"They've all grown quite a bit..."
Oboro had been following the trio of Kite, Gon, and Killua all along.
Observing Gon and Killua's performance.
In the original work, on the day Kite brought them to the ant territory, he received a distress signal from Ponzu, a bee.
They then found a drug manufacturing factory and fought the Chimera Ants.
Later that night, Kite used his Nen ability, Death God's Waltz, to kill many ants, including the frog.
Now, due to his intervention, the course of events had changed somewhat.
Currently, Gon and Killua had not yet escaped NGL. After a month of systematic training, it was quite impressive that they could each defeat two squad-leader level Chimera Ants upon entering the ant territory. Their strength had increased slightly compared to the original work.
Not just the elite soldiers among the Chimera Ants.
"However... the real problem..."
Oboro walked at a leisurely pace.
The timeline had been delayed, causing the three to arrive later. But the ants hadn't been affected by any butterfly effect.
In other words, Neferpitou the cat-woman had been born long ago and had learned Nen. Oboro had been to the ant nest but didn't dare to get too close.
Maintaining a considerable distance.
To avoid being detected by Neferpitou…
Before the Ant King was born, Neferpitou liked to sit on a high place outside the ant nest and survey the surroundings.
From a distance, the ant nest was almost a black dot in Oboro's eyes… Even so, he felt a long-lost sensation.
It was even more pronounced than when he fought Beyond.
There was nervousness, excitement, eagerness to try… and the clearest warning, a death warning from his intuition.
Now, Kite and the trio were very close to the ant nest's main base.
It was a barren land devoid of vegetation, with ant nest structures standing like spires, extremely conspicuous.
Most critically, Neferpitou the cat-woman's perception range was unimaginably vast… Even with Kite's skill, it was difficult to detect anything once he entered Neferpitou's 'domain.' Because… it was a power beyond human comprehension.
It was the unknown!
The ants came out to hunt to find food for the Queen.
But the fact that the division chiefs dared to show themselves meant that, on some level, they were no longer worried about Oboro's existence…
Because they had a backing.
Oboro had asked Anthony and Fante to leave, and he hid alone because Neferpitou the cat-woman, after learning Nen, had heard from other division chiefs about Oboro, an interesting human, who had been roaming the territory searching for him. Oboro had been avoiding detection.
It was a game of cat and mouse between one person and one ant.
Only recently had Neferpitou lost interest and returned to the ant nest.
Oboro really wanted to fight Neferpitou… but it was risky.
According to the plan, it would be safer for Gon to kill her…
Although… it would waste a bit of time.
"It's about time…"
After walking for a while longer, Oboro stopped.
At this distance, he could already be detected by Neferpitou…
Ultimately… their physical structures were different from humans, leading to their innate senses evolving to an extraordinary level.
Oboro stopped moving forward, waiting for Kite to die, and for his soul or black mist to be collected.
...
Ahead, Kite inexplicably began to feel a growing unease in his heart.
As an excellent Hunter, such premonitions must be taken seriously.
His body was definitely warning him that he had overlooked or missed some crucial information.
"What's wrong?"
Kite took a deep breath.
By observing the changes in the surrounding terrain, he realized they were about to reach the ant nest… The Chimera Ants' habitat had sparse vegetation.
These ants were extremely ferocious, and there were almost no other living creatures near the nest. The soil used to build the nest also had certain requirements.
"Since this is the core area… why are there no signs of ant activity, except for the group from before…"
Suddenly, Kite stopped, his pupils contracting.
"Mr. Kite?"
Gon and Killua were startled, not knowing what was wrong with him.
Generally, near the ant nest, there would be a perimeter of guards to prevent external intrusion.
But there was none here…
Or rather, it wasn't that there was none.
There was a guard… but they hadn't realized it.
Kite suddenly looked up and said in a deep voice, "Let's first…"
However, before he could finish his sentence, all three of them experienced a physiological reaction.
Their hair stood on end, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
A trace of an indescribable aura… drifted towards them from a certain direction.
What monster is this?
The limbs of all three froze.
Just this faint, dispersed aura caused their minds to hallucinate.
They felt like three fragile infants, newly born, tossed into a tiger's den…
...
Behind them, Oboro's gaze seemed to pierce through space, falling upon the three startled figures.
"It's terrifying, isn't it…"
He murmured.
His hands, however, unconsciously came out of his pockets, stretching his fingers.
As if an instinctive reaction.
Yes, his eyes glinted coldly in the darkness.
Even though he had sensed Neferpitou's aura multiple times, Oboro couldn't help but feel the desire to fight her… True powerhouses never feared challenges!
Moreover, Oboro enjoyed the presence of strong opponents, which stimulated his true nature and propelled him towards higher levels!
Pressure leads to motivation!
Competition is inevitable among the strong!
Survival of the fittest; the stronger has the right to live, the loser dies.
Using stronger prey to prove oneself as the ruler is inherently exhilarating!
This is the law of nature's food chain, and humans cannot escape it.
Oboro also greatly admired this principle.
He didn't deny being a battle maniac, but the battles he craved were all for his own growth.
He suppressed his inner desires…
His calm mind was sending signals… Follow the plan. Neferpitou is bound to die; he doesn't need to act unnecessarily.
"You don't have a sure chance of defeating it now. Let alone you, even Netero might not win!"
"Your strength begins with believing in yourself. Have you forgotten even this? Will your personal will yield to death? If so, you are already a failure, and you will never compare to Netero… let alone surpass him! Even with Nen's enhancement, you will only be comparable to Beyond throughout your life. With such resolve, heading to the Dark Continent, you will not succeed!"
"Don't listen to him… he's sending you to your death. You are a transmigrator, possessing the advantage of omniscience and omnipotence. There's no need to sacrifice your life for such an obvious crisis! You must remain calm. If you die here, everything will be over!"
"Follow the plan step by step, and you will soon gain unimaginable power, perhaps even comparable to Meruem the Ant King… At that time, you can do whatever you want! Don't ruin everything for a moment of impulse! You've already dodged several times; this one time won't make a difference…"
"Are you… willing? To stand aside… not even daring to face Neferpitou, let alone the Ant King… You must believe in your own strength, just as you always have. What Netero couldn't do, doesn't mean you can't! You are Oboro, not Netero… Don't tell me you came to this world without the ambition to break the order and rules? Then what's the point of your existence in this world? Is living really that important to you?…"
"Don't listen to him, you'll die!"
"Oboro… face yourself!"
Oboro's heart was wavering.
Two conflicting thoughts were constantly crossing in his mind.
Making him slightly irritable.
This was… the first time since he transmigrated.
"Alas…"
After a while, Oboro calmed down and put his hands back into his pockets.
The plan was going smoothly…
But an unforeseen variable had appeared outside the plan.
It wasn't an external factor, but himself.
This was something Oboro hadn't anticipated.
He hadn't factored himself in…
Should I… do it?
____________________
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