It's better to work for the Hunter Association. At least that old man (referring to Netero) looks really strong. Following him wouldn't feel like a loss…
Maybe it's a remnant of the human personality from Gyro's time, or perhaps it's the Chimera Ant personality from the Ant King's era, but Welfin naturally had a sense of admiration for strength.
Ikalgo, Bloster, and Hina probably felt the same way—they didn't want to follow just anyone.
Only Meleoron, who had fought side by side with Germain, could guess what the Chimera Ants were thinking when he saw their expressions.
He broke his silence, feeling a little indignant, and stood up to defend Germain.
"Don't underestimate Mr. Germain. He's the biggest contributor tonight. He was the key to the final battle."
"Without him, it's hard to say how things would've turned out tonight."
The Chimera Ants looked at him in shock.
The biggest contributor tonight?
The key to the final battle?
What's going on?
Wasn't the main force supposed to be that old man who looked really strong (referring to Netero)?
How could it be Germain?
Meleoron, noticing everyone's gazes on him, became slightly emotional and raised his voice as he recounted the events of the battle.
"First, it was Mr. Germain who killed Neferpitou. Then, he regrouped with us, and together, he and I took down Youpi."
He animatedly described the fight between Germain and Youpi that he had witnessed firsthand, emphasizing his own role in the process.
Ikalgo, Welfin, Bloster, Hina, and the others were all filled with doubt and surprise.
As Chimera Ants, they understood better than anyone just how powerful Youpi and Neferpitou were. Yet both of them had been defeated by the same person.
Regarding Germain's battle with Youpi, Morel and Palm hadn't seen the whole fight. Knov had only witnessed the final blow, and Knuckle didn't see the ending at all.
Now, hearing Meleoron's detailed account, they each began to piece together the events, and their emotions were mixed.
But then something even more shocking happened.
Following Meleoron, Netero slowly spoke. He began recounting Germain's battle with Meruem and Shaiapouf.
Netero didn't use as many embellishments as Meleoron. His explanation was concise, clear, and straightforward.
But the more concise it was, the more it shocked everyone.
The matter of Shaiapouf can be set aside for now. If they could accept that Neferpitou and Youpi died at Germain's hands, then accepting Shaiapouf's death by the same person wouldn't be much harder.
But... even the Ant King, Meruem, that seemingly invincible monster, lost to Germain?
The Ant King and his three Royal Guards—all defeated by the same person?
The Chimera Ants had initially thought that the deaths of the King and his guards were due to some elaborate trap. Who would have imagined that a single human could overpower them directly?
It was simply too unbelievable, far beyond anything they could have predicted.
Some had learned of this earlier, while others were just finding out. Regardless of when they learned, their emotions were now a tangled mess.
Those who knew earlier managed to calm down faster, having already experienced the initial shock.
Morel thought about how he let Shaiapouf slip away.
Knov reflected on how he was paralyzed by the oppressive aura of the three Royal Guards.
Palm remembered her own terrifying encounter.
Knuckle regretted failing to avenge Shoot against Youpi.
Everyone had their own thoughts, yet they were all silently shaken by the same undeniable fact.
Even Chairman Netero, who relied on his overwhelming strength, couldn't defeat the Ant King. But Germain had managed to do so in a direct confrontation. Did this mean that Germain was now the strongest person across the Six Continents?
Despite this looming question, no one mentioned it aloud.
Netero gave a final summary.
"In any case, you now have three paths before you. You are free to choose any one of them."
"This is what Germain meant by, 'Those who wish to start anew, can start anew; those who wish to hide away, may hide away; and those who wish to atone, may atone.'"
Around 4 AM, the Hunter Association's airship arrived above the palace and slowly descended into an open area.
The personnel arranged by Cheadle quickly disembarked from the airship and hurried over to President Netero to ask for the latest instructions.
Netero first instructed them to settle Bizeff and the woman who had regained her freedom. Then, he told them to collect the Chimera Ant eggs and the bodies of the Chimera Ants.
Among these, the bodies of the Ant King and the three Royal Guards were included, but they were in very poor condition, so collecting them would be quite troublesome.
Shoot had been rescued and was no longer in danger, though still unconscious. He was transferred to the airship's medical room.
The group then boarded the airship and rested in their assigned rooms.
At this point, the Chimera Ants had yet to make a final decision on the three futures proposed by Netero and Germain.
This was likely to determine their paths for the rest of their lives, so they couldn't make a decision lightly.
They tossed and turned in bed, troubled, and only fell asleep when they were exhausted.
Several hours later, around noon, the airship carrying Germain and Netero took off first, leaving the area.
The cleanup crew remained in the Republic of East Gorteau, moving between the palace, capital, and various cities, fulfilling their duties.
The airship slowly made its way toward the Hunter Association headquarters.
A celebration for the success of the Chimera Ant expedition was scheduled to be held at the Hunter Association headquarters.
Germain didn't want to attend. He just wanted to return to Greed Island quickly, but he was dragged along by Morel and Knuckle, who insisted he had to go.
He was a person with clear goals. Since the main objective of this trip had been achieved, he wasn't interested in anything else.
However, Morel, Knuckle, and others kept persuading him, saying that if the greatest contributor wasn't there, the celebration would be a joke.
Moreover, Netero had something to say to him, so they managed to keep him there.
That evening, Shoot woke up from his coma, much to everyone's delight.
The first thing he asked after waking up was about the outcome of the final battle against the Chimera Ants.
From the excited Knuckle, Meleoron, and Ikalgo, he could already guess that the expedition team had won.
But at what cost?
Shoot didn't dare to think about it. It must have been brutal. He only regretted that his abilities were not strong enough, and he had collapsed halfway through, unable to help much.
However, the follow-up situation that everyone described to him left him stunned.
********
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