HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 168: Tyranitar vs. the Ant King!

"I’m hungry. Prepare food for me."

The Ant King curled his lips into a bone-chilling smile, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

He would not tolerate disobedience—his commands were absolute.

For a moment, Colt and the other Squadron Leaders remained rooted in place, unsure of what to do.

"Your Majesty the Queen, this is bad—her internal organs are severely damaged. She needs immediate treatment!"

Only the gentle penguin ’Peggy’ hurried forward with small, quick steps, solely focused on tending to the Queen’s injuries.

In his haste, the red book he usually carried slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

The action went mostly unnoticed, save for Meleoron, whose expression shifted slightly.

That red book stirred fragments of his human memories, evoking an inexplicable surge of emotion within him.

But before he could piece together those scattered recollections—

A spray of blue blood splashed across his face.

His green skin was now stained with paint-like streaks of blue.

"This is..."

Meleoron trembled as he touched his face, wiping away a thick smear of blood.

His heart pounded wildly—he could almost hear his own heartbeat.

Could it be...?

Like a rusted machine, Meleoron slowly turned his head, his gaze locking onto the space beside the Ant King.

There lay a headless corpse!

It was Peggy the penguin, who had just been thinking about treating the queen!

The Ant King had casually swung his tail, killing his own subordinate in an instant!

Meleoron didn’t understand why he reacted so strongly—perhaps it was because the Ant King had so casually taken a life?

Peggy was merely his "colleague," after all.

Before this, they likely had no connection whatsoever. And yet... Why did his heart ache so much?

While Meleoron wore a sorrowful expression, the other squadron leaders like Colt were more shocked than anything.

They couldn’t comprehend why the Ant King had struck Peggy down.

In truth, the Ant King was an exceedingly unpredictable being.

He had killed Peggy simply because he hadn’t prioritized his command (to find food) above all else.

Subordinates who disobeyed had no right to exist.

That was the Ant King’s philosophy.

Not to mention, he had never even regarded these squadron leaders as his subordinates—they weren’t worthy of the title.

"It’s dirty. You—clean it."

The Ant King’s emotionless gaze swept over his bloodstained tail before he coldly ordered Colt, whose face was frozen in horror.

But Colt was still paralyzed with fear over Peggy death, his pupils trembling violently, his body refusing to move.

"Ah, this old one happens to have a handkerchief. It would be my honor to wipe it clean for you, my King..." Turtle nearby quickly stepped in to cover for Colt, pulling out a handkerchief and chuckling as he approached the Ant King.

In the next instant, a ghostly afterimage flashed before the squadron leaders’ eyes.

Turtle head had vanished in an instant!

Another squadron leader had been killed by the Ant King!

Turtle body, weighed down by its heavy shell, was more stable and substantial than Peggy.

So while both were now headless corpses, Peggy body had collapsed, blood splattering across the ground and spraying the surrounding rock walls.

The tortoise, however, remained eerily upright—only his head had disappeared.

Compared to Peggy gruesome end, Turtle death was less visually shocking.

But it was far more chilling, sending a cold shiver down the spines of the remaining squadron leaders.

Only eight of them remained and In just a few moments, their newly born King had slain two of their number.

It seemed their own King was more dangerous than the hidden enemy.

Now, only six squadron leaders were left.

"Do not make me repeat myself! Clean it!"

The Ant King flicked his tail, his indifferent gaze fixed on Colt, a sinister smile creeping onto his face.

The cruel, merciless Ant King was beginning to relish these acts of unchecked tyranny.

This was how it should be—as the natural-born King, no creature could defy his will!

Disobedience meant only one fate: death!

Colt dared not hesitate any longer.

A single second delay and he might be the next headless corpse.

He hastily snatched the handkerchief from the dead turtle hand and carefully wiped the Ant King’s tail clean.

"Where is the food?"

Once his tail was clean, the Ant King demanded again.

"The meal has been prepared for you, my King."

This time, it was Neferpitou and the other Royal Guards who answered.

"From this day forth, we are your most loyal and dependable subordinates." The three Royal Guards knelt on one knee in unison—a gesture of unwavering fealty.

Hearing this, the Ant King expression remained indifferent, tacitly acknowledging their status before leaving with Neferpitou and the others.

Once the Ant King had departed, Colt and the other Squadron Leaders suddenly felt a weight lift from their bodies, and the previously stifling air became fluid once more.

"Hurry, we must treat the Queen immediately!" Colt quickly directed the octopus Chimera Ant, one of the few among the Squadron Leaders skilled in medical techniques.

