"You won."
Knuckle was a little dazed.
But Killua and Gon showed no signs of joy on their faces.
"No, we didn't win," Killua said. "What we wanted wasn't just to beat you—it was to have the strength to defeat you head-on. Right now, Gon and I still haven't done that. We only brought you down because the two of us worked together. And you didn't even use your ability. At this level, if we joined the operation against the Chimera Ants, we'd only be a burden. Not only would we fail to achieve what we want, we'd drag everyone else down."
Knuckle froze. "So what you're saying is…?"
"Again!"
The battle between Killua, Gon, and Knuckle erupted once more.
This time, Killua and Gon relied less on cooperation, placing more emphasis on their individual strength.
Shoot, watching from the side, let out a breath of relief. But Palm's expression was one of dissatisfaction.
"Why?" she muttered. "Didn't they already win? Why keep fighting?"
Neither Shoot nor Palm had a clear understanding of the Chimera Ants. In their eyes, the Ants might have seemed like just particularly strong opponents. In reality, their strength far surpassed anything they could imagine.
..............
.......
.
Time passed quickly.
Ron glanced at the crystal ball before him—the progress had already reached twenty-eight percent.
By now, Ron had read Netero's attitude clearly. Even when he could have taken a more aggressive approach without much added risk, Netero chose not to. He continued his steady pace, cleaning out the Ants slowly.
To be honest, if the Queen hadn't invested so much of her energy and resources into producing the Royal Guards and the King, Netero's rate of extermination might not have kept up with the Queen's rate of production. They were dying slower than they were being born. Over time, the number of Ants would only continue to rise.
This steady, measured approach of Netero's made Ron more and more convinced that the Chimera Ants were the product of human intervention. The Queen might believe that the King she bore was destined to rule the world, but in reality, he was nothing more than an experiment—a specimen born to die.
Just then, from the direction of the nest, another wave of suffocating aura spread out.
Ron had felt this aura once before.
"The third Royal Guard has finally been born. That means the King won't be far behind. I wonder what the situation is like on Killua and Gon's side right now."
He glanced at the Zodiac Card in his hand but chose not to contact Killua.
A white smoke rabbit hopped up to him.
"Lead the way."
Ron gathered his thoughts and followed after the rabbit. Before long, two Chimera Ants came into view—just soldiers.
Ron had no interest in soldiers. In a flash, he appeared behind them.
Bang!
Bang!
The next moment, both soldiers collapsed, dead with eyes wide in disbelief. It was finished in a single strike, not even worth sending them into Knov's dimension.
From the shadows, Morel and Knov compared notes.
"The soldiers are weak, but to kill them this easily… with our strength, it couldn't be done."
"True."
After dealing with the soldiers, Ron suddenly felt something strange. He instinctively lifted his gaze toward the distance. From here, he could see the nest.
The immense structure loomed high, like a mountain. Inside lived a vast number of Chimera Ants. All around it, the area had long since been cleared by them—aside from the animals they had no use for, no other living creatures remained.
Ron felt a gaze. Very far away, yet he could see it. And he was certain that the other was seeing him as well. In other words, across this great distance, he and the other were locked in eye contact.
"Neferpitou," Ron confirmed to himself.
One of the three Royal Guards, known as the Cat. The one who had killed Kite.
The three Royal Guards each had their own roles. In terms of direct combat power, Youpi was unquestionably the strongest, with the greatest aura reserves. In a fit of rage, he could erupt with overwhelming strength, and his body could morph into countless forms, adapting to any environment while maintaining formidable power.
Pouf leaned more toward management. A Manipulation-type, skilled at strategy and thought, he could be compared to Shalnark of the Phantom Troupe—but his ability far outstripped Shalnark's.
Compared to the two, Neferpitou was more balanced. In raw combat strength, weaker than Youpi but stronger than Pouf. In management and planning, weaker than Pouf but more capable than Youpi.
This was likely why the Queen had chosen for Neferpitou to be born first. A versatile existence was most useful in the early stages. Later, once that phase was complete, specialization followed—hence the births of Pouf and Youpi.
"This aura really is something," Ron thought. "In terms of Nen techniques, Neferpitou might not be refined. But aura volume, physical durability, speed, strength… in all of these, Neferpitou is absolutely powerful. Beyond the scope of an A-rank Nen user. But compared to S-rank Nen users, something is missing. All true S-rank Nen users walk their own path, an endless progression of spirit.
In a sense, Neferpitou could be considered S-rank as well—just that the path is different from human Nen users. Like the distinction between the Sword Sect and the Qi Sect in martial arts books. Like the difference between qi refiners and body cultivators in cultivation novels. Or like sorcerers and warriors in fantasy worlds.
Human Nen users refine the spirit. Chimera Ants refine the body."
"With my current strength, can I stand against Neferpitou? If I used every technique, I might be able to kill it, but it would be extremely difficult."
Neferpitou licked its lips. "This human looks good. Compared to the last toy, this one is of higher quality. When the King is born and we strike at these humans, I'll choose this one as my opponent. I'll kill him. I'll make him into my next toy. I can't wait."
While Ron considered the matter with caution, Neferpitou did not take him seriously at all. But from Neferpitou's perspective, that was only natural.
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