Time rewinds ten seconds earlier.
Fierce battles erupted everywhere inside and outside the Chimera Ant Nest.
Yet no matter how intense the fighting outside became, it couldn't affect Morena and the Chimera Ant Queen within the conjured space.
At this moment, the Queen who had just finished consuming large quantities of food suddenly felt a tearing, excruciating pain in her abdomen.
She simply attributed this pain to the overly vigorous aura of the soon-to-be-born King, not truly taking it to heart.
After all, similar fetal movements weren't occurring for the first time.
But Morena, seated calmly in her chair, keenly detected a chilling aura emanating from the increasingly violent movements.
This wasn't a manifestation of vibrant vitality, but rather a wave of cold and brutal will.
It was as if the unborn King could no longer endure this cramped prison, announcing his impatience and existence in the most brutal manner.
"Aaaaaahhh...!"
Before Morena could react, the Queen suddenly convulsed violently, throwing her head back with a piercing scream.
Far more intense agony than before made her abruptly understand the true intention of the fetus inside her.
It wasn't waiting to be born; it wanted to tear her apart, to burst out of her body.
"SPLUTCH!"
Almost simultaneously, a fist violently burst through the Queen's abdomen from inside, splattering thick fluids everywhere.
An icy-cold aura immediately permeated the space, and Morena's eyes sharpened instantly.
The Queen emitted even more heart-rending wails.
But Morena paid no attention.
Her gaze remained fixed on the gaping wound torn open by the fist, where terrifyingly powerful aura fluctuations were surging forth.
"Heh..."
Witnessing the King's brutal nature, instead of fear, a slow, satisfied smile spread across Morena's face.
From this moment, she was certain.
An existence more terrifying than the Royal Guards had truly been born.
This Chimera Ant King would undoubtedly bring complete disaster and despair to humanity.
And this was exactly the outcome she wanted to see.
Right now.
Even as the overwhelming pressure carried deadly danger, Morena remained completely composed.
The reason was simple.
Her kidnapping ability's rules only worked on non-Nen users.
And the King's act of punching through the Queen's abdomen just now meant they had transformed from "one entity" into two separate individuals.
Which meant...
Morena calmly watched the fist still embedded in the Queen's abdomen, seeing the Queen struggle. Unable to rise at this moment, she could only turn with difficulty toward Morena, her eyes filled with panic.
Morena remained seated in her chair, looking down from a superior position at the struggling Chimera Ant Queen.
Unlike before, a trace of cruelty had quietly surfaced in the depths of her calm eyes.
For the Chimera Ant species, the reproductive Queen typically serves as the core.
When the King is born, he does not replace the Queen's position. Instead, he leaves the colony with his Royal Guard to establish his own rule.
The Queen remains settled in the nest, continuously breeding new Royal Guards and the next King until her life ends.
However, if the Queen dies, the soldier ants of the entire nest will scatter and spread across the world, pushing their reproductive capabilities to the extreme.
Their method involves forcibly mating with other female species, transforming them into tools for reproduction.
For Morena, allowing the Queen to continue breeding the next King might pose a greater threat to humanity in the future.
But this premise relies on humanity standing by idly.
Yet now, even the birth of this current King has been fraught with peril.
Let alone the next one.
Therefore, Morena would rather see the Queen's death.
Once the Queen dies, the soldier ants in the nest will be liberated, spreading across the world.
The newly born King will become humanity's primary target for eradication, drawing the majority of their attention.
This way, the remaining soldier ants can more easily escape the vortex of this battlefield.
"What a pity."
Morena gazed calmly at the Queen and murmured to herself, "The priority of tearing up the ticket is higher than accepting the ransom."
—--
Meanwhile, deep within the Chimera Ant Nest.
On the mattress where the Queen once rested, the space rippled slightly.
The King, forcibly expelled from the conjured space, suddenly appeared, his feet firmly planted and sinking deep into the soft padding.
The unique crown-like structure on his head, paired with long ears that draped down the sides of his face, reached all the way to his collarbones.
His robust body, defined by sharp muscle lines, was covered in skin of interwoven dark green and cyan hues.
But most striking was the powerful, thick tail behind him.
Its tip resembled a giant syringe, exuding an otherworldly aura.
If Morrow had been present, he could have confirmed that the King's appearance was largely similar to the original.
Yet, upon closer inspection, one could immediately spot a difference.
That were the King's eyes, they possessed double pupils, shaped almost like the symbol for infinity.
