The Squad Leaders' Battle

PS: I said I'd update in the evening, and here it is. Today's votes were really strong; if possible, there might be another chapter tonight.

Also, it's not that I'm not trying—I have a job. I'm not unemployed or a student, so I can't just write all day.

That's all.

"Ah, not a single person around. How boring!" The members of the Phantom Troupe strolled through the ant-infested Council Building as if on a group outing. Their relaxed demeanor showed they completely dismissed the ants that had given Meteor City so much trouble. In their eyes, the ants were probably on the same level as that Shadow Beasts Squad they'd dealt with before.

"Does this mean we're free to go anywhere?" The Troupe stopped before several branching paths ahead.

"I'm going this way," Shizuku said, pointing at one of the paths.

"Then I'll take this one," Feitan said.

"Huh? We're splitting up?" Kalluto asked in confusion, his kimono rustling.

"Of course. Let's see who kills the Queen first," Feitan said, his voice dripping with killing intent. Zazan was just a dish to him. Though Feitan was indeed strong, this underestimation was unwise.

"You've got abilities you don't want us to know about too, right? Anyway, kill whatever stands in your way. If you take down the Queen, becoming acting leader isn't out of the question," Phinks said. Clearly, he also didn't take the ants seriously.

"Understood," Kalluto replied curtly, his thoughts unreadable.

"Begin." In an instant, the Troupe split into six teams, each heading down a different path. Truly the Phantom Troupe—one had to wonder if they'd still be this relaxed facing the Royal Guards, or even the King.

"They've split up," said a spider with an aniki-like face, perched on a web above Zazan.

"Are they strong?" Zazan asked.

"Yes, very strong. From the footsteps transmitted through the web, I can tell these people are no ordinary foes," the aniki-faced spider replied, an odd flush creeping across its face. The dissonance of that blush was nauseating.

"Then you go too."

"But if I go, no one will be here to protect Her Majesty the Queen."

"Hehehehe, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me; just capture the enemies quickly. I'm counting on you, Pike."

"I wouldn't dare—I, Pike, have devoted both body and soul to Lord Zazan." The spider-man Pike's tone was as disgusting as his expression, but he was loyal to Zazan.

"I'm off." With that, Pike crawled along the web toward one of the Troupe members.

"Well then, I suppose I'll..." Zazan stood up after Pike left, battle intent surging from her body. She clearly wanted to fight the Troupe members too.

"Mother's greatest misfortune is not understanding the joy of battle." With that, she headed toward another Troupe member.

The Troupe members now faced their respective opponents—the Squad Leaders of Zazan's Chimera Ant unit.

Pufferfish Squad Leader vs. Bonolenov—Gorilla Squad Leader vs. Phinks—Pike vs. Shizuku—Kalluto vs. Beetle Ant—Shalnark vs. Dung Beetle Squad Captain—Feitan vs. Zazan.

"Ohhh, it's about to start~ ε=ε=(ノ≧∇≦)ノ It's starting~~" A yellow figure crouched atop an unknown pillar-shaped rock, having somehow gotten a bag of popcorn. He munched while watching Zazan and Feitan below with excitement. Neither of them seemed to notice him. Squad Leader-level fights were too boring for this yellow figure, especially these Squad Leaders who hadn't trained in Nen and only fought with their physical bodies.

"Where is the Queen?" Feitan asked coldly in his uniquely hoarse voice. His opponent was the new master of this building—Chimera Ant Squad Leader Zazan.

"Hehehe, rejoice—she's right in front of you," Zazan said, flashing Feitan a charming smile. But Feitan wasn't interested.

"You?" He glanced at Zazan with dead fish eyes. "That joke isn't funny." At the same time, he beckoned with his right hand. "Come on. Let's finish this quickly."

"A joke? You think this is a joke?" Zazan's face twisted in fury. Zazan was angry, and the consequences would be severe. "I don't know where you get your confidence, shorty."

"You're asking for death!" For Feitan, the word "shorty" hit a nerve, especially with "little" in front of it.

Feitan lunged, slashing at Zazan, but she leaped back to dodge. However, her dress was shredded to pieces.

"Fast." "Nice reflexes."

"Not bad, kid. I'm starting to take an interest in you." Zazan licked her sexy lips temptingly.

"I'm not interested in you."

A vein bulged on her forehead. "What an unlovable brat."

"Ahh, you're both so slow. (:3」∠)" The shadowy figure on the pillar yawned as he watched Feitan and Zazan's exchange, throwing in a comment. Honestly, neither was slow—at least a few Troupe members couldn't match that speed. But the observer was a speed specialist, especially after undergoing the Ant King's brutal training. Yes, this shadow was Squad Leader Cheetu, sent by Meruem to rescue Zazan.

