That night
Netero received a call from Zeno Zoldyck.
"The Zoldyck family now owes you three favors," Zeno said simply.
"You're too polite," Netero laughed heartily before switching tone."Actually, I do have something to trouble you with, Zeno."
He then explained the request over the phone.
Zeno listened quietly and responded without hesitation:
"Not trouble at all. I'll take the job."
Then he added:
"But this counts as a standard commission. It's not one of the three favors."
Click. The call ended.
Netero smiled, glanced at the time, and after waiting 30 minutes, found Aoki Hiroshi.
"It's done. He agreed."
"Thank you, Chairman!"
A gleam of joy flashed in Aoki Hiroshi's eyes, and his face lit up with excitement.
In his plan, Zeno was a fail-safe—an emergency backup in case he couldn't defeat the Ant King alone.
"When do you plan to make your move?" Netero asked.
"No time like the present—tomorrow," Aoki replied after thinking a moment.
"