Chapter 182: Counter-Type Hatsu
The emergence of the giant serpent had posed an existential threat to Benket's squad, claiming the lives of several members within seconds.
Ronin, trailing the group, hadn't intended to let them be wiped out. They had served their purpose by drawing the guardian out and exposing its mechanics, and they had performed admirably.
Seeing that Colin's spears were insufficient to deliver a killing blow, Ronin had stepped in.
The Wind Style: Rasenshuriken had functioned as a high-velocity meat grinder. Upon impact, the compressed wind blades had pulverized the serpent's head and the upper third of its massive body into a fine red mist and slurry.
The rain of gore left Benket and his survivors dazed, but they all felt a profound wave of relief. The pressure the serpent had radiated was suffocating; seeing it erased so casually was both terrifying and comforting.
However, when Benket saw Ronin step out from the treeline, his expression soured.
It took him only a second to realize that his entire unit had been used as a "stalking horse" by Ronin.
He let us take the opening casualties to clear the path, Benket thought, though he couldn't quite figure out how Ronin had arrived so quickly. He was certain they had seen signs of Ronin's team fighting ahead of them—the scorched trees and piles of dead ants on the trail suggested Ronin's group had been the vanguard.
Benket had planned to use Ronin's "impulsive" trio as the shield. Instead, Ronin had circled back and let Benket's squad walk into the meat grinder.
It was a classic professional gamble, and Benket had lost.
But since Ronin had stepped in to save the remnants of his squad when he could have just let them die, Benket couldn't openly complain. Professionally speaking, he owed Ronin a life-debt.
Ronin gave Benket a distant, professional nod and turned his focus to the cave entrance.
The Queen was no longer visible on the ledge, but the sense of unease radiating from the dark aperture had intensified.
Benket followed Ronin's gaze. He didn't rush to the cave; instead, he immediately began regrouping his survivors and tallying the casualties.
Team Ronin assembled at the edge of the clearing.
The two groups stood together, yet remained distinct entities. Their shared focus was the hive.
The cliffside above the entrance presented an unsettling sight. Hundreds of dark holes pockmarked the rock, and in many of them, the silhouettes of giant ants were visible. Yet, the insects made no move to descend. They watched in eerie silence, as if they were under orders to let the intruders enter the "Den" unhindered.
"You arrived first," Benket said, breaking the silence. "What's the situation inside?"
Ronin nodded. "We reached the perimeter, but the serpent blocked any attempt to enter the primary shaft."
Benket didn't entirely believe him. But looking at the ground near the cave, there were only serpent tracks—no signs of a major battle. He reasoned that if Ronin had truly breached the interior, the current scene wouldn't be this quiet.
Benket had a premonition: the danger inside that cave eclipsed the serpent by an order of magnitude.
Do we go in?
He hesitated. But the unit had already paid the "blood tax" to get this far. Turning back now would make those deaths meaningless.
Furthermore, in the world of Ruins Hunting, risk was the direct currency of reward. The true treasures of Mahavi were likely hidden in the heart of that nest.
Benket looked at his survivors. Most nodded solemnly, their faces masks of grim determination.
Ronin didn't wait for them to finalize their resolve. He had no intention of being slowed down by Benket's bureaucracy anymore.
He gestured to Mashur and Vanessa, and the trio began walking toward the dark mouth of the cave.
As he walked, Ronin's mind was locked on a specific tactical puzzle: How did the Queen block the Shadow Clone's kunai?
Through the Sharingan's playback, he had seen the projectile shrink as it approached her. It didn't slow down; it simply diminished in scale until it was sub-atomic and ceased to exist in the physical plane.
The mechanic reminded him of Zeno's Paradox—the concept of a distance that can be halved infinitely but never reached. Or, more accurately, the "Green Baby" from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, whose Stand ability shrunk anything approaching it in proportion to the distance.
"A foot-long stick, halved daily, will not be exhausted in ten thousand generations."
If the Queen—or her protector—possessed a Hatsu that enforced this spatial paradox, a physical attack was impossible. No matter how much power or speed was behind a strike, it would shrink into nothingness before it could make contact.
But every ability has a cost, Ronin analyzed.
A spatial Hatsu of that caliber must be an Interception-type (Counter) ability. It likely triggered automatically upon the detection of a hostile projectile or aura.
If it was a Hatsu, it consumed aura. If he could maintain a continuous, high-volume assault, could he bankrupt the user's POP (Total Reserves)?
But there was another anomaly.
During the clone's encounter, the Queen appeared to be a non-Nen user. Her aura was natural and unrefined.
Yet the source of the overwhelming "Interception" aura was coming from her abdomen.
The fetus.
The next generation of the colony—the unborn Ant King.
How much aura does an unborn King possess? If we try to drain it, will we just trigger its birth?
Ronin thought of Meruem. The Ant King of the NGL was a being beyond human measurement.
But the Mahavi colony was different. Based on the "Guardian" serpent's strength, this King might not be as physically dominant as Meruem.
However, its Hatsu was far more sophisticated. A natural "Limitless" defense made it a "Checkmate" type opponent.
To beat it, Ronin would have to master the paradox himself, or find a way to strike from a dimension the King couldn't Halve.
I hope it's ready to come out, Ronin thought, his blood humming with excitement. I want to see what a spatial-manipulating Ant King looks like.
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