HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 172: Kurapika-Style Meleoron!

Who knows how Kite would react if he heard Ging’s words.

But right now, he’s just a tiny speck inside the Ant Queen’s belly, completely unaware of what’s happening outside.

Not being able to witness this scene firsthand—was it Kite’s fortune or misfortune?

Akira truly hadn’t expected Ging to end up thinking Hina was Kite.

There wasn’t a single clue pointing to that.

But honestly, out of all the Chimera Ants, Hina was indeed the one who most resembled what Kite might look like as a Chimera Ant.

Both had human-like appearances and leaned toward feminine traits.

Was this the bond between master and disciple?

"Hahaha, just kidding."

Ging scratched his head and laughed it off, trying to brush the matter aside.

His earlier declaration had been half-certain, half-guess.

After saying it, he could tell from Akira’s expression that he’d guessed wrong.

"You seriously thought she was Kite just now, didn’t you?"

Akira looked at Ging, who was trying to hide his embarrassment and pressed in a low voice.

Still, it was understandable.

No one could’ve guessed Kite’s current state.

Nearby, Hina—who had just started to relax—tensed up again after being pointed at by Ging.

"Alright, stop guessing. Kite’s really unlucky to have a master like you."

Akira waved his hand, signaling Ging to stop wasting his breath.

If he kept guessing, Ging might even claim the Ant queen lying there was Kite.

"You’ll find out who Kite is in a moment."

’In a moment, huh...’ Ging stood still, lost in thought.

If Kite was already present here, why wait to introduce him?

Wouldn’t it be simpler to point out who Kite was right now?

Besides, given Kite’s personality, if he really were among these Chimera Ants, he would’ve spoken up already after hearing his guesses.

He had chosen Hina not just for the sake of guessing but also to exploit her childlike demeanor to force Kite out.

His earlier words weren’t idle chatter—they were meant to provoke the real Kite into revealing himself.

Yet, that was the strange part.

Even after all his probing, Kite hadn’t shown himself.

Akira’s words also felt off.

Had Kite’s personality changed after reincarnating as a Chimera Ant?

Or had he lost his past memories?

Or perhaps...

Was he simply unable to speak up right now?

Ging’s gaze flickered briefly toward the Ant Queen lying nearby, but he said nothing.

Of course, he knew Akira had healing abilities, but he didn’t want to save the queen.

That meant Akira disliked her, so Ging wouldn’t interfere either.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

Watching Ging lost in thought, Akira let him ponder.

Once Morel and the others arrived with the medical team, everything would become clear.

***

Crack, crack...

Before long, a series of shattering sounds echoed through the quiet room.

"Finally here?"

Akira and the others turned their attention toward the source of the noise.

Where there had been nothing before, fissures suddenly appeared in the air.

As fragments of space fell away, a passage fully formed.

The first to step through was Colt, followed by Morel and Knov and finally a team of medical professionals carrying equipment.

"Everyone’s still here, huh."

Colt was slightly surprised to see Bihorn and the other Chimera Ants still in place—and even more of them now.

That they hadn’t left was somewhat understandable, as the surviving ants had all been loyal followers of the queen.

But the increase in numbers was unexpected.

"Akira, what a convenient ability. The moment everyone was gathered, we could come right over."

Morel walked over with Knov marveling at the usefulness of Akira Nen Beast.

"Since Mr. Akira is here, the other Chimera Ants..."

Knov glanced around at the surrounding ants, his tone implying something.

"Right. The Chimera Ants here are the ones worth keeping. The rest have already been ’sent away’ by me."

Akira nodded, deliberately emphasizing the word "sent" to make sure everyone understood what he meant.

The answer aligned with their expectations and they couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

If the Chimera Ants had escaped, it would’ve been troublesome.

Thankfully, Akira was here to handle the situation with ease.

"Hm? And this is...?"

Only then did Morel and Knov notice the man standing behind Akira, startling at the unexpected addition.

"Yo."

Ging took a step forward, allowing the two to see him fully.

"This... this is truly unexpected!"

"Even you came?!" Morel’s pupils first contracted sharply, then he spoke with a slight stutter, his square jaw nearly hitting the ground.

"Ging of The Twelve Zodiac’, one of the world’s top five Nen Users?!"

"That means three of the world’s top five Nen Users have now gathered here!"

Beside him, Knov was equally stunned, pushing up his glasses with slightly trembling hands as he spoke in an astonished tone.

