On Flame Rock Island, outside a fossil museum.
Akira stood outside, answering a call from Chairman Netero.
"Hohohoho! Then it's settled—we'll meet again soon." Chairman Netero hearty laughter came through the phone.
"Alright. Just let me know when the time comes." Akira replied with a smile, a note of anticipation in his voice.
Beep.
As the call ended, Akira casually slipped his phone into his pocket and gazed at the sky.
"Chimera Ants, huh..."
Chairman Netero had just called to invite him to join the Chimera Ant Extermination Team.
Considering the timing, it made sense.
It was only natural for Netero to reach out to him.
After all, he alone was worth an entire team. In that case, the Chimera Ant extermination team would have one more member.
Dealing with the Chimera Ants was a crucial plotline.
Even if Netero hadn't invited him, Akira would have gone on his own.
Leaving aside what kind of Pokemon might emerge, just the three Royal Guards and the most formidable Ant King alone could provide him with a substantial amount of experience points.
As for the other "small fry" ants, they were nothing special—all pale in comparison to the Ant King.
Though their Nen abilities were bizarre and their appearances even more outlandish, their strength simply didn't impress him.
At the same time, Akira had an idea in mind.
One that would make others think he was insane if he voiced it!
That was, after dealing with the three Royal Guards, to feed their corpses to the Ant King!
The Ant King possessed an overpowering devouring ability—the more powerful the creatures he consumed, the greater his strength would be.
If the corpses of the three Chimera Ant Royal Guards were given to him, the Ant King strength would skyrocket to unimaginable heights!
Before the Martial Arts Tournament, Akira hadn't been sure whether he should go through with this plan.
A super-enhanced Ant King might give him some trouble.
But after obtaining Marshadow, Akira no longer had any such concerns.
Precisely because he understood the difference between SS-rank and S-rank, he could confidently assert: Even if the Ant King devoured the three Royal Guards, he would still be no match for Marshadow!
The Ant King, after consuming the Royal Guards' corpses, wouldn't stage a miraculous comeback—he would only provide Akira Pokemon with a massive amount of experience points!
And even if by some miracle Marshadow couldn't handle the Ant King, Gengar had the "Poor Man's Rose" stored in his belly as a backup.
All they'd need to do then was have Gardevoir or Porygon-Z toss it from a distance and flee, and the Ant King would still meet his end.
The [Poor Man's Rose] also known as the [Miniature Rose], was a highly toxic bomb created by major nations.
Though only the size of a small box, its explosion rivaled the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.
What was most terrifying wasn't its sheer force, but its extreme toxicity.
Countless miles around the blast would be shrouded in lethal poison.
In the original story, after absorbing two of the three Royal Guards, the Ant King managed to recover from the brink of death.
Yet he still died in the end.
Killed by the lingering toxins in the air.
This demonstrated just how potent the [Poor Man's Rose] was—even a being as powerful as the Ant King could only meet his end miserably.
Though humans possessed Nen, technology remained one of their irreplaceable and formidable tools.
The power of science was not to be underestimated.
Things like the [Poor Man's Rose] might not always be necessary, but having them as a backup couldn't hurt.
Due to its devastating power and horrifying toxicity, the V5 nations strictly prohibited the production and trade of the [Poor Man's Rose] and had recalled the vast majority of existing stock.
Yet, behind the scenes, production continued—only the price was exorbitant, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.
Akira, with his seemingly limitless wealth, naturally had no trouble buying it. With just a casual expenditure, he easily obtained the [Poor Man's Rose].
***
Time passed bit by bit, and soon night fell.
Deep within the dense forests of the NGL Autonomous Region stood a bizarre and ominous structure.
This was a structure built from materials like mud and clay, with an extremely bizarre shape that looked as if it had been haphazardly assembled.
Under the moonlight, the building resembled a cluster of crooked, twisted stone pillars, giving off a distorted and unsettling impression.
This was a nest constructed by the Chimera Ant colony, housing horrors beyond human imagination.
"The categories of Nen ability include Enhancer, Transmuter... and the most unique of all, Specialist."
"Increasing aura capacity and accelerating the flow of Aura—most people spend a great deal of time focusing on these two aspects..."
"The proficiency in these two aspects is the key factor that determines... the outcome of a battle."
Pokkle spoke like a marionette, his gaze vacant, mechanically reciting knowledge about Nen in a robotic tone.
Behind him stood Neferpitou—the cat girl—holding insect needles that manipulated Pokkle scalp, compelling him to speak.
"Mew-nderstood (I see)."
