"Ah, there's no one here. So boring!" The Phantom Troupe wandered the council building occupied by the ants like they were on a spring picnic. Their easy vibe showed they didn't take the ants—who gave Meteor City headaches—seriously at all. Maybe, in their eyes, the ants were on the level of that Shadow Beast unit they'd already wiped.
"So we can just stroll right in?" The troupe stopped before several branching corridors.
"I'll take this way." Shizuku pointed to one.
"Then I'm going this way." Feitan said.
"Huh? We're splitting up?" asked Kort in his kimono.
"Of course. Let's see who kills the 'Queen' first." Feitan's killing intent surged; to him, Zazan was just a dish. Feitan's strong, sure, but underestimating the enemy isn't smart.
"You've got abilities you don't want us to see, right? Anyway—kill Buddhas if you meet Buddhas; kill gods if you meet gods. If you take down the Queen, even acting leader isn't off the table," Phinks said. Clearly, he wasn't taking the ants seriously either.
"Got it." Kort answered tersely, who knows what he was thinking.
"Go." In a blink, the troupe split into six small teams and headed down different passages. Truly the Phantom Troupe. Makes you wonder if they'd be this relaxed facing the Royal Guard—or the King.
"They split up," said a spider with a macho face, clinging to the webbing above Zazan.
"Are they strong?" Zazan asked.
"Yes. From the steps I feel through the strands, they're no pushovers," the macho-faced spider said—his cheeks oddly flushing. That mismatch was… gross.
"Then you go too."
"But if I go, no one will protect Your Majesty the Queen."
"Hehehehe, I'll be fine. Rather than worry about me, hurry and bring the enemies in. I'm counting on you, Pike."
"I wouldn't dare fail. I, Pike, have given even my body and soul to Lady Za-Za-Zazan." Pike's tone and expression were nauseating—but he was loyal.
"I'm off." He crawled along web-lines toward one of the troupe members.
"Very well. In that case, I'll…" After Pike left, Zazan also rose. From the surging will to fight, she clearly wanted a bout with the troupe.
"Mother's greatest misfortune was never understanding the joy of battle." With that, she moved toward another troupe member.
By then, the troupe had each run into opponents—the division captains under squadron leader Zazan of the Chimera Ants:
Pufferfish Division Captain vs. Bonolenov — Gorilla Division Captain vs. Phinks — Pike vs. Shizuku — Kort vs. Beetle Ant — Shalnark vs. Dung Beetle Division Captain — Feitan vs. Zazan.
"Ohoho, it's starting~ ε=ε=(ノ≧?≦)ノ time to rumble~~" Perched atop some pillar-like stone, the earlier yellow blur munched popcorn as he watched Zazan and Feitan below, excited. Neither of the two seemed to notice him. Division-captain-level fights were too boring for the yellow figure—especially these ones who hadn't trained Nen properly and relied only on raw bodies.
"Where is the Queen?" Feitan asked coldly in his distinct rasp. His opponent was the new mistress of the building—Chimera Ant squadron leader Zazan.
"Heehee, rejoice—right in front of you." Zazan gave a charming smile—wasted on Feitan.
"You?" His dead-fish eyes skimmed her with disdain. "Not funny." He crooked a finger. "Come. Make it quick."
"A joke? You think this is a joke?" Zazan's face twisted. Zazan angry—serious consequences. "I don't know where your confidence comes from, shorty."
"Die!" For Feitan, the word "shorty"—especially with a "little" in front—hit the kill switch.
He burst forward, slashing; Zazan sprang back to evade—but her skirt was shredded.
"Fast." "Nice reflexes."
"Not bad, kid. Now I'm interested." Zazan licked her lips provocatively.
"I'm not."
Veins popped on her forehead—"井". "What an un-cute brat."
"Yaaawn, both of you are slooow. (:3」∠)" The black silhouette on the pillar dozed as he watched their exchange and snarked. Honestly, neither was slow—some troupe members couldn't match that speed. But the spectator specialized in speed—especially after the King's hell training. Yes, the shadow was squadron leader Cheetu, here on Meruem's orders to rescue Zazan.
