Morel and the others knew Greed Island was a game created by Ging and his team, but bringing chimera ants into a game world? That seemed impossible. Seeing their confusion, Ging began explaining more about Greed Island.
While Ging was explaining things to Morel and the others, Larry quietly approached Colt and gently patted his shoulder. "Go take a look over there. There's someone who deserves your attention more than the ant queen," he said.
Colt glanced toward the direction Larry pointed, puzzled by the suggestion. As he looked, an unexpected and complicated feeling stirred in his heart, one he couldn't quite understand.
In his sight stood an ordinary soldier ant, timidly staying in the corner. Colt was sure he had never seen this soldier ant before, so why did he feel this strange mix of emotions?
Larry's voice broke through his thoughts like thunder, "That's your sister, Reina!"
Suddenly, the image of the soldier ant blurred and merged with the memory of young Reina. "Reina... sister..." Colt whispered, his eyes glazing over as tears streamed down his cheeks.
Step by step, he moved toward the soldier ant. At the same time, Reina recognized him too, though only faintly, as a little girl's memory.
Despite her lowly status as a soldier ant, she could still sense the bond between them, brother and sister. Summoning all her courage, timid Reina reached out and hugged Colt.
Feeling her embrace, Colt's tears flowed freely, as if a dam had burst. He knew without a doubt this was his sister, the very sister he had longed to protect. Reina was still alive!
"Reina, I'm sorry... I failed to protect you," he sobbed. "It's all my fault." Colt's apologies poured out, but Reina, still a low-level soldier ant who had lost the ability to speak due to being consumed at a young age, could only hug him silently.
Nearby, Morel watched the scene with curiosity. After Ging's explanation, he and Knov finally understood where the chimera ants were headed next.
For those poor souls, staying on Greed Island seemed like the best option. Just then, Morel noticed Colt holding the soldier ant, crying bitterly, more sorrowfully than even when he had regained his human memories. "Do you know who that soldier ant is?" he asked, genuinely surprised by Colt's deep grief.
Larry approached Morel and, glancing at the touching reunion between the brother and sister, spoke in a calm tone, "That was Colt's sister when she was still human."
Morel and the others were taken aback, they hadn't expected her to be Colt's sister. Larry continued, "She was very young when she was swallowed, and now she's become a soldier ant who can't even speak."
Typically, soldier ants with human DNA can talk, while those that can't speak tend to be lower-level ants created from animal genes. But because Reina was so young, she couldn't develop speech like the other soldier ants.
"Colt is only eight years old, and his sister is even younger," Larry said seriously, which caused the surprise on Morel and the others' faces to fade and be replaced by a somber expression. Such young children, and now they've ended up like this.
"Colt has always wanted to protect his sister," Larry added. "Even after he became a Chimera Ant, that instinct to protect didn't disappear. Though he lost most of his human memories, his sense of protection shifted toward the ant queen."
Morel and the others said nothing, but their faces grew darker, and they clenched their fists without realizing it. Then Larry changed the subject slightly. "By the way, I want to introduce someone who might join our crusade team."
With a wave, he called over the Chameleon Chimera Ant. "Merleon wants to join us because he seeks revenge against the King Ant. My plan is to see if he can develop useful Nen abilities before we head out on the crusade, if he does, I'll let him join."
A Chimera Ant wanting to join a team against the King Ant sounded strange, but considering he was once human before being consumed, it made a bit more sense. However, when Morel caught the fierce hatred burning in Merleon's eyes, he realized there was more going on.
There had to be a deeper reason behind that grudge; otherwise, Merleon wouldn't harbor such intense resentment. "Why does he want revenge on the King Ant?" Morel asked Larry, since Larry seemed to know everything.
Larry nodded toward some stumps nearby. "Did you notice those?"
Morel turned his head and noticed several tree stumps in the corner, their surfaces stained with blood that had darkened over time.
"That chimera ant is actually Meleoron's adoptive father, the one who raised him since he was a child," Larry explained.
Meleoron then took over, his voice heavy with emotion. "My adoptive father was trying to treat the ant queen, but the damn ant king killed him!" He paused, struggling to hold back his rage. "Not only that… the hungry ant king actually ate my adoptive father!"
By the end, Meleoron's words came out almost like a roar, his eyes bloodshot from anger. Morel and Knov fell silent, their expressions darkening as if ink had been spilled across their faces.
This ant king truly deserved to die. Now they finally understood the source of Meleoron's fury. It wasn't just that his foster father was devoured by chimera ants, it was that he had witnessed the ant king kill and consume the man who raised him. No one could easily let that go.
As the people around them sighed, they couldn't help but reflect on how unpredictable life is. "So I swear I will kill the ant king," Meleoron declared, his eyes burning with rage. "I won't stop until he's dead!"
As he finished shouting, something strange happened. A fierce surge of aura burst forth from him, filling the entire room with an overwhelming force. His aura expanded endlessly, like a raging river, but this pure aura was tinged with a fiery red glow, adding an eerie intensity.
Everyone could feel the deep resentment radiating from him. The sheer power created gusts of wind that swept through the room. "Is that… Restriction and Oath?!" Larry exclaimed, staring at Meleoron's sudden transformation, which reminded him of a Saiyan powering up.
The way a faint aura had exploded into something immense, combined with Meleoron's fierce words, made him realize this was likely Restriction and Oath. Had Meleoron somehow learned to use it on his own, without a teacher?
Morel and the others nearby heard Larry's sudden shout, and secretly, they were all taken aback. It turned out that Meleoron had unknowingly activated his Restriction and Oath abilities. That explained why his aura had surged so dramatically.
Meleoron himself was bewildered, asking, "What's wrong with me?" After venting some frustration, he realized he wasn't quite himself, he felt incredibly powerful, far stronger than before.
Larry looked at the still-confused Meleoron with sharp eyes and asked, "What were you thinking just now?"