'The King was actually born...'
Law's first reaction was to temporarily avoid confrontation.
At the very least, they couldn't risk meaningless casualties at such a time.
The moment the King was born, many potential dangers surfaced one after another in Law's mind.
Law wasn't just vaguely familiar with Chimera Ants… on the contrary, he understood them extremely thoroughly.
During the months of establishing those two defensive lines, he had reread all available books on Chimera Ants several times.
Therefore, he was well-versed in Chimera Ant's behavior and their racial hierarchy.
"How is the Chimera Ant Queen's condition?"
He stared at the nest, not responding to Tonpa's suggestion but asking this instead.
Tonpa was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Hearing Law still had the leisure to ask this, he hurriedly replied, "The Queen's lower body is almost completely destroyed. She probably won't survive."
'Sure enough...'
Law's heart sank.
'In that case, even with reinforcements, we would absolutely lack sufficient manpower.'
There was an uncomfortable feeling of always being one step behind.
"Let's go."
Despite his worries, Law knew this wasn't the place to linger. He left with Tonpa.
He needed to inform Netero about this.
...
The nest, the Queen's chamber.
On the velvet cushion, the Queen lay slumped, her lower half in ruins, organs scattered.
She showed no signs of life, unclear whether dead or alive.
The King stood to the side, covered in amniotic-like fluid. He had been looking towards the direction the radar Nen Circle came from, but upon hearing the Squadron Leaders approaching, he withdrew his gaze.
He wasn't in a hurry to pursue that audacious unknown being. In his view, as long as he knew the general direction, even if that being had a half-hour head start, he was confident he could catch up.
It was a mindset like a cat toying with a mouse...
Before that, he wanted to taste once more the flavor he had experienced within the Queen's womb.
Thirteen Squadron Leaders arrived at the Queen's chamber almost simultaneously.
Then, they saw the King emanating a heavy, oppressive aura and the Queen lying slumped on her throne, her fate unknown. Their expressions changed.
The Squadron Leader Chimera Ants, mixed with human genes, each possessed 'self-awareness'. Consequently, seeing the Queen's tragic state, their reactions varied according to their personalities.
The weakest reactions came from the fox-man Nique and the bull-headed man.
The strongest reaction came from a dog-eared man wearing a white mask, slightly plump and not very tall.
The human genes he mixed with likely belonged to a doctor, possessing a considerate heart. Now transformed into an ant, his concern shifted focus to the ant colony.
"Present the feast."
A few seconds after all Squadron Leaders arrived, they heard the King's voice.
That voice carried an undeniable tone.
The Squadron Leaders understood. For a moment, their bodies froze.
There's a saying: worry leads to confusion. Among the Squadron Leaders, only the dog-eared man prioritized the Queen's safety, unconsciously neglecting the King's majesty and danger.
"Treatment must be administered immediately!"
Coming to his senses, the dog-eared man hurried forward.
But he only took one step before a whip-like black shadow lashed across his face.
The Squadron Leaders only saw a blur swiftly pass. Immediately after, the dog-eared man's head shattered into pieces, splattering on a nearby wall. In contrast, the King had just made a slight retracting motion.
Thump.
The dog-eared man's headless body fell. Sweat beaded on the Squadron Leaders' faces.
"I won't repeat the same words. Present the feast."
The King's cold, authoritative gaze swept over the Squadron Leaders.
However, all Squadron Leaders were intimidated… no one dared move easily.
Seeing this, a hint of impatience surfaced deep in the King's eyes.
'Since useless, keeping them was just an eyesore.'
As killing intent arose, a gentle voice arrived, relieving the Squadron Leaders.
"The meal is prepared for you."
The speaker was Pouf, with Pitou and Youpi also present.
They knelt on one knee, facing the King, showing meticulous submission.
The moment they confirmed the King's birth, the reason they arrived later than the Squadron Leaders was because they first prepared the meal and dining location.
This detail highlighted the difference between the three Royal Guards and the Squadron Leaders.
Had the Royal Guards arrived a moment later, the King might have swung his tail, eliminating the Squadron Leaders one by one.
The King looked at the three kneeling Royal Guards, his face expressionless.
"From now on, we will be your subordinates. Anything you desire, we will present to you," Pitou raised her eyes to look at the King.
"Your wishes, we will fulfill them all," Youpi followed, expressing his stance.
Finally, Pouf respectfully said, "You can command us to do anything."
The King looked sideways at the kneeling Royal Guards and acknowledged matter-of-factly, "Mhm."
Under the Squadron Leaders' watchful, fearful eyes, the King and the Royal Guards left the Queen's chamber as if it were nothing.
They noticed that from beginning to end, the King and the three Royal Guards hadn't even glanced at the Queen.
The King was born, so the Queen was no longer needed. The Queen had nothing to do with them anymore.
From that moment on, the King had drawn a line between them… they were completely different creatures.
Within the chamber, each Squadron Leader looked at the chaotic scene without speaking.
Several minutes later, the King and the three Royal Guards returned to the chamber.
The Squadron Leaders instinctively averted their gazes, lowering their eyes, not daring any words or actions.
The King was dissatisfied with the meal the Royal Guards prepared, as meatballs made from ordinary humans, bland-tasting, vastly different from the feast he desired.
Through brief conversation, the King understood the difference lay in life energy. So, he returned to the chamber.
Then, without any psychological burden, he ate the dog-eared man's corpse.
Because when he killed the dog-eared man, he saw the life energy emanating from him.
However, the taste was still different.
What he wanted wasn't this.
The King suddenly looked towards the direction the radar Nen Circle had come from earlier.
Based on information from the Royal Guards, he knew his desired food source was so-called Nen Users.
'That earlier spying gaze likely belonged to a Nen User.'
About ten minutes passed...
The craving for a feast made the King radiate the inherent, superior aura of a predator.
It was an attitude where all creatures except himself were considered food.
The Squadron Leaders hung their heads, not even daring to breathe heavily.
The King completely ignored them. Without a word, he walked out, choosing the direction from which Tonpa had released the Nen Circle earlier.
Noticing this direction, the three Royal Guards exchanged glances.
At that time, it coincided with the King's birth, so the Royal Guards focused entirely on the King, ignoring Tonpa's radar Nen Circle.
'It seemed that being who used life energy in an alternative way was probably regarded as prey by His Majesty.'
Thinking this, the three Royal Guards followed.
Only after the King and Royal Guards left again did the Squadron Leaders realize their bodies were soaked in cold sweat.
From this moment on, the King and the three Royal Guards severed ties with the Chimera Ant's hierarchy.
In the Chimera Ant's class structure, once the King is born, he splits off with the three Royal Guards to form a new clan. Then, they roam, mating with female creatures to give birth to new Queens.
The Queen who gave birth to the King remains in the nest, aging alone for life.
If the Queen dies, potential hidden dangers are triggered.