After hearing the news, Morel and Knuckle teamed up to take him down, but he was struck by Knuckle's Nen.
Forced into hiding, he realized that speed alone wasn't enough and managed to evade the Hunters, escaping to the Republic of East Gorteau. There, he pledged loyalty to the Ant King in order to develop his Nen. It was Hina who ultimately helped him remove the Nen restriction placed on him.
Once Cheetu was freed from Knuckle's ability, Hina's stomach visibly swelled several times larger.
This was the price of her Exorcist ability.
Every time she removed a Nen ability, her stomach would expand. The stronger the ability, the bigger her belly would grow. If she attempted to exorcise another ability before returning to normal, the risk of her stomach bursting increased drastically. If an ability exceeded her capacity, she simply couldn't remove it.
So far, the Hunter Association had only one elderly and frail Exorcist. The fact that this young, puppy-like Chimera Ant had such a rare ability made her all the more valuable.
But when it came to the true meaning of abilities, the Nen of Meleoron was incredibly suited for exploring the Dark Continent.
Thinking along these lines, Ronnel regarded them with slightly different eyes.
However, when he noticed the growing despair in theirs, he couldn't help but laugh. Trying to reassure them, he said:
"Relax, I don't sense the stench of human blood on you. You're different from the others~"
The three Chimera Ants, who had been steeling themselves for the worst, suddenly froze. Their eyes widened as they exchanged glances.
Did we hear that right?
They could see the flickers of joy, relief, and disbelief in each other's eyes.
"You heard me correctly. I have no intention of killing you," Ronnel confirmed.
A red cloth suddenly appeared in his hand. With a casual flick, he tossed it into the air. The cloth, infused with his Nen, expanded as it soared, growing until it covered more than half the battlefield.
It slowly descended, blanketing the Chimera Ant corpses felled by Ronnel's gun.
They watched as the cloth covered the remains of their fallen comrades. But just before it settled, Nen—Gravekeeper's Grasp—activated. Bloster and the others, unable to see the invisible hands at work, watched as the ability raked up all the bodies in the field.
Suddenly, aside from Peggy, who had been slain by the Ant King, and Colt, who was absent, the twenty-one remaining Chimera Ant Squadron Leaders were pulled in by an unseen force. More than one luminous cluster emerged from their bodies and was seized by those spectral hands.
Several unit commanders had also contributed their light clusters.
"Not as convenient as Shizuku's Blinky for cleanup, but it gets the job done," Ronnel mused as he stored the light clusters in his space backpack. At the same time, the cloth slowly shrank, drawing inward until it formed a small bundle containing the bodies of Leol and the others.
Ronnel stepped forward, grabbed the tied bundle, shook off a few stray bloodstains, and held it in his hand.
Blood still stained the ground, but there was no helping that~
The reason these corpses weren't placed directly into his space backpack was simple—Netero had received a directive from the V5 to bring them back for scientific research. When Netero arrived, Ronnel would hand over the cloth, avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Plop~
Realizing that Ronnel truly had no intention of killing them, the three Chimera Ants collapsed to the ground.
Hina, trembling, dropped to her knees, her legs pressed tightly together.
"So scary! I really thought we were gonna die!!" she wailed, clutching her chest and thumping it as though to steady her pounding heart.
Bloster and Meleoron, still shaken, nodded in agreement.
But before they could fully breathe a sigh of relief, the voice they dreaded most spoke again.
"However, I can't just let you go."
Ronnel tucked away the cloth and smiled.
To them, it was the smile of the devil himself.
"For now, stay put. When the rest of my team arrives, you'll be judged and assigned accordingly."
Judgment? Assignment? As long as it's not punishment, we'll take it!
The three of them nodded hastily, relieved that they had been given a reprieve.
As they obediently stepped aside and remained silent, the battlefield fell into stillness once more.
Beyond the chamber, Chimera Ants lurking in the tunnels stirred restlessly. They were desperate to know what had transpired in the Queen's quarters. Some of the braver, less intelligent ones even considered checking for themselves.
But just as they took their first steps, their bodies froze.
A suffocating, overwhelming aura poured from the Queen's chamber, pressing down on them like a mountain.
It felt as though, with a mere thought, the owner of this aura could crush them all into dust.
Immediately, terror gripped the remaining Chimera Ants. One by one, they shrank back, curling into themselves, not daring to move an inch.
"Well, that saves me the trouble of chasing them down~"
Ronnel leaned back against the wall, stretching his legs out in front of him as he settled in to wait for Netero's arrival. The job was done.
"That aura just now…"
Even though it wasn't directed at them, Bloster and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Once again, they were grateful to be alive.
Whatever judgment or assignment awaited them, as long as they could survive, anything was better than death.
"That human… we never should've crossed him to begin with."
Yak, the buffalo-like Ant, wiped the sweat from his horns. He turned to see the marmot standing next to him, looking torn between fear and curiosity.
Then, his companion's eyes widened, his nostrils flaring as he exhaled sharply.
Before Yak could stop him, the marmot took a bold step forward, heading straight for Ronnel.
Yak's brain stalled for a moment. Then, realizing what was happening, he tried to grab the marmot to stop him from doing something reckless.
But by the time he reacted, it was too late.
The marmot had already reached Ronnel.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)