Neferpitou nodded with interest, continuing to control Pokkle brain to extract more knowledge.
True to her name, Neferpitou bore an uncanny resemblance to a cat. Her silver-white hair framed a pair of upright cat ears, while a long, slender tail swayed behind her.
Her overall appearance was undeniably adorable.
Yet her demeanor starkly contrasted with her looks—ruthless and brutal, with only the Ant King holding true importance in her mind.
Everything else was disposable.
Her personality mirrored that of a feline: intense curiosity and playful. In her hands, Pokkle was nothing more than a puppet to be toyed with.
Neferpitou was one of the Ant King's three Royal Guards and the first to be born among them.
As beings whose strength was second only to the Ant King, all three Royal Guards possessed Nen abilities from birth.
They were natural-born Nen Users!
Moreover, Neferpitou's intelligence was remarkably high.
With just a few books and a pair of insect needles freshly plucked from a soldier's head, she could stimulate a person's cerebral cortex, forcing them to recount their memories.
"Uh..."
Her actions left the two nearby Chimera Ants stunned, their jaws slack with disbelief.
Such a method of extracting memories through biological manipulation was utterly astonishing to them.
"So, how do you determine Nen categories?" Neferpitou's face brimmed with curiosity as she questioned Pokkle while continuing to manipulate him.
"Water Divination..."
"One last question—who is the strongest person you've ever seen? How do they compare to me?" After a brief pause, Neferpitou asked with playful intrigue.
"It's... Akira!"
"Akira is stronger!"
At the mention of "Akira," Pokkle tone noticeably shifted, becoming more animated.
Compared to his earlier emotionless, mechanical speech, he now sounded almost human again.
His previously stiff, corpse-like face even flickered with a trace of fear.
Clearly, the phantom of Tyranitar during the Hunter Exam had left deep psychological scars on him.
Just hearing Akira name triggered memories of that moment, instinctively filling him with dread.
"Oh~ Stronger than me? Akira, was it..."
A glint flashed in Neferpitou eyes—she wanted to meet this Akira.
To see who was truly stronger!
Clink.
Neferpitou casually tossed aside the two needles.
Just then, another Chimera Ant approached, carrying a cup of water with a leaf floating on its surface.
"Rammot, you go first." Neferpitou gestured to the cup on the "table"—though it was little more than a protruding rock.
Rammot was the first Chimera Ant to master Nen, the same one Beyond had mentioned to the King of Kakin.
The water in the cup suddenly surged, confirming his Nen category as Enhancer.
After Rammot test, Neferpitou tried as well.
To their surprise, the leaf in the cup withered and shattered into pieces.
Now, Neferpitou curiously poked at the nearly powdered remains of the dried leaf.
Neferpitou, finding the situation uninteresting, turned to leave, uttering one final sentence before departing.
"That one is useless now. Offer him to Her Majesty the Queen."
***
Not far from the Ant Nest
Kite, Gon and Killua were trailing three Chimera Ants back to their colony.
"This is incredible. We haven't lost track of them even once." Killua moved with light steps, careful not to make noise on the grassy terrain.
From the moment they began tracking these three Chimera Ants, Kite had never lost their position.
Clearly, he was an exceptional advanced En users!
"Didn't Kite mention it before? A 45-meter En" Gon whispered, glancing at Killua.
"I've heard that top-tier Nen Users can maintain an En of around 50 meters. Kite's already very close to that" Killua replied, tilting his head slightly in surprise.
"No, Kite's been fighting all night. His actual range might even exceed 50 meters."
Kite En was likely even broader than that.
In other words, Kite strength was undoubtedly at the level of a first-class hunter.
Kite walked ahead, but he heard every word the two boys exchanged.
He was a tall, lean man wearing a blue beret, a white shirt, and black pants. His straight, silver-white hair cascaded down to his waist.
Aside from his slender frame, Kite most striking feature was his deep-set eyes, which gave him a faint resemblance to a panda.
Through their conversations along the way, Kite had deepened the boys' understanding of Hunters.
He had even entrusted Gon with Ging Hunter License, instructing him to return it to its rightful owner when he eventually found Ging.
Just as everything seemed peaceful, the situation took a sudden, drastic turn.
As they approached a cliff, Kite sensed an overwhelming surge of malicious Aura ahead!
"Monster!"
Kite voice was low, his pupils contracting sharply before dilating again as he instinctively dropped to one knee.
"How… This is unbelievable!"
His expression darkened instantly—he had severely underestimated the situation.
Among the Chimera Ants, there existed an overwhelmingly powerful being!
"Gon! Killua! Run!"
