What kind of question was that? If Kite were dead, then who had Cyr just seen?
Wait a minute—if Gon was asking this, then that meant… he had thought Kite was dead. And when Gon said he had something to settle with that ant, he must have meant he believed that ant killed Kite.
So here's the real question: why was Gon asking him?
After thinking it through, there was only one answer…
He must've lied to Gon, telling him that Kite had been killed by that ant…
That really did sound like something he'd do—just imagining it seemed hilarious!
As Cyr pieced it all together in a mental brainstorm, he debated whether to keep up the lie or tell Gon the truth now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up.
If he kept lying, he'd have to come up with a whole new story. Even though he had figured out the general situation, he couldn't recall the specific details—so fabricating a convincing lie would be tricky.
"Kite's totally fine. He was just here a minute ago. He probably went outside to fight ants right now," Cyr typed lazily.
The dangerous aura surrounding Gon instantly vanished.
"Really? Kite's alive?!" The black mist that had clouded his amber eyes lifted, replaced by a radiant glow. His entire mood brightened.
"Yup. I only lied to you before so you'd have more motivation to grow stronger. And looking at your strength now, I'd say it worked pretty well," Cyr continued typing without batting an eye, shamelessly claiming it was all part of his thoughtful plan.
Of course it wasn't because it was fun to mess with someone—no, definitely not. It was obviously to help him get stronger!
Even without remembering exactly what he'd done, he still had no problem covering his tracks.
"I see… that's great!" Gon let out a sigh of relief, lowered his head for a second, then looked up again with a brilliant smile.
Kite was okay. That was all that mattered!
"That human… is still alive?" Neferpitou's expression was one of shock.
She was certain she'd killed him.
She had even ripped his head off—how could he possibly still be alive?
"…" Cyr stared at her, deep in thought.
Ah, so maybe what he'd told Gon wasn't a complete lie after all. This ant had seriously injured Kite—or maybe even killed him once.
As for how Kite came back… was it because of his nen ability? Or did it have something to do with him?
But his Reversal Technique shouldn't be able to bring back the dead…
Something felt off.
"So… where is Kite now?" Gon asked.
At this moment, the desire to see Kite was overwhelming.
He needed to make absolutely sure that Kite was really safe and sound—this couldn't be just another lie meant to pacify him.
"..." Cyr didn't say anything. He casually pointed in the direction Kite had gone earlier.
After Gon left, Cyr narrowed his eyes and studied the ant before him.
Hmm… cat-girl type, non-human, can fight and heal—not particularly powerful, but good enough as a pet. He wanted to keep her.
Neferpitou didn't know what he was thinking, but under the gaze of those crimson eyes, she instinctively straightened her ears and tail. Her usually animated tail even stopped swaying.
What was this? That gaze… so utterly emotionless, like one looking over a toy.
He never looked at her like this before.
That look—she suddenly remembered—was the same way this guy always looked at the King.
Cyr, on the other hand, was contemplating something entirely different—
Why hadn't he turned this ant into his pet yet?
Knowing himself, if he were interested in something, he'd definitely claim it. So the only explanation was… this one wasn't the object of his interest at all.
There must've been someone even more intriguing.
A more alluring ant than her… really, the only candidate would be that Ant King who fought against Netero.
Ah yes, a powerful, non-human monarch—that definitely fit his type.
Cyr turned his gaze away, and Neferpitou lowered her head, panting heavily.
She'd actually been so intimidated by his stare that she'd forgotten to breathe.
"You stay here and guard her. It was the King's command, wasn't it?" Cyr typed casually while pointing toward Komugi, smiling as he reminded her.
Getting an ant to heal a human—who else but the Ant King could've given that order?
Neferpitou looked at the still-unconscious Komugi, then crouched back down by her side without another word.
When Cyr returned to the battlefield where Netero and the Ant King were fighting, the King was already close to defeat.
Netero, too, bore many wounds.
The card buff he'd used earlier had been powerful—but apparently it didn't include any defensive bonuses. It was all focused on boosting raw power.
Clearly, he must've been very eager for the battle between the two to be as brutal and intense as possible.
"Born of shadow, blacker than black, filth and impurity—be purged." He chanted silently, his fingers twitching slightly.
A semi-transparent, ash-black Barrier enveloped the area around the Ant King, restricting his movement to a radius of just eight meters.
At the exact moment the barrier dropped, Cyr also tossed a small cube into the area near the King.
Now both the King and the cube were trapped inside.
Sensing something was wrong, the King immediately tried to flee, only to slam into a wall of solid air.
No matter which direction he tried to escape in, he hit the same wall—even the underground was blocked.
This was a spherical prison.
The smaller the area, the stronger it became—and the harder it was to break free.
"Well done, Chairman. I knew you'd win. Age hasn't slowed you one bit…" Cyr typed out a series of praises for Netero, then silently recited:
"Prison Realm — Open."
The small cube on the ground suddenly opened, revealing numerous red eyes. It expanded and split into multiple sections, with red, tentacle-like bands bursting forth and latching onto the Ant King's body.
"It's decided then—Master Ball," Cyr murmured, watching the scene unfold with a satisfied smile.
"Prison Realm — Close." He continued the chant silently in his heart.
No matter how fiercely the Ant King resisted, the red tentacles dragged him inside. The gate sealed shut and transformed back into a small cube.
Only now, the eyes on its surface had turned the same purple as the Ant King's.
Prison Realm had quite a few conditions for use—first, the target's range had to be restricted; second, there was a casting delay. Usually, it wasn't practical to activate.
But just now? That situation had been perfect.
"Does the Ant King have a name or codename, Chairman?" Cyr typed out to Netero beside him.
If not, he'd name the King himself. After all, he was a pet now—he couldn't keep calling him "Ant King." That was too impersonal. Not fitting at all.
They were going to be one big family now, after all.
"The Ant King does have a name," Netero replied. "The late Queen named him on her deathbed. His name is—Meruem."
"Meruem…" Cyr turned the name over in his mind.
According to the language of the Hunter world, "Meruem" meant the light that illuminates all.
Hmm. That had absolutely nothing to do with the King's past actions—though, to be fair, he had started showing a bit of humanity later on.
But that was it. Cyr didn't need pets that were too human.
"Did you hear that? Your name is Meruem." he slowly asked the Ant King in his mind.
After all, the King couldn't speak right now.
The purple eyes on the Prison Realm cube blinked open, then closed again.
"What is that…" Netero stared at the small cube in Cyr's hand.
"He's my pet now—same as Sora," Cyr typed casually, one hand holding the cube.
"Arf?!" The white tiger next to him tilted its head in shock.
"Wait, think about this! He doesn't even have fur! He's not cute at all! I'm still ranked higher than him, right?!" Sora protested loudly.
"Well… true." Cyr nodded silently.
Sora really did suit his aesthetic the most.
After all, they had matching colors.
"Don't worry. He usually won't be let out," Cyr typed, brushing the matter off.
He had only taken the King because he wanted to. As for how to treat Meruem going forward… he hadn't decided yet.
There was no rush. He could wait until his memories returned to figure it out.
Just then, the blonde ant and the purple ant came flying in from the sky. Cyr casually stashed away Prison Realm, watching the two of them land and anxiously start searching for any sign of the King.
"Where is the King?!" the blonde ant cried out in a panic, looking around frantically.
"Ah, probably dead. Who knows?" Cyr shrugged and lazily held up his phone to show the message he'd typed.
"KIIIIIIIIING—!!!" The ants' anguished cries rang out for all to hear.
°°°
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