The other was Peggy, who lay dead on the ground.

"It’s no use! The internal injuries are too extensive. There’s no way we can save her with our abilities."

"I’ll go find Neferpitou-sama. Her abilities can definitely save the Queen." Colt tone was resolute.

***

Outside the Nest, in a Cave Entrance

"The Queen? That thing is useless now."

With those brief words, Neferpitou lightly departed, leaving Colt deeply wounded.

His pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at Neferpitou retreating figure.

At that moment, Colt recalled the day they had captured Pokkle.

After forcing him to divulge his memories, Neferpitou had uttered the same words.

Useless now...

Colt finally understood the lingering sense of alienation in his heart!

The elite Royal Guards, were all the same.

They had no emotions!

Or rather, the Royal Guards’ emotions were reserved solely for the Ant King!

The Royal Guards—and the King—were nothing like them.

They were demons!

With this sudden realization, Colt completely shifted his perspective.

To save the Queen, he was willing to seek help from the enemy.

***

Outside the Nest, in a Cave Entrance

"Hmm? Something seems to be approaching." Morel stood at the cave entrance, gripping his large smoking pipe as he gazed into the distance.

Strong winds fluttered the red tie around his neck.

Ever since the Ant King’s Aura had receded, he had been paying close attention to the nest’s direction.

"Probably just a bird?"

Knov squinted at the distant figure, still just a black speck in the sky.

It wasn’t until Colt flew closer that they could make out his form.

"So it’s a bird-type Chimera Ant? What’s it doing here?" Morel frowned, puzzled by the ant’s arrival at such a critical moment.

Could it be delivering a challenge from the Ant King? Would they be that courteous?

"Wait, Morel, look—it’s holding a white flag. It’s here to surrender." Knov observed more carefully, noticing the white flag fluttering in Colt’s grasp as the wind carried it.

"We surrender!"

"I’m here to seek help—please don’t attack me!" Colt continued shouting as he neared the cave entrance, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

This was an extremely dangerous move—a lone "ant" venturing into enemy territory.

Being ambushed would be entirely expected.

But he had no other choice. Otherwise, he could only watch the Queen die.

***

"So that’s what happened?" Morel took another drag from his pipe, frowning as wisps of white smoke escaped his lips.

"Hard to imagine—a king of its own kind would turn on its subordinates like that."

Morel shook his head, finally understanding why Colt and the remaining Chimera Ants had surrendered.

First, the ambitious and warlike Chimera Ants had already been eradicated by Akira.

What remained were only those loyal to the Queen, Chimera Ants without any grand ambitions.

Then, the Ant King’s brutal actions thoroughly terrified them, which was why they sent this Squadron leader ’Colt’ to surrender.

"It’s actually not hard to understand. Though most of them possess human genes, their thinking is ultimately still that of beasts."

"If I’m not mistaken, that Ant King never once considered himself and the other Chimera Ants as the same kind."

"Perhaps the three Royal Guards share the same mindset."

"Compared to ordinary Chimera Ants, those four are practically a new species, so they couldn’t care less about the other ants."

After compiling the intelligence brought by Colt, Knov arrived at this unexpected yet logical conclusion.

"So I beg you to save the Queen. She’s on the verge of death. Her demise would bring great catastrophe." Colt spoke with visible anxiety.

"Could it be...?"

"Right! They’re still Chimera Ants after all—they must share similar instincts. If true, this could indeed become problematic." Knov suddenly exclaimed as he recalled relevant knowledge about Chimera Ants and hurriedly shared this information.

"When a Chimera Ant Queen dies, the colony loses its central focus."

"The surviving ants will scatter, disrupting ecosystems wherever they go."

"They’ll forcibly mate with other species to produce new generations of Chimera Ants."

At this moment, Akira, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

"In that case, we just need to eliminate all the soldier ants. Those displaying human emotions can be dealt with one by one."

Knov glanced at Akira and felt reassured. "True. Mr. Akira has already wiped out most of the Chimera Ants—what’s a few more?"

"With Mr. Akira handling this, it shouldn’t pose much difficulty."

Colt looked at Akira in shock, realizing this man had slaughtered so many of his kin—including numerous powerful Squadron Leaders!

"Chairman, what’s your decision? Should we help them?" Morel slowly lowered his massive smoking pipe and called toward the cave’s depths.

"Hohohoho..."

Before Chairman Netero even appeared, his meaningful laughter echoed from within.

Chimera Ants developing human emotions wasn’t ideal, but fortunately, the Ant King’s cruel nature remained intact.