"Pak!" Zazan's kick booted Feitan several meters. In that brief exchange, Feitan was at a disadvantage.
"Hahaha! Not my match, right? If you surrender, I might spare your life," Zazan laughed.
"True, it's a bit of a struggle." A simple reply.
"Hmph, at least you're honest."
"My movements are indeed much stiffer—but I've found a decent connection," Feitan added, pulling aggro again.
"I'll kill you for that, you pint-sized runt!"
Their speed multiplied in an instant—but to Cheetu's eyes, they were still snail-slow.
"Hm? Someone's coming?" Cheetu rubbed away a yawn-tear and sensed several strong auras approaching. "Man, those division captains are useless—only stalled this long. If they were serving the King, killing these humans wouldn't be hard."
Bonolenov, Phinks, and Shalnark arrived in turn. None moved to help Feitan; they picked spots to sit and watch.
Soon after, Kort Zoldyck arrived—unlike the others, shocked at the fight. He was still too weak to follow their speed.
"Tch, the gap is huge." At that moment, Kort faced his shortcomings. He'd thought he'd surpassed typical troupe members, beneath only a few like Chrollo. He hadn't expected such a big gap even from ordinary members.
"Hey, everyone's here?" Shizuku emerged from another corridor—unscathed, though her clothes were in tatters.
Chimera Ant division captains vs. Phantom Troupe—complete defeat.
"Yo, new look," Phinks waved, teasing. "Suits you, actually."
"It's just the enemy's threads did this," Shizuku explained blankly, too dense to notice the teasing.
"What? Did you lose? Then—" Phinks' expression turned lewd.
"Win! I won!" Important—so say it twice!
"Ahahaha, she's mad!" Shalnark egged on. They still weren't treating the ants as a dire threat—more like extras.
"Only Feitan left. His opponent looks pretty strong—probably the Queen." Still, none moved to help.
"But Feitan's movements look stiff. Upset stomach?" A jab from Shizuku—damage x100. How could someone mid-tier see that?
"Looks like he's not in form," Shalnark added—damage x100. How could the support-type ditz see that! Wild Kort fainted.
"Hey." Facing Zazan, Feitan produced an umbrella—its tip a sharp blade—and multiple Feitan afterimages appeared before her.
"Afterimages?!" So fast—faster than before. Where is he? Zazan scanned frantically for Feitan.
"Still the same idiot—can't even see this speed," Cheetu quipped between mouthfuls of popcorn. Also—how was he eating and talking with no one noticing?
"He already looped behind you, dummy. →_→"
"Behind me!" With Cheetu's snark, Zazan caught on. The umbrella tip shot for her skull—too late to dodge. But don't forget—she has a tail. Her scorpion tail coiled the umbrella, stopping Feitan from thrusting further.
"Hmph." Unable to pierce her, Feitan pressed a button on the handle. The umbrella tip launched like a bolt and smacked Zazan's forehead. They separated in an instant. For humans, that would be fatal; for a Chimera Ant, it left only a slight wound.
Zazan touched the blood at her brow, blankly.
"Haha, tougher than I thought, you damn hag monster," Feitan taunted.
"You dared mar my face!!!" It's not just human women—Chimera Ants also rage when their looks are damaged. In other words, women are women. Zazan's eyes went blood-red at Feitan—like he'd stolen her man.
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable! You asked for this!" An angry woman can do anything. Zazan yanked out her scorpion tail.
A new tail sprouted—this time a thick lizard's tail.
"Aaaahhh! I'll kill you, you damned little monkey!" Her body swelled. Unlike her earlier slender limbs, her arms and legs thickened, muscle bulging. Not just limbs—her body and head changed. If before it was only a lizard's tail, now Zazan had become a lizard all over.
"Go. To. Hell!" Round two—Zazan vs. Feitan.
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