A Startling Encounter by the River! The Crab Monster and the Boy Protecting His Sister

The deeper they went into the forest, the heavier the damp air became. Rotting leaves creaked softly underfoot. Kite led the group, stepping lightly with his long blade in hand and his fingers wrapped around its hilt. The silence was unnatural. There were no insects chirping, only the rustle of wind through the leaves, like the breathing of some creature lying in wait.

"The Red Earth River is another two kilometers ahead. The two missing children were last seen on its banks." Kite lowered his voice and looked back at the others. "Keep your Nen up. The ants could be nearby. Remember, rescue the children first. Don't get drawn into a fight."

Gon clenched his fists until his knuckles paled. The thought that the two children, about Lena's age, might already have come to harm made his chest tighten. Killua walked beside him, his catlike eyes sweeping the bushes on either side. Electricity flickered faintly at his fingertips.

No one spoke. Every nerve was taut. They had prepared themselves for the worst: the ants never left human prey alive. By the time they reached the river, they would probably find only scraps of clothing and blood.

Meanwhile, on the banks of the Red Earth River...

Nine-year-old Kurt shielded five-year-old Lena behind him, his small body as taut as a drawn bow. He gripped a broken fishing rod, pointing its splintered bamboo tip forward, though his hand shook badly. Their bamboo basket lay overturned by his feet, and the two fish they had just caught flopped on the grass, splashing mud.

The thing facing him shattered everything he had imagined a "big bug" could be.

It was a crab-shaped Chimera Ant half as tall as a person, with a dark brown shell that gleamed slickly. Its two massive pincers opened and