Who would have thought that for this Chimera Ant incident, three of the five greatest Nen Users from the six continents had arrived.

But then again, considering the terrifying aura of the Ant King earlier, along with the three Royal Guards...

Perhaps gathering three of the "Five Strongest" wasn’t unreasonable?

"But how did you get here? Just a moment ago, only Akira was—"

Morel cut himself off mid-sentence, turning his head to look back the way they had come.

The spatial passage that had been there earlier was now gone, but he quickly realized how Ging had arrived.

"Exactly as you guessed—using Akira’s method to bring me here," Ging said, crossing his arms.

"I came to take the remaining Chimera Ants to Greed Island."

Greed Island?

Morel and Knov naturally knew that Greed Island was a game created by Ging and his companions.

But wasn’t it just a game?

How could Chimera Ants be taken there?

Seeing their confusion, Ging had no choice but to briefly explain Greed Island to them.

***

"Is this the patient?"

The lead doctor approached the Ant Queen as her assistants arranged the necessary equipment nearby.

Though wearing a mask, her tension was still visible.

Even as one of the top doctors across the six continents, this was her first time performing surgery on a Chimera Ant the size of a human.

Not to mention the scattered unidentified body parts nearby—only doctors with strong mental fortitude could handle this.

Otherwise, how could they proceed normally?

"Did you perform the emergency treatment here?"

The lead doctor noticed clear signs of suturing and turned to ask the octopus Chimera Ant beside her.

***

While Ging was explaining things to Morel and Knov, Akira walked over to Colt and patted his shoulder.

"Go take a look. There’s someone far more worth your attention than the Ant Queen."

When Colt followed Akira’s gaze, a strange emotion welled up inside him—one he couldn’t quite understand.

In his line of sight, an ordinary soldier ant stood timidly in the corner, clearly shy by nature.

He had never seen this soldier ant before, so why did he feel this way?

"That... is your sister, Reina!"

Akira’s words struck like thunder, jolting Colt awake.

At that moment, the soldier ant’s appearance overlapped with the image of a young Reina, merging into one.

"Reina... my sister..."

Colt vision blurred as tears streamed down his cheeks, his steps carrying him unsteadily toward Reina.

Then, Reina recognized him too.

Despite only having the memories of a little girl... She could still recognize her brother, even after he had become a Chimera Ant.

Perhaps this was the bond between siblings.

The usually timid and anxious Reina finally mustered the courage to run forward and embrace Colt as he approached.

Feeling Reina’s proactive embrace, Colt’s tears poured out uncontrollably like a breached dam.

He knew—this was indeed the younger sister he had longed to protect with all his heart.

Reina was alive!

"Reina, I’m sorry... Big brother failed to protect you."

"It’s all my fault."

Colt kept apologizing, while Reina wanted to comfort him but couldn’t speak.

Having been eaten at a young age, Reina had become a low-tier soldier ant incapable of speech.

***

"Hmm? What’s Colt doing over there?"

On the other side, Morel asked curiously.

After Ging’s brief explanation, Morel and Knov finally understood the future of these Chimera Ants.

For these pitiable souls, staying on Greed Island was indeed the best choice.

Yet no sooner had they grasped the situation than they saw Colt hugging a soldier ant, weeping bitterly.

Even when regaining his human memories, he hadn’t been this grief-stricken before—now, he was utterly broken.

"Do you know who that soldier ant is?"

Akira walked over to Morel’s side, watching the touching reunion between siblings with a calm tone.

"That’s Colt’s younger sister when he was a human."

His sister?!

Morel and Knov exchanged astonished glances, never imagining that ordinary ant was Colt’s sister.

"Because she was eaten so young, she’s now a soldier ant who can’t even speak."

Normally, soldier ants containing human genes could speak—those incapable of it were low-tier variants born from animal genes.

But Reina had been too young, rendering her as mute as the other animal-based soldier ants.

"Colt is only eight years old and his sister is several years younger."

Akira’s grave tone made the astonishment on Morel and Knov faces fade, replaced by somber expressions.

Such young children... Yet now, they had become like this.

"Colt grew up with the instinct to protect his sister."

"Even after transforming into a Chimera Ant, his sense of protection never disappeared."

"After losing most of his human memories, that protection shifted to the Ant Queen."

Morel and Knov remained silent, their expressions darkening further, fists clenching subconsciously.

"By the way, let me introduce someone else—they might join our extermination team later."

