Ant King Extermination Battle III

"This battle is not something you can participate in. Go down and inform Pouf, Youpi, and the other Squad Leaders that a group of human Nen users will soon appear near the Council Hall. Do your best to eliminate them." Meruem's eyes remained fixed on the spot he'd been watching, but his words were directed at Kolt. Over at the Council Hall was the other Spatial Ability user Meruem had mentioned earlier, but while there were experts there, they weren't as numerous as here. Every person here possessed overwhelming strength; in fact, aside from a few exceptions, each had Nen Quantity far exceeding that of a Squad Leader. Rather than sending Squad Leaders to their deaths, it was better to have them deal with the remaining enemies. Though Nen Quantity alone didn't determine strength, Meruem didn't believe anyone bold enough to stand atop his head and challenge his authority could be weak.

That move earlier was Zeno's Dragon Dive, wasn't it? Looks like the Zoldyck Family has waded into this muddy water too. Hmph, just you wait. Next time, I'll go tear down that Kukuroo Mountain you live on. I didn't provoke you, yet now you dare to run wild on my turf.

"Forget it. Better to take out the small fry first and avoid trouble later. Kolt, take your unit and the Palace Guard to eliminate those human troops advancing on the palace. Trying to loot a burning house? We'll see if you have the ability."

The range of Meruem's Nen was terrifying. Though he hadn't deliberately used En, he still detected a massive human army marching toward the East Gorteau Palace from dozens of miles away. One or two people would be one thing, but an entire army? Didn't they think they were making too much noise? Meruem wasn't afraid of these troops, but if he did nothing and let them waltz in, wouldn't that make his Chimera Ant Army look utterly incompetent? Time to teach these overconfident fools a lesson.

"Yes." Kolt acknowledged the order and immediately led the Chimera Ant Heavenly General Unit flying toward the human army. The battle about to take place here was indeed beyond his level to participate in.

"Alright, I'll just give orders through telepathy for now." Meruem sighed. He really didn't want to use telepathy. Sure, it was a convenient ability for the Chimera Ants, but nothing in this world was perfect. Telepathy required opening one's mind, and the Chimera Ants' version was like a shared channel—regardless of strength, every ant could "speak" in it. That often led to a cacophony of voices, incredibly noisy. It couldn't be helped; the Chimera Ants weren't organized enough for full military discipline.

It was better now, but back when the Soldier Ants couldn't even talk, it was even more chaotic—all kinds of bizarre sounds. You could understand the meaning, but the noises themselves were just too strange. That was part of why the Squad Leaders in the original story disliked using telepathy; it was too loud. Even now, under Meruem's pressure, those guys still chattered away in the channel. Annoying, but this was a critical time. Meruem didn't want to lose too many subordinates, so he'd bear with it for now.

"All Chimera Ants, listen up. A large number of human experts have appeared near the palace. They've come to exterminate our Chimera Ant race. This is a provocation against our kind. Though our overall strength may not match humanity's, we must make these invading humans understand that the Chimera Ants are not to be trifled with. Make them pay. All units, prepare for battle. Repeat: all units, prepare for battle."

"Honor is my life!" "Fight for the King!" "Kill these humans!" "Counterattack! We must counterattack!"

The entire Chimera Ant telepathic channel erupted with voices, instantly becoming unbearably loud.

"I knew it. So noisy." Meruem rubbed his temples, his head throbbing from the clamor of different ants in his mind.

"Silence! Silence!" A warm hand gently covered Meruem's raised arm, softly massaging his temples. It was Neferpitou's hand—soft and wonderfully soothing.

"Everyone shut the hell up! Speak properly to the King!" A domineering roar in the channel drowned out the noisy chatter.

"Yes!" This time, the voices were perfectly unified.

Meruem stared wide-eyed at Neferpitou beside him, as if seeing her for the first time.

Damn, when did Pitou become so domineering and mighty? Wasn't she just a playful cat-eared girl in the original? What the hell, this script is wrong, director.

"Nya?" Neferpitou tilted her head, smiling at Meruem.

So cute. Hmm, once you accept this setup, it's actually pretty thrilling.

"Now's not the time to think about this nonsense. Those guys are about to arrive. Let's handle the real business first." Meruem set aside his stray thoughts and warily glanced ahead at the dust that still hadn't settled.

"All units, attention. The attackers appearing on the palace's eastern wall will be handled by the Anbu and the Brigade Leaders present. Repeat: the attackers on the eastern wall will be handled by the Anbu and the Brigade Leaders present. Royal Guards Pouf and Youpi, along with any Squad Leaders without current assignments, proceed to the palace Conference Hall. Other human invaders will appear there shortly. Repeat. Remaining units, Brigade Leaders, and Squad Leaders are responsible for the rest of the palace's perimeter. Go, my dear subordinates. Wipe out these damned invaders."

