HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 167: Premature Birth

Inside the Ant Nest

The few remaining Squadron Leader Chimera Ants had gathered together.

"Hey hey hey, seriously? Even now, those guys still aren’t planning to make a move?" Meleoron, wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, had an expression of utter disbelief, his already large eyes widening further.

His words were filled with dissatisfaction toward Neferpitou and the other Royal Guards.

Meleoron was rather unique—a chameleon-type Chimera Ant.

He possessed big, bulging eyes and a tail that twisted in a manner similar to a mosquito coil.

"Though I don’t know what their reasoning is, it’s true they show no intention of acting" Bihorn, the muscular bull-type Chimera Ant with a pair of horns, said solemnly.

Bihorn genes contained bovine DNA, making him the physically strongest among the Squadron Leaders.

Yet, despite his immense power, he wasn’t cruel like Zazan or Welfin.

His only concern was his loyalty to the Queen and he usually stayed in the nest tending to her.

"Are you kidding me?"

"There were thirty Squadron Leaders! And in less than a month, only eight of us remain!" Bloster, who normally had a calm demeanor, couldn’t contain his frustration—even his usual patience had worn thin.

A month ago, there had been thirty Squadron Leader Chimera Ants.

Now, only eight remained in this room!

The surviving eight included the first-born Squadron Leader—Colt. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Along with Peggy, Bihorn, small bear, octopus and Meleoron.

These remaining Chimera Ants were either completely loyal to the Queen or had no personal ambitions.

Among the Squadron Leaders, they were rare exceptions.

Precisely because they rarely participated in hunting missions and had relatively better temperaments, they had survived this long.

But they didn’t know this—they only thought death would come for them next.

Now the higher-ranking Squadron Leader positions were severely vacant and the lower-ranking Platoon Leaders had also suffered heavy casualties, with only a handful surviving.

Among them was Hina, the rabbit-type Chimera Ant who resembled a little girl.

As well as Ikalgo, who looked like a boiled octopus and koala who loved drinking...

It could be said that all the surviving Squadron Leaders and Platoon Leaders were those who had behaved relatively decent in the original story.

The other Chimera Ants had died early, becoming experience points for the Pokemon.

Without sufficient high-ranking leaders to guide the lower-tier soldier ants, it meant they now had to actively lead the remaining Chimera Ants to search for food.

Otherwise, if the King was affected, those Royal Guards would undoubtedly kill them.

What they didn’t know was that under Akira arrangements, the vast lands beyond the nest had long been devoid of humans—they had evacuated far earlier.

Thus, finding food would be even more difficult.

"Damn it! Those Royal Guards don’t care about us at all. They only care about the Queen." The bear-Chimera Ant spat in frustration, utterly disheartened by the actions of the Royal Guards.

Now, they were trapped in a dilemma—whether they went out or stayed, only death awaited them.

’Only care about the Queen, huh...’ Meleoron remained silent, his expression growing increasingly grave.

He didn’t believe the Royal Guards cared solely about the Queen.

The truth was, they only cared about the King growing inside her!

Right now, they tended to the Queen because the King birth still depended on her.

But once the King was born... What would happen to the Queen—and to them?

***

Elsewhere in the Nest

"Tch, what a bunch of useless trash. Wiped out by the enemy in such a short time?" Menthuthuyoupi crossed his arms, his deep voice dripping with disdain.

Menthuthuyoupi was an imposing figure—his entire body a deep red, muscles bulging across his frame.

His browless face bore a striking resemblance to Feitan from the Phantom Troupe and his temperament was just as violent as him.

As the last of the three Royal Guards to be born, Menthuthuyoupi differed significantly from the other two.

His genes were a chaotic amalgamation of various magical beasts and though he currently took on a humanoid form, his true appearance was far from it.

Menthuthuyoupi was like a massive lump of clay, capable of reshaping himself at will.

Want to fly? He could forcibly sprout fleshy wings from his back.

