Jed 1

PS: I updated early, didn't I? Come on, praise me! Same old rule: if today's recommendation count reaches 100, I'll add another chapter.

I told you I had chapters saved up. It just depends on whether you guys can pull through~~!

That's all.

"Heh heh, looks like they've all taken it." Meruem revealed a cruel smile.

"King, the Nen of these three is very powerful. Several times stronger than that of ordinary Squad Leaders, and quite close to that of us Royal Guards." Neferpitou said this, but despite claiming their Nen was close to that of the Royal Guards, she showed no sign of pressure whatsoever. If they truly fought head-on, those three Squad Leaders combined might not even be a match for the Royal Guards. The current Royal Guards were not like those in the original story—possessing immense power, yet unable to quickly finish opponents several or even dozens of times weaker than themselves.

"I told you, when no one else is around, you don't need to call me King. You should call me yang." Meruem glanced at Pitou and spoke with some displeasure. At the same time, he wound Pitou's tail around his arm, then wrapped an arm around her waist and gave a gentle tug. Completely unprepared, Pitou was pulled into Meruem's embrace.

"But..."

"No buts. I said that when no one else is around, call me yang! Or are my words no longer effective?"

"I wouldn't dare. King yang." Lying in Meruem's arms, Pitou wore a slightly strange expression.

"That's more like it. You should know, this is preferential treatment meant for you alone." Seeing Pitou's obedience, Meruem gave a wicked smile and leaned close to the two cat ears atop her head, whispering softly. Ki slowly circulated around her ears. A cat's ears were extremely sensitive, after all. Pitou's body trembled, and her face finally turned red. See? Cat ears really were the best. Catgirls were the cutest.

"Hm? What a killjoy. Are those three idiots ever going to stop?" Sensing that Zazan, Gudo, and Aureole had no intention of withdrawing their Nen, Meruem frowned in displeasure. They really hadn't recognized their place. They had gained a little strength and already become this arrogant—who were they trying to provoke? This was Meruem's palace now. What ignorant fools. They were only slightly better than Welfin, who had openly rebelled in the original story.

"Ahh, settle down, you scraps." A Nen far more powerful than the three of them combined—so powerful it inspired despair—erupted from Meruem and instantly engulfed the council chamber where they stood. The moment Meruem's Nen touched theirs, the three immediately withdrew their Nen and began trembling beneath its pressure.

"Tsk tsk, what trash."

The exchange happened very quickly. The other ants in the palace paid it no mind, because they had long grown accustomed to Meruem's overwhelmingly despair-inducing Nen. They could not muster any thoughts of disloyalty anyway, nor did they have such thoughts to begin with. Meruem was also their protector, so why should they be afraid?

The Chimera Ants other than those three Squad Leaders thought that way, but another non-Chimera Ant presence in the palace did not. The four waves of Nen, one after another, had nearly made his heart explode—especially the last one, whose overwhelming strength made people temporarily forget how to breathe. It had nearly caused him to collapse. This person was Knuckle, one of Chairman Netero's two subordinates who had secretly infiltrated East Gorteau Palace to investigate the Chimera Ants.

"Oh? I didn't expect a little bug to sneak in. My dear subordinate Pouf, capture this little bug for me. He still has some use to me. I want him alive." Meruem discovered Knuckle's presence after only a moment's distraction. Though Knuckle's Spatial Ability made him difficult to guard against when infiltrating, his combat ability was far inferior to Morel's. Or rather, his mental fortitude was simply abysmal. So long as Knuckle's spatial teleportation was sealed, or he was not given time to use it, he would be at an absolute disadvantage against the Chimera Ants trained and enhanced by Meruem. Against Pouf, one of the Royal Guards, it would be a situation with no chance of survival. Most importantly, Meruem had taken a liking to Knuckle's Spatial Ability.

Pouf was not in the palace where Meruem was, but in another palace some distance away. However, he was very close to Knuckle's location. Meruem delivered his order to Pouf through the Chimera Ant race's unique telepathy. Originally, telepathy was said to circulate among Soldier Ants because they could not speak and used telepathy instead. In truth, all ants could use it; they simply disliked the feeling of someone intruding upon their minds. Though it was merely a voice entering the mind and did not truly reveal memories or anything else, the Royal Guards would never think of resisting when it came to someone like Meruem.

"Oh, my King, your wish is my mission. Even if I must sacrifice my life, I shall fulfill your will." The butterfly man Pouf expressed the joy in his heart in his unique, operatic fashion. Meruem had no interest in that style whatsoever. And was sacrificing his life really necessary to capture someone with virtually no ability to resist? Meruem truly wanted to kick him a few times and cure him of that obnoxious habit of making a spectacle of himself.

"Hm? Trying to run? Do you think this is some place where you can come and go as you please?" Although Meruem had ordered Pouf to capture Knuckle, his attention remained focused on Knuckle himself. He instantly sensed Knuckle's intention to use his Nen ability, the Four-Dimensional Mansion, to escape. At once, that abyss-like, terrifying Nen spread through the entire palace again, with special attention given to Knuckle's location. "Useless trash, stay where you are."

