What is the most terrifying and vicious weapon ever invented by mankind?
Perhaps most people would instinctively think of nuclear weapons. Because of their sheer scale of destruction, a single warhead can easily erase a city from the map and kill tens of millions.
But the truth is quite the opposite.
Precisely because the power is so immense, those at the epicenter of a nuclear blast often feel no pain. They are killed instantly, even vaporized, leaving nothing behind but a black shadow etched onto a crumbling wall.
In comparison, biochemical weapons are far more horrific. Specifically, notorious poison gases often force a person to endure unparalleled agony before they finally succumb to death. Therefore, among all the armaments in the human arsenal, biochemical weapons are the most terrifying and malicious.
Now, this swarm of newly born Chimera Ants, who viewed humans as nothing more than lowly food, were finally about to taste the malice and vengeance of humanity.
Allen's explosive arrow, imbued with a "Pinch of Gunpowder," streaked across the battlefield with extreme speed, accurately striking the massive glass vats on the ground.
In an instant…
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Accompanied by violent explosions and blinding flares, a large number of Chimera Ants at the heart of the battlefield were directly engulfed, turning into half-cooked, charred corpses emitting black smoke.
But that was not the end of it.
The gas clouds generated by the explosion began to expand outward at an incredible rate. In just a few seconds, the flowers, grass, and trees on the ground withered and perished in swathes. As for the ants that inhaled the toxic fumes, they collapsed one after another, letting out screams of excruciating pain. Some, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, actually tore open their own throats and windpipes in a desperate frenzy.
In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the two thousand soldier ants, twenty Squadron Leaders, and nearly a hundred Officers lost their combat effectiveness, lying on the ground in agonizing misery, waiting for death's arrival. The other half fared little better; while they hadn't inhaled enough to be immediately fatal, their internal organs had suffered immense damage. Some, even if they survived, would be left with severe, permanent sequelae.
"You're thinning our numbers?!"
Pitou's pupils dilated instantly upon seeing this scene. Her face was a mask of horror as she instinctively covered her nose and mouth. Although she had read records about human biochemical weapons during her studies, she never imagined these unassuming objects could be so horrific, destroying an elite Chimera Ant army in a mere ten-odd seconds.
Allen casually retrieved a gas mask and fitted it over his face, nodding meaningfully. "Correct. Quite a spectacle, isn't it? Tell me, do you still believe humans are the weak side and the Chimera Ants are the strong?"
To be honest, Allen never understood where the ants got their sense of superiority. Especially Meruem, the King, who acted as if he held all the cards, comparing humans to cattle and sheep. He even presumed to lecture Chairman Netero on human politics, suggesting he would establish a "reserve" for humans.
And the result? He was killed outright by a single Poor Man's Rose. He truly didn't know where the King found the audacity.
Perhaps it's true that the more ignorant the fool, the more fearless they are. Throughout the Chimera Ant arc, the King was essentially just a beast with high intelligence—naive, foolish, arrogant, and a complete tool of fate. His brief life could be described as laughable, tragic, pathetic, and lamentable. Until his final breath, he never realized he died because he lacked basic fear and reverence.
Now, Allen was going to carve that fear into the very soul and genetic code of every ant, making them realize that compared to humans, they were the weak and helpless ones. Every ant should feel the same bone-deep terror and despair upon seeing a human as any other wild beast would.
Sensing the overwhelming malice radiating from him, Pitou shuddered involuntarily. She asked in a heavy voice, "What exactly do you want?"
"Simple. To kill you all. Every single one. Because you started this race war. Now, prepare to face humanity's retribution and destruction. Soon, you will realize how small you are, and how powerful humans can be, powerful beyond the limits of what your tiny heads can imagine."
Allen spread his arms wide and loudly pronounced the fate of the remaining ant survivors. To the ants who had just witnessed the horror of the chemical gas, he looked like a Reaper from another world, looking down upon their fragile lives from a great height.
"You won't succeed! Our King will defeat you! Then he will lead the legion to destroy your human world!" Leaving those words behind, Pitou immediately grabbed Youpi and vanished into the woods. With the shifting air currents, the poison gas was beginning to drift their way; if they didn't leave now, they might never leave at all.
"Hehe, it seems I've planted the seeds of fear deep in their hearts. Now, I just need to wait patiently for them to take root and sprout. Enjoy your final moments, little ants. You don't have much time left."
Allen's lips curled into a playful smile as he quickly materialized his green Philosopher's Stone, using the power to manipulate wind to disperse the toxic gas. On the other side, the Red Dragon, Vaelstrasz, appeared in her physical form to resume her buffet feast, incinerating the ants dying from the gas and swallowing their cocoons.
Before long, the battlefield, once littered with corpses, was mostly cleared. Aside from the withered vegetation, there was little evidence of the massive clash.
After five or six minutes, the entrance to the Hide and Seek opened again. Knov peeked his head out cautiously to ensure the gas had cleared before stepping out. "The plan was a success?" he asked tentatively.
"Thanks to everyone's hard work. The gas I manufactured killed about two thousand soldier ants, a dozen or so Squadron Leaders, nearly a hundred Officers, and even injured a Royal Guard. I doubt they'll dare to leave the nest so easily for a long time," Allen replied.
"So that means there are fewer than fifteen hundred ants left in the hive, right?" Morel emerged from the mansion, resting his giant pipe on his shoulder.
"Yes. Most importantly, they now understand what fear is, fear of humans. Next, I'm going to let these little ants march toward death one bit at a time in total despair. A slow, agonizing death..."
A chilling light gleamed in Allen's eyes. It was the cold, ruthless determination of a Hunter, existing solely to ensure the absolute death of the prey.
"My, my~ How terrifying! It seems these little ants will face the Reaper's judgment soon. Actually, from a personal perspective, I quite liked them," Hisoka remarked, stroking his chin with faux regret.
Illumi nodded tonelessly. "Mm. I quite liked them too."
It was clear that while both used the word "like," for Hisoka it meant the thrill of the kill, and for Illumi it meant the substantial profit killing them provided. To use an analogy: Hisoka's "liking" was that of a foodie who loves cows because of the taste of juicy beef; Illumi's "liking" was that of a rancher who loves cows because of the profit they bring at the slaughterhouse.
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