HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 173: I’m Allergic to Chimera Ants!

Chapter 173: I’m Allergic to Chimera Ants!

"Meleoron, listen carefully to what I’m about to say."

"You just unconsciously used a Nen ability called Restriction and Vow."

"In other words, during the upcoming Ant King extermination, the Ant King must die—otherwise, you will."

"There’s likely a time limit too. It won’t let you drag this out forever."

"The price of this immense power is that your life is now on a countdown."

"Only one of you—you or the Ant King—will survive!"

Ging carefully analyzed the situation for Meleoron, a rare moment of seriousness from him.

His explanation also helped Meleoron understand the reason for his sudden transformation.

So this was the ability called Restriction and Vow?

BOOM!

Meleoron clenched his fist tightly and from within the thick Aura enveloping his hand, a sharp sound like a firecracker erupted.

His current strength was worlds apart from before!

As for the so-called "restriction," he didn’t care in the slightest.

Even if it cost him his life, it was worth it!

If he couldn’t avenge his father, what use was this life to him?

In fact, trading his life for the power to exact revenge was a bargain!

As Meleoron’s Aura continued to surge, streaks of crimson dispersed into the air.

"Just as I thought. There is a time limit."

"Your life is draining away. That red energy is a manifestation of your lifespan."

Ging held his breath, focusing intently before speaking slowly.

Of course.

There was no exploiting loopholes in Restriction and Vow.

The principle of Restriction and Vow was equivalent exchange—what you gained was proportional to what you sacrificed.

If the "restriction" was simply: Kill the Ant King during the extermination, or die yourself—

Then one could theoretically postpone the extermination indefinitely, enjoying the benefits of the "vow" without ever fulfilling the condition.

But that clearly violated the principle of Restriction and Vow.

So the moment Meleoron established this restriction, his life had already begun slipping away.

If he killed the Ant King before the time limit, all would be well.

But if he failed—or if the Ant King killed him first—the only outcome was death.

This was an even more extreme Restriction and Vow than Kurapika’s.

Seeing Meleoron gradually withdraw his Aura and his expression now calm, Ging knew he had taken the words to heart.

Honestly, it was terrifying.

To instinctively use Restriction and Vow without any guidance—And to gain such power immediately upon establishing it.

Akira stood to the side, contemplating Meleoron’s transformation.

Based on the Aura he had just unleashed, Meleoron’s strength was now approaching that of Morel and Knov.

The gap between them was no longer vast.

Of course, this was just in terms of aura. In an actual fight, Morel or Knov would still win.

Right now, what Akira pondering was Meleoron’s Nen ability.

The current Meleoron is more radical in personality compared to the original story and has even established a life-costing Restriction and Vow.

So, will his Nen ability still be [Perfect Plan]?

A peculiar glint flashed in Ging’s eyes beside him.

This trip was truly worth it.

Not only had he found some promising talents and a Nen Exorcist, but he also witnessed the innate abilities of the Chimera Ants.

Truly a species from the Dark Continent!

It seemed he would need to learn more about Meleoron and the others—this might even prove useful for future expeditions to the Dark Continent.

****

"It’s no use."

"We’ve done all we can."

The lead doctor sighed softly, slowly putting away her surgical tools and announcing the Ant Queen’s is gonna die soon.

Even the most elite medical team from the six continents struggled when faced with creatures from the Dark Continent.

The main issue was that the Ant Queen’s injuries were simply too severe.

The chances of saving her were already slim from the start.

The other Chimera Ants didn’t seem particularly surprised—after all, a long time had passed since the Ant Queen had collapsed from her grievous wounds.

With so much blood lost, it was only natural she couldn’t be saved.

Thanks to Akira’s help, they had fully awakened their human memories.

Thus, Chimera Ants like Bihorn weren’t as grief-stricken as in the original story, their emotions remaining relatively calm.

The faint sorrow they felt was merely their Chimera Ant instincts at play.

As humans, they would have preferred the Ant Queen to die sooner.

The reason they had become like this was entirely "thanks" to her.

Even Colt, who in the original story had wept uncontrollably, now stood silently beside the Ant Queen, serving only as a translator.

The only reason he could still offer her some assistance was due to his lingering Protective instincts.

But it wasn’t enough to bring him to tears.

Seeing this, the Ant Queen showed no reaction, only a look of resignation in her eyes as she made one final request.

She asked them, if they ever encountered the Ant King, to tell him his name.

The Ant King’s name was "Meruem."