"Th-this Nen... Damn it, I've been discovered." Knuckle, who had been preparing to flee, was surrounded by Meruem's Nen. This terrifying Nen completely enveloped him. If he had possessed exceptionally strong mental fortitude, he might have ignored it and swiftly used his Nen ability to escape. But Knuckle did not have that kind of mental strength. Although he had appeared extremely calm and arrogant upon his debut, clearly very confident in his own strength, his mental fortitude was not as outstanding as it seemed. It could even be said that it was terrible. He also completely lacked the potential to become a true powerhouse, because he did not possess the spirit to grow braver with every setback, fear no hardship, and constantly push forward. In this regard, he was utterly inferior to his other companion, Morel. Though their strength was not far apart now, Knuckle could never surpass Morel in future accomplishments. In the original story, Knuckle had been so terrified by Pouf's Nen that he fled back in a panic, and all his hair fell out overnight. Yet the Nen he faced now was not merely Pouf's. He was directly facing the Nen of Meruem, the Ant King, and Meruem's Nen was clearly telling him: I have found you. But Knuckle had already been scared senseless. Though his mind remained relatively clear, his limbs and even his Nen ability suddenly refused to obey him. He could not control his own body at all.

"Damn it, move! Move already!" Knuckle desperately tried to control his constantly trembling body. The time Meruem could make Knuckle temporarily lose control was actually very short. After all, Meruem was not there, and this was not some Nen ability. He was merely covering Knuckle with his Nen, so he could not truly control Knuckle's body. Knuckle's mental fortitude was simply too poor. As mentioned before, if it had been Morel, he might have escaped long ago. A spatial ability like the Four-Dimensional Mansion, which allowed one to come and go without a trace, was extremely powerful. Still, Knuckle was someone who followed Chairman Netero, and his combat experience was exceptionally rich. His mental fortitude might have been lacking, but that did not mean he was not powerful.

"Huff... huff... huff... I finally got my body back under control." Knuckle was soaked through with cold sweat, as though he had been pulled from water, and his mental state had reached the point of utter exhaustion. I have to hurry. His entire body trembling, Knuckle did not want to remain here for even another second. He had only one thought now—escape. Though running away was a disgraceful thing to do, preserving his life was more important.

However—

Too late.

Knuckle had already wasted far too much time.

Pouf had been very close to Knuckle's location.

Therefore—

"Got you~" A voice that made Knuckle's heart pound and sent goosebumps all over his body sounded beside his ear.

In an instant, Knuckle's body was covered in multicolored scale powder.

Chimera Ant Extermination Force Knuckle—captured.

"Well done, Pouf." Meruem did not hesitate to praise Pouf for capturing Knuckle. Though without Meruem, Pouf might not necessarily have caught him. Still, a few words of praise would not cost Meruem anything.

"All right, you may withdraw if there is nothing else."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty." Pouf answered respectfully, lowering his head as he knelt on one knee beneath the throne. Beside him was Knuckle, already captured and bound like an insect cocoon. Yet Pouf's lowered gaze occasionally flicked toward Pitou, who was held in Meruem's arms, filled with extreme jealousy. Unfortunately for him, Meruem's preferences were perfectly normal, so no matter how long Pouf envied her, he would never have a chance.

Damn Pitou! That position will be mine sooner or later. Pouf clenched his fists resentfully as he left the palace.

At that moment, Meruem suddenly shuddered, inexplicably feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Meow?" Sensing something, Pitou suddenly hugged Meruem tighter and rubbed her head against his chest like a real cat.

"Catgirls really are adorable."

"Ahem, let's handle business first." That enormous red figure with horns atop its head and an ominous aura materialized around Meruem once more. One of Ant King Meruem's Nen abilities—Taotie Feast.

This was also an ability that could seize another person's Nen ability, but it required a part of the target's body or a portion manifested by their Nen ability to be consumed by the red Taotie figure. It could be blood, a Nen Beast, a manifested item, or a body part. The more complete the portion obtained, the greater the proficiency gained after the ability was seized. Given enough time, Meruem could even surpass the original user in wielding their Nen ability. Moreover, there would be no issue of different Nen types failing to reach 100% effectiveness. For example, Meruem was an Enhancement Type, yet when using Specialist or Conjuration abilities, he would not be limited to only 80% effectiveness. In this respect, it was the same as Kurapika after activating his Scarlet Eyes. Also, Meruem had previously used Taotie Feast to consume one of Chairman Netero's arms. Before long, Meruem would use the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva against Netero and give him a huge shock.

One final point: Taotie Feast did not truly eat what it consumed. It merely absorbed the essence. Anything eaten by Taotie Feast would turn grayish-white, then crumble into ashes.

In other words, if Meruem wanted to seize Knuckle's ability, he only needed to let Taotie consume Knuckle whole. Then Meruem would instantly obtain the Four-Dimensional Mansion ability. As for Knuckle's fate, that was obvious.

Meruem merely disliked truly eating people, but he had no objection to killing them. Especially someone who posed a threat to him.