"Are you speaking for yourself, or can you represent all the Chimera Ants?"
"I…" Colt hesitated for a moment. "I can only speak for myself. The other division leaders won't obey my orders. But I can do everything I can to provide you with assistance. If the Queen really dies, then the division leaders and even the squad captains will no longer be bound. They will surely spread across the world, building their own nations and breeding their own offspring. For you humans, that would be an extremely terrible outcome."
Morel and Knov exchanged a glance. Both seemed about to speak, but at that moment Netero's voice cut in.
"We accept your surrender. Your conditions, I agree to as well."
"Really?" Colt's eyes widened with visible relief and excitement.
"Yes. I can contact the medical team right away. But in exchange, the information you promised us must be provided in a timely manner. Otherwise, we can suspend treatment at any time."
"Of course, we will fully cooperate."
Netero turned to Ron and the others. "Then let's leave this place first. Ron, can I trouble you to help us?"
Ron's brow lifted slightly. "I can."
He drew out two cards, handing one white card to Colt. "Hold onto this for now. You'll need it later."
Colt accepted it, feeling the aura imbued within, and nodded.
"Accompany, Killua!" Ron invoked the ability of the Zodiac card in his hand. In an instant, a surge of aura enveloped Ron, Netero, Knov, and Morel, lifting them into the sky and propelling them rapidly toward Killua's location. The cost in aura was considerable, but since most of it came from the ark's stored reserves, it had little effect on Ron himself.
If the ark's aura reserves diminished, Ron could always command the Rotten Life Blade to draw energy more quickly from the prisoners within the library sector to replenish it.
Morel and Knov both looked mildly surprised.
At that moment, the match between Gon, Killua, Knuckle, and Shoot had already reached its conclusion. Gon and Killua had grown much stronger, but Knuckle's foundation was far superior, and he was older by several years. Once Knuckle activated his ability, Gon and Killua no longer had any chance of victory, especially with Shoot present as well. The two boys were defeated, losing the right to participate in the Chimera Ant extermination mission.
Their moods were heavy, especially Gon's. He had been reckless, and now he finally realized that it was his own impulsiveness that had doomed Kite. Without him, Kite would not have lost an arm right from the start. Guilt weighed heavily on him.
"What's that?" Killua suddenly sensed something, snapping his head upward.
"What?" Gon also looked up, and together they saw a massive orb of light racing toward them at high speed.
Both immediately thought of the same thing: the Accompany spell card from Greed Island. They were very familiar with it. But their second thoughts diverged. Gon wondered why such a thing would appear outside of Greed Island at all. His first thought was of his father, imagining perhaps his father had sought him out.
Part of him longed to see Ging, but another part dreaded it—if Kite truly had perished because of him, what would his father feel when he learned the truth?
Killua, however, immediately thought of Ron, since he himself carried a white card Ron had given him.
Boom!
The light struck down, and four figures landed. Gon and Killua turned quickly.
"Chairman Netero?"
"Ron-nii?"
Netero looked toward them. "The results are out already?"
"We lost," Gon admitted, lowering his head.
Killua glanced at Ron. "Ron-nii, what is going on here?"
"You'll know shortly," Ron said.
Netero turned to Morel and Knov. "Please contact the medical team."
"Understood, Chairman."
"Ron, let's talk somewhere alone."
"Alright."
Morel and Knov departed. Once outside NGL, they could use their phones to reach the outside world.
Gon and Killua remained where they were, while Netero and Ron entered the forest and came to rest beneath a large tree. Netero leaned against the trunk, studying Ron.
"You must have many questions, Ron."
"Something like that," Ron nodded.
"What do you know about the Chimera Ants?"
"Only what a normal Hunter would discover after some investigation. But I have a suspicion that other Hunters may not."
"Connected to the United States of Saherta?"
"Yes."
Netero nodded. "That's correct. The Chimera Ants emergence was the result of human interference—an experiment. The foundation was Saherta's biological laboratories under Oster. The Queen was created in that lab.
However, her drifting to NGL was her own choice. Earlier, when we sensed the birth of the King, I chose not to intervene immediately, and I had a reason. The Chimera Ants cannot bring about humanity's extinction. At worst, they are only a troublesome problem."
Ron nodded slightly; he understood this point. The Chimera Ants were powerful, but in the face of human weapons, they could not stand. Even the Poor Man's Rose alone was sufficient to kill the King. And humanity possessed weapons beyond even that. The issue was not power but practicality—they were difficult to use. If humanity could deploy such weapons in large numbers into the Dark Continent, exploration there would advance far more quickly.
"The East Gorteau Republic will be where the King and his Royal Guards go. Once they arrive, with his strength the King will surely conquer the current rulers there. And when we eliminate the King afterward, East Gorteau will experience a rebirth. That nation is more corrupt than Meteor City, worse even than the Taris Republic. When NGL became host to the Chimera Ants, someone petitioned us to use them as a tool to purge East Gorteau. We agreed. That is why I did not act sooner."
This was news to Ron. If Netero's words were true, then his decision was, in its own way, reasonable.