Kite whipped his head around and shouted at the two boys.
But the suddenness of the threat left them unable to react in time.
Neither Gon or Killua could sense Neferpitou presence, leaving them bewildered as they stared at Kite panicked state.
"Damn it, it's too late!"
At the edge of the Ant Nest, Neferpitou crouched atop a stone pillar, her deep eyes piercing the distance between them—locking directly onto Kite and the others.
"Found you~"
A faint smirk curled her lips as her thighs suddenly bulged, veins throbbing violently as if pumped full of air.
With a flick of her tail, Neferpitou shot forward like an arrow, leaving no trace of her movement in the air!
"What's happening, Kite?"
Gon barely finished his question when a fierce gust of wind tore through the area, scattering droplets of blood across the ground.
In that instant, Neferpitou appeared beside Kite—her razor-sharp claws severing his right arm in one clean strike!
"Thud!"
This was the sound of an entire arm falling to the ground!
Neferpitou crouched low, adopting the stance of a cat preparing to fight.
Those large eyes glared at the two, boiling with murderous intent!
Countless waves of malicious Aura surged toward the trio like an endless crimson river.
In an instant, the entire world turned blood-red!
Especially for Gon and Killua—it felt as though their hearts were being squeezed violently, ready to burst at any moment.
Even breathing became excruciatingly difficult!
Both Gon and Killua pupils contracted sharply, stunned by this sudden turn of events.
The needle in Killua mind sent warnings through pain.
We'll die! Run!
But under the overwhelming malice emanating from Neferpitou, Killua couldn't even move to escape!
Beads of cold sweat rolled down their faces, soaking their clothes instantly.
Only then did Gon realize—Kite's arm had been severed completely!
Because of him!
If he hadn't reacted too late, Kite could have dodged that attack!
His right arm wouldn't have been lost!
"AHHH!!"
Filled with rage and regret, Gon forcibly erupted his Aura, letting out a furious roar.
The golden glow of his Aura stood out starkly against the sea of crimson malice—but it was little more than a flickering candle flame.
"Idi—"
Kite was about to sharply reprimand Gon when Killua swiftly delivered a precise chop.
But the target wasn't Neferpitou—it was Gon.
A sudden heavy blow to the back of his neck knocked Gon unconscious and Killua caught him.
"Good job! That's it, Killua! Take Gon and get out of here now!" Kite face lit up with relief as he urgently urged Killua to leave with Gon.
Staying here would only mean death for all three!
Killua gave Kite one last deep look before gritting his teeth and vanishing with Gon on his back.
Neferpitou spared a brief glance at the fleeing Killua and Gon but paid them no further mind, focusing entirely on Kite.
Only Kite held her interest. Those two were far too weak.
"Haa—"
Kite exhaled heavily, steeling himself for his final battle.
Though he still had a life-saving trump card, he couldn't guarantee it would work.
But no matter what—as a Hunter, as Ging disciple—he would never cower before a fight!
With a sharp swing of his remaining left arm, a clown-patterned "toy" suddenly materialized.
"Ahahaha! What a desperate crisis!"
"Better roll a good number this time!"
The clown laughed uproariously as the numbers on its wheel spun wildly before stopping at "3." The clown toy transformed into a mace.
This was Kite's Nen ability—Crazy Slots!
When activated, the clown's wheel would cycle through numbers 1 to 9, each corresponding to a different conjured weapon.
Kite himself had no control over which weapon appeared.
He had to use the weapon rolled before he could activate the ability again—otherwise, the weapon wouldn't disappear.
As Ging disciple, Kite strength was naturally exceptional and his Nen ability was equally outstanding.
With a total of nine weapons covering multiple combat aspects, it was an incredibly versatile ability.
But having lost an arm and fought through an entire night, Kite fate seemed all but sealed.
***
Meanwhile, Killua sprinted desperately with Gon on his back.
As if to match their mood, the sky began raining, further dampening Killua's spirits.
He and Gon had been far too overconfident!
Even combined, they couldn't match Kite—who had lost an arm.
This conclusion was evident from Neferpitou's reaction.
She was an utterly terrifying enemy!!
Whether it was Illumi, Hisoka... Even the muscle-bound Biscuit Krueger or Grandpa Zeno—none were as horrifying as her!
Killua's mind raced through name after name, but he couldn't find a single person who could stand against such a foe!
His expression grew increasingly panicked.
Was there truly no one who could defeat that enemy?!
Then suddenly, Killua thought of someone.
Akira!
That's right!
They had to find Akira!!
Only Akira could handle this!!
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