Jed 1

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

"Your Majesty, these three have strong Nen—several times stronger than the average Squad Leader, and close to us Royal Guards." That was Neferpitou speaking, but though her words acknowledged their power, her expression showed no real concern. If it came to a direct fight, even all three Squad Leaders together might not be a match for the three Royal Guards. These Royal Guards were nothing like the originals—the ones who, despite immense strength, couldn't finish off foes far weaker than themselves quickly.

"I told you, when no one else is around, you don't need to call me Your Majesty. You should call me Yang." Meruem glanced at Pitou, displeased. He wound her tail around his arm, pulled her close by the waist, and without any resistance, Pitou was drawn into his embrace.

"But—"

"No buts. I said when we're alone, call me Yang. Or are my words not law anymore?"

"I wouldn't dare. King Yang." Lying in Meruem's arms, Pitou's expression flickered with something strange.

"That's right. You know, this is a special privilege just for you." Seeing her compliance, Meruem smirked and brought his lips close to the cat ears atop her head, whispering softly. His breath circled gently around those sensitive ears—and cats' ears are very sensitive indeed. Pitou's body trembled, and her face finally flushed red. Ah, cat ears really are the best, aren't they? Catgirls are the true adorable ones.

"Hm? How annoying. These three just won't quit." Sensing that Zazan, Gudo, and Aureole had no intention of reining in their Nen, Meruem frowned in irritation. They really didn't know their place—getting cocky with just a little power. Who did they think they were challenging? This was Meruem's palace, after all. Utterly clueless fools, only slightly better than Welfin, who openly rebelled in the original story.

"Enough. Settle down, you scraps." Meruem released a wave of Nen several times stronger than theirs—so overwhelmingly powerful it was despair itself—instantly enveloping the meeting hall where the three stood. The moment his Nen touched theirs, they retracted their own and began trembling under the weight of his pressure.

"Tch. Useless."

The whole exchange happened in an instant. The other ants in the palace paid it no mind; they were already used to Meruem's soul-crushing Nen. They had no thoughts of rebellion, nor did they want any. Meruem was their protector, after all—so why be afraid?

That was how the Chimera Ants other than those three Squad Leaders thought. But one being in the palace who wasn't a Chimera Ant thought differently. The successive waves of Nen—four in total—had nearly made his heart explode. Especially the last one, so powerful it made him forget to breathe. It almost broke him. That being was Knuckle, one of Chairman Netero's two subordinates, a Spatial Ability user who had infiltrated East Gorteau Palace to investigate the Chimera Ants.

"Oh? Looks like a little bug slipped in. My dear subordinate Pouf, go catch that bug for me. I still have some use for him—I want him alive." In just a moment of distraction, Meruem had detected Knuckle's presence. Though Knuckle's Spatial Ability made infiltration tricky, his combat skills were far below Morel's—or rather, his mental fortitude was abysmal. If his spatial teleportation was blocked or he couldn't use it in time, Knuckle was at a severe disadvantage against the Chimera Ants Meruem had trained. And against one of the three Royal Guards like Pouf, it was a death sentence. The main point, though, was that Meruem had taken a liking to Knuckle's Spatial Ability.

Pouf wasn't in the same palace as Meruem but in another one far away—though still very close to Knuckle's location. Meruem's order reached Pouf through the Chimera Ants' unique telepathy. Originally, telepathy was only used among Soldier Ants since they couldn't speak, but in truth, all ants could use it. They just disliked the feeling of someone invading their minds, even if it was only sound and not actual memory-reading. But when the order came from Meruem, the three Royal Guards had no objections.

"Oh, my King. Your wish is my command. Even if it costs me my life, I shall fulfill your will." The butterfly-man Pouf expressed his joy in his usual theatrical, opera-like manner. Meruem couldn't care less about that style, though—and did he really need to talk about sacrificing his life to catch someone who could barely fight? He felt like kicking Pouf to break him of that annoying, attention-seeking habit.

"Hm? Trying to run? Do you think this is some place you can come and go as you please?" Though Meruem had ordered Pouf to capture the intruder, his focus remained on Knuckle. The moment he sensed Knuckle preparing to use his Nen ability, "Four-Dimensional Mansion," to escape, that abyssal, terrifying Nen once again flooded the entire palace, concentrating on Knuckle's location. "Useless trash—stay put."

