Some time passed, and the next day, within the ant nest.
The Queen Ant, with her greatly distended abdomen, lay on a makeshift bed of piled earth, resembling a chair or a bed. One hand rested on her round belly.
She transmitted her words through mental waves, "My child… you are the King who will rule the world, the ruler…"
"Ah!"
Before she could finish, she let out a sudden scream.
It was fetal movement… the giant shadow within her belly seemed eager to emerge.
"Don't rush, wait a little longer. Your current nutrition..."
The Queen's voice was tinged with panic.
Although she had given birth to ants like the division chiefs, who possessed excellent fused genes, her own genes were immutable, and she couldn't speak. She could only 'communicate' through special signals transmitted among the ant colony.
Immediately, the Queen Ant became anxious, and the intense pain caused her to let out a piercing wail.
Because a fist broke through her abdomen from the inside, extending outwards…
As a figure slowly stood up from a hunched posture, the Ant King, covered in slime, was born…
The first to arrive were naturally Pouf, with his butterfly-like wings, and Youpi, with his crimson skin. The two approached like black streaks, immediately kneeling on one knee in a gesture of submission.
Meruem glanced coldly at the Queen Ant, flicked his tail with its stinger, and remained indifferent to the Queen's plight.
Pouf and Youpi introduced themselves one after another.
Then came the division chiefs, alerted by the news…
The moment all the division chiefs saw the King, their hearts trembled, filled with awe and fear from the depths of their souls.
Then, the scene unfolded as it did in the original work.
Among the division chiefs, a turtle-like creature stepped forward, attempting to flatter the Ant King… To its surprise, its head was crushed by a tail in the blink of an eye, and it fell to the ground.
Another division chief also died.
Because these ants were not yet aware of Meruem's personality, their behavior was bound to displease him… No matter how many times it was repeated, or in what environment, the death of some division chiefs was inevitable.
"You're saying there were originally three members of the Royal Guard… the missing one, Neferpitou, was killed by humans." Meruem said calmly, looking at Pouf kneeling on the ground.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Pouf replied.
Meruem didn't need to ask for basic information about humans; it already had this part within its genetic consciousness.
It just didn't have a deep understanding of humans.
"I did sense a presence when I was in the womb… that must have been her. However, since she's dead… it proves she was useless, like these other wastes, unworthy of being by my side." The Ant King glanced at the trembling division chiefs beside him and strode out of the cave between Pouf and Youpi.
This was the nature of ants… After the new King was born, it would leave the original colony to establish its own force and territory.
And its… additional mission, deep within its genes… was to rule this world.
From the moment it gained consciousness, it understood this clearly.
Therefore… Meruem left without hesitation.
Pouf and Youpi didn't even look back at their fellow ants, following closely behind the King and disappearing into the cave.
Meruem… he didn't know his own name yet.
...
After these three left, the division chiefs finally recovered and checked on the Queen Ant's injuries.
The injuries were too severe…
She was on the verge of death, and their abilities were insufficient to save her.
Immediately, Colt thought of humans.
The only way to save the Queen Ant was to seek help from humans…
At this moment, he couldn't afford to worry about anything else.
At the very least, they, the division chiefs, owed their loyalty to the Queen.
Due to their differing personalities, some division chiefs felt no grief at the Queen's impending death, even considering it a good thing… With the Queen gone, they would be free, no longer confined to this small territory… They could fully enter the human world and fulfill their ambitions and dreams.
Hagya the Lion, Zazan the Scorpion, Kid the Leopard, and others successively declared their intention to leave the group… and their subordinate squad leaders naturally followed them.
Colt never expected… that what seemed like a united group would suddenly be 'disintegrated' from within with the birth of the Ant King.
Hagya even mocked Colt's foolish loyalty before leaving.
They were superior beings, yet they would beg humans for help, how laughable.
But Colt didn't care about that. Without a second thought, he flew out of the ant nest, holding a white flag, and began searching for human Nen users… He knew that humans had already planned an offensive against them, and the number of ants venturing outside had been decreasing recently.
On a tree not far from the ant nest, Oboro stood tall on the trunk, waiting for Colt's appearance.
He had just sensed an extremely terrifying aura… but the moment he was about to come into contact with it, he had avoided it.
Because as soon as he touched that aura, the creature emitting it would detect his location… and that would be dangerous.
The Ant King Meruem.
Even so, as Oboro retreated while maintaining a considerable distance… he still sensed a faint gaze looking in his direction.
But because his concealment of aura had reached its peak, even if Meruem noticed him, it might not have taken him seriously, or in the latter's eyes, he was just an insignificant ant, or some lowly creature not worth mentioning.
