"This battle is beyond your level. Go notify Pouf, Youpi, and the other Squad Leaders. Before long, a group of powerful human Nen Users will appear near the Council Hall. Do your best to eliminate them." Meruem kept his eyes fixed on the previous location as he spoke to Kolt. The Council Hall was where the other Spatial Ability user Meruem had mentioned earlier was located. There were experts over there as well, though not as many as here. Every person here possessed overwhelming strength; aside from a few exceptions, each of them had far more Nen Quantity than a Squad Leader. Rather than sending the Squad Leaders to their deaths, it was better to have them deal with the remaining enemies. Nen Quantity alone did not determine strength, but Meruem did not believe anyone daring enough to stand above him and challenge his authority would be weak.
That move earlier was Zeno's Dragon Dive, wasn't it? Looks like the Zoldyck Family came to muddy the waters too. Hmph, just wait. Next time, I'll tear down Kukuroo Mountain where you live. I never provoked you, yet you dare run wild on my territory.
"Forget it. It's better to eliminate the minor players first, so they don't become a nuisance later. Kolt, take your troops and the Palace Guard and wipe out those human forces advancing toward the palace. Trying to take advantage of the chaos? That depends on whether you have what it takes."
The range Meruem's Nen covered was terrifying. Though he had not deliberately used En, he had still sensed a large human army advancing toward the East Gorteau Palace from dozens of miles away. One or two people would have been fine, but an entire army? Wasn't that making far too much of a commotion? Meruem did not fear those troops, but if he did nothing and let them approach so easily, would that not make the Chimera Ant Army seem utterly incompetent? He would give those overconfident fools a taste of their own medicine first.
"Yes." After receiving the order, Kolt immediately led the Chimera Ant Heavenly General Unit toward the human army. The battle about to unfold here truly was not something someone of his level could participate in.
"All right, I'd better just issue the orders through telepathy." Meruem sighed. He really did not want to use telepathy. Although it was an incredibly convenient ability of the Chimera Ant race, nothing in this world was perfect. Telepathy not only required one to open up one's thoughts, but Chimera Ant telepathy was also something like a shared channel. Regardless of strength, every Chimera Ant could "speak" in it, so it could sometimes become a deafening mess of overlapping voices. There was no helping it; the Chimera Ants had not reached the point of militarizing their entire race.
Things were better now. Back when those Soldier Ants could not even speak, it had been far more outrageous, filled with all kinds of bizarre noises. You could understand what they meant, but those sounds were just too strange. That was one reason the Squad Leaders in the original story disliked using telepathy: it was simply too noisy. Even now, with Meruem's pressure keeping them in line, those guys still made a racket in the shared sense every time. It was incredibly annoying, but these were exceptional circumstances. Meruem did not want to lose too many subordinates yet, so he would endure it for now.
"All Chimera Ants, listen up. A large number of powerful human fighters have appeared near the palace. They have come to exterminate our Chimera Ant race. This is a provocation against our kind. Though our overall strength may not be greater than humanity's, we must let these humans who dare invade us know that the Chimera Ant race is not to be trifled with. Make them pay the price. All departments, prepare for battle. I repeat, all departments, prepare for battle."
"Glory is my life!" "Fight for our King!" "Kill these humans!" "Counterattack! We must counterattack!"
All sorts of voices began ringing through the Chimera Ant shared channel, and it instantly became unbearably noisy.
"I knew it. It's so damn loud." Meruem rubbed his temples, his head swelling from the voices of countless different Chimera Ants flooding his mind.
"Quiet, quiet!" A warm hand gently covered Meruem's raised arm, softly massaging his temples. It was Pitou's hand, soft and so comfortable.
"Shut the hell up, all of you! Listen properly when the King speaks!"
"Yes!"
This time, the voices were remarkably neat and unified.
Meruem stared wide-eyed at Pitou beside him as if he were meeting her for the first time.
Damn, how had I never noticed Pitou was this imposing? Wasn't she supposed to be a playful cat-eared girl in the original story? What the hell, Director? This script is wrong.
"Meow?" Pitou tilted her head and smiled at Meruem.
So cute. Well, once I accept this setting, it actually feels pretty great.
"Now isn't the time to think about all this nonsense. Those people are about to arrive. Let's handle the important business first." Meruem pushed his stray thoughts aside and warily glanced at the dust ahead, which still had not settled.
"All departments, attention. The attackers appearing at the eastern wall of the palace will be handled by the Anbu and the Brigade Leaders who have arrived. I repeat, the attackers appearing at the eastern wall of the palace will be handled by the Anbu and the Brigade Leaders who have arrived. Royal Guards Pouf and Youpi, along with all Squad Leaders without assignments, proceed to the palace conference hall. Other human invaders will soon appear there. I repeat. The remaining department heads, Brigade Leaders, and squad captains are responsible for securing the rest of the palace. Now then, my beloved subordinates, kill these damned invaders."
