"Kite already took care of the Chimera Ant that fired those shots. You can relax." Ponzu seemed to notice Joey's tension and wariness. She smiled at him and offered him her water flask.
Her attitude was rather different from the others', leaving Joey unsure what to make of it.
But when someone treated him kindly, he would smile in return and quietly remember their kindness.
Joey had gone nearly a day without water, lost a good deal of blood, and spent the whole time terrified. He accepted the flask with a smile. "Thank you."
After drinking a little, Joey politely returned the flask to Ponzu.
Only then did he ask, "Are you still planning to go deeper to gather information? There are plenty of things here scarier than that crocodile. If you can, you'd be better off leaving as soon as possible."
Ponzu shook her head. "Kite saved Pokkle and me. He's really strong. I think he only wants to go deeper to test the Chimera Ants' strength firsthand. Besides, I followed his instructions and sent my bees to deliver the information to the team coming up behind us."
"Don't worry. Once we've dealt with the Chimera Ants here, I'll wait for the next team to arrive and have them take you and Pokkle back to the border first."
Kite turned toward the two of them, then held up a hand for silence before Joey could speak.
On the ground ahead of them lay great smears of blood left by something being dragged, stretching deep into the woods.
They exchanged glances and followed the blood. After only a few hundred meters, several long-dead trees came into view.
A large, well-fed brown horse had been impaled upside down on each of the dead trees.
With blood-red clouds lit by the setting sun on the horizon, the whole scene looked like a sacrificial site for some sinister cult!
Bloody, evil, and incomprehensible, it sent chills down their spines.
Kite's voice broke the eerie atmosphere. "That's typical shrike behavior. They impale captured prey on thorns and tear off pieces to eat. Sometimes they don't finish it all, storing their food this way."
"Hey."
The sudden voice startled all six of them, and they turned toward its source.
It was a Chimera Ant pieced together from the traits of several different creatures, with long green hair, long rabbitlike ears, and a human face.
A brown birthmark over his left eye gave him a somewhat comical appearance.
Standing upright, he had the body of a muscular human male, arms hidden beneath feathers, and a pair of large feet planted firmly on the ground. Not a trace of his presence leaked out.
Even his scent blended perfectly into the surroundings, keeping Gon from detecting the hidden enemy despite his keen nose.
As they looked at him, the strange Chimera Ant's expression suddenly contorted into a wildly exaggerated grimace, and he roared as he charged at them.
"You worthless trash! Stay away! Those are mine!"
Bam!
Gon and Killua were the first in his path, and the instant he closed in, his swinging fists knocked them back.
But their reactions were swift, too. They had raised their arms to block as the Chimera Ant charged.
That made the irritable Chimera Ant stop after sending the two flying.
Pokkle seized the opportunity to draw his bow. Judging by the color of the Nen between his fingers, it was probably his speed-focused Orange Bow.
Beside Joey, Killer Queen also assumed a guarded fighting stance, ready to throw a punch if the Chimera Ant came close.
Killer Queen's position also shielded Ponzu, whose bees were emerging from her hat.
Joey, however, cast a puzzled glance at Pokkle before returning his attention to the Chimera Ant.
The Chimera Ant's gaze instantly locked onto Kite. Of everyone there, Kite stood closest to him-and posed the greatest threat.
Killing intent!
Joey clearly saw the hair on the Chimera Ant's body begin to bristle.
But before he could look at Kite, Kite's figure vanished for an instant. When he reappeared, he was standing in front of Joey and Ponzu.
"Gon, Killua, you two figure out how to deal with him.
"He's a Chimera Ant Soldier Ant. You should have seen their mangled corpses along the way. If you want to keep following me deeper in, you'll be running into more of these.
"I can't help you every time. If you can't beat him, get the hell back to the border with Pokkle and the other two. You'll only get in my way."
Kite's words were ice-cold, but brutally realistic.
Joey watched without emotion, while his hand silently reached for the gun at his waist. He removed the magazine, then slid it back into place.
The whole motion looked as though he were counting his remaining bullets.
The moment he saw the Chimera Ant's appearance, he recognized him. Although he couldn't remember the little creature's name, he remembered his nickname: "Bugs Bunny."
In the anime, Gon and Killua had gained the upper hand in their fight, only to let Bugs Bunny escape at the last moment. Injuries inflicted by Nen had then forcibly awakened his own Nen.
Now that Joey was here, he wouldn't let that happen again, even if he couldn't remember why the creature had escaped.
Kite naturally noticed Joey's movements, but after a few glances, he looked away.
While Joey made his preparations, Gon and Killua released their Nen at the same time.
Vast quantities of life energy-aura-surged from their bodies, then enveloped them in a slow flow, like a great river with a calm surface.
"Kite, I already told you. We're Hunters, too."
"Don't treat us like children!"
Killua and Gon spoke in unison as they approached Bugs Bunny, whose expression shifted slightly at that instant.
Without giving him time to think, Killua and Gon burst forward together and attacked.
At first, Joey could see only flickering shadows. He couldn't make out any of their movements.
But as the fight continued, warmth spread through his eyes, and he gradually began to catch disjointed glimpses of the battle.
Only when Killua leaped high into the air and unleashed Lightning at Bugs Bunny did Joey's eyes begin to adjust to the speed of their movements.
That rapid adjustment surprised Joey and brought him a surge of delight.
But he had no time to consider the reason. The instant the lightning struck Bugs Bunny, Gon's charged punch slammed squarely into his abdomen.
The punch sent Bugs Bunny's body shooting straight up into the sky.
"All right, bull's-eye!" Killua paused as he landed, Nen rushing rapidly toward his feet. He seemed ready to burst forward to where Bugs Bunny would fall and deliver the final blow.
Just then, a winged figure in the air reached for Bugs Bunny's shoulders before Killua could move.
At the same moment, Joey, who had remained tense and alert, quickly drew his gun, aimed in the direction Bugs Bunny had flown, and repeatedly pulled the trigger.
In that instant, Joey's concentration reached an unprecedented peak, and his right hand held the gun rock-steady.
Even the recoil from each shot failed to kick his arm very far upward. His taut muscles trembled as they absorbed the force.
Even so, the first bullet flew slightly wide, merely grazing Bugs Bunny's toes.
But two of the following rounds struck Bugs Bunny's thigh, spraying blood through the air.
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