Hmm?
The slightly bizarre experience of being expelled from the conjured space gave the newborn King an indescribable sense of strangeness.
But the ensuing sounds of battle interrupted his thoughts.
And so, the King released his aura.
In this way, he announced his own birth.
—--
The vast, malevolent aura shone as brilliantly as the sun, carrying an overwhelming presence.
As the aura surged outward like a tidal wave, every human and Chimera Ant on the battlefield felt their hearts tremble.
There was no need to witness it with their own eyes.
In that same instant, both sides understood.
The King had been born.
The Royal Guard, who had been urgently seeking answers, felt only an indescribable excitement and reverence the moment they sensed this aura.
As for the humans, it was as if an invisible boulder had pressed down on their chests, a powerful pressure instantly sweeping through their entire bodies.
What a terrifying aura...
Except for the seasoned Netero and Morrow, who had some understanding of the King's strength, the other members of the Extermination Team couldn't even find the right words to describe their feelings in the face of this overwhelming presence.
It had already transcended the definition of a mere monster.
—--
Inside a passageway of the Chimera Ant Nest.
Killua was still searching for the Queen's whereabouts.
But as the King's aura swept through every corner of the nest, his pupils abruptly contracted.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his mission and dashed toward the lower levels of the nest.
Hidden in the shadows, Shaiapouf was closely monitoring Killua's every move.
However, the moment he sensed the King's presence, he didn't hesitate for even a second. With an expression of exhilaration, he swiftly flew toward the Queen's chamber.
As for Killua's existence... at this moment, it had become utterly insignificant to Shaiapouf.
Even the clone left behind in the Smoky Jail no longer bothered to maintain the act of frenzied assault against Morel and Shoot, withdrawing its previously aggressive stance.
In truth, before the King's emergence, Shaiapouf had deliberately manipulated the clone to act in a manner befitting a Royal Guard's duty, to feign a loss of reason and launch relentless attacks against the two.
Of course, this chaotic offensive was merely a bluff at its core, posing no real threat to Morel and Shoot.
Yet it successfully trapped them in an illusion, making them believe they had genuinely restrained their opponent.
In reality, it was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated play by Shaiapouf, leveraging the gap in information to seize the initiative.
Faced with the sudden change in Shaiapouf's clone, Morel and Shoot had no time to ponder the details.
The King's ominous aura rang like an alarm bell, violently echoing in their hearts.
The operation has failed...
Morel's expression darkened as he quickly assessed the situation. Without hesitation, he deactivated his Smoky Jail ability.
According to the original plan, even if they couldn't eliminate all the Chimera Ants in one fell swoop, they could at least prevent the King's birth by advancing steadily.
However, the King's premature arrival had completely disrupted their strategy.
Once the King entered the battlefield, the balance of power would be shattered instantly.
Thus, the most critical task now was to retreat immediately to a safe location.
After deactivating Smoky Jail, Morel swiftly turned to Shoot.
Even though his sunglasses concealed his gaze, years of master-disciple tacit understanding allowed Shoot to instantly understand Morel's intent.
Moreover, in such a dire situation, their only option was to abandon the fight and prioritize preserving their strength.
How could it be so soon?
Morel sighed inwardly, having already decided to retreat.
Back when the Chairman had heeded Morrow's advice and decided to risk an early assault on the nest, Morel had believed there was no need for such haste.
After all, the experts had estimated two months.
Who could have imagined that not even twenty days had passed before the King was born...
I hope the Chairman can achieve some results; at the very least, take out one of the King's Royal Guards.
Given the circumstances, the best outcome Morel could envision was to weaken the forces by the King's side, even at this critical juncture.
Meanwhile, Kite, also within the nest, made the decision to retreat in an instant.
Just as he was about to call out to Gon and the others, he noticed Knov, whose face had turned slightly pale.
Knov gestured for them to approach while staring incredulously at the dim ceiling of the passageway.
How could it be this fast...
The moment he sensed the King's aura, Knov felt immensely grateful he had entered the Chimera Ant Nest one step earlier.
Had he been even a moment later, every member of the Extermination Team inside the nest would likely have been trapped in a hopeless situation.
First, relocate Kite and the others to Hide and Seek, then Morrow and Knuckle outside...
Knov knelt on one knee, opening the passage entrance as he waited for Kite and the others to approach. Unconsciously biting his thumb, he sighed inwardly: Not only did we fail to prevent the King's birth, but we've made the Royal Guards even stronger...
