A viscous, powerful, and ominous aura.
Even from such a great distance, the sense of pressure was still distinct.
It was most likely one of the Chimera Ant's Royal Guards.
In that case, is this the moment Neferpitou attacks Kite?
Morrow couldn't be sure of the specific situation, but he knew very well that the Royal Guard would never leave the Chimera Ant Nest lightly.
Because protecting the Chimera Ant Queen until the birth of Meruem was their innate duty, more important than anything else.
So, the only reason a Royal Guard would enter a state of combat was that a "threat" was approaching the Chimera Ant Nest.
And from the current look of things, the only one in this area who would proactively approach the Chimera Ant Nest and be considered a threat by the Royal Guard was probably Kite.
"If it really is Neferpitou and Kite..." Morrow's gaze hardened as he looked in the direction the aura was coming from, thinking to himself, "Then I can't let Kite stay there."
Just how high was a Royal Guard's aura output level?
Right now, just feeling the pressure emanating from this aura at a distance was completely consistent with the impression given in the original story.
Without a doubt, it was stronger than top-tier powerhouses like Netero, Ging, and Beyond.
Or rather, it surpassed the upper limit of a human.
Although aura output wasn't the sole factor in determining the outcome of a Nen battle, that was only true when the gap between the two sides wasn't too large.
For example, a Lv. 75 Nen user could still go head-to-head with a Lv. 85 opponent by relying on tactics or ability characteristics.
But if they were facing a Lv. 95, or even a being that surpassed Lv. 100...
Then the absolute disparity in aura amount would be enough to dominate the battle.
Unless, of course, this Lv. 100 opponent was just a game monster with no independent consciousness.
Neferpitou was certainly no game monster.
On the contrary, her learning ability was terrifyingly fast.
In the original story, after just flipping through a book on the human brain, she was able to perform a hands-on craniotomy to pry information about Nen from Pokkle.
Facing a monster of this level, Morrow was only Lv. 74. It wouldn't be surprising if he were killed in a few hits.
Even so...
Morrow still decided to brave the suffocating pressure and go confirm if there was still a chance to save Kite.
The reason that prompted him to make this decision was simple: if Neferpitou used Kite as a source of information, allowing more Chimera Ants to master Advanced Techniques, then not only would his experience point gains not increase, but if Squadron Leaders or Officers learned techniques like Ko or Ryu, it could affect his subsequent experience-harvesting plan.
What Morrow needed was just the experience points that came from the Chimera Ants' innately powerful aura output.
Another reason was that Morrow knew the Royal Guard would not easily stray far from the Chimera Ant Nest.
So as long as he properly utilized this point, he could greatly reduce the risk of the rescue.
After making his decision, Morrow headed toward the Chimera Ant Nest without any hesitation.
—--
Some things had changed, and some things had not.
After the Chimera Ant Queen, in perfect condition, was placed in a suitable nesting location, she perfectly demonstrated her ridiculously prolific reproductive ability. One by one, Chimera Ant soldiers hatched from their eggs, forming legions faster than in the original story.
And in this genetic cycle, some Chimera Ant soldiers followed the trajectory of the original story, being born one after another at different points in time.
But many more Chimera Ant soldiers, due to the different types and proportions of mixed genes, were born with entirely new appearances.
The biggest change was the absence of marine life in their genes.
Aside from that, the "genetic cycle" of the three Royal Guards was unaffected.
The first Royal Guard to be born, Neferpitou, was identical to her original story counterpart in both appearance and personality.
The moment she was born, all the Squadron Leaders and Officers in the Chimera Ant Nest, and even Pokkle hiding in a pile of bones, felt that powerful and ominous aura.
And because Neferpitou's En was so outrageously powerful...
Pokkle was ultimately unable to escape the fate of having his skull opened.
In contrast, Barbara, who was captured alive and brought back to the Chimera Ant Nest later, was at least chopped into a ball of flesh slice by slice without any pain, under the effects of a neurotoxin.
Pokkle, on the other hand, who had used an antidote, first endured mental torment and anxiety, and then suffered the process of his body being tortured and destroyed.
It was because he had more experience hunting humans that he had the foresight to hide an antidote in his molar.
This professional move, conversely, led to Pokkle suffering an even more miserable end.
One could only say that fate is fickle.
Neferpitou pried the basic information about Nen from Pokkle's brain.
But before she could even squeeze out the value of this information, she used her preternaturally powerful En to immediately detect Kite, who was still two or three kilometers away from the Chimera Ant Nest.
