Golden energy, radiant like the light of Buddha, shimmered in response to the deep purple energy radiating endless malice and dark intent.
Just from their auras alone, the contrast of good versus evil was obvious.
The Ant King's health and energy bars were surprisingly thick. Even when facing Netero, who had infinite mana regeneration, he didn't go down instantly.
He just seemed slightly on the back foot.
Looked like it was going to be a drawn-out battle—unless either of them had the power to finish it in a single strike, this fight wasn't ending quickly.
And the fact that they kept pausing mid-fight to chat…
Felt a little weird to Cyr.
He preferred knocking someone flat first, stepping on their head, and then starting the conversation.
Compared to this boring back-and-forth, what was happening on Gon's side seemed far more interesting…
"Airi, stay here and observe. I'm going to the palace to record the actions of the King's subordinates during this period," said Aimé to his sister.
After all, what they were studying wasn't just the Ant King's development, but the evolution of the entire species.
So the subordinates' behavior during the conflict was worth documenting as well.
"I got it, big brother." Eili nodded while hugging a small lamb.
Gon was inside one of the palace chambers, along with two Chimera Ants and a severely injured human girl.
That loan shark-style Nen user was also present.
The white-haired boy landed lightly through the window, his toes touching down first.
"You're back. Where's the King?" asked the blond Ant immediately, as though they were very familiar.
This guy acted way too casual.
"Chatting with a human," Cyr typed silently on his phone.
"…What happened to your voice?" Shaiapouf asked with a polite, emotionless face that masked suspicion.
Was this guy the two-faced, manipulative type? He had that unpleasant aura about him…
Cyr rolled his eyes, too lazy to respond.
Just a blondie.
The cat-eared, cat-tailed Ant was crouched beside the wounded human girl. Hovering nearby was a puppeteer manipulating threads in midair, treating the girl like she was on an operating table. Threads wove in and out of her wounded abdomen.
Gon sat cross-legged on the floor, an aura of stormy tension surrounding him. Calm. Still. As if he'd grown up overnight.
Something wasn't right. Cyr, whose memory was still stuck on events not long after leaving Greed Island, picked up on it immediately.
"What are you doing?" Cyr typed and asked Gon.
"Waiting for her to finish healing the girl, then I'm going to have a talk with her," Gon said, face dark, his amber eyes clouded with a hint of black mist.
A talk? What kind of talk? Did that Ant piss Gon off?
Memory-wiped Cyr had completely forgotten the massive grudge he'd personally planted on Neferpitou before, and just assumed the Ants really loved causing drama.
"This is way too slow. Let me speed things up for you," he said, pressing a hand lightly over Komugi's abdomen.
[Reversed Cursed Technique]
Compared to Neferpitou, who had been treating the injuries for over half an hour with no results, Cyr's method was far faster—he didn't even need a full second. Just by hovering his hand over the wounded area from a short distance, the injuries rapidly healed.
Cold sweat formed on Neferpitou's forehead. She swallowed hard, her pupils wide with shock.
Gon stood up. "This isn't the right place. Come with me."
Neferpitou looked down at the injured human girl, then glanced at the white-haired boy who was smiling as if he'd just done a good deed. Then she followed after Gon.
"You, come with me." The blond Ant bared his teeth in a menacing grin and spoke to Knuckle.
Their task was to lure the three Royal Guards away from the King's side, preventing them from providing any support.
Knuckle had no way to refuse.
The blond Ant's eyeballs suddenly bulged until the whites were all that could be seen—then with a pop, they burst into shimmering particles of light, and countless miniature versions of himself flew out through a gap in the building.
Knuckle followed after him.
Cyr waited in place for a moment. As if sensing something, he walked out onto the balcony.
Under the bright moonlight, a white tiger approached, riding the wind.
"Sir!" Before the tiger could even come to a full stop, a blond figure leapt down from its back.
Alongside him was a figure with long silver hair, leaping down as well.
That hair, glowing almost like moonlight, made the landing look pretty damn cool.
Maybe he should grow his hair out too?
Wait—Kite was here as well?
"What have you two been up to lately?" Cyr typed.
"Sir? What happened to your voice? Were you injured? Who did this…?" The blond young man reached out anxiously, but just as his hand was about to touch the boy's throat, he withdrew it, hesitating and full of frustration.
Why couldn't his lord speak? Who the hell did this?
That bastard better already be dead. If not…
The blond man lowered his head. His green eyes were dark and murky, like a moss-covered pond filled with damp, festering malice.
"It's just part of my ability. I probably won't be able to talk for today only," Cyr typed carelessly in response.
"Ants… taste bad," the white tiger complained pitifully as it rubbed against Cyr's side.
Without Cyr and the usual ingredients around, Maro had gotten too lazy to cook. Every day it had to hunt for its own food, but the forest was practically empty—the ants had eaten almost everything. The only thing left to eat… was more ants.
And worst of all, ants tasted awful.
"This place is…" Kite had been quietly observing the surroundings ever since he landed.
The building was clearly damaged from combat—holes everywhere, letting in wind. A human girl lay inside, her clothes stained with blood. The air was thick with residual aura.
"Ants are living here," Kite concluded.
So, those traces of battle… were they caused by humans?
"This is the Ant King's palace. Actually, there are still humans outside fighting ants," Cyr slowly typed to Kite.
As for the rest, he wasn't too sure himself. Cut him some slack—he had amnesia.
Thankfully, no one had noticed that yet.
In the forest outside the palace—
"Where's Kite? Where is he? Give him back to me," Gon said flatly, staring at Neferpitou.
Kite? "Who's that?" Neferpitou asked, genuine confusion on her face.
"That man who was with us that day," Gon's voice was low and heavy.
Neferpitou thought for a moment—then remembered.
The silver-haired toy. She had played with him until he was completely broken. It was a pity, really—she had even planned to use her ability to fix him up again.
But before she could do that, something had caught her attention in the distance. She had gone to investigate, only to be intercepted by that pair of inhuman siblings… then turned into a sheep and dragged back to the Queen's nest…
After that, she had gone back to search for her precious toy's remains—but they were already gone.
"I only killed him. I don't know where he is now. His body disappeared. That's the truth. I'm not lying," Neferpitou said to Gon, sensing something was off.
Gon stared at her, trying to determine if she was lying.
The result… she wasn't.
But the fact that Kite had been turned into a puppet by Neferpitou—that was something Cyr had told him.
And wasn't she right here in the palace? He could just ask and confirm.
Thinking this, Gon turned around and headed back the way he came.
Neferpitou followed behind him, heart pounding with anxiety, unsure of what he planned to do.
He looked almost the same as the last time they met, yet his strength now was on a whole different level.
To improve this fast… is this what humans are truly capable of?
After hearing that there were humans fighting ants nearby, Kite immediately rushed over.
Not long after he left, Gon returned—bringing another ant with him.
"You two came back together?" Cyr typed out, full of confusion.
Since Gon had said he needed to "settle" something, shouldn't that have meant one of them wasn't coming back?
"Tell me the truth: is Kite still alive?" Gon stepped right up to Cyr, looked up at him with unwavering intensity, and asked.
°°°
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