Need more speed? He could transform his lower half into that of a horse, becoming a centaur-like creature.

With the genetic traits of countless magical beasts, Menthuthuyoupi could assume many forms.

"Just let me go out and tear those enemies apart!" Menthuthuyoupi turned to Shaiapouf, who stood nearby, lost in the melody of his violin.

"Hmm~ Indeed, the Queen’s food supply is running dangerously low."

"Over the past month, the soldiers have only managed to hunt a few animals."

"Most of the provisions have come from stored reserves."

"If this affects the King’s birth, neither of us can escape blame."

Shaiapouf paused his playing, lowering his eyelids thoughtfully, his voice soft yet sinister.

"To have eliminated so many Squadron Leaders, their strength must be considerable—likely among the finest of the ’Rare Species’." (Rare species= Nen user)

"If we could capture them for the Queen, it would surely benefit the King’s birth, no?"

The more he analyzed, the more Shaiapouf felt the need to eliminate these enemies.

But the question was—how should they proceed?

His hesitation thus far stemmed from fear of falling into a trap.

"I see~ Then why not let me handle it? You and Youpi can stay here to protect the Queen." Neferpitou, sitting on a tattered sofa scavenged from who-knows-where, leaned back and stretched lazily.

Those feline eyes brimmed with intense curiosity—she wanted to cross blades with these enemies.

After nearly a month of barely moving her limbs, she could hardly contain herself, itching to go out and find some amusement.

To relish the thrill of battle, just like that night.

Shaiapouf cast a brief glance at the enthusiastic Neferpitou and shook his head, rejecting the proposal.

Neferpitou’s playful nature was evident on her face, and he couldn’t be sure she would rein it in if necessary.

The same logic applied to Menthuthuyoupi—Shaiapouf also didn’t trust him to act alone.

The difference between him and Neferpitou was that one had enough intelligence but was too playful.

The other had intelligence as a fatal flaw—while strong enough, letting him out alone risked falling into the traps of cunning enemies.

If Shaiapouf chose to go himself, he worried about leaving the nest without its intellectual pillar.

Neither Neferpitou nor Menthuthuyoupi could properly guard the nest. If they fell for the enemy’s schemes, it would be disastrous.

Midway through his thoughts, Shaiapouf picked up his violin again, his expression turning sorrowful once more.

’O King~ Truly, I am your most capable subordinate. The other two are simply hopeless.’

In the eyes of the proud Shaiapouf, only he was the most important guard, the one most worthy of the Ant King’s favor.

Whether it was Neferpitou or Menthuthuyoupi, neither could compare to his importance.

"What’s wrong with him?" Menthuthuyoupi scratched his head, his rough face flashing with confusion as he quietly asked Neferpitou beside him.

Shaiapouf’s words and actions always left him baffled, impossible to fully understand.

"Nothing."

Seeing Shaiapouf start "acting up" again, Neferpitou curled her lips slightly and casually brushed off the bewildered Menthuthuyoupi.

"AHHH!"

"AHHH!!"

Just then, a series of agonized screams echoed from deep within the nest.

The heart-wrenching cries, resounded throughout the entire colony.

In an instant, countless Chimera Ants turned their gazes toward the depths of the nest—they knew well.

These were the Queen’s screams!

Following the Queen cries, an overwhelmingly terrifying presence began spreading through the nest.

The vast colony was instantly filled with the Ant King’s unrestrained, domineering aura.

The low-level soldier ants all dropped to their knees, trembling uncontrollably.

Faced with the presence of their species’ apex, they lacked even the right to stand.

The few remaining squadron leaders fared slightly better, but even they collapsed, struggling to rise.

The Squadron Leaders managed best—after a brief hesitation, they quickly moved despite the oppressive discomfort.

The hierarchy among the Chimera Ants was laid bare in this moment.

Only those with considerable strength could move under the Ant King’s aura.

"Oh? It seems he was born ahead of schedule... our King." Neferpitou rose from the couch, her gaze fixed intently on the depths of the nest.