Akira waved over the ’chameleon’ Meleoron.

"This is Meleoron. he wishes to join our squad to exact revenge on the Ant King."

"My thought is—if he develops a useful Nen ability before the Ant King’s extermination, we’ll allow him to join."

A Chimera Ant joining the team to slay the Chimera Ant King?

It sounded strange, but considering his origins as a devoured human, it made some sense.

Yet when Morel saw the seething hatred in Meleoron’s eyes, he realized he was mistaken.

There had to be a deeper reason!

Otherwise, this Chimera Ant wouldn’t harbor such intense resentment.

"Why does he want revenge on the Ant King?"

Morel chose to ask Akira—after all, Akira seems to know everything.

"See those severed limbs over there?"

Morel turned his head.

In the corner, there were indeed several dismembered remains, even the blood splattered on the walls had darkened with blood.

"That Chimera Ant was Meleoron’s adoptive father, the one who raised him from childhood."

After Akira finished speaking, Meleoron continued on his own.

"My adoptive father originally intended to treat the queen, but was instead killed by that damned Ant King!"

"Even worse..."

"Even worse, the hungry Ant King directly..."

"Ate him!"

By the end, Meleoron was nearly roaring, his eyes bloodshot.

Hearing this, Morel and Knov were left speechless, their faces darkening as if ink could drip from them.

This Ant King truly deserved death!

Now they could understand why Meleoron harbored such fury.

Not only was his adoptive father—the one who raised him—eaten by a Chimera Ant, but he also witnessed his father being killed and devoured by the Ant King.

No one could swallow such anger.

Nearby, Ging listened quietly his eyelids lowered.

He took in every word, whether it was Colt’s reunion with his siblings or Meleoron vow to avenge his father.

While it made people sigh in sympathy, it also made one lament the unpredictability of life.

"So I swore to destroy the Ant King! I won’t rest until I kill him!"

Meleoron’s eyes seemed to spit fire, his entire body like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

As soon as he finished shouting, something bizarre happened.

Suddenly, an incredibly intense surge of Aura erupted from Meleoron’s body, filling the entire room with its overwhelming presence!

His Aura seemed endless, its pressure terrifying like a raging river.

The pure Aura was now tinged with streaks of crimson, adding an eerie touch.

The hatred embedded in the Aura could be deeply felt by everyone present.

The majestic pressure created a powerful wind force, stirring up violent gusts within the room.

"Is this... a Restriction and Vow?!"

Ging eyes widened as he stared at Meleoron, who now resembled a Saiyan transforming and exclaimed in shock.

For someone with low strength to suddenly exhibit such immense power, combined with Meleoron’s earlier words—

Ging believed this was most likely a Restriction and Vow!

Had he actually figured out how to use it without being taught?

Morel and the others present heard Ging’s exclamation and inwardly marveled.

Meleoron had unconsciously activated a Restriction and Vow.

This explained why his Aura had surged so dramatically.

"What’s happening to me?"

Only after venting his rage did Meleoron realize something was off.

Why had he suddenly become so powerful?

Now, he felt an overwhelming strength coursing through him, far surpassing his previous capabilities!

"Meleoron, what were you thinking in your mind just now?"

Akira’s eyes flashed with insight as he questioned the still-confused Meleoron.

"I was thinking... I must kill the Ant King in the upcoming battle. Only one of us will survive."

Meleoron honestly revealed his earlier thoughts, allowing the others to understand the reason.

"It seems there’s no mistake—he did indeed establish a Restriction and Vow."

Ging nodded, his gaze fixed on the Aura radiating from Meleoron.

"And the restriction is quite severe!"

Meanwhile, Akira felt something was odd.

In the original story, Meleoron reaction hadn’t been this extreme, had it?

How could he even establish a Restriction and Vow?

At this moment, Akira suddenly realized something—it seemed that in the original story, Meleoron’s memories returned bit by bit.

But now, Meleoron had just witnessed Peggy’s death with his own eyes, coupled with the sudden return of his memories.

The violent collision between beauty and cruelty had created the nearly insane Meleoron we see now!

The current Meleoron reminded Akira of someone.

That was Kurapika, who sought revenge against the Phantom Troupe!

Both were avenging their loved ones against their killers, even going so far as to establish harsh Restrictions and Vows.

Meleoron’s restriction was even more severe than Kurapika’s—it was a time-limited, life-or-death condition.

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