Chapter 123: Neferpitou vs. Mord
Neferpitou crouched on all fours, adopting a combat stance.
Mord looked up and saw the muscles in Neferpitou's thighs swell to an exaggerated degree, even more extreme than the protagonist from the Street Fighter games.
Such legs often signified ultimate power.
Immediately after, Mord heard a sharp, swift sound of tearing air—it erupted abruptly and vanished in an instant, like the gentle flap of a butterfly's wing.
Yet, this single flap seemed to stir a hurricane and a colossal wave throughout the entire Chimera Ant Nest. Every passageway in the nest buzzed and vibrated.
This was an effect produced only when speed reached an extreme level. The Chimera Ant Queen in the distance couldn't react in time; the two figures in the battlefield had completely vanished from her sight moments ago.
Within the Chimera Ant hierarchy, the Queen was solely responsible for reproduction, and her own combat strength likely fell short of even the Squadron Leaders' level.
CLANG!
A deafening metallic clash rang out.
The Chimera Ant Queen covered her ears with her hands, her face contorted in agony.
Sparks flew in all directions.
Two intensely excited, grinning faces locked eyes.
Anyone unaware of the situation, seeing only Mord and the Cat Girl's expressions, might mistake them for a pair of lovers in the throes of passion, never imagining they were locked in a life-or-death struggle.
"Neferpitou is so very happy, nya."
Neferpitou raised a claw and swiped down fiercely once more.
The tremendous impact sent Mord flying backward, smashing through the stone wall of the Queen's palace and out into the open sky.
BOOM!
"As expected of the King of Ants' Royal Guard," Mord remarked, gazing at the boundless night sky. The brilliant starlight made his eyes seem to shine even brighter.
In that moment, what Mord saw was the infinite expanse of the night sky, the sea of stars, and the limitless possibilities of biological evolution.
"Nake, Benihime!"
Hovering mid-air, Mord swung his blade with force. A massive, dark crimson crescent-shaped blade aura shot through the air, racing toward the pursuing Neferpitou at incredible speed.
Caught off guard, Neferpitou took the full force of Mord's slash and was sent flying backward, crashing through one of the nest's upper spires.
Rubble flew and dust clouds billowed.
Neferpitou rose from the ruins, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth with her hand, yet the aura emanating from her showed no signs of weakening.
"Heh, truly a monster," Mord remarked as he landed on the ground from dozens of meters in the air, gazing at the Cat Girl atop the ant nest with a light chuckle.
The two exchanged a glance and transformed into two streaks of light, clashing once again in battle.
In the distance, Kite, Gon, and Killua watched the continuous explosions of energy collisions from afar, their expressions shifting dramatically.
"So fast," Killua murmured. After being tempered by Mord several times, he had begun to grasp some methods of using his Nen ability, but his progress paled in comparison to the two before him. Their speed was on an entirely different level.
With their current strength, neither Killua nor Gon could even track the trajectory of Mord and Neferpitou's movements.
Even Kite was visibly shaken.
"Who's fighting up ahead? They're incredible," Gon exclaimed, his bright eyes wide with curiosity.
Killua ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply.
"More than incredible. Either one of them is stronger than anyone I've ever encountered—stronger than Hisoka and even my brother."
Kite's expression turned grave. "Both of you, return to the border immediately and notify the Hunter Association," he instructed. "One of them is a Chimera Ant."
Gon opened his mouth to say something, but Killua cut him off.
"Gon, let's go. Staying here will only be a burden. You don't want to distract Kite because of us, do you? We agreed beforehand to follow Kite's orders."
Killua, sharp as ever, immediately understood the implication behind Kite's words. The Chimera Ants had not only learned Nen but had also produced such a powerful entity among them—an unprecedented catastrophe for humanity.
Grabbing Gon's arm, Killua turned to leave. Before going, he asked one final question.
"Is it the King of Ants?"
Kite shook his head, his voice low. "The King likely hasn't been born yet. The one before us is most likely one of the King's Royal Guards."
With that answer, Gon and Killua finally departed, though their hearts burned with curiosity about the identity of the person fighting the Royal Guard.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Neferpitou's smile grew increasingly radiant. She seemed utterly oblivious to the injuries accumulating on her body, her attacks swift as the wind, growing faster and more ferocious.
Though Mord held the upper hand in the fight, he noticed that as time passed, Neferpitou's assaults became sharper and her speed steadily increased. This creature was evolving mid-battle!
Neferpitou's cat claws danced through the air, her fingers hook-like, each swipe unleashing a sharp, cutting gust. Mord met her with sword strikes swift as lightning, the two engaged in a relentless exchange of blows.
Kite glanced at the distant combatants, then lifted his gaze to the towering Chimera Ant Nest. Without hesitation, he charged toward it at full speed. If a mere Royal Guard was already this powerful, he couldn't fathom how strong the soon-to-be-born King would be.
He had to—he absolutely had to kill the Chimera Ant Queen before the King was born! This was the only thought consuming Kite's mind.
On the battlefield, both Neferpitou and Mord took note of Kite's presence.
Mord wasn't particularly surprised by Kite's appearance.
Instead, it was Cat Girl who became utterly flustered upon seeing the direction Kite was heading. She immediately tried to break away from Mord to intercept Kite.
But facing Mord, she was already at a disadvantage. Now distracted, Mord seized the opportunity to use Thunder Fang Thrust, piercing through her left shoulder.
Originally, Mord had aimed this strike at Cat Girl's heart. At the critical moment between life and death, she reacted just enough to save her life.
Meanwhile, Kite had already entered the Chimera Ant Nest.
Looking at the corpses of Chimera Ants along the way, his face was filled with shock.
"Was it that man from earlier who did this?"
The trail of Chimera Ant corpses left by Mord's slaughter now served as Kite's guide to the queen's palace.
Seeing another man appear in her palace, the Chimera Ant Queen lamented in sorrow.
"My death doesn't matter, but my child, the King hasn't been born yet!"
Kite looked at the Chimera Ant Queen and opened his right hand.
Although his perception told him she wasn't strong, he understood the principle of using full force even against weak opponents, especially at such a critical moment where no mistakes could be made.
"Crazy Slots!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a clown toy suddenly materialized in Kite's right hand.