Ronnel glanced at his phone, smirked, then slipped it back into his pocket.
That guy was really persistent.
Still, considering how many times he had called, his Nen must have improved quite a bit.
After waiting for the right moment, Ronnel finally called him back.
At the same time, he watched Bisky and Shizuku walking off, and another thought crossed his mind.
"I need to prepare first. If I just go after the Ant King now, it'll be nearly impossible."
With that, he vanished from the hotel entrance in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace on the streets.
...
Greed Island.
Meleoron chewed on an apple absentmindedly, exhaling in boredom as he watched Hina playing with the little girl.
So carefree.
Bzzt—Bzzt—Bzzt.
Just as he was sighing, his phone buzzed at his waist.
"This number..." His hand trembled slightly as he pressed the answer button. "Finally... he's calling?"
...
A month of seclusion had allowed Ronnel to gain complete control over his body.
All the powerful abilities he had extracted from the Chimera Ants were now seamlessly integrated with his own. His physical talent in strength and speed had merged into something even more refined, making his entire body feel effortlessly coordinated.
At this point, he had surpassed the Ant King. His body embodied the apex of natural selection—combining the advantages of all living creatures, refined to absolute perfection.
To avoid future imbalances, Ronnel had spent considerable time restructuring his body's Nen pathways, ensuring absolute equilibrium. No matter how much his abilities or energy expanded, his body could absorb and adapt instantly.
With this foundation set, he absorbed the Nen remnants from the Chimera Ants he had fought, as well as from other powerful foes he had defeated but hadn't had time to process yet. His strength skyrocketed again.
Now, more than ever, "monster" was a more fitting description for Ronnel than for the Ant King.
After finalizing his meeting spot with Meleoron, he contacted two more people—Ickshonpe and Emuksu.
If he wanted to be truly prepared, they were the best options.
Ronnel had no fear of a direct confrontation with the Ant King. Even if the King and all three Royal Guards attacked together, he was absolutely confident in his victory.
But if he could achieve his goal with less effort, why not?
What Ronnel wanted wasn't just the battle—it was the power he could extract from the Ant King's corpse.
The ultimate goal? To claim the body of an Ant King that had endured the Poor Man's Rose, survived, and truly ascended to the peak of evolution.
Only then would the Ant King be at his highest value.
And to ensure the King reached that stage, Ronnel needed to play his cards right.
Over the next two days, he secured the necessary supplies through Ickshonpe's online delivery connections.
Then, after speaking with Razor over the phone, Meleoron was released from Greed Island and met Ronnel at the border of the East Gorteau Republic.
"Oh? Seems like you've improved a lot," Ronnel remarked, eyeing Meleoron. Despite the off-white hoodie, he carried himself differently now.
There was a calmness to him, a subtle but undeniable power radiating beneath his skin. He was no longer just a low-ranking division leader among the Chimera Ants.
"With a proper master and a structured training method—not to mention a little natural talent—if I didn't put in the effort, I wouldn't be able to call myself an avenger," Meleoron said with a weary grin.
Not just him, but Bloster and Hina had also undergone training on Greed Island, growing stronger than before. However, one was too laid-back, and the other too playful—neither as committed to training as Meleoron was.
As a result, he had become the strongest of the three.
He ran three green fingers across his chest, pulled out a few cigarettes, and lit one with a small spark from his fingertips before taking a deep drag.
"Want one?"
"No, I don't smoke," Ronnel replied with a shrug.
Meleoron didn't press the matter, tucking the rest away before giving Ronnel another look.
His natural sensitivity to his surroundings made it easy to sense changes in people, and Ronnel was no exception.
"You've gotten stronger... way stronger than you were in the Queen's palace."
With his newfound strength, Meleoron had a deeper understanding of Nen and power. The more he learned, the more he realized how terrifyingly strong certain individuals were.
The Ant King was one.
Ronnel was another.
Initially, Meleoron had planned to rely on his own abilities—stealth and surprise attacks—to help Ronnel take the King down.
But standing before him now, he suddenly felt like that strategy might not even be necessary.
Ronnel might just be able to take on the Ant King head-on.
This realization sent a jolt of excitement through Meleoron. His hope for revenge surged anew.
"My abilities include basic [Invisibility] and two Nen techniques—[Perfect Plan] and [God's Accomplice]."
Eager to be useful, Meleoron carefully explained his techniques to Ronnel.
[Invisibility] was an innate ability, a product of his chameleon biology rather than Nen.
The other two, however, were Nen-based—extensions of his invisibility, enhanced by specific conditions and rules, making them significantly more powerful.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)