The name Meruem.
Now only Oboro knows about it.
He continued his finishing work in the Chimera Ant nest. Once the Queen died, the ants lost control and their hierarchical signaling system collapsed. Their organization crumbled into chaos without instructions from higher-ranking officers. Despite the disarray, this number of ants still provided a rich feast for Oboro's Hatsu. He couldn't eliminate every single ant there were simply too many. Some would inevitably drift into the outside world, including several soldier captains and other significant individuals not originally part of the nest.
Perhaps they were lucky. Thanks to Oboro's intervention, the subsequent impact on the human world would not be nearly as catastrophic as it might have been.
Then there was Gyro, the former king of NGL. During the time when Oboro and his companions infiltrated NGL, the nation's system and military were collapsing rapidly. Although Oboro had been systematically eliminating ants, he never completely severed their hunting routes. Due to the relationship between the Hunter Association and Palm, Oboro had temporarily suspended his operations, which unfortunately allowed Gyro to become one of the ants' victims.
The evidence was simple: NGL never deployed any troops or soldiers after that point the entire country was stripped of its manpower.
Oboro couldn't determine exactly when Gyro might have been reborn, and it would have been inconvenient to his plans to investigate further, so he concluded that Gyro must have escaped to the outside world. If Gyro had remained in the nest, Oboro would have detected him immediately. From the moment of his rebirth, Gyro had somehow retained the ability to ignore the Queen's orders and maintained memories of his human life allowing him to simply walk away.
Finding him wouldn't be difficult, though. Oboro knew that Gyro would eventually cross paths with Gon and Killua. If they waited in the right place at the right time, they might be able to intercept him.
But right now, Oboro wasn't in the mood to worry about Gyro. The collection of souls took priority. He wanted to harvest as many ants as possible using his Nen ability the more souls he collected, the better.
Meanwhile, Chairman Netero's team at the edge of the territory hadn't noticed any changes in the ant colony. The old man was still honing his combat form through intensive training. However, a few days later, they finally discovered some clues.
First, the number of ants had decreased dramatically, forcing the team to venture deeper into the territory to find more "sparring partners" for Netero. Second, Knov and Morel discovered that the remaining ants were scattered and completely disorganized. Through their intelligence network, they learned that Chimera Ants had appeared in several countries throughout the Mitne Federation.
This dispersal pattern could only mean one thing something catastrophic had happened at the nest. If the Queen were still alive, the ants would never abandon the nest, as their primary directive was to serve her. And since the nest was located in NGL, regardless of how far the colony's influence might stretch, it should have been impossible for the ants to extend beyond the country's borders.
It didn't appear the Queen had ordered an attack on humans, as these ants seemed to be wandering aimlessly. So Netero, Knov, and Morel set out to investigate the Chimera Ant nest personally.
What they discovered along the way left Knov and Morel in shock. Ant corpses littered the ground, beginning at the nest and stretching across a vast area all killed in exactly the same manner. No external injuries whatsoever!
After entering the nest, they found it had become merely an empty shell. Only a few finger-sized ants remained, scurrying around and feeding on the abundant carrion. The stench permeating the cave was overwhelming, enough to make anyone sick.
"They've been dead for some time" The three of them explored the cave thoroughly, navigating through the maze of tunnels until they finally reached the chamber where the Queen had died.
Knov observed the scene carefully before speaking in a grave tone. He glanced toward the Chairman, but none of the three said anything for a long moment.
"Oh my goodness Who could have done this? Was it one of our own?" Morel gasped, perhaps the only one genuinely confused by the situation.
Morel couldn't read the full scope of Oboro's abilities, but both Knov and Netero had already deduced the truth.
"This little guy" Netero smiled slightly. He realized that Oboro had orchestrated this entire plan for the collection of souls. "So that means I'm on his list too."
Netero found this prospect rather interesting. Soul-based Nen abilities what value or function did these souls serve for Oboro? The old man had only a general understanding of Oboro's Nen abilities, not the specific details. Before coming here, Ging had mentioned to him that Oboro could harvest souls to enhance his own strength, though Ging wasn't certain about the exact effect. He had only commented that in the game Greed Island, souls provided attribute enhancements for certain player characters.
But speculation was just speculation it couldn't be based solely on game mechanics. Oboro's mastery of Nen was extraordinary, and the development of his Hatsu would depend entirely on his own concepts and design.
"This is a determination that I will lose."
Netero narrowed his eyes. He wasn't bothered at all by Oboro's desire for his soul, on the premise that he would be the one to lose.
"Chairman it appears the Ant King has already been born. Based on the intelligence we've received, something significant has occurred in East Gorteau. I'm afraid" Knov said.
If the Ant King had been present here, Oboro would certainly not have dared to act so boldly.
Knov glanced at Morel again, feeling conflicted about whether to reveal the full truth to him. But remembering the Chairman's advice, he decided against it.
"Hmm probably heading to East Gorteau," Netero mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
The old man suddenly changed the subject, asking Knov and Morel, "Do you think I've grown weak in my old age? Although I was quite formidable in my youth, I am getting on in yearshahaha"
The two were momentarily stunned, not understanding why the Chairman would pose such a question out of nowhere.
"No way If you're considered weak, Chairman, then we can only be classified as ordinary people," Knov responded.
"I've never lost" Netero muttered.
"A restless young fellow I'll show him a thing or two."
After these cryptic words that neither Knov nor Morel fully comprehended, Netero stroked his beard, turned around, and departed with a serene smile.
Knov seemed to vaguely grasp something in the Chairman's words. No matter what scheme Oboro might be plotting, it would present no problem as long as Chairman Netero was involved.
Morel and Knov followed closely behind. Before leaving, Knov glanced back at the skeletal remains of the ants, his heart constricting in his chest. Not many in the Association truly understood the extent of Oboro's power it remained somewhat mysterious. This was the first time Knov had directly witnessed evidence of Oboro's true capabilities.
To achieve this level of destruction single-handedly Terrifying.
Meanwhile, Oboro had already led Fant and Anthony to pursue the scattered ant colonies. No matter how insignificant a target might seem, it still contained a soul worth harvesting. The only creatures besides Chimera Ants capable of yielding souls of sufficient strength were the Magical Beasts. But those were rare species, widely dispersed without the concentrated numbers that would make hunting them efficient. If one wanted to await the next large-scale "harvest," the only option would be venturing to the Dark Continent.
Alternatively, provoking the hidden Nen users trained by various countries into open warfare was technically feasible, but too complex and ultimately pointless. Their numbers could never compare to those of the Chimera Ants. The main issue was that it would be far too troublesome nothing was as straightforward as exterminating ants.
Half a month later, the Association learned that the Ant King had established himself in the royal palace of East Gorteau. Some surviving Chimera Ants had followed him there, seeking the protection offered by proximity to their King. Within his territory, they wouldn't need to fear for their safety venturing into the outside world would only expose them to human aggression.
Oboro finally completed his "cleanup" operation and led Fant and Anthony to the city where the Chimera Ant Extermination Team had established their base.
Next would come the real highlight!