The Strongest Ant King in History

Netero was gone. Meruem watched him leave until he could no longer sense his Nen at all.

"Knuckle's spatial ability? How convenient. Tsk, if only one of the ants had a power like that—it'd be the perfect method for escape or assassination." Meruem muttered with a hint of envy. "Well, the troublesome ones are gone. Time to deal with what's left. Squad Leaders and Squad Captains... ah, what a headache."

He glanced at the Ant King's Royal Guards, still kneeling in a posture of apology, and felt the headache worsen. These three were loyal, sure, but each had a personality more stubborn than the last.

"I don't blame you. That was just for show for outsiders. Get up, all three of you. I have something to announce." Meruem's voice was low. The meaning was clear—he was simply displeased with Pouf's earlier interruption. "I know you three. You are my most loyal subordinates, my Royal Guards. Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi."

"Oh, Your Majesty, you remember my name! Oh, this subordinate is unforgivable—I never meant to offend you. I knew it, Your Majesty. You are too kind." The butterfly man, Pouf, instantly revived at Meruem's lack of blame, flipping into chatterbox mode. Shaiapouf, one of the three Royal Guards, was top-tier among the Chimera Ants but lacked strong offensive skills. His Nen abilities, Beelzebub and Spiritual Message, leaned toward support. Compared to the agile cat-girl Pitou and the powerhouse Youpi, he seemed slightly weaker—but that didn't mean he was inferior. Of course, he was also a bit neurotic, and anything involving the King triggered his rambling. And then there were the long-rumored, unconfirmed tendencies.

"Meow!" The cat-girl let out a cute meow to announce her presence.

"Uh, Youpi." The red-skinned muscle man was deeply conflicted.

"Ahem. Moshi moshi." Meruem ignored Pouf, who had spiraled into his own world, and turned toward the Ant Nest, now reduced to rubble. Though his voice wasn't loud, it reached every surviving ant. "All Chimera Ant Squad Leaders, Squad Captains, and warriors—I am your King. Report to me within thirty minutes. I have something to announce. I repeat."

"Your Majesty, are you gathering the other ants, meow?" Pitou sat cross-legged on a clean rock, big eyes curious, her tail swaying like a cat fascinated by something new.

"Yes. I want to gather the remaining subordinates. I have something to announce." Meruem was happy to answer the cute cat-girl's question.

"Forgive me for saying so, but we three are enough for you, Your Majesty. The rest aren't worthy, meow." Pitou's words brimmed with confidence—and a hint of disdain for the other ants. In the Royal Guards' eyes, even Squad Leaders were beneath notice.

"How dare you, Pitou! You question the King's judgment?" One sentence sent the butterfly man into high alert. Anything involving the King made him a fool. "But Pitou does have a point." The Royal Guards had their pride. They wouldn't acknowledge other ants.

"Sigh." Meruem sighed inwardly. This world was dangerous. Chimera Ants were strong by nature, but compared to the world's top fighters, they were still too weak. And internally, things weren't harmonious. Meruem didn't want to repeat the original path—he'd just been reborn, and he wasn't ready to die. His first task was to unite the remaining ants. In the original story, the ants fractured: some surrendered, some went solo, and humans picked them off one by one. Chimera Ants were still ants, and an ant clan's greatest strengths were unity and numbers. No matter how strong an individual ant was, it was still an ant. Many ants could bite an elephant to death. Meruem understood this. He wasn't that philosophical version from the original. No need to play deep. As a reincarnator, he already had his own values, even merged with a Chimera Ant's body. He wanted to live—and live better.

"I have my own judgment." Meruem answered the cat-girl. This mindset was innate in the Royal Guards, and he didn't want to dwell on it. Time was short. He had to consolidate his forces quickly for the next move. Nothing excessive—just enough to survive in the Hunter world. Time. If the Chimera Ants had more time to fully mature, they could carve out a foothold in this world.