Chimera Ant Army VS Ant King Extermination Army
Begin
"They're here." Meruem stared at the location he had been watching. Those people on the strange bird had all arrived.
"So you're the Ant King? You look like nothing more than a teenager. But you really are a monster." Six figures of varying heights gradually appeared before Meruem. If someone focused Nen into their eyes, they would be able to see the different-colored Nen soaring from the six people. Every single aura was immensely powerful.
At that moment, Meruem's En slowly spread outward, carrying Nen powerful enough to drive an ordinary person into despair and madness.
The instant the two sides made contact, both withdrew their Nen as though they had agreed upon it beforehand. It had only been a test, the most basic test between Nen Users. It was also the simplest and most direct test of Nen Quantity. In the original story, Neferpitou had once tested Zeno, who used Dragon Dive, in this very way. Unfortunately, from that exchange, Pitou had won completely. After all, that was Nen even Netero had praised.
"No wonder he was able to kill both Netero and Jed 1. Judging by Nen Quantity alone, even if all of us combined ours, we still wouldn't be his match." Zeno, his hands clasped behind his back and the words one kill a day written across his clothing, stared solemnly at Meruem.
"A battle between Nen Users isn't about who has more Nen and is therefore stronger. You won't know who is stronger until you fight." Thick Eyebrows, who called himself Heaven's Arena Strongest, clenched his fists until they cracked, his face brimming with fighting spirit as he looked at Meruem. Such an opponent was one no one in Heaven's Arena had ever encountered before. Netero had once held the title of Heaven's Arena Strongest as well. Could the current strongest defeat Meruem, who had killed Netero, one of the previous title holders? As always, true strength could only be determined through battle.
"King, let me go first." Neferpitou's eyes gleamed as she watched the six people ahead. Naturally playful, she wanted to exchange a few moves with these experts. At the same time, she wanted to serve as Meruem's vanguard and take down one or two of them.
However, because Meruem was so fond of the cat girl, he did not want her to get hurt. None of the people before him were easy opponents. One mistake, and she might suffer a crushing defeat.
Besides, as a man, how could he hide behind a woman? Even if that woman was incredibly powerful.
All right, it was really just Meruem's male pride acting up.
"Pitou, there's no need. Leave this to me." Meruem stopped the eager Pitou, then leaned close to her ear and softly said something.
"There should have been seven experts, but one is missing. Even I can't detect where that missing person went. Help me drag him out." Zeno, Silva, the muscular man from Heaven's Arena, Beyond, and two of the Five Great Nen Users—six people in total. One person was missing: Maha. Although Meruem did not know that the missing person was Maha, he had sensed seven people in the sky earlier. He certainly did not think the other person had died when the giant bird crashed, so that missing person had to be hiding somewhere. Was he preparing to deliver a fatal blow?
Interesting. If you can do it, then give it a try.
"Yes." Although Neferpitou was naturally playful and intensely curious, once she received Meruem's order, she could temporarily ignore those instincts. In her heart, the Ant King Meruem's command stood above all else. Even her own life came after it.
That was the mission of the Ant King's Royal Guards: to live for the King and die for the King. It had to be said, that was absolute loyalty. No wonder some people in his previous life had said that the mission of the Royal Guards was to be eaten by the Ant King. Perhaps they truly had been one entity.
Whether that was true or not, Meruem of this life would never eat them.
If I want to become stronger, I'll become stronger myself. I don't need that kind of outside power.
"Now then, are you going to come at me together and let me deal with you all at once? Or will you come one by one to your deaths?"
"What an arrogant fellow." Beyond glanced at Meruem and remarked, "I admit he's strong, but he's really hard to stand."
"I think it would be better for all of us to join forces." Zeno spoke up. As a member of the Hunter World's most arrogant and powerful assassin family, he had never cared for Bushido, chivalry, or a warrior's supposed spirit of one-on-one duels. As long as they could kill the enemy, any number of people could fight any number of opponents. Their goal was only to kill him, not defeat him.
"My, my, this young man is far too strong. I definitely can't beat him one-on-one." Bearded Uncle picked at his ear, then sat cross-legged on the ground without caring about the dust that had been kicked up earlier.
"Hmph. You cowards, I'm ashamed to stand among you." Seeing his companions all agree with the suggestion to attack together, the thick-browed brute spoke with a disdainful expression.
"A true warrior must challenge those stronger than himself. Only then can he continue improving. Anyone cowardly and weak, shrinking back because the opponent is stronger, can never stand at the peak of the world. Come, monster. Let Lovskiy Dragon show you what he can do."
PS: Thanks to reader 104003 for the donation! Thanks to reader Bush-kun for the donation! Muah muah! (づ￣3￣)づ~~Angel's Kiss~~~
PS2: Daily request for votes.
PS3: The Death X Note drama has ended. The actor playing Light felt really dedicated. As for the plot... L must have read the script!
Before you continue