So Neferpitou abandoned Pokkle, who was barely breathing, gave a few instructions to the Squadron Leader in charge of logistics, and went outside the Chimera Ant Nest alone.
The number and scale of the troops are fine, but a "threat" was still allowed to approach the nest, meow.
Neferpitou stood on the high outer wall of the Chimera Ant Nest, her head tilted slightly up and a finger pressed to her chin, a thoughtful look on her face.
She was somewhat disappointed in the vigilance and strength of the Squadron Leaders, Officers, and other Chimera Ant soldiers.
But to ensure the "King" could be born smoothly, she still needed the help of this group of Chimera Ant soldiers for now.
Based on this line of thought, Neferpitou naturally thought of having the Squadron Leaders and Officers undergo Nen awakening.
However, before implementing this idea...
She first had to eliminate any potential factors that could threaten the Queen.
Neferpitou's gaze swept over the vast forest and the river running through it. The image forming in her pupils moved at a linear, high speed, quickly locking onto the figures behind a thicket of bushes several kilometers away.
There were three humans.
However, Neferpitou directly ignored two of them, focusing all her attention on the strongest one.
And these three humans were, of course, Kite, Gon, and Killua.
—--
How is this possible...
Hiding behind the bushes, Kite's body suddenly trembled. He could clearly feel the terrifying gaze coming from the direction of the Chimera Ant Nest, along with the powerful, malevolent aura that followed.
He had been so careful to conceal his aura, yet he was still discovered so easily?!
It's an absolute monster!
Cold sweat broke out on Kite's face as he keenly sensed that terrifying aura rapidly condensing. Being experienced, he immediately understood what this meant.
The monster, far away in the Chimera Ant Nest, had not only locked onto him from kilometers away with ease, but was now like a leopard poised to strike, ready to launch a fatal blow at any moment.
Although this judgment seemed utterly incredible, top-tier Nen users had always firmly believed in their own instincts.
Kite was no exception.
"Gon, Killua, run!"
He warned Gon and Killua, who were with him, with the fastest possible reaction.
But at that moment, Gon and Killua, who were several paces away from Kite, had no inkling of the impending danger.
They couldn't be blamed.
Because that monster...
...had condensed all of its malice and its gaze into a single beam of light, targeting only Kite.
Therefore, Gon and Killua were completely unaware of the threat from Neferpitou.
Kite quickly realized this.
The malicious Nen pressure was already like a spring compressed to its absolute limit.
Clearly, he didn't have much time left to react.
"Get away from me, now!"
Kite shot to his feet and shouted another warning.
Only this time, the warning changed from "run" to "get away from me."
He was the enemy's primary target.
Kite was certain of it.
Gon and Killua still hadn't sensed the coming attack, but they smelled the crisis in Kite's reaction.
They immediately stopped using Zetsu and switched to a state of Ren with a speed that was both smooth and fast.
From Zetsu to full Ren.
The switch was fast enough.
But the enemy's attack was faster.
Just as they switched to Ren, an incomparably sharp gale of wind shot past them.
It was followed by the sound of toes landing on the ground.
It wasn't a deafening crash, but a soft sound, like that of a feline.
A figure shrouded in a majestic aura landed and slid before their eyes. With her back to them, she had forcefully used her hands to brake against the ground.
Only at this moment, at such close range, did Gon and Killua finally come face to face with Neferpitou's terrifying aura. In an instant, a pressure so tangible it felt physical crushed their minds and bodies.
The two of them gritted their teeth in unison, their pupils contracting violently as cold sweat streamed down their faces.
Before this suffocating, immense Nen pressure, they were like prisoners in invisible shackles, finding even the most basic movements exceptionally difficult.
This was the most despair-inducing being they had ever encountered since they began their Nen training.
Plop.
In that moment when time seemed to freeze, a bloody arm suddenly fell to the ground.
It was Kite's right arm.
Although Kite had covered his entire body with aura the moment he sensed the danger, the opponent's aura output was simply too terrifying...
Under the same conditions, she had torn through his Nen defense with such ease.
Kite's pupils trembled. He subconsciously clutched the stump of his severed arm, from which blood was gushing, and quickly condensed a ball of Nen in his left palm.
The arm lying on the ground was like an electric current shooting through Gon's nerves, awakening his Enhancement nature.
"Waaaaaah!"
Gon let out a cry mixed with anger and fear. Driven by this raw emotion, he forcibly unleashed a greater aura output than usual, breaking free from Neferpitou's aura suppression.