By now, the surviving ants had gathered around Meruem. Excluding the insignificant Soldier Ants, only a few dozen Squad Leaders and Squad Captains remained. If they weren't fighting all of humanity, their combat power would make them one of the top forces in Hunter x Hunter. Unfortunately, the original story pitted them against all of humanity, making the Chimera Ants seem weak. They lacked numbers. Ants relied on swarms. The later modification plan tried to fix that, but their earlier actions—openly invading a country (two, counting NGL)—had panicked human leadership, drawing Chairman Netero's suicide attack. And internally, they were deeply divided, each acting alone. Ants once loyal to the Queen defected to humans after seeing Meruem's brutal killings. Some even remembered past lives and openly rebelled, following their former leaders (like Welfin searching for Gyro at the end of the ant arc). The original Meruem's actions had shattered the colony. Even united, they couldn't match humanity, but at least there'd be a sliver of hope.

Once the last ant arrived, Meruem stood and scanned them all. He recognized many familiar characters from the original Hunter x Hunter. Of the thirty original Squad Leaders, Netero had killed sixteen before the King's birth. All sixteen died. The remaining fourteen included Hagga (the lion who suffocated), Kolt (Lei Zhenzi), Cheetu (the leopard killed by Killua's father's one-palm strike), Zazan (the scorpion killed by Feitan), Welfin (the wolf who remembered his human life and rebelled, only to be terrified by Youpi), Meleoron (the chameleon whose foster father was killed by the King—godly skill, frail body), Peggy (the chameleon's foster father, very learned, but killed instantly by the King), Bloster (the lobster with little presence, later betrayed by the octopus Squad Captain), the old octopus (who defected to humans, apparently a doctor), the old turtle (a mediator type, killed by the King for talking too much), and a few others who only appeared briefly in the manga—a mantis, a panda, a crocodile, and Bihorn (the ox, said to be the strongest). All fourteen seemed alive, at least as far as Meruem could see. There were also many Squad Captains, but they were generally weaker than Squad Leaders, so Meruem didn't scrutinize them, only noting those with standout Nen abilities.

As Meruem sized them up, every ant present watched him nervously. Some out of respect—he was their King. Call them loyalists, though in the original, the King's brutal start (killing two Squad Leaders over a word) drove them to defect to humans. Some out of fear or ulterior motives—Netero's displayed power had terrified them. What about the King, clearly stronger? Even if they wanted to flee, they didn't have the guts. Call them schemers. And some remembered human lives and would rebel. Whatever their type, they all watched Meruem with intense tension.

"The Queen is dead." That was Meruem's first sentence, his gaze fixed on the ants. He watched each one's expression. Some were blank, some almost pleased, but most were sad. Meruem noted it all. In the original, some ants had restless thoughts or disloyal hearts, but more Squad Leaders defected to humans because of the Queen's death and the King's brutality.

"Her death is inseparable from that human. In three months, I will avenge her." That was Meruem's second sentence. His feelings for the Queen were complicated. As a reincarnator and transmigrator, he had no deep bond with her. But he remembered the gentle voice he'd heard before birth. And when Netero tried to destroy the nest, the Queen used her last strength to protect the unborn Meruem—his most critical moment of evolution. That was a mother's love for her child. Even if she wasn't human, maternal love crossed species. Emotionally, this body was her gift. Rationally, she had shown him kindness. So no matter what, Meruem would settle this debt with Netero.

"Those willing to be loyal to me may stay. Those who aren't may leave freely. I won't stop you. I'll give you one hour to decide." That was Meruem's third sentence. After saying it, he ignored the buzzing crowd of Squad Leaders and Squad Captains, closing his eyes to rest. Honestly, while Meruem wanted to unite the Chimera Ants, forcing them together would do more harm than good. Better to let those with other ideas run to the human world and draw some attention. He only needed those loyal to him—and to strengthen their power.

PS: One chapter guaranteed. If I get more recommendation tickets, I'll add extra chapters!