Chapter 12: The Fate of the Ant King and Isaac Netero
After Leo left, Isaac Netero had already begun preparations to head toward NGL.
Three days earlier, Netero dispatched Knov — the spatial-type Nen user best known for his ability to retreat safely — along with his disciple, Palm Siberia.
Palm's Nen ability allowed her to continuously monitor any target she had seen once. This was meant to prevent any escape after alerting their quarry.
Netero warned them in advance that the enemy was extraordinarily strong, so survival came first. He emphasized one rule above all: they must never display Nen before the Chimera Ants, and absolutely must not use Nen to attack them. "Knov," he added, "you may bring as many firearms as you wish."
Knov studied the Chimera Ant intelligence thoroughly. After long consideration, he accepted the mission. From the armory, he took two pistols, two assault rifles, one sniper rifle, and a single rocket launcher.
Upon crossing the border into NGL, Knov placed spatial markers at intervals, creating multiple escape routes in case of emergencies.
Palm remained inside the Four-Dimensional Apartment.
On the second day of their reconnaissance, she witnessed a horrifying scene — several humanoid, carapaced creatures chasing children outside a small village.
"Could these be Chimera Ants?" Knov muttered. They were supposed to be insectoid, not human-shaped. But if they had devoured humans and absorbed human genes, then the message's warning might indeed be true — such creatures could grow powerful enough to challenge even the world's strongest man, Isaac Netero himself.
Realizing the danger, Knov thought for a moment. Palm's ability required only a small window of space to observe through. He made his decision.
Rushing out, Knov opened fire with his assault rifle, riddling the Chimera Ants with bullets — but deliberately avoided their heads.
After ensuring the children's safety, he dropped one of his guns at the scene and retreated.
One of the wounded Chimera Ants picked up the weapon awkwardly and limped away.
Knov watched from behind a tree, pushing up his glasses. He had confirmed what the report said — Chimera Ants could only be killed with headshots. The experiment was a success.
Opening a door to his Four-Dimensional Apartment, Knov stepped through several portals until he emerged inside Hunter Association Headquarters.
Isaac Netero was already waiting for him.
When Knov appeared with a grim expression, Netero immediately understood — the intelligence was true.
Knov said, "The Chimera Ants have eaten humans and gained human genes. If they learn Nen, they'll become terrifying. Perhaps that message wasn't exaggerating."
Netero smiled faintly. "I already knew it wasn't."
"Why?" Knov asked.
"Intuition," Netero replied.
When Knov shot the Chimera Ant earlier, he had already opened a button-sized portal from the Four-Dimensional Apartment, allowing Palm to observe the outside world and activate her surveillance ability.
Netero then began making arrangements for the coming battle. Once the team reached the Ant Queen's nest, they were to open a spatial gate for him to enter.
He also submitted a request for the deployment of the biological weapon, the Black Rose. If Netero were to fall, he would use his final breath to hold the Ant King in place.
After a full day and night of meditation, Isaac Netero was in peak condition. At that moment, Knov sent word — the Chimera Ants had reached the Queen's nest.
Without hesitation, Netero stepped through Knov's portal and appeared before the Ant Queen.
"Now," Netero said calmly, "recall all Chimera Ants and devour them. I'll permit you to give birth to the Ant King and let him face me in battle. Otherwise, you die here and now."
The Ant Queen stared at the terrifying human before her, trembling.
The Ant Queen felt it instinctively — a primal warning of death. If she did not obey the man before her, she would die.
Her sole duty was to give birth to the Ant King. Every other Chimera Ant was expendable, mere nourishment for that purpose. So the Queen let out a piercing roar, sending a command to recall all Chimera Ants. When they returned, she began devouring them one by one.
Throughout the process, Isaac Netero remained motionless, eyes closed in silent meditation. He neither spoke nor interfered.
When the Queen swallowed the last Chimera Ant, a sharp tearing sound filled the chamber. A single arm burst from her abdomen, slick with blood.
Netero opened his eyes and said calmly, "So, you've come… Ant King."
The newborn Ant King clawed his way out of the Queen's body. Without hesitation, he began to eat — devouring his mother completely until not a trace remained. He could feel it — the overwhelming killing intent and terrifying power radiating from the man standing before him.
Netero's thoughts sharpened. What a terrifying creature. He has no Nen, yet his power rivals the unimaginable. Even his presence carries invisible weight.
His own killing intent began to rise.
When the Ant King finished consuming the Queen, Netero finally spoke. "Being the strongest is dull… but now you're quite strong yourself. Unfortunately, you only possess a powerful body — not a powerful Nen."
At that moment, Netero unleashed Hyakushiki Kannon — the Hundred-Type Guanyin. Ninety-nine palms of divine power struck the Ant King again and again, shattering his limbs, cracking his skull, leaving deep imprints across his body.
Yet the Ant King lived. Even with only his head and torso remaining, he survived.
A wave of energy erupted from his body — pressure so immense that even Isaac Netero felt fear. What overwhelming aura, what terrifying Nen. Was it the result of consuming human genes, or had he been born with the potential to awaken Nen?
Netero's expression hardened as he saw flesh sprouting from the Ant King's severed limbs. Not good, he thought. I can't hold back any longer.
He struck again with Hyakushiki Kannon, another flurry of ninety-nine palms. When the smoke cleared, the Ant King stood unharmed.
Impossible. It wasn't regeneration — it was armor, formed from sheer, condensed aura. Absolute defense born of absolute power.
Netero took his stance once more. This was it — his final technique. "Hyakushiki Kannon: Zero," he whispered.
In that instant, time itself seemed to stop.
The Ant King sensed death. In the void of darkness that filled his mind, only a single crimson word appeared — Death.
This blow would kill him. Born prematurely and undernourished, the Ant King had yet to reach his true peak. He died under the hand of humanity's strongest — Isaac Netero.
When it was over, Netero's body weakened. His once-mighty muscles shrank until he looked like little more than skin and bone. He sighed softly. So this is age, after all.
Then, laughter. "Ha... ha... ha... At least it was a fight worth having."
When the battle ended, Knov arrived at the scene. What he saw left him speechless. The devastation was beyond comprehension. Even he forgot to adjust his glasses.
He looked around until a faint voice called out — it was Netero.
"Throw the Black Rose here," Netero said weakly. "Detonate it."
Knov froze. "What? Didn't you already kill the Ant King?"
Netero shook his head. "Even in my last moments, I can't be certain. His aura is too vast. I only know this — he's still within range."
Hearing this, Knov dropped the Black Rose and immediately retreated into the Four-Dimensional Apartment. When he emerged again, he stood atop a distant mountain ridge, far from the battlefield.
Then, the world trembled. A deafening explosion shook the land, and in the sky, a black rose bloomed — vast, silent, and deadly.
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