Chimera Ant Army VS Ant King Extermination Army

Begin

"They're here." Meruem stared at the spot he'd been watching. The figures on that strange bird had all arrived.

"So you're the Ant King? Just a boy in appearance. But what a monster you are." Six figures of varying heights gradually appeared before Meruem. If anyone focused Nen on their eyes, they'd see six different-colored auras blazing skyward from each person—every one of them incredibly strong.

Meruem slowly extended his En, unleashing a wave of Nen potent enough to drive a normal person to despair and collapse.

The two sides touched briefly, then withdrew, as if by silent agreement. It was just a probe—the simplest test for any Nen user. The most basic, straightforward comparison of Nen Quantity. In the original story, Neferpitou had done the same with Zeno when he used Dragon Dive. But unfortunately for Zeno, that test ended in Pitou's complete victory. After all, even Netero had praised her Nen.

"No wonder you're the monster who killed both Netero and Jed. In terms of Nen Quantity, even all of us combined can't match you." Zeno, his hands clasped behind his back and the words "One Kill a Day" written on his clothes, stared gravely at Meruem.

"A Nen battle isn't about who has more Nen. Strength is only known through fighting." The Thick Eyebrows man, calling himself the Heaven's Arena Strongest, cracked his knuckles and looked at Meruem with fighting spirit. No opponent like this had ever appeared in Heaven's Arena. Netero had once held that title too. Could this current Strongest defeat Meruem, who had killed the former Strongest, Netero? As always, true strength was only known through battle.

"My King, let me go first." Neferpitou's eyes gleamed as she looked at the six. Naturally playful, she wanted to spar with these experts on one hand, and on the other, serve as Meruem's vanguard to take down one or two.

But Meruem's fondness for the cat girl made him reluctant to see her hurt. None of these guys were easy to deal with; one misstep could lead to a fall.

Besides, as a man, how could he hide behind a woman? Even if that woman was incredibly strong.

Well, honestly, it was Meruem's machismo acting up.

"Pitou, no need. Leave this to me." Meruem stopped the eager Pitou, leaning close to her ear to whisper.

"There should be seven experts. One is missing. Even I can't tell where that one went. Find him for me." Zeno, Silva, the Heaven's Arena muscle man, Beyond, and two of the Five Great Nen Users—that made six. Maha was missing. Meruem didn't know the missing one was Maha, but he'd sensed seven people in the sky earlier. He wouldn't assume anyone died in the giant bird's fall, so that missing person must be hiding. Waiting for a fatal blow?

Interesting. If you can pull it off, go ahead and try.

"Yes." Though Neferpitou was naturally playful and curious, she could set aside those instincts when given an order from Meruem. In her heart, the Ant King Meruem's commands were above all else—even her own life came second.

That was the mission of the Ant King's Royal Guards: born for the King, dying for the King. Truly absolute loyalty. No wonder some in the past life said the three Royal Guards' purpose was to be eaten by the Ant King. Perhaps they were always one entity.

Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, this Meruem would never eat them.

To get stronger, I'll do it myself. I don't need that kind of external help.

"So, are you all coming at me together to be taken down? Or will you come one by one to die?"

"What an arrogant bastard." Beyond glanced at Meruem and quipped. "I admit he's strong, but I can't stand it."

"I'd prefer we join forces." Zeno spoke up. As a member of the most arrogant and strongest assassin family in the Hunter World, he had no sense of Bushido, chivalry, or the so-called one-on-one spirit of a martial artist. As long as they could kill the target, numbers didn't matter. Their goal was to kill, not to win.

"Ah, ah, this kid's too strong. I'm not fighting him one-on-one." The Bearded Uncle, picking his ear without caring about the dust, sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Hmph, you cowards. I'm ashamed to be associated with you." The Thick Eyebrows man sneered disdainfully at his companions, who all agreed to gang up.

"A true martial artist challenges the strong. Only then can one keep improving. Cowardice and weakness—flinching because the opponent is stronger—will never let you reach the world's peak. Come on, monster. Let me, Lovskiy Dragon, test your skills."

PS: Thanks to reader 104003 for the tip! Thanks to reader Bush Lord for the tip! Mwah (づ￣3￣)づ~~ Angel's Kiss ~~~

PS2: Daily request for votes

PS3: The Death Note live-action series is over. I feel the actor for Light was really serious about it. The plot? L had read the script!