Her sharp eyes seemed to pierce through the walls, seeing the Ant King directly.

"I wonder if being born so much earlier will affect him."

"All of this is my fault!" Shaiapouf delicate face was filled with sorrow, his heart drowning in self-blame.

’If my negligence harms the King growth, how could I ever face him?’

’Shaiapouf... you should just end yourself after the King born. You don’t deserve to stand by his side!’

Shaiapouf inner monologue spiraled again, relentlessly berating himself for failing to provide the King with ideal nutritions.

Meanwhile, Menthuthuyoupi stared blankly at Shaiapouf’s instant descent into drama, stunned by his emotional whiplash.

"Enough, since it’s already done, there’s no point dwelling on it. First, prepare the food for the king."

After briefly venting his emotions, Shaiapouf finally regained his usual composure.

***

In a Cave Outside the Ant Nest

"How is this possible?"

"Did it really happen a month earlier?"

Morel face stiffened, shocked by the sudden news of the Ant King birth.

"No, to be precise, it’s one month and three days earlier." Knov adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling slightly.

It was clear that he too was terrified by the Ant King aura.

Still, this was much better than in the original story, where he was so frightened his hair turned white and then he become bald.

This was due to the greater distance between them and having witnessed Akira Pokemon up close.

"It’s earlier than expected..." Chairman Netero murmured softly, his expression showing not just surprise but also a complex mix of emotions.

The Ant King’s premature birth might also mean his own remaining time had been shortened.

Yet, beyond these emotions, the old man eyes still burned with a flame called "fighting spirit."

Apart from Netero and the other two, even Akira was taken aback.

Why did the Ant King timing change? Experts had estimated that the Ant King would need at least two months to be born.

But Akira remembered that in the original, the Ant King birth should have occurred on the day Gon and the others finish their training.

There were still three days left before Gon one-month deadline end.

After much deliberation, Akira arrived at a plausible explanation.

It was likely because his Pokemon had eliminated too many Chimera Ants, leaving the queen with insufficient food.

This might have forced the Ant King to emerge three days earlier.

But since he was already a month premature, three more days didn’t make much difference.

"And with such terrifying presence..." Morel spoke word by word, instinctively picking up his large pipe leaning against the wall and taking slow, deliberate puffs.

The Ant King birth and his overwhelming aura made it necessary for Morel to smoke to calm his nerves.

"At least we have Akira and Chairman Netero with us." Knov once again pulled out his ever-present handkerchief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

It was unclear whether Knov had a weak constitution, but he always broke into cold sweats in such situations.

"Yes, thank goodness we have the two strongest with us."

"If even they can’t deal with the situation, we’ll have to resort to some... unconventional measures."

***

Inside the Ant Nest

This was where the queen usually resided.

When the squadron leaders like Colt rushed over, all they saw was the severely wounded queen, bleeding profusely and wailing in agony.

And standing with his back to them, covered in yellowish-green blood, was the Ant King—radiating an overwhelming, terrifying aura!

Compared to them, the Ant King seemed like a completely different species.

The Ant King’s muscles were well-developed, his physique robust, as if every inch of his body contained immense power.

He gave the impression that even the slightest movement from him, could cause terrifying destruction.

His ears bore two long antennae and he wore a distinctive black-green armored helmet.

Like most Chimera Ants, he possessed a thick, powerful tail.

Amidst these awe-inspiring traits, the Ant King had a sharply defined face.

What was most unforgettable, however, was the way he looked at things.

His gaze was utterly indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

Those sharp pupils radiated nothing but coldness.

In the Ant King’s eyes, nothing seemed to hold meaning—everything was subject to his whims.

If he liked it, he would keep it.

If he didn’t, he would destroy it.

It was as simple as that.

’This is... our King!’ Colt and the other Squadron Leaders stared in horror at the Ant King’s cold expression, as if frozen in place.

Paired with the sight of the Queen lying motionless nearby and on the verge of death.

The scene was utterly surreal!

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