Hello everyone. I'm Gon Freecss. I've officially handed over the surveillance of the ant mound to the other Hunters. It looks like Meleoron and Ikalgo won't be helping us fight the King directly after all.
The Vanguard had remained at the mound for a while, both for surveillance and to await the arrival of the Third Wave. Now that reinforcements had arrived, they gathered to discuss their next move.
"Well, I have good news and bad news. Since it's a matter of personal taste, I'll start with the good," Neterobegan.
He had gathered Gon, Killua, Hisoka, Morel, Knuckle, Shoot, and Knov. His face wasn't its usual playful mask; he looked genuinely annoyed, his brow furrowed with pent-up frustration.
"East Gorteau, currently under the rule of the Chimera Ant King, Meruem, is experiencing an unprecedented economic boom. Publicly, Masador Diego is still the leader, but the media is already reporting that his resignation is a matter of time. The possibility of coexistence with the ants has skyrocketed."
This was proof that regardless of Meruem's true nature, he had no intention of senselessly harming humans. Furthermore, he possessed a staggering talent for governance; for the citizens of East Gorteau, he was effectively a messiah.
"To add to that," Knov reported, "while there have been many arrests and releases, even a brief investigation shows that only the truly corrupt have been imprisoned, while those wrongfully accused were set free. There have been some suspicious disappearances, but they are few, and we can't confirm any direct link to the ants."
This report was incredibly demoralizing for the First Wave. For someone as fundamentally good-hearted as Knuckle, the motivation to fight was practically gone. After looking over his flagging team, Netero let out a massive sigh and moved to the bad news.
"The V5—the world's top powers—and the leaders of the Mitene Union have reached a decision. Any 'external threat' to the human sphere is to be eliminated as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I managed to get the Remnants in NGL removed from the extermination list, provided they remain under surveillance."
The V5 were the representatives of the five great continents. They refused to accept a non-human species ruling a nation, and more importantly, they wanted the ants—who originated from the forbidden Dark Continent—annihilated immediately. The Mitene Union had their own selfish reasons, babbling about "liberating a pathetic nation from sub-human rule" and "properly managing human wisdom."
"It's a classic case of counting chickens before they hatch," Knov added. "They're already internally deciding how to divide East Gorteau's territory. Given that they only interfered once the economy started looking up, it's clear who the truly ugly party is here."
"Chairman Netero! Is the Association really going to take this job?!" Knuckle barked. "The ants are rational! You can talk to them!"
Knuckle was now firmly on the side of the ants, loudly proclaiming the benevolence of the ones they had met. Since no one, including Netero, tried to stop him, it was clear the entire First Wave felt the same conflict.
Meleoron and Ikalgo, who were hiding and watching, felt a deep sense of gratitude. These humans were looking at them without prejudice, judging them solely on their actions. Netero, who knew they were listening and didn't care, announced the final plan for the Vanguard.
"Beans worked hard for us, but in the end, we only got the bare minimum of our demands met. We are going to engage the ants in East Gorteau."
The condition Netero had managed to secure was that if the ants could be defeated without being killed, they would be allowed to live under surveillance. Initially, the Association had pointed out that this was a clear case of illegal intervention, as no harm to the public had been confirmed in East Gorteau and the leadership was stepping down voluntarily. However, the V5 maintained that it was a coup d'état led by creatures from the Dark Continent, making the intervention "legal."
Netero's counter was simple: he would take the job, but he wouldn't kill them if it wasn't necessary to neutralize the threat. Defeating a powerful opponent without killing them requires a massive gap in skill, but Netero had argued that if the Hunter Association couldn't win, the world powers would have to resort to modern weapons of mass destruction anyway. Since no other group on the planet could match the scale and quality of the Association's combat power, the V5 were forced to accept his terms.
"So as long as we win, it's fine? Simple enough," Killua said. "Knuckle, if you don't have the confidence to win without killing, why don't you sit this one out?"
"Shut up, Killua! That condition makes my A.P.R. the perfect tool for this! I'm going, and I'm making sure not a single one of them dies!!"
"Knuckle," Morel warned, "it should go without saying, but your allies come first. If you mess that up, I won't go easy on you."
The mood lifted slightly. With the possibility of coexistence still on the table, the team's morale surged. Amidst the rowdy discussion, Gon turned to Netero with the most important question.
"Chairman Netero, who is fighting who?"
The room went silent. Netero stroked his beard. "Gon, Killua, and Morel's team will take the Royal Guard. Hisoka will take the King. I'll handle the rest of the ants. That's the most reliable distribution. Since I'll likely finish my part first, I'll provide backup where it's needed."
It was a logical plan, pitting the strongest against the strongest. No one objected to the logic—except for the man assigned to the King.
"I'm taking the cat, Neferpitou, in a 1-on-1. ♠ I won't accept anything else. ♦"
The group was stunned. Hisoka, who lived for the strongest fights, was making a seemingly selfish demand. Netero, realizing the clown wouldn't budge, asked for his reasoning and his opinion on the overall assignments.
