Time ticked away, second by second.
The air was thick and sticky, making it hard to breathe.
Heavy storm clouds pressed down over the night sky.
They smothered every last glimmer of starlight.
Peijin, capital of the East Gorteau Republic.
The vast square before the palace could hold millions of people.
Right now, it was a picture of hell.
Five million people.
Not one spoke.
Not one cried.
There was only the perfectly synchronized sound of shuffling footsteps.
Soles scraped against the rough stone pavement.
Making a soft rustling sound.
Shaiapouf's poisonous scales had stripped every civilian of their senses.
They stood in densely packed formations.
Their eyes were empty and lifeless.
Slime dribbled from the corners of their mouths.
They shuffled mechanically toward the palace gates at the front of the square.
Atop the towering palace walls.
Countless armed Chimera Ant soldiers coldly watched the crowds below.
They were waiting for the clock to strike twelve.
Waiting for the bloody massacre called the selection.
Until midnight.
Only three minutes remained.
High in the sky outside the palace grounds.
Above the thick thunderclouds.
The freezing wind slashed through the air like knives.
Two gaunt figures stood steadily in midair.
Beneath their feet was a gigantic Nen dragon dozens of meters long.
Its body radiated dazzling white light.
It shone like a tiny sun in the pitch-black night.
Zeno stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
His white vest flapped loudly in the gale.
The words "One Day, One Kill" across his chest looked downright menacing.
Netero stood beside him.
His palms were pressed together.
His shriveled muscles slowly began to swell.
Bones all over his body crackled like a string of firecrackers.
"Old man."
Netero looked down at the ant nest below.
"Ready?"
Zeno gave a cold snort.
"Don't