After making this request, the Ant Queen breathed her last, her body devoid of any remaining vitality.

"By the way, didn’t you say Kite was here?"

"Which one is he? Stop keeping me in suspense."

Ging stepped beside Akira, his gaze carrying a hint of mischief.

After all this time, he still hadn’t pointed Kite out—was he being tricked?

"Don’t rush. You’ll find out soon enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Colt suddenly froze, his breath hitching as he reached out in disbelief. _{f.re(e) w.e(b)nov el.c.om}

From the Ant Queen’s body, he carefully lifted a tiny figure.

Though it had the appearance of a human infant, its size was incredibly small—no larger than one of Colt’s fingers.

The mucus-covered baby babbled and wailed loudly, its cries echoing throughout the entire room.

Despite its minuscule frame, its voice was astonishingly powerful, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Is this... a Chimera Ant the Queen hadn’t yet given birth to?" Morel said gravely.

Whatever came from the Ant Queen’s body had to be a Chimera Ant.

"That doesn’t make sense." Knov frowned, finding it illogical.

"First, after giving birth to the Ant King, the Queen should have lost her reproductive ability. How could she produce another Chimera Ant?"

"Second, Chimera Ants don’t reproduce through live birth—they lay eggs."

After hearing Knov analysis, everyone found it quite reasonable.

What he said was accurate knowledge about Chimera Ants.

But then the question arose.

Why was this Chimera Ant so special?

"No way..."

Ging looked at the tiny infant being cradled by Colt, his anxiety growing stronger, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

He had a bad premonition.

Clap clap clap

"Knov, that was excellent analysis."

Akira applauded Knov reasoning as he stepped forward.

"This Chimera Ant is indeed very special."

"Ging, don’t you have anything to say?"

Mid-sentence, Akira turned to look at the silent Ging, his smile widening.

Ging’s bad feeling intensified.

He could already guess what was coming.

"This little Chimera Ant is actually Ging’s disciple—Kite!"

Seeing Ging’s shocked expression but still no words coming from him, Akira took the initiative to announce the answer.

"Huh?"

"That’s Ging’s disciple?!"

Morel was startled at first, then leaned in closer to examine the infant.

But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t see any resemblance to Kite—the difference was just too great.

"Kite was Ging’s disciple. Among his Nen abilities was one called ’Absolute Death Resistance.’"

"It was precisely because of this ability that Kite managed to preserve his life and be reborn within the Queen’s body."

"In truth, he wasn’t eaten by the Queen, which is why he wasn’t born in the normal Chimera Ant way."

In the original story, Kite’s corpse had been turned into a puppet by Neferpitou using the Nen ability [Doctor Blythe].

Created specifically for her amusement.

This proved that Kite hadn’t been eaten by the Queen, so naturally, a normal Kite Chimera Ant wouldn’t have been born.

The fact that Kite could appear in this form now could only be attributed to his unique Nen ability.

"So that’s how it is?"

Morel and the others finally understood why Ging’s disciple had ended up like this—it was all because of a Nen ability.

In this world, no matter how bizarre something might seem, as long as it was attributed to a Nen ability, it somehow became understandable.

Or perhaps the fact that he had survived at all was impressive enough, especially since he still looked mostly human.

"Ging, aren’t you going to hold your disciple?"

Hearing this, Colt quickly carried little Kite toward Ging.

’If Mr. Ging is his master, he must really want to see him, right?’

That was what Colt thought.

"Ahem!"

Ging "unintentionally" took half a step back, cleared his throat and put on an extremely "serious" face as he said.

"Actually, I’m allergic to Chimera Ants."

’Who would believe that?’

Seeing Ging’s completely unconvincing expression and actions, both the Chimera Ants and humans present shared the same thought.

***

In the end, Ging still didn’t touch Kite, merely giving him a quick glance before turning away.

He then decided to take him back and have Dwun and the others take care of little Kite, planning to meet him when kite grew up. (😭)

Thus, everything was settled, with even an unexpected bonus (Kite).

The medical teams all returned to their original locations.

Ging also took the group of Chimera Ants and little Kite to Greed Island.

They needed to be properly taught Nen abilities, with Meleoron being particularly enthusiastic about it.

He believed that every bit of strength he gained would increase his chances of defeating the Ant King.

In truth, the entire Ant King extermination squad was nothing more than Akira’s cheer leaders—they weren’t even necessary.

Only Colt and Reina stayed behind, wanting to see their mother one last time.