He had some insight… but hadn't discovered he was human, so it wasn't enough to pique the other's interest.
That aura… was different from Neferpitou the cat-woman's.
If Neferpitou's aura was like a vast lake, then the Ant King Meruem… was an ocean.
Judging solely by aura, it had already surpassed human comprehension.
If Neferpitou's aura could be matched, or even surpassed, by a peak Netero or a Gon decades later… then the Ant King was absolutely impossible.
As for Nen intensity, Oboro wasn't entirely sure… because they hadn't fought. He could only infer slightly from the will contained within the 'aura' emanating from the other party. Based on the original work, Meruem couldn't break through Netero's Hundred-Type Guanyin for a time, indicating that even if the Ant King's Nen intensity was slightly stronger than the cat-woman's, it wasn't significantly so.
Its true terror lay in its physical body.
Nen intensity was related to the heart and will… Compared to the Ant King after encountering Komugi, being baptized by 'The Rose of Poor,' its spirit had been sublimated and faced perils. Now, just born, no matter how powerful its Nen intensity, it would definitely not be stronger than Oboro.
Of course, it wasn't that far off either.
The Ant King's innate talent was already terrifying…
Devour, evolve!
Similar to Oboro's Nen ability, there was no ceiling!
As long as it had enough time, it… would indeed become a disaster for all of humanity.
Therefore, whether it was V5 or Netero, their decision was wise.
The Ant King… must die!
No matter the cost.
After confirming Meruem had left, Oboro approached the ant nest. He knew Colt would appear… the Queen Ant was nearing her end.
High in the sky, Colt's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He didn't know how to negotiate with humans, or if humans would be willing to help him.
But as he soared through the sky with his wings spread, suddenly, his pupils constricted. With his excellent eyesight, he clearly saw a familiar figure standing in a gap between the shade of trees, waving at him.
After confirming the other party's identity, Colt's limbs turned cold.
It was him!
The human powerhouse in a suit… the monster that made them Chimera Ants tremble in fear.
Colt was terrified. Yet, at this moment, when the Queen Ant's life was in peril, he had returned… What did this man want?
Slaughter?
Colt was smart. The Ant King, Pouf, and Youpi had already left, and the ant nest was in disarray. They had no capital to stop this human!
The gap between them was too vast, even if he was alone…
He understood. Rather than being afraid now… the Queen Ant's life was the most important thing. As long as they could get human help, it didn't matter if it cost him his life.
With this thought, he descended from the sky, landing on a branch in front of Oboro, waving a makeshift white flag of surrender.
"We surrender!"
As soon as he stabilized himself, Colt directly knelt before Oboro and said in a deep voice.
"We hope for your human help…"
After speaking, Colt looked up, his gaze filled with nervousness and anticipation as he looked at Oboro.
This man possessed such immense strength, he must be a top figure among human Nen users, someone who could speak with authority.
In Colt's view, the other human Nen users active in their territory recently were all more or less related to this person, perhaps even part of his group.
Oboro had calculated the timing of his arrival precisely to avoid others coming into contact with Colt.
This way, he could wait for the rabbit to come to him.
"The Queen Ant is dying?"
Oboro smiled slightly, without waiting for him to finish.
Colt was somewhat taken aback, not expecting Oboro to know.
"Yes… our Queen is critically ill and urgently needs…"
"Shhh shhh shhh."
Oboro interrupted him again.
"You only need to answer one question, and I'll consider whether to help you?"
Oboro's lips curved into a smile.
"Are all your division chiefs still in the nest… haven't left?"
"...Yes."
Colt swallowed, a bad premonition forming in his heart.
"Mhm…"
"Have you counted how many humans you've killed?"
Oboro asked calmly.
"…"
"As outsiders, you trespassed into someone else's home without permission, caused a ruckus… and then you clamor for the homeowner to clean up your mess… Do humans owe you anything?"
Oboro put his hands in his pockets, slowly leaned down, and stared at the kneeling ant. "Among you, although some have awakened memories from their human lives and can be considered to have some conscience, most cannot shed their ingrained bad habits, which are inherent in their genes…"
"If the Queen hadn't been in trouble… would you have sought peace with humans? Given your nature, humans would still be food, right?"
Gulp.
Colt's throat bobbed, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"You see… we are merely participating in the game and rules you chose. Now, you want to change the rules… that won't do."
"Therefore, my answer is, I refuse to cooperate."
"However… thank you for the information you've provided."
With that, Oboro took out a hand, stepped into the air, and slowly reached out towards Colt.
The latter looked at the fingers gradually approaching his face, his eyes filled with despair.
He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
He knew… it was over!
____________________
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