As the only one who had witnessed the entire battle between Netero and Neferpitou, he knew clearly that given just a little more time, the Chairman would definitely have been able to defeat Neferpitou.
But time was precisely what they lacked most right now.
This meant Netero simply didn't have enough time to kill Neferpitou.
What was more troublesome was that Neferpitou had grown during the battle.
It was predictable that if they failed to stop the next assault, this Royal Guard of the King would only become more difficult to deal with.
—--
Outside the Chimera Ant Nest.
Youpi's mental pressure, which had been accumulating like mounting debt, instantly dissipated as the King's aura spread.
The King had been born.
And he was incredibly powerful.
This sudden change not only immediately relieved his tense mental state but also brought an unprecedented sense of security.
So much so that he entered an unusually calm state.
Even his thinking seemed to become exceptionally clear at this moment.
Anger, anxiety, urgency... being controlled by these emotions and fighting instinctively according to his nature couldn't unleash his true power.
This time, the human attack hadn't brought serious consequences.
But what about next time?
The King's birth made Youpi willing to consider how he should act in the future to better fulfill his duties as a Royal Guard.
As he pondered, Youpi's rapidly expanding body gradually slowed and returned to its original form.
Seeing this, Knuckle didn't bother wondering what Youpi was thinking. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately sprinted toward Morrow's position.
Time to retreat!
Knuckle's gaze toward Morrow conveyed this message.
Yet he was astonished to see Morrow showing no intention of withdrawing, instead still charging toward Youpi.
"Morrow?!"
Knuckle's expression shifted slightly.
But Morrow had no time to explain his motives to Knuckle.
Accretion Charge only needed one more point to detonate.
Although the Limitation of only being able to affect a single target at a time had been exchanged for the Vow effect that allowed accumulated charges to reignite when distance closed again.
Morrow knew clearly that he absolutely couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
This was the easiest stage to deal with Youpi, before he fully mastered Nen usage.
Moreover, even if accumulated charges could be preserved, he had to consider the possibility that the opponent might later use Exorcism to remove the threat.
Therefore, Morrow's mind held no room for luck or retreat.
He had to completely eliminate Youpi here.
As for other matters... he would consider them later.
Holding this determination, Morrow first threw a Deceptive Shooting Star behind him, then charged directly at Youpi.
In a state of extreme calm, Youpi merely glanced sideways at Morrow before sprinting toward the Chimera Ant Nest without looking back.
As a shield, return swiftly to the King's side and fulfill the duty of protection. As a spear, eliminate threatening humans outside the Nest and fulfill the duty of repelling enemies.
These two choices swirled in Youpi's mind.
But he quickly made his decision.
To kill Morrow right here.
This resolution stemmed from his recognition of Morrow's troublesome nature during their battle.
Thus, while approaching the Nest, Youpi calmly awaited Morrow's close-range assault.
The moment arrived as expected.
Abruptly, Youpi spun around, his multiple arms poised like sharp spears shooting toward Morrow's body.
But before they landed, brilliant starlight flooded the space.
Countless fragmented stars scattered as they were struck by the spear-like arms.
Thud, thud...
Youpi's spear arms pierced through various parts of Morrow's body, splattering blood.
"Hah...!"
Witnessing this outcome, Youpi experienced battle exhilaration for the first time.
Was this the wonder of "strategy and tactics"?
Truly effective.
As this thought crossed his mind, Youpi violently retracted his arms, observing the bloody holes now visible across Morrow's abdomen, arms, and thighs.
But before he could further savor his victory, he suddenly noticed Morrow's gaze.
Calm and composed, yet radiating palpable bloodlust.
Hmm?
Youpi's eyes narrowed.
In the next instant, a barrage of Shooting Stars shot through Morrow's abdomen while he remained mid-air.
More precisely, they emerged directly from the bloody hole in his stomach.
At such close range, with Morrow's body as cover, Youpi had no time to react.
The Shooting Star barrage relentlessly pounded into Youpi's abdomen.
The seventh Accretion Charge finally ignited.
Youpi froze, his vision abruptly tearing away from reality.
Then, excruciating pain, as if his entire body were burning, engulfed him.
What's happening...?!
He looked down and saw his own body, utterly bewildered by the unfolding events.
Knuckle, who had just witnessed this scene, and Knov, who had just emerged from the Hide and Seek corridor, both beheld an unbelievable spectacle.
Youpi's soul had detached from his body, completely enveloped in eerie blue flames.