"Yo, he lost—here you go." Unlike the Troupe members treating him like a major threat, Cheetu casually tossed the half-dead Bonolenov to Phinks. In truth, Bonolenov wasn't much weaker than Cheetu, but his techniques were tied to sound, and Cheetu's speed surpassed that boundary. Add Bonolenov's carelessness, and that's how he fell to Cheetu. If his opponent had been Machi or Franklin, Cheetu wouldn't have won so easily. At this moment Cheetu was also using one of his Nen abilities he called "Cheetu's Sprint Mode." He looked much the same as before, except for winglets under his feet and thighs swollen with power.
"What?" "Why are you giving him back to us? Aren't you going to kill him?"
"Huh? I never intended to be your enemy," Cheetu answered honestly. "I'm just here to save this traitor and take her back to the King."
"Tsk, a traitor, huh? I see." Phinks rubbed his chin, thinking. "I've got a question," he said to Cheetu.
"Will you, or rather, will that one come back?" Phinks pointed at Zazan, clamped in the crab's pincers.
"Her? She probably won't be back. The King has other tasks for them," Cheetu said, clapping his hands.
Them? So there was more than one monster as strong as this guy. And a "King" above them… how strong were these things? Forget it—not our problem.
"Then go," Phinks decided.
"Huh? Phinks, is that okay?" Shalnark asked, puzzled.
"Well, our job was just to eliminate the 'Queen' here. As long as that one's not around, our mission's done." Seeing the confusion wasn't just Shalnark's, Phinks explained. Then, in a voice only those nearby could hear: "You saw that guy's power. Which of you can handle that kind of speed? I hate to say it, but taking these ones down without injuries—or at a small cost—is impossible. And who knows how strong that 'King' they mentioned is? Even if we kill these, who's to say it won't draw stronger monsters? Didn't you hear the cheetah say there are others about as strong as him? Our task now is to wait for the leader to return. Since there's no conflict of interest, let them go."
"Well, well—not bad. The big ape Phinks actually learned to think."
"Wanna die?"
"Sigh~ I finally met such good opponents—I wanted a few more rounds." Cheetu sounded a little unwilling to leave without a proper brawl.
"Idiot! We're on a mission from the King! I'm not failing our first assignment! Get Lady Zazan back, now!" The kangaroo girl cracked Cheetu on the head and snarled.
"Yeah yeah, you shrew! No one'll ever like you," Cheetu muttered under his breath.
"Chee! Tu! Sir! What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly." Her face darkened—clear signs of going black.
"Ahahaha, I said we should hurry and take Zazan to the King and finish the job."
At the same time, the teams Meruem had sent to retrieve the squadron leaders who'd left the nest were also on the way back. Unfortunately, including Zazan, they brought back only three. The panda refused Meruem, and the wolf Welfin's whereabouts were unknown. There were reports someone had seen Welfin near Meteor City.
"Meteor City? Zaiyroad? Interesting." Hearing the report, Meruem merely smiled. Three squadron leaders, plus that person, were enough to draw outside fire—enough time for Meruem's plan to be completed.
"Yo, if it isn't the 'Queen' Zazan who almost got taken out by humans! So you're alive—I thought you'd crawled into some hole to hide." In the East Gorteau royal palace council chamber, a giant crocodile faced Zazan, who had restored her scorpion form. Among the squadron leaders, relations weren't harmonious—they looked down on each other. Those under Meruem were the exception. He loathed infighting, and with the King's pressure, none of them would openly mock or play tricks—at least not on the surface. By the way, Zazan's injuries had been treated by the octopus Blair and other Chimera Ant medics. With time, those under Meruem were making tremendous progress.
"Hmph. Want to die, Gudu? Or do you want to sample the feeling of being on death's doorstep?" Zazan said with disgust. She'd never gotten along with the crocodile, and after his taunt, she was even more annoyed. She didn't dare act here—not out of fear of him, but because this palace was Meruem's domain.
"Gudu, Zazan—both of you, cut it," said a massive lion—squadron leader Leol (formerly Hagya). Unlike the original's undocumented Gudu and Zazan (killed by Feitan), Leol performed quite well in the source. He could flexibly use his Hatsu, a loan-type Nen similar to Chrollo's "Bandit's Secret." He died by a single misstep—suffocation due to poor lung capacity (carbon dioxide poisoning). Otherwise, his fight with Morel was not foregone; he ranked among the stronger squadron leaders. That was the original. Under Meruem's Nen training, even soldier ants couldn't be underestimated.
"What are you to order me?" Already seething from nearly being killed by Feitan and mocked by a division captain, Zazan was a powder keg. Touch her and you'd get burned.
"Hmph." A gleam of ferocity flashed in Leol's eyes, but he held back. His ambition was great, his mind deep. In the original, he realized early that humans weren't simple, returned to the King, and didn't get taken out like the others who left—he even screwed the ants once by going on TV. "Do you know why the King called us here?"
"No, but maybe because he's not strong enough himself, so he needs the power of us squadron leaders. Ahahaha," Gudu said carelessly—his natural style, unlike the other two.
"Perhaps the King isn't the strongest in this world—but he absolutely doesn't need your paltry strength." The mocking voice reached the three, and a small figure appeared before them.
"Who are you?" Gudu was furious, but not stupid enough to lash out rashly.
"Me? Former division captain—Guster. Now Twelve-Star of the Anbu, the Rooster. By the King's order, I'm here to deliver something to you traitors." A small youth with a red cockscomb lifted a box as he spoke—his scorn unmistakable.
"A mere division captain dares strut before me? Hmph! I'll eat you alive. Even if the King finds out, he won't punish me over a lowly division captain." Hearing he was only a division captain, the crocodile lunged. Generally, division captains were weaker than squadron leaders—though there were exceptions. The chameleon Meleoron's Nen was powerful, but his personal combat might be worse than a soldier ant's. Exceptions aside, under equal conditions a division captain couldn't beat a squadron leader—just as squadron leaders couldn't beat the Royal Guard. But those are "equal conditions." Under equal conditions, humans rarely beat Chimera Ants—yet in the original, the ants were nearly wiped out. After Meruem's training, the division captains weren't so simple. Outside the few squadron leaders under Meruem, the Anbu Twelve Stars were the strongest of the division captains. Even someone like Cheetu, ranked among the Troupe's top tier, could be taken down by them if careless. Unless the gap is overwhelming, anything can happen in a fight.
"Idiot." Zazan's expression held some schadenfreude. She'd suffered a loss to these division captains. Freshly healed, she'd wanted to mess with that kangaroo from before—only to get crushed. She'd heard the kangaroo was a candidate for the Anbu Twelve Stars too. Without full command of Nen, how could she beat someone who'd developed it in all aspects? She couldn't fathom how the King trained these guys—how even "mere division captains" could be so strong—and in only a little over a month. If only I hadn't left, I would've gotten this training too. If I had, I'd definitely be stronger than them. At that thought, Zazan's heart burned. She'd made up her mind. This time, she would get the King's training.
Unlike Zazan's glee, Leol was thinking ahead. He planned to rescue the little one at the last moment, earning a favor and getting into the King's sight faster. In his mind—like Gudu's—a division captain couldn't beat a squadron leader.
"Overreaching." Another taunt. Watching Gudu's destructive blow incoming, the small Guster merely murmured four words. With Nen active, the opponent's speed looked pedestrian to him.
"When the rooster crows, the hen lays!—Hens at Dawn!" Guster's eyes turned blue, and a strange light wrapped Gudu's body.
"What? My strength?!"
(End of Chapter)
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