The last thing Rammot remembered was Ronnel approaching him and injecting something into his body... Wait—an injection?!!
His eyes shot open as he snapped back to his senses.
Was he still in danger?!
Click!
A crisp sound rang out. Before Rammot could react, he felt a sharp pain in his throat—and then, nothing.
Thud.
Another body hit the ground. His pupils dilated, his vision fading into total darkness.
"Thanks for helping me test the potion. Seems like it worked perfectly."
Ronnel wiped his hands with a tissue, speaking casually. "As a reward, I'll send you off without much pain. Not that it makes much difference—it's pretty much the same as taking a bullet to the head. Just a little less messy."
He turned his gaze to the remaining three Chimera Ants. Bloster and the others, already preparing to meet their end, felt their hearts sink further.
We were set aside for testing too, weren't we?
Rammot was already used... does that mean we're no longer needed?
The grim thought settled in their minds, filling them with dread.
Ronnel, however, didn't seem to be in a hurry. He simply observed them.
Unlike Rammot—just a random Ant he had picked for testing—Bloster and the others had been spared for a reason.
After Blue Shell Bloster delivered Reina back to her hometown, the kind-hearted villagers took him in. They saw no malice in him and let him stay. In truth, Bloster was a pacifist by nature. After the Chimera Ant Queen's death, he wandered aimlessly, never once thinking about building a kingdom or seeking power. He had no ambition, no grand plans—just an existence without purpose.
Eventually, with nothing better to do, he ended up in the Republic of East Gorteau, working under the Ant King. There, he learned Nen and took on patrol duty with Welfin.
Bloster did have blood on his hands, but that was only because Leol's recklessness had put them all on high alert. He was attacked by local guards while sightseeing, and in defending himself, he killed. It was self-defense, nothing more.
For now, though, he followed Colt's command and didn't interfere with humans. That, combined with his pacifistic tendencies, was what led Ronnel to spare him.
His past life as a simple farmer seemed to linger in his subconscious, shaping his personality. His Transmuter ability allowed him to fire powerful telekinetic blasts from his shrimp claws—a fitting ability for someone as straightforward as him.
Then there was Meleoron, the chameleon.
Among the Squadron Leaders, he was undoubtedly the weakest. Even the pink koala under his command refused to acknowledge him, and his combat abilities were no match for the average Chimera Ant soldier. Because of this, he could only rely on stronger allies to accomplish his goals.
At first, he trusted only Gon. But as time passed, he was moved by the actions of Gon and his companions. He gradually came to trust Knuckle, Shoot, Killua, and the others—eventually becoming a true comrade. His role in the battle against the Ant King turned out to be pivotal.
Cautious by nature, Meleoron only revealed his Nen ability to Gon and his team. Even his fellow Chimera Ants were kept in the dark. He had little control over his own subordinates, letting them do as they pleased—even when the pink koala disobeyed him outright.
This hands-off attitude had allowed him to develop his unique ability: Perfect Plan and its secondary application, God's Accomplice.
Perfect Plan rendered him invisible to both sight and touch for as long as he could hold his breath. The moment he needed to breathe, however, the effect would end.
God's Accomplice extended the ability to someone else, provided Meleoron knew their name.
His chameleon nature granted him innate camouflage, but even that wasn't foolproof—it could be detected by certain abilities.
Because neither Bloster nor Meleoron had a cruel nature or significant human blood on their hands, Ronnel let them live.
And then there was the last one—a girl with small tiger-like fangs.
Hina, a pudding dog-type Chimera Ant, had once been a squad captain under Leol. Like the others, she had joined him in his attempt to establish a new kingdom. However, their dream was shattered when professional Hunters annihilated their forces. Most of Leol's subordinates perished. Only he, Hina, and the dragonfly-type commander, Flutter, managed to escape.
In the end, the three sought refuge under the Ant King in East Gorteau and learned Nen.
Hina, at her core, was nothing more than a playful, hyperactive child. She had no ill intentions—just an endless supply of energy.
When Leol and Flutter were eventually killed by the Hunter Association's extermination squad, Hina was the only survivor. She later joined Welfin, Ikalgo, and the pink koala in their journey to the streets of Meteor City.
Ronnel's decision to spare her wasn't just out of pity. It was because of the potential she held.
Her Nen ability allowed her to exorcise malicious Nen—removing curses or manipulations placed by others. Among the Chimera Ants, she was the only true Nen Exorcist, an ability rare even among the best Hunters.
That made her invaluable.
Meanwhile, a lone Leopard Chimera Ant had escaped on his own. His freedom was short-lived, though—after attacking a high-ranking officer in the Republic of Rokario, he found himself on the nation's most-wanted list...
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)