"It's just a hunch... ♣ but we should separate the Guards and the King. If the King is on the battlefield, the Guards will fight with suicidal desperation. If we use Knov's Hide-and-Seek to pull them apart, they might stay more rational. ♠"
Hisoka continued, basing his strategy on the info from Peggy.
"The Chairman should handle the swarms because the 100-Type Guanyin has the highest clearance power. Gon should take the King because he has the highest 'wild card' potential. ♥ No matter what the King's ability is, Gon is the only one who won't be rendered completely helpless. ♦"
It was a calculated gamble. While Meruem's physical stats were a given, any unknown abilities made him a nightmare for the technical Morel or the fragile Killua. With Netero occupied with the sheer number of Squadron Leaders, Gon was the only logical choice to face Meruem.
"Menthuthuyoupi is the direct brawler," Hisoka continued. "He's apparently not much of a thinker, so the master-disciple trio can handle him with room to spare. ♣"
Morel, Knuckle, and Shoot were specialized in adaptability, making them a perfect counter for a straightforward physical powerhouse like Youpi. However, Knuckle and Shoot argued that Killua shouldn't face a Guard alone, suggesting they help him with Shaiapouf.
"Killua is the only one who should face Shaiapouf. ♦ Based on the info, his ability isn't just manipulation; it's brainwashing—likely a drug-like effect using his scales. ♠"
"I see," Killua nodded. "That makes me the best fit. I'm resistant to poisons, and Godspeed can likely blow the scales away before they touch me."
Hisoka had deduced from the reports that Pouf wasn't a precision manipulator, but a mass-controller. And since he was a butterfly-type ant, scales were the obvious medium.
(He truly is a top-tier danger,) Knov thought, watching Hisoka. (But there's no more reliable asset. Despite his broken personality, he's a savant for combat.)
Knov turned his gaze toward Gon, who would be facing the King.
(...Oh, this is troubling. Even though my spirit broke earlier, seeing this makes it impossible to stay away.)
Soon, everyone in the room was staring.
Gon was shaking.
His fists were clenched so hard they were white, and his entire body was trembling with tension. But his face held no fear. Instead, he wore a heavy, quiet smile—the look of someone who had seen the wall they had to climb to reach the summit.
The fan of "Strongest Gon" who had run the track of growth was now looking past the catalyst, Neferpitou, and straight at the Sun, Meruem, intending to surpass even his own ideal.
***
In the training hall of the East Gorteau palace, Meruem had completed his "Collection."
Using his Hatsu, Tyrant's Overrun: What is Yours is Mine, he had intended to steal the experience and aura of all the gathered experts. However, due to an unexpected outcome, he had only found three people worth absorbing.
The first was an elderly master of an ancient martial arts dojo. Though he had no students and his style was fading, his lifetime of devotion provided Meruem with invaluable martial insight.
The second was the deputy of the palace captain. While weaker than his superior, he possessed a versatile Hatsu that allowed him to manifest plates of varying sizes for defense or platforms.
The third was the nation's top assassin, who had been hiding in the underworld. While his combat power paled in comparison to a Zoldyck, his techniques and cunning provided Meruem with the knowledge of "Shadows."
The remaining dozen experts were all skilled, but they were merely inferior versions of the three he had already taken. Meruem had cut the collection short, deciding that he didn't want their mediocre aura if it meant cluttering his mind with their dull experiences.
"My deepest apologies! I am ashamed to have gathered such trash. I will accept any punishment!"
Shaiapouf was shaking with rage at his own failure. Meruem had indeed grown stronger by gaining martial logic, a versatile Hatsu, and the tactical cunning of an assassin. But the difference wasn't "decisive." For a genius like Meruem, those were skills he likely could have learned mid-battle anyway. To Pouf, wasting the King's precious time on such trifles was a sin worthy of death.
"Pouf, I am generally satisfied with this collection."
"...My King?"
"Individually, they were minor. But things are not that simple. When you add a single element, it interacts with all others, creating infinite possibilities."
This was a philosophy Meruem had learned from his matches with Komugi. Strength wasn't everything; weakness wasn't meaningless. Any hand could become a winning one depending on the timing and the combination.
"The martial logic will help me deepen my understanding in the battles to come. The simple, non-distinct ability can be applied to any situation. And the memories of human malice and industry... if I had proceeded without knowing those, I might have been caught off guard."
Meruem's mind, now trained in high-level Gungi, began to run millions of simulations. In a direct mirror match, the Meruem before and after the collection would have reached a stalemate. But against any other opponent, the "Post-Collection" Meruem was vastly more effective.
More importantly, the realization of human malice—the cold, calculated darkness of the rational mind—was a lethal poison to a species of ants that had only just emerged from the natural world.
"Pouf, inform all the ants. We are... like a flickering candle before the bottomless malice of humanity."
The brilliant Sun had finally noticed. He had noticed the range of his light, and the freezing, pitch-black darkness that lay beyond it. The malice sedimented within this human "garden" was deep enough to swallow even those who came from the outside world.
Meruem had correctly recognized the threat of humanity. However, he was still underestimating the sheer "anomaly" of the children coming for him.
***
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