Germain lowered the Sacred Moonlight Sword, letting it dissolve in his hand, as gravity pulled him downward.
On his way back to the ground, he received a new rune pathway from Post-mortem Nen of Shaiapouf.
"Beast's Embrace," a rune shaped like an outstretched beast's claw, was branded on Germain's chest.
It joined the other four rune pathways, arranged in a chaotic and strange manner, resembling bizarre hieroglyphs.
This rune allowed Germain to don the Contempt Armor and enhanced his power when using the Chaos Roar.
Bang—
As he landed on the ground, Netero, Zeno, and Silva approached him on their own accord.
"That was fast," Netero remarked with a cheerful smile, taking out his phone. "Perfect timing to make a call."
A call?
Germain glanced at Zeno and Silva in confusion, but both shook their heads, signaling they were just as clueless.
Netero dialed on his phone and quickly entered a number.
The call connected to Morel, but before Morel could express his excitement, Netero ended the call abruptly.
Next, he called Knov. The process was the same—he shared the situation and hung up immediately.
Then, Netero paused to think for a moment before making another call.
Germain had no intention of eavesdropping, but since he was taller than Netero, he accidentally saw the screen.
It was a video call, and the contact name was saved as "Serious Dog Girl."
Germain was surprised to see Netero shared his habit of using personal notes instead of real names for contacts.
The video call connected in less than three seconds, and sure enough, the screen showed a dog-like nose.
Netero chuckled. "Too close, Cheadle. You're too close to the camera."
"Huh? Oh, right, just a second..."
The person stepped back, revealing the face of "Dog," Cheadle Yorkshire, one of the Zodiacs.
She wore a hat, her long teal-green hair draped over her shoulders. She had glasses, a pair of perky animal-like ears, and a dog-like nose—but it was hard to tell if they were real or fake.
"Chairman?! Is that really you?! I thought tonight was the decisive battle? How do you have time to call me?"
"The battle's over already? What happened? Did we win? What about casualties?"
The moment the call connected, Cheadle bombarded him with a series of questions.
Even though she was far away, in another continent and another country, she had been quietly following the situation in the Republic of East Gorteau.
If Netero hadn't repeatedly refused her help, she would've intervened in the extermination battle long ago.
She was certain that the other members of the Zodiacs had received the same treatment.
Of course, there were exceptions—Pariston and Ging. Those two were… special. Really special.
To be honest, it wasn't about doubting Morel, Knov, or their disciples' abilities. It was just that many more suitable candidates had been rejected by the Review Committee and the Association's Special Forces.
Even when it came to direct approval from Chairman Netero, he had surprisingly turned them down.
That was classic Netero behavior, but anyone with sharp instincts could tell that this battle reeked of something strange.
Why wouldn't the Chairman let them get involved?
Cheadle and the others couldn't figure it out no matter how much they thought about it.
Now, Netero had reverted to his usual playful, mischievous elder self. You'd never guess that not long ago, he'd been ready to perish along with Meruem.
"Calm down, Cheadle. I'm calling you first to update you on the situation. Isn't that touching?"
Cheadle rolled her eyes, not buying a word of Netero's nonsense.
"Chairman, what's the situation? Tell me already! Do you need backup?"
"Hmm? Look at you, getting all worked up again… Haha… Don't worry. The Chimera Ant Extermination ended with a complete victory for humanity. The Ant King and his three Royal Guards were all taken down by Germain."
"We won? That's fantastic, truly fantastic!"
Cheadle patted her chest, visibly relieved. She genuinely cared about Netero's safety.
Since the extermination was a success, it meant Netero was safe as well.
Then, it suddenly hit her. She widened her eyes in shock.
"You… what did you just say? What do you mean, 'The King and the three Royal Guards were all taken down by Germain?' What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like, Cheadle. Has your ability to understand things gotten worse?"
"Huh? Chairman, this isn't about my understanding! Germain? Why is there suddenly Germain in this? Wait… is it that Germain? But why—"
"Yes, it's him."
Netero smiled, turned his phone towards Germain, and took a photo of his side profile and bare upper body before putting it away.
"Anyway, Cheadle… There are many Chimera Ant corpses here, along with several Chimera Ant eggs in the process of being converted. I need someone to take control of and preserve them immediately."
Netero's tone grew serious.
"Before sunrise, I want to see airships parked in front of me—get as many as you can. Also, head to the Hunter Association now and stabilize the situation."
Cheadle was clearly panicking on the other end.
"What? Airships? Where am I supposed to get airships right now? And the paperwork—what do I do about that? Stabilize the Association? What's going on over there? Chairman, you—"
"I'm counting on you, Cheadle."
Netero hung up the phone and turned back with a cheerful smile, looking at everyone present.
"Cheadle is a capable kid. I'm confident she'll figure it out. Also, within an hour, she'll gather all the intel there is on Germain."
Being part of the Zodiacs is really tough.
That was the thought running through Germain's mind as he exchanged glances with Zeno and Silva at that moment.
Of course, people like Pariston and Ging are exceptions.
Netero then made another call, this time to the other Zodiac members, excluding Pariston, Cheadle, and Ging.
Using the same approach, he informed them of the results of the extermination mission and assigned them various tasks, also briefly introducing Germain.
After that, he contacted the Association's secretary Beans, the leader of the Chimera Ant Extermination Intelligence Division, the head of the medical team, and others, assigning them work as well—though this time, Germain wasn't involved.
Finally, Netero made a call to Pariston.
********
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