Sitting in the airship and watching the birds fly past the window, Hisoka suddenly spoke up: "Were those lovely little ants truly scared away?"
"Mm. Indeed. Though it was likely to protect their unborn King, they have certainly begun to feel fear toward humanity," Illumi responded tonelessly.
"Hehe... Teaching a species that preys on humans how to feel fear from scratch? That sounds quite terrifying!"
A playful smile immediately spread across Hisoka's face. He didn't forget to cast a sidelong glance at Allen, who was still focused on trying to use the Hunting Map to localize the two Royal Guards.
Illumi nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is terrifying. This fear is built upon a foundation of destruction and death. Imagine if you suddenly discovered that the food you eat every day possessed the power to kill you effortlessly. How much despair and terror would you feel?"
"It would be an absolute nightmare. Now I finally understand why those little ants chose to flee," Hisoka remarked with a lingering sense of dread.
"The situation for the Chimera Ants might be much worse than that. Based on our previous clashes, you likely sensed that psychologically, the ants firmly believed they were superior to humans. But in that last battle, Allen smashed all of their pride, self-esteem, and sense of superiority to pieces, then trampled them underfoot. That psychological gap is the most fatal blow of all. It's quite possible your favorite little ants have lost the courage to face humans head-on and have turned into a bunch of rats only capable of living in the dark sewers."
As an assassin, Illumi was clearly an expert at analyzing an opponent's psyche; in just a few sentences, he had painted a clear picture of the Chimera Ant legion's current predicament.
The world did not belong to humans alone; there were numerous species of Magical Beasts living alongside them, and in the distant past, wars had even broken out between them. But the result? Humans completely dominated the world at the center of Lake Mobius.
The intelligent Magical Beasts either retreated into the deep mountains to live in isolation or integrated into human civilization as subordinates and servants, much like the Kiriko that frequently appeared during the Hunter Exam. Clearly, the Chimera Ants were now facing the same dilemma and choice.
However, they had consumed far too many humans to ever be accepted by civilized society. Coupled with Allen's overt and unmasked malice toward their entire race, the only path left for them was likely a dead end.
Hisoka looked disappointed upon hearing this analysis. "That would be a shame! I hate it most when delicious, ripe fruit rots and withers. Still, I should be able to play with them a bit before that happens."
"Oh? Killing so many Squadron Leaders and Officers didn't satisfy you?" Illumi looked up, staring at him with surprise.
"Satisfy? After seeing the Royal Guards fight Allen, how could I be satisfied? That staggering Nen... just remembering it makes me tremble with excitement."
As he spoke, Hisoka's dense bloodlust leaked out uncontrollably once again, and he extended his tongue to lick his lips.
"You'll die, you know," Illumi remarked with feigned kindness, well aware of what the pervert was planning.
"It doesn't matter! Dying at the hands of such an enemy would be a kind of happiness. Besides, if I don't even dare to try, what meaning is there in my life?" Hisoka shrugged noncommittally.
Seeing that persuasion was useless, Illumi immediately said, "If you die, I'll collect your body. Of course, the price is that all your inheritance goes to me."
"No problem!" Hisoka agreed without hesitation.
…
Meanwhile, in the territory of Rokario, Gon and Killua were engaged in a fierce battle with Morel's two disciples, fighting for the final two spots in the Extermination Team.
Just like the original story, the Emitter Knuckle faced the Enhancer Gon, while the Manipulator Shoot went up against the Transmuter Killua. The only difference was that this time, thanks to their hellish special training, both protagonists had been thoroughly tempered in terms of Aura capacity, combat experience, and mastery over their Nen abilities.
In just a few minutes, Knuckle was struck squarely by a Jajanken. He was sent flying, coughing up a large mouthful of blood before his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness. A.P.R. (Amortizing Power Redirector), created by his Nen, vanished automatically once its master fell unconscious, unable to continue calculating interest.
Looking at his fallen competitor, Gon instinctively clenched his fist, whispering in a voice only he could hear, "I really have grown stronger! I can do it! I will definitely save Kite!"
Just as he finished, Killua emerged from the nearby woods, dragging the defeated and incapacitated Shoot behind him. He teased with a grin, "Not bad! Looks like we finished off our opponents at about the same time. All that suffering we went through lately wasn't for nothing. Otherwise, the next time I see that guy, I'd definitely have to get some revenge."
"Hahahaha! Don't say that; Allen did it for our own good. If it weren't for his strictness, we wouldn't have gotten this strong in such a short time," Gon laughed, scratching the back of his head.
"Whatever, as long as you're happy. Let's go find Palm, then we can head out to join the Extermination Team. This time, I'm definitely going to show those ants what's what," Killua said with a mischievous, devilish smirk.
"What about these two?" Gon asked, pointing at Knuckle and Shoot.
"Hmm, let's just leave them here," Killua suggested with a simple, blunt solution. He didn't want to carry an adult all the way back to the city from the wilderness.
But Gon shook his head. "No! They'll be attacked by wild beasts!"
"Then you mean..." Killua looked at his best friend.
"Let's carry them back. Regardless, these two are Morel-san's disciples, and since we took their spots, I feel a bit bad about it."
With that, Gon leaned down and hoisted Knuckle onto his back, trekking toward the city. Killua followed suit with Shoot. The two shared a look and grinned; the reason was simple, they had won.
However, before they could get very far, a humanoid creature with a head resembling a bull suddenly burst out of the dense forest. Radiating an astonishing amount of Aura, it raised a fist and slammed it down without a word.
The next second...
BOOM!
Accompanied by a deafening roar and a violent tremor, a crater over thirty meters in diameter appeared in the ground. Fortunately, the two boys' reactions were fast enough that they narrowly avoided the strike.
"A Chimera Ant? How could one be here!"
Killua's gaze instantly became sharp and wary. He quickly found a relatively safe spot to put Shoot down and entered a combat stance.
But before he could act, Gon stepped forward and said, "Stay here and protect Morel-san's disciples. I'll handle this enemy."
"OK! But be careful. According to Allen's rank classifications for the ants, this guy is likely a Squadron Leader. Judging by the power of that punch, he's probably a textbook Enhancer," Killua cautioned in a low voice.
"Got it! Just leave it to me," Gon nodded with total confidence.