"This Nen... Damn, I've been found." Knuckle was completely enveloped in Meruem's Nen, trapped under its crushing weight. If he had stronger mental fortitude, he might have ignored it and used his ability to flee. But Knuckle lacked that resolve. Though he had first appeared calm and arrogant, confident in his own strength, his mental fortitude was far worse than his demeanor suggested—downright poor, in fact. He didn't have the makings of a true powerhouse, lacking the spirit to rise stronger from setbacks and push forward fearlessly. In that regard, he was far inferior to his partner Morel. Though their current strength was similar, Knuckle would never surpass Morel in the long run. In the original story, Knuckle was so terrified by Pouf's Nen that he fled in panic, losing all his hair overnight. Now, he faced not just Pouf's Nen but Meruem's directly—and Meruem's Nen made it clear: I've found you. But Knuckle was already frozen with fear. Though his mind was still somewhat clear, his limbs and even his Nen ability refused to obey him. He couldn't control his own body.

"Damn it, move! Move!" Knuckle tried desperately to stop his trembling body. Meruem's hold over him was brief—after all, Meruem wasn't there in person, and this wasn't a Nen ability, just raw Nen pressure. It couldn't truly control Knuckle's body. But Knuckle's mental fortitude was too weak. As said before, if it were Morel, he'd have fled long ago—the spatial ability "Four-Dimensional Mansion" was excellent for vanishing without a trace. Still, Knuckle was one of Chairman Netero's subordinates, with plenty of combat experience. His mental weakness didn't negate his strength.

"Haah... haah... haah... Finally got my body back." Knuckle was drenched in cold sweat, as if pulled from water, and his mental state was utterly exhausted. "I have to hurry." Trembling all over, he didn't want to stay a second longer. He had only one thought: escape. Running was dishonorable, but saving his own skin came first.

But—

Too late.

Knuckle had already wasted too much time.

Pouf had been very close to Knuckle's position.

So—

"Got you~" A voice that made Knuckle's heart race and his skin crawl sounded right beside his ear.

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

Chimera Ant Extermination Team member Knuckle—captured.

"Good work, Pouf." Meruem praised Pouf without hesitation for capturing Knuckle, though without him, Pouf might not have succeeded. But a word of praise cost nothing.

"Alright. You may withdraw now."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty." Pouf knelt on one knee before the throne, head bowed, speaking respectfully. Beside him lay Knuckle, bound like a cocoon. But beneath his lowered head, Pouf's eyes occasionally darted toward Pitou, still held in Meruem's arms, burning with jealousy. Unfortunately for him, Meruem's tastes were perfectly normal, so he could envy her forever and never get anywhere.

"Damn you, Pitou! That position will be mine someday." Leaving the palace, Pouf clenched his fists in bitter resentment.

Just then, Meruem suddenly shivered, feeling an inexplicable chill.

"Meow?" Sensing something, Pitou tightened her hold on Meruem, rubbing her head against his chest like a real cat.

"Catgirls really are adorable."

"Ahem. Let's get down to business." Meruem materialized the massive, horned red figure radiating an ominous aura—one of the Ant King Meruem's Nen abilities: Taotie Feast.

This was a technique that could steal others' Nen abilities. It required a part of the target's body, or a part of their Nen ability's manifestation, to be consumed by the red figure, Taotie. This could be blood, a Nen Beast, a manifested tool, or a body part. The more complete the offering, the higher the proficiency gained after theft. Given enough time, the stolen ability could even surpass the original user's skill, and there was no restriction on using abilities from different Nen categories at full efficiency. For example, though Meruem was an Enhancement-type, he could use Conjuration or Specialization abilities at 100%—just like Kurapika with his Scarlet Eyes. Earlier, Meruem had used Taotie Feast to consume Chairman Netero's arm, and soon, he would use 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva against Netero, shocking him.

One last thing: Taotie Feast didn't literally eat things—it absorbed their essence. Anything consumed by Taotie Feast turned gray-white and then to ash.

In other words, to steal Knuckle's ability, Meruem only needed to feed Knuckle's entire body to Taotie. Then, he would instantly gain the "Four-Dimensional Mansion" ability. As for Knuckle's fate—it was obvious.

Meruem merely disliked the act of eating people. He had no problem with killing. Especially someone like this, who was hostile to him.