had never posed much of a threat to Meruem.
That was one reason Meruem was willing to recruit Netero: Netero was far stronger than the Three Royal Guards, yet