"Make way! Make way!"
The injured ward was full of activity.
People came and went in waves, but the busiest of all were the medical teams, clad in white and pink uniforms. They moved like bees gathering nectar, weaving swiftly through the narrow spaces.
Three people rushed past with a wheeled stretcher, barely squeezing through the cramped corridor.
On the bed lay an unconscious woman with a severed leg.
Germain stepped aside quickly to let them pass, then adjusted the tip of his triangular hat before turning to ask:
"So, you still haven't heard anything from Chairman Netero and the others?"
"No, I have."
Palm's answer instantly sharpened Germain's focus. She pointed once more to the dark violet orb on her forehead.
"I already told you—Merman Clairvoyance can track up to three targets. One of them is Cheadle. The other two are Chairman Netero and Teacher Knov."
"I can still see what Chairman Netero is up to right now."
Palm had chosen those three as her targets for a reason. She had a feeling that things would fall into chaos, and she had prepared for that possibility in advance.
Netero and Cheadle had led the two main teams from the Hunter Association during the operation. By locking onto them, she could also keep tabs on whoever was traveling with them.
As for Teacher Knov—despite her cold appearance since turning into a Chimera Ant, Palm was far from heartless.
In truth, she still cared deeply for Teacher Knov. She understood his personality and feared that he might die alone in some dark corner, consumed by his own terror.
Tracking him was her way of making sure she could reach him immediately if they got separated—to protect him.
After becoming a Chimera Ant, Palm gained a new Nen ability: Black Widow. Her body had grown significantly stronger, and she could now control her long black hair as a weapon.
"Protecting Knov" wasn't just empty talk.
But what she never expected was that while she was unconscious, Knov had undergone a dramatic change. He became brave and resolute—completely different from his usual self—and ended up saving many lives on his own.
Only then did Palm realize… maybe she had underestimated him all along.
"Where is Chairman Netero?" Germain pressed.
He had a feeling. The complete lack of news from Chairman Netero could only mean one of three things.
First possibility: Netero and the other Hunter Association members were tracking the "premature hatchling" from the Seed Urn.
Second: they were trapped due to some ability or condition—and the cause was very likely that same "premature hatchling."
Third: a chaotic mix of both situations.
Germain leaned toward the first one.
Palm raised her hand and covered her left eye, leaving only her right eye open. The purplish-black orb on her forehead gave off a faint glow.
A scene appeared before her, vivid and close, as if it were happening just a few feet away.
"Chairman Netero is inside an abandoned Chimera Ant nest," she said. "Several members of the Zodiacs are with him. They're all watching something in the distance."
"It looks like... they're preparing to take action."
Germain looked surprised. "How do you know they're in an abandoned Chimera Ant nest?"
"Chairman Netero told me," Palm replied with a faint smile.
"He knew my Merman Clairvoyance ability had a record of him. And he knew that as long as I was alive, I'd be the first to observe him again."
"So... he wore a white shirt. On it, he wrote directions starting from the wreckage of BW1—where to go, in what direction, and roughly how far, to find him."
"He also made sure to write 'abandoned Chimera Ant nest' on it, and even drew a smiley face."
"This is everything I can see right now. Please—get me some paper and a pen. I'll write down the coordinates for you."
Hours passed.
Boom—
It was like a mountain crashing down from the heavens.
The sheer weight slammed into the creature below—a massive beast that let out a piercing croak of agony.
This was the guardian beast of the Fifth Prince, Tubeppa.
Its head looked like a giant toad, skin rough and uneven like toad hide. A dozen thick, pillar-like bumps jutted out from its back.
Tubeppa didn't have legs. Instead, it rolled on six mechanical wheels.
But now—all six wheels were utterly destroyed.
It was Morel the Monkey, Mizaistom the Ox, Botobai the Dragon, Kanzai the Tiger, and Ginta the Sheep who had taken them out.
With its wheels shattered, the beast could no longer charge around like a thunderous locomotive, dodging attacks with terrifying speed.
From high above, Chairman Netero soared into the sky.
And then—he unleashed his signature ability: Hyakushiki Kannon—the Hundred-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
It came down hard, smashing into Tubeppa from above with unstoppable force.
Sure enough, Netero was wearing that familiar white shirt—covered in sacred scripture.
Tubeppa was like a wagon stuck deep in the mud.
It couldn't move.
It could only wail helplessly as the second strike of the Guanyin came crashing down.
Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth…
Boom! Boom! Boom—
The beast's tough outer shell began to cave in under the blows.
Blood and flesh burst from its huge mouth—like sausage being squeezed out of its casing.
Before long, Tubeppa stopped moving.
Its life had completely slipped away.
After confirming the death of "Tubeppa," Chairman Netero landed lightly on the ground.
With both hands clasped together, he silently chanted something under his breath.
Only after a moment did he slowly release his hands and allow his aura to fade away.
"Heh heh," chuckled Kanzai, his spiky hair dyed with tiger stripes. He kicked the fallen beast smugly.
"One down, four to go."
"Idiot," grunted Morel, resting his long smoking pipe on his shoulder.
"There are five 'Four Heavenly Kings.' Isn't that common knowledge?"
Mizaistom, dressed in a cow-print uniform, nodded in agreement.
"He's right. We need to be careful—we barely got close enough as it is."
"Maybe we've already been spotted," said Botobai Gigante, his face painted in red and white warpaint. Arms crossed, his tone was serious.
"Even though we all struck at once and ended the fight in a flash... it still made too much noise."
The burly and stout Ginta muttered, "Mmm... I hope not."
Chairman Netero simply smiled calmly and stroked his beard.
"I don't think it matters. A fight is inevitable."
"Besides, we were bound to be noticed sooner or later. Did you all forget?"
"Look at that creature's corpse. As a Parasite-Type Guardian Spirit Beast, it's... different."
Crack—crack—
Suddenly, cracks appeared all over Tubeppa's body.
In the next moment, like fragile porcelain, the entire thing shattered effortlessly—
—turning into fine dust, scattered by the wind.
At the same time, a thick cloud of black resentment surged into the sky like a swarm of hornets.
After spinning in the air a few times, the aura suddenly shot off in one direction, without looking back.
The Zodiacs stared in stunned silence for a long while before they finally understood what Chairman Netero had meant.
If they didn't kill Tubeppa, there was no way they could pass through this path without being detected.
But killing Tubeppa would release its resentment (Post-mortem Nen) and send it back to its source — which was also a kind of warning.
The group stood beside the now-cleared Chimera Ant nest, gazing off into the distance.
They watched as that trail of lingering Resentment disappeared into the mountains.
Beyond those mountains, the sky was filled with thick, dark clouds.
And beneath those clouds was a strange and imposing castle — a fortress made from countless stone pillars, crisscrossed in chaotic disorder.
The entire scene was shrouded in gloomy, shadowy gray.
Chairman Netero stared at it for a while, then suddenly turned his head as if he had sensed something from another direction.
"Hmm… I was thinking, if Palm's still alive, she should've come by now… Hmm? No, wait, that's not Palm's aura…"
His eyes widened in surprise — then his expression lit up with a deeper smile.
"Well, well. This just got interesting. Looks like we might actually have a fighting chance now."
While the others were still confused by what he meant, four small black dots appeared on the far horizon — right where Netero had been looking.
*******
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