But unfortunately, this was just his imagination. The thought was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
As Meruem emerged from the pit, he felt the desolate, lifeless air pressing down on him, sending a wave of unease through his body.
"The environment here is too harsh. If I stay any longer, my injuries and the poison will only worsen. I have to leave—now."
The thought had barely formed when dizziness struck. His vision blurred, and he was forced into an emergency landing. His footing was unsteady, his entire form wavering as if he would collapse at any moment.
Every ounce of his Nen was focused inward, desperately maintaining the fragile balance within his body. There was no energy left to defend against external threats.
For the first time, he found himself in a place that could truly spell his death.
"Move! I have to move!"
Meruem gritted his teeth and forced himself forward, but every step felt impossibly heavy. His legs resisted, his body screamed in agony, but he pushed on. Staying here meant certain death.
One step. Then another. And then—
"Huh?"
With great effort, he lifted his gaze. Standing ahead, completely unharmed, was Ronnel. The human watched him with unsettling calm, as though he had expected this outcome all along.
Meruem's mind raced, flashing through countless images.
"Clone, advance, retreat, explosion, poison... That's it."
Everything clicked in an instant.
"No wonder you never revealed your clone until the end. No wonder you only used the poison once before... It was all leading up to this."
His voice was low and strained, every word a struggle.
The battles he'd fought against Ronnel had sharpened his instincts, allowing him to reconstruct the sequence of events in his mind.
"That's right." Ronnel nodded slightly, his gaze steady as he observed Meruem's fading form, a candle in the wind.
A hollow chuckle escaped the Ant King's lips.
"It seems... today's test was doomed to fail."
A memory surfaced—an old human warrior's words from their last encounter:
"Never underestimate the malice of humans, Ant King."
Humans... In the end, he had lost.
Meruem let his eyes drift shut. For the first time since his birth, he truly understood what it meant to be powerless.
Like those humans he had once consumed—weak, helpless, resigned to fate.
A thick, dark fluid seeped from his mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes. The delicate balance he had fought so hard to maintain unraveled completely.
The battle was over.
He had no desire to prolong this moment with useless, gasping breaths.
A king should die with dignity.
As his body succumbed to the inevitable, Meruem opened his eyes one last time, staring at Ronnel. In that final moment, words were unnecessary. His gaze alone conveyed everything he wanted to say.
"Komugi... She will dedicate her life to her game."
Ronnel remained silent, sensing the rapid dissipation of Meruem's aura and life force. He gave a small nod, his voice steady.
"I promise."
This was the Ant King's last request.
Hearing that, a faint, almost peaceful smile tugged at Meruem's lips. His unfocused eyes shimmered, as if glimpsing something beautiful beyond the veil of death.
"I... I wish I could play another match."
His lips moved, but no sound came out. Yet Ronnel understood.
A quiet, content farewell.
"No chance."
Ronnel exhaled, watching as Meruem's pupils expanded, losing focus until they faded into empty gray. His arms fell slack, and his final breath slipped away.
Meruem, King of the Chimera Ants, was dead.
The chaos and destruction brought upon by the Chimera Ants had finally come to an end.
Ronnel stood before the fallen king, unmoving.
Meruem's once-dark green skin had turned ashen gray, his entire body drained of life. And yet, there was no lingering resentment. No fear, no hatred. Only a quiet, unfulfilled longing.
A king who had died not in rage, but in regret.
Regret that he never got to see her again.
He only wanted to return... to play one last match.
Ronnel's expression remained unreadable. Then, at the exact moment of Meruem's passing, a golden glow flickered around his body before vanishing in an instant.
The effect of Upgrade Game.
Slaying the strongest being in the known world—no, including the Dark Continent—had granted Ronnel an unimaginable surge of experience points.
His ability had reached its absolute limit, pushed beyond any threshold he had ever imagined.
But he didn't bother checking the changes. Instead, his gaze shifted toward a distant point on the horizon.
"That's... gold?"
Through En, he sensed someone rapidly approaching.
Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket and dialed a number.
...
Somewhere far away, amidst desolate, rolling desert hills—
"Beep~ That bastard called again!"
Ging Freecss was sprinting at full speed when a sharp, irritating ringtone cut through the silence.
The sound of screeching brakes echoed in his head. He came to an abrupt stop, reaching into his coat.
This specific ringtone was reserved for one number alone—Ronnel's.
If he's calling, that means he's still breathing, right?
Ging didn't hesitate. He pressed the answer button and lifted the phone to his ear, his face impassive.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was unmistakably familiar, filled with its usual energy.
Ging's lips twitched into a small smirk as relief washed over him.
He's fine. Just not dead.
He opened his mouth to speak—but before he could get a word in, Ronnel beat him to it.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)