Chapter 49: The Chimera Ant Queen
Kyle sat on the cold stone steps, activating Zetsu. His aura vanished, allowing his reserves to recover at an accelerated rate. Three hours later, at midnight, he opened his eyes, his strength fully restored.
He stood and faced the remaining Troupe members. "Next."
Nobunaga stepped forward, his eyes eager, not with malice, but with a strange gratitude.
It took two full days, a three-hour cycle of banishment and recovery for each member, until Kyle had finally sent the entire Phantom Troupe to the Pirate World. The constant, massive drain on his Nen was agonizing, but he pushed through.
After the last one vanished, Kyle collapsed in his hotel room and slept for two straight days.
By the time he woke, the auction was on its seventh day. The furor over the Troupe's disappearance had died down, and the main event continued. The Greed Island game sets had been sold for a staggering 30.5 billion Jenny to the billionaire, Battera.
Gon and Killua had already attended the player tryouts. This time, however, they weren't dismissed. They demonstrated their Nen, and the shocked proctors immediately granted them access to the game.
Leorio, his exams looming, left Yorknew on the eighth day.
Kyle, however, stayed. He wandered the city, attended a few of the smaller auctions, and finally said his goodbyes to Gon and Killua, who were about to enter Greed Island. He boarded a train, alone, for Hunter Headquarters.
The train car felt unnervingly quiet. He smiled, thinking of their adventures.
Two days later, he was at Headquarters. Beans immediately notified Chairman Netero, who greeted him with his signature, all-knowing laugh.
"Ho ho ho. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You pervy old geezer," Kyle said, cutting straight to the point. "You already know about my ability, don't you? From Wing."
"Ho ho. And you wish to hire me? My rates are very expensive."
"I need to get stronger," Kyle said, meeting his gaze. "And that requires a strong opponent. You're it. If you agree, I'll condescend to sign a contract with you, and show you the true pinnacle of martial arts. How about it?"
Kyle knew you couldn't play by Netero's rules.
Netero just stroked his beard. He knew Gon and Killua were in Greed Island. That meant Kyle was in a "waiting" period. And that game would take months. This kid, Netero thought, a wicked glint in his eye, is literally asking to be 'devastated'.
Kyle saw that look and winced, but he held his ground.
For the next five months, Kyle trained under Netero's "tutelage" while also gathering intel. It was a daily, grueling test of his limits.
During that time, with Netero's assistance, Kyle also successfully signed contracts with Menchi, Knov, and Morel. Each "recruitment" was an ordeal, forcing Kyle to prove his strength and sincerity.
As the timeline approached the critical junction, Kyle sensed the Chimera Ant Queen was about to appear. He said his goodbyes and headed for the autonomous region of NGL.
NGL, a neo-Luddite nation, was notoriously difficult to enter. All modern technology was banned. Rather than deal with the hassle, Kyle infiltrated, crossing the border under the cover of darkness.
He knew his target: a small village with two specific children.
He found the village. He found the mother. She was washing clothes by a stream, and she told him her children had gone up the mountain.
Kyle's heart sank. He vanished, blasting up the mountainside.
At the summit, he found the signs: blood, and the tracks of a massive insect. He was too late.
He followed the trail, moving like a ghost through the dense forest.
In a hidden cave, the Chimera Ant Queen had just finished her "meal." The nutrients... they were unlike anything she had ever consumed. She was about to order her soldiers to find more of this new "food," when Kyle appeared at the cave's mouth.
He saw the soldier ants, each one larger than him, and charged.
They were nothing. He tore through them, a one-punch execution for each. The cave filled with the screams and cracks of shattering carapaces.
The Queen, sensing the threat, ordered her guards to swarm him while she fled deeper into the cave. But Kyle's En was already locked onto her. He cut a bloody path and appeared in front of her, blocking her escape.
The Queen, nearly two meters tall, looked at the human blocking her path, then at her decimated soldiers. She protectively touched her abdomen. The King was in there. Her mission was not complete.
Kyle saw the tattered remains of the children's clothing on the ground. He had, indeed, been too late.
He activated his ability.
"[Book of World Resonance]."
"Death Contract."
His Aura enveloped the Queen. She could not speak, but the terms of the Vow were transmitted directly to her mind.
She understood. He wasn't going to kill her. He was offering to banish her and her unborn King.
She accepted.
She believed, with absolute certainty, that her King would be born, and he would one day find this human and kill him, returning them to their rightful world.
The contract was sealed. The portal of light formed, and the Queen, with her unborn child, vanished from the Hunter world.
The Chimera Ant crisis, in this world, was over.
Kyle stood in the empty cave. He noted that this banishment had only taken half his Aura. He spent the next hour sweeping the area, ensuring not a single ant was left, before finally walking out.