***

In a secluded village within the NGL Autonomous Region.

The area was surrounded by dense forests, with small hills further beyond.

Because of this, even after the Chimera Ant incident, the people here remained unaware of the Chimera Ants.

Apart from Reina and Colt, who had wandered too far and were unluckily captured, no one else from this village had fallen victim.

Their disappearance was simply attributed to wild animal attacks in the wilderness.

After all, with two children missing for so long, no one believed they could still be alive.

Knowing was one thing, but accepting this "fact" was another.

Especially for their mother.

Inside a small thatched hut, soft sobbing echoed in the dimly lit room, enough to sadden anyone who heard it.

On the only table in the house, usually used for meals, were two plates of lavish dishes—one held a whole boiled chicken, the other with slices of meat and a fish.

In the center lay two bamboo sticks crossed in an "X" shape and in front of the three plates stood two small stone statues resembling Buddha.

The lavish food wasn’t a sign of wealth—quite the opposite, the family was struggling.

These dishes weren’t for eating, they were the highest form of sacrificial offering in local tradition.

Though the table was laden with food, Haruna hadn’t touched a single bite, instead half-collapsed beside a thick stack of folded blankets.

The blankets were neatly piled in layers, but the dust clinging to them was unmistakable.

Clearly, they hadn’t been used in a long time.

Since her two children had vanished, Haruna hadn’t slept properly even once.

She couldn’t even bring herself to properly unfold the quilts, merely resting against them.

Haruna was a relatively young woman—her eldest child had only been eight years old.

Yet now, her face bore no trace of youth, resembling instead an elderly woman who could barely walk.

Her cheeks were sunken from prolonged malnutrition, her complexion dull and lifeless.

She looked utterly haggard—if not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, one might have mistaken her for a dead person.

Her husband had passed away early, leaving her to raise two children alone.

Fortunately, her eldest son had been mature beyond his years, helping with chores from a young age.

Her younger daughter, though too small to do anything, had stubbornly followed her brother outside, eager to contribute whatever she could.

Yet now, even the remains of these two well-behaved, thoughtful children were nowhere to be found.

"Why... why did you let them go?"

"You killed your own children!"

Haruna sobbed into the blankets, berating herself relentlessly as tears streamed down her face.

Months had already passed since her children disappeared.

Haruna never stopped blaming herself, attributing the deaths of her children entirely to her own negligence.

It was her carelessness that had killed them! They were still just children—how could she have let them go out alone?

It was all her fault...

When she realized they hadn’t returned, she frantically searched the mountains and fields like a madwoman.

Even the villagers from the same community joined in to help look for them.

Days passed with no trace of them.

That was when everyone knew...The children would never come back.

Only Haruna clung to a dream—one the villagers saw as impossible to fulfill.

Every day, she did two things without fail: she would go out to search for her children and at home, she would reminisce about the happy times with them, only to berate herself afterward.

Since her husband’s death, her two children had been her reason to live.

The moment she realized they weren’t coming back, her world collapsed.

If not for that faint glimmer of hope—that they might still return—she would have taken her own life long ago.

Creak~

Suddenly, the old wooden door was pushed open with a sharp, grating sound.

A warm beam of sunlight streamed through the gap, illuminating the dust in the room and falling on Haruna who was quietly sobbing.

Haruna barely noticed, slowly turning her head.

The villagers were simple and honest people, never up to any mischief, so no one in the village ever locked their doors.

It was probably the neighbor coming to comfort her again...

That was what Haruna thought.

The sunlight shone directly on her haggard face and she squinted slightly, seeing two figures standing at the door.

When Colt and Reina saw their mother now look so distraught and worn, tears streamed uncontrollably down their faces.

Drop by drop, like pearls, their tears fell to the ground, dampening a small patch of the floor.

Overcome with grief, they couldn’t utter a single word.

After all, their hearts were filled with unease—they didn’t know if their mother would even recognize them now.

Because they looked like monsters.

Haruna blinked, her pupils dilating rapidly, tears glistening faintly in her eyes.

She crawled forward abruptly, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"Kurt? Reina?"

Her call only made their tears fall faster.

So many words were on the tips of their tongues, yet none could be spoken.

"Why... can you still recognize us?"

Colt wiped his tears away, his voice choked with emotion.

Haruna stumbled forward and pulled them into her embrace.

"Because i am your mother!"

"I’m Kurt and Reina’s mother!"

"Welcome home, Kurt, Reina."

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