Following the queen's cry, a terrifying aura filled the nest. The ant king's overwhelming presence dominated the vast space.
Low-level soldier ants dropped to their knees, trembling in fear. They weren't even worthy enough to stand in the king's presence.
The few remaining soldier captains fared only slightly better, collapsing under the pressure and struggling to rise. Only the division leaders held their ground; after a moment of hesitation, they quickly pushed past the oppressive tension and prepared to act.
At that moment, the clear hierarchy among the Chimera Ants was undeniable. Those who could move under the aura of the Ant King were incredibly powerful beings.
"Oh? It looks like our King was born early? Our King!" Neferpitou stood up from the sofa, her sharp eyes fixed deeply into the heart of the ant nest.
Her gaze seemed almost as if it could see through the rock walls, directly reaching the Ant King. "I wonder if being born this early will affect him," she mused.
Meanwhile, Youpi's delicate face was filled with sorrow, weighed down by guilt. If the situation had been different, he might have even played his violin again.
'If the King can't grow properly because of me, how can I ever face him?' he thought bitterly. 'I should wait. Wait until His Majesty achieves his goals... then take my own life. That would be fitting.'
A quiet turmoil stirred in Youpi's heart once again, as he blamed himself for failing to create the right conditions for the king. Youpi noticed his sudden emotional shift and looked at him with confusion and surprise.
"Forget it. Since this is how things are, we can't dwell on it anymore. Let's just prepare food for the king first," Youpi said, releasing his frustration before returning to his usual calm demeanor.
Meanwhile, outside the ant nest in the cave, tension was thick. "How is this possible? It actually happened a month earlier?" Morel's face went pale as he absorbed the shocking news of the ant king's sudden birth.
"No, to be exact, it's a month and three days earlier," Knov said, pushing up his glasses with a trembling voice.
The presence of the ant king was intimidating even to him, though he was still better off than in the original story, where fear aged him prematurely. This difference was thanks to Larry presence that give him sense of safety.
"Is it really ahead of schedule…" President Netero murmured, his expression a mix of surprise and complexity.
The ant king's early birth could mean a shorter lifespan, but despite this, a fierce fighting spirit still burned brightly in the old man's eyes. Alongside Netero and the others, even Larry was taken aback.
Why was the ant king's birth timing so off? Experts had estimated the king would need at least two months to be born.
In the original story, it arrived exactly one month early because the ant king, unwilling to wait any longer, forced its way into the world, a premature birth. But Larry recalled that the birth in the plot was supposed to coincide with the day Gon and the others reached their conclusion.
Now, there were still three days left before that deadline. Could his butterfly effect have caused the king to be born three days early? After some thought, Larry finally came up with a more plausible explanation.
It's likely that his Pokémon wiped out too many Chimera Ants, leaving the Queen Ant without enough food. Because of this shortage, the King Ant was born three days earlier than expected.
However, since he was already premature by about a month, those three days didn't make much difference.
"And his aura is downright terrifying," Morel said slowly, subconsciously picking up his large opium pipe that was leaning against the wall and taking another drag to steady his nerves.
The birth of the King Ant, along with his overwhelming presence, was enough to make Morel keep smoking to calm down.
"Luckily, we have Larry and President Netero on our side," Knov said, pulling out a handkerchief that seemed unchanged over the years to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
It wasn't clear if Knov was just physically weak, but he couldn't stop sweating in a situation like this. "Yeah, it's a relief they're here. If even they can't handle this, we might have to resort to some extreme measures."
Meanwhile, within the ant nest, the usual resting place of the Queen Ant, Colt and the other division leaders rushed in to find a gruesome scene. The Queen Ant lay seriously injured, crying out as blood flowed from her wounds.
Nearby stood the King Ant with his back to them, his yellow-green blood still dripping, and a terrifying aura radiating from every inch of his body. Compared to the others, the King looked like a completely different species, an even more fearsome creature. His muscles were well-defined and powerful, each inch seemingly packed with immense strength, giving the impression that a mere flick of his hand could cause devastating damage.
Two long antennae protruded from his head, which was covered by a distinctive black-green armored helmet. Like most Chimera Ants, he had a thick, strong tail ending in a poisonous needle that gleamed with a chilling cold light, like an oversized syringe filled with deadly venom that could kill if stabbed. His turquoise body wasn't just muscular; it was adorned with deep, intricate patterns that looked like a magnificent armor covering both front and back.
Over this turquoise armor lay a dark, threatening purple aura that clung tightly to him. Unlike the hazy aura of ordinary Nen users, the King Ant's aura felt dense and heavy, almost as if it was a living force surrounding his entire body.
The aura of the Ant King was so vast and overwhelming that it felt as if the air around him had solidified into a dense mass. His presence alone was immense, and the aura he emitted unconsciously made several division leaders struggle to breathe, breaking out in cold sweat.
Despite all this, the Ant King's face remained sharp and unforgettable, marked by an expression that was cold and utterly indifferent. His eyes, sharp and piercing, seemed filled with an icy detachment, as if everything around him was meaningless and under his complete control.
Whatever he liked, he kept; whatever he didn't, he destroyed, simple as that. Colt and the other division leaders stared in horror at their king, feeling as if they were caught in a spell, especially as he stood next to the dying Queen Ant. The scene was strange and unsettling.
Then, with a chilling smile curling on his lips, the Ant King said with absolute authority, "I'm hungry. Go prepare food for me."