"Slap!" Zazan kicked Feitan, sending him flying several meters. In this brief clash, Feitan was at a disadvantage.

"Hahaha, not so tough now, are you? If you surrender, I might consider sparing your life," Zazan laughed triumphantly.

"Yeah, it's a bit tough," he replied simply.

"Hmph, at least you're honest."

"I've definitely slowed down, but this is a decent training ground," Feitan taunted again.

"I'll kill you, you little shorty."

Their speed multiplied in an instant during their exchange, but to Cheetu, they were still as slow as snails.

"Huh? Someone's coming?" Cheetu rubbed the tears from his yawn with his right hand, sensing several strong auras approaching. "Oh well, those Squad Leaders are useless—couldn't hold them off for long. If they served the King, killing these humans would be no problem."

Bonolenov, Phinks, and Shalnark arrived one after another. But none of them moved to help Feitan; they just found spots to sit and watch the fight, resting.

Soon after, Kalluto Zoldyck arrived. Unlike the previous three, he was shocked by the battle's pace. He was still too weak to keep up with their speed.

"Heh, the gap is too wide." In that moment, Kalluto acknowledged his shortcomings. He'd thought he'd surpassed the average Troupe member, second only to Chrollo and a few others. But he never imagined he was still far behind even the ordinary members.

"Hey, everyone's here?" Just then, Shizuku's figure appeared from another path. She had no injuries, but her clothes were tattered.

Chimera Ant Squad Leaders vs. Phantom Troupe—complete defeat.

"Yo, you changed your look." Phinks waved at Shizuku and teased her. "But that style really suits you."

"It's just from getting tangled in the enemy's threads." Shizuku explained blankly, too dazed to realize Phinks was actually messing with her.

"What? You lost? And then—" Phinks's expression turned lecherous.

"I won! I won!" Since it was important, she had to say it twice!

"Ahahaha, she's pissed, she's pissed!" Shalnark chimed in from the sidelines. None of them acted like the ants were a serious threat—they treated them like random nobodies or small fry.

"Only Feitan's left. His opponent looks pretty tough. That's probably the Queen." Still, none of them showed any intention of jumping in to help.

"But Feitan's movements seem a bit off. Did he eat something bad?" Tek took 100 damage from Shizuku's mockery. How could even someone ranked near the bottom of the troupe see through his moves?

"Looks like he's not in top form." Tek took 100 damage from Shalnark's mockery. How could even a support-type idiot boy see through his moves! Wild Kalluto fainted.

"Heh." Facing Zazan, Feitan pulled out an umbrella with a sharp blade at the tip. At the same time, multiple afterimages of Feitan appeared before Zazan.

"Afterimages?!" So fast—faster than before. Where is he? Zazan scanned her surroundings frantically, searching for Feitan's figure.

"Still as dumb as ever, can't even keep up with this speed." Cheetu munched on popcorn while trash-talking. But how was he eating and talking so loudly without the troupe noticing?

"He's already circled behind you, idiot. →_→"

"Behind me!" With Cheetu's jab, Zazan caught on to Feitan's intent. The umbrella tip aimed straight for her head, but she had no time to dodge. Don't forget, though—Zazan had a tail. Her tail coiled tightly around the umbrella, stopping Feitan from thrusting any further.

"Hmph." Seeing he couldn't pierce Zazan, Feitan pressed a button on the umbrella handle. The tip shot out like a crossbow bolt, striking Zazan square in the forehead. The two separated in an instant. But the Chimera Ants' bodies were incredibly tough and strong. For an ordinary human, that hit would've been fatal, but for a Chimera Ant, it only left a small wound on her forehead.

Zazan touched the fresh blood on her brow, dazed.

"Haha, tougher than I thought, you damn old hag monster." Feitan jabbed again with his venomous tongue.

"You dared to scar my face!!!!" It seemed not just human women—even Chimera Ants got furious when their beauty was ruined. In other words, women were all the same. Zazan's eyes burned red as she glared at Feitan. Anyone watching might've thought he'd stolen her man.

"Unforgivable! Unforgivable! You asked for this!" An angry woman was capable of anything. Zazan yanked her scorpion tail out violently.

A brand-new tail grew from Zazan's body, but this one wasn't a scorpion's—it was a thick, muscular lizard tail.

"Aaaaaah, I'll kill you, you damn little monkey!" Zazan's body suddenly swelled. Her once-delicate limbs grew thick and bulky, as if muscles had sprouted out of nowhere. The change didn't stop at her limbs—her torso and head transformed too. If before she'd only had a lizard's tail, now Zazan had turned into a full-blown lizard.

"You! Go! Die!" Round two began: Zazan vs. Feitan.