This meant he could fight wholeheartedly when the time came.

"Colt, was it? I’d like to ask you one question." Chairman Netero gradually emerged from the shadows, his smile fading as his expression turned solemn.

Beneath his simple tracksuit, well-defined muscles bulged, accentuating his already athletic physique.

He let both arms hang naturally at his sides, his entire body poised for action—a stance every Nen User present recognized as preparation for "Ren."

"You’ve witnessed the Ant King up close. So I want your opinion."

"Between me and the Ant King—who’s stronger?"

The moment he finished speaking, an immense surge of Aura erupted from Chairman Netero’s body!

Instantly, to everyone present, the Chairman appeared as a blazing fireball, radiating dazzling Aura that illuminated the entire cavern.

The Aura’s fluctuations generated powerful wind pressure, creating howling gusts within the previously still cave.

Those standing near Chairman Netero had their hair blown upward like Super Saiyans from the intense force.

Knov and Morel had to shield their eyes with their arms and squint just to get a clear look at Chairman Netero.

Among them, only Akira remained perfectly calm, standing there as if nothing were happening—unaffected by either the fluctuations of Aura or the violent wind pressure.

Merely by relying on the Aura covering his body, he effortlessly nullified the impact of Chairman Netero’s unleashed Aura.

Though both were counted among the world’s top five Nen Users, Akira’s own strength was already on par with Chairman Netero. (not counting his pokemon)

Perhaps even stronger!

This was all thanks to the gourmet dishes he had been consuming over time, causing his power to grow day by day.

So even when faced with Chairman Netero’s Ren, Akira showed no reaction—not even a flicker of emotion.

"You’re strong." Colt squinted as he spoke, acknowledging the terrifying intensity of Chairman Netero’s presence.

Up close, the Chairman aura was razor-sharp, as if countless needles were pricking at their skin.

It made their entire bodies ache faintly.

"But... you probably won’t even get close to the Ant King."

Colt’s words shocked Morel and Knov.

Was this Ridiculously strong Aura truly incapable of even touching the Ant King?

"Most likely, you’d be killed by the Royal Guards before that." Colt spoke with a troubled expression.

Though blunt, his words held nothing but truth.

Given Chairman Netero current strength, he stood no chance of defeating the Ant King.

"Ah..."

A sigh of resignation echoed, and in an instant, the overwhelming presence receded.

The blinding radiance vanished without a trace and The cave returned to its usual tranquility.

Chairman Netero scratched his cheek, still smiling as he remarked.

"Seems I really am getting old. More and more people surpass me these days."

Though his tone was lighthearted, everyone could sense the melancholy of a fading hero.

Time spared no one—even the mightiest would eventually age.

"Never thought I’d still be playing the challenger at this age. Guess I’ll have to prepare properly now." After a brief moment of reflection, Chairman Netero returned to his usual demeanor, stroking his beard as he pondered where to go next to build up his momentum.

He had already decided to don his "Heart" T-shirt and spend some time adjusting his condition to his peak.

Only then would he face his final battle!

’Just one regret—I never got to fight Akira while wearing the "Heart" T-shirt.’

At this thought, Netero glanced at Akira beside him, his eyes filled with deep regret.

If only he had spoken up sooner... Now, there simply wasn’t enough time left.

"Colt, was it? I have the same question for you." A gleam flashed in Akira eyes as he echoed Chairman Netero’s words.

"Why don’t you compare this presence to the Ant King’s and tell me which is stronger?"

Having never witnessed the Ant King up close, Akira couldn’t use his Pokemon Ability to properly gauge the king strength.

But with Colt here, he could roughly estimate the Ant King’s power.

The Ant King was undoubtedly stronger than the Chairman—but by how much remained unclear.

For now, he’d start by comparing it to Tyranitar, who was at S+ rank!

The next moment, an aura countless times more terrifying than Chairman Netero’s erupted violently!

As if an overwhelming terror had suddenly descended upon the cave!

A tyrannical aura galloped through the entire cave, even engulfing the entire mountain.

Countless grains of yellow sand materialized out of thin air within the cave—no, across the entire mountain.

Colt pupils constricted violently, his body trembling uncontrollably, his legs shaking like leaves.

This presence is Horrifying!!

[A/N : Heart Shirt: When Netero intended on fighting seriously, he would wear a special white t-shirt with blue sleeves, a blue collar, and the Japanese kanji for "heart" written in red on the front. It was never explicitly stated that this shirt serves any functional purpose, but given the rules of Nen, he likely becomes stronger when he wears it.]

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