He then gripped his fishing rod tightly and, without hesitation, launched an attack at Neferpitou's back.
Whoosh!
The fishing line, attached to a heavy bobber made from a special Zoldyck alloy, whipped through the air with a sharp crack, swinging the red bobber straight for the back of Neferpitou's head.
This strike from Gon was filled with rage, a truly all-out attack with nothing held back.
However, all he saw, besides the red alloy bobber striking its target, was the monster, who hadn't reacted in the slightest.
Not even worth mentioning.
Gon read this message from her lack of reaction.
His full-powered strike, fueled by rage, wasn't even worthy of a glance from his opponent.
Killua, who had reacted much slower than Gon, finally made his move.
But his target was Gon.
With a heavy blow delivered in a near-panic, he knocked Gon unconscious.
At the same time.
The alloy bobber struck the back of Neferpitou's head.
Thwack. A soft sound.
The alloy bobber bounced off and flew into the air.
But Neferpitou's body, the target of the attack, didn't so much as ripple, nor did the aura surrounding her.
She remained with her back to Gon and Killua, her eyes never leaving Kite.
Killua saw this, and with a violent tremor in his heart, he hoisted the unconscious Gon onto his back as fast as he could. He didn't even spare a glance for the fishing rod falling to the ground as he sprinted like a madman back the way they came.
"Good job, Killua," Kite's voice came from behind him.
Killua didn't dare look back, simultaneously sinking into deep self-doubt.
Just now, he had actually thought of abandoning Gon and Kite, and his body had reacted instantly.
If it weren't for the fact that the monster's attention was entirely on Kite...
Damn it, why? I didn't want this, I didn't want this!
Killua's face twisted slightly.
Even so, he didn't dare to pause for even a second.
—--
Meanwhile.
Kite had used his ability, Crazy Slots, and rolled a number 3 mace.
I have to stall for as long as possible before they get too far away.
Gripping the mace tightly, Kite stared intently at the monster before him.
Gon, don't you dare blame yourself. This is absolutely not your fault. It was my own misjudgment...
Knowing there was no escape for him, Kite's only hope was for Gon and Killua to get away safely.
Neferpitou didn't rush to attack. Instead, like a cat that had found a new toy, she sized up the weapon in Kite's hand with great interest.
How interesting. This must be what they call a Nen ability that reflects one's personality, right?
"!"
Kite's heart leaped in shock at her words.
Only now did he finally understand the source of the lingering, ominous feeling he couldn't shake off.
Looks like it's time for some "practice," meow.
Neferpitou's body radiated a powerful, oppressive aura as she officially entered a combat stance.
—--
The release of this aura attracted Morrow's attention from much farther away.
In order to more quickly pinpoint the Chimera Ant Nest's location and the battle that might have already begun, Morrow used Shooting Star to launch himself high into the sky.
From his high vantage point, Morrow quickly spotted the towering Chimera Ant Nest five or six kilometers away, as well as a streak of electricity at his three o'clock, racing through the forest. That was Killua.
And in the area between the Chimera Ant Nest and Killua, Neferpitou and Kite were locked in a fierce battle.
Nothing's changed...
Morrow focused aura into his eyes, getting an even clearer view of the intense battle unfolding.
Through his enhanced vision, Neferpitou and Kite seemed to be evenly matched.
But, Morrow could see that Neferpitou clearly held the absolute advantage, yet she was holding back from dealing a killing blow.
And it didn't look like a cat toying with its prey; it was more like she was testing something...
At this thought, Morrow's eyes narrowed. He rapidly closed in on the battle while quickly gathering and compressing Nen in his palm.
Deceptive Shooting Star.
Once he was closer, a fluorescent green Nen bullet, containing the vast majority of his aura output, shot like a meteor toward Neferpitou inside the battle zone.
Meow?
Neferpitou's perception was extremely sharp. Even while focused on her practical combat applications, she sensed the danger instantly.
This level of power was completely incomparable to the kid from before.
Swish!
She decisively broke off the engagement and leaped backward.
The Shooting Star streaking through the air subsequently struck the empty ground, exploding violently with a boom.
The surging shockwave, carrying a blast of aura, separated Neferpitou and Kite.
Kite was pushed back by the blast.
This is...!?
Just as the question formed in his mind, he heard a voice from behind him.
"Run."
It was Morrow's voice.
---------------
Bonus chapter @800power stones