Chimera Ants. Why were these creatures, which should only exist on the Dark Continent, here inside these ruins? And judging by the look of things, they had been thriving in this ecosystem for quite some time. But given their Phagogenesis—their ability to pass on the traits of consumed prey to the next generation—they should have acquired Nen and high intelligence long ago by devouring Nen users. So why hadn't these Chimera Ants left this den after all these years?
Furthermore, the two ants Ronin observed in the distance felt entirely different from the ones that ravaged East Gorteau and NGL in the original story. They looked much closer to natural insects, rather than the heavily evolved variants that had lost most of their ant-like traits to resemble humans or other animals. Regardless, these creatures were classified by V5 as a Level-A quarantine species for a reason—they were incredibly dangerous.
If an entity on the level of the Chimera Ant King or the Royal Guards had been born here, this seventeen-man squad wouldn't stand a chance. It would be a total wipeout. They needed to kill those two distant ants immediately and ascertain the exact situation inside the den. If the worst-case scenario had indeed come to pass, Ronin had only one plan: evacuate the ruins immediately and hand the mess over to the Hunter Association brass—the Twelve Zodiacs or Chairman Netero himself.
Ronin was confident in his own strength. But if he had to face a monster that could crush him with raw aura reserves while wielding unknown abilities, he had no guarantee of victory. His mind made up, Ronin—who had refrained from acting since entering the den—launched his first attack.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode activated instantly, accompanied by the piercing shriek of a thousand chirping birds. Before the group could even register what was happening, a streak of lightning flashed beside them, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Ronin's speed was simply too fast. So fast that the charging beasts didn't even notice his silhouette as he bypassed them completely, rocketing straight toward the ants in the rear. Even the two Nen-wielding ants hadn't anticipated that the moment the screeching sound echoed, a figure cloaked in blue lightning would already be upon them.
Chidori: Lightning Blade.
Ronin's form flickered past, leaving behind two mangled ant corpses, their bodies punctured clean through by his Lightning Release chakra. Even though he had sensed Nen on them, these fodder soldiers were still nothing but insects he could crush effortlessly. His swift execution, however, left the rest of the squad staring in wide-eyed disbelief. They had suspected Ronin was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be in an entirely different dimension of power. With that kind of velocity, hardly anyone in the group was confident they could track his movements, let alone defend against such an explosive strike.
This was an aura user who specialized in absolute speed and lethal offensive power. That was the label most of them applied to Ronin after witnessing his overwhelming burst of speed.
Mashuel, meanwhile, quietly dispelled the dense aura he had been gathering in his hands. Upon recognizing the Chimera Ants, he had shared Ronin's mindset—they needed to investigate the area immediately. More importantly, they could not allow any more Nen users to die here. No one knew exactly what horrifying mutations would occur if they kept feeding Nen-capable humans to the swarm. But anyone familiar with the species could easily imagine the nightmarish terrors that would spawn from such a feast.
Bencot opened his mouth to speak, but Ronin was already darting deeper into the den alone. Mashuel and Vanessa exchanged a glance before simultaneously breaking off from the main group to follow him.
Out of the entire squad, the only person the trio viewed with any regard was Colin. His javelin-throwing Nen ability was genuinely impressive; with the right coordination, it could unleash devastating damage. As for the organizer, Bencot, his combat prowess had already been laid bare during the skirmishes with the lesser monsters. While his ability had its uses, his fundamental martial skills were severely lacking.
Once out of the squad's line of sight, Ronin immediately cast the Shadow Clone Jutsu. His clone blurred into the depths of the forest, while his true body intentionally slowed down. A few seconds later, Mashuel and Vanessa caught up to him. Neither said a word, but they both knew exactly what Ronin had just done. Vanessa felt infinitely more relaxed traveling alongside Ronin, though her positioning made it blatantly clear she was ready to bolt at the first sign of real danger. Mashuel naturally sensed Vanessa slipping into his shadow, a tactic he was long accustomed to. Honestly, if there ever came a day when they fought together and she didn't hide in his shadow, he would start questioning reality.
"If we encounter something we absolutely cannot handle, we pull back immediately. The Captain can dispatch Golem to back us up at any time," Mashuel stated, outlining the Rock Mercenary Group's contingency plan.
Ronin nodded. Exploring the ruins was a job the mercenary company had taken on; they couldn't expect Ronin to act as their permanent vanguard for everything. The situation in the Kurta Clan ruins had been different. That was a specific transaction between Muhuell and Ronin, and Ronin had secured the perimeter with his own strength. But now that they were investigating the central zone, the mercenaries were expected to handle the heavy lifting if a major crisis erupted. Unless the enemy proved insurmountable, the mercenaries wouldn't abandon the mission lightly. However, if the absolute worst-case scenario occurred, even Golem might not be enough—despite the fact that the mech hadn't shown its true combat potential during the earlier stages.
While they spoke, Ronin's shadow clone had already surged hundreds of meters ahead. It navigated through the thick canopy like a phantom stalking the woodlands. As it advanced, more and more giant ants entered its line of sight, while the incessant, rhythmic thump-thump-thump filled its ears.
Are these truly Chimera Ants?
The thought crossed the shadow clone's mind. The glaring anomaly was that every single ant appeared to be a uniform soldier drone, and none of them displayed the chaotic, multifaceted genetic fusion characteristic of their species.
Lightning Release chakra crackled around the clone. Instead of charging up Chidori, it switched to the Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite. Any ant foolish enough to block its path was swiftly bisected in a blinding flash of lightning. The sundered bodies thrashed on the ground, shrieking in high-pitched agony. The screams drew the attention of surrounding swarms, but the clone had already vaulted away from the scene in a burst of speed.
Yet, as it sprinted deeper, a heavy buzzing sound began to filter into its ears. Looking up, the clone saw massive flying ants diving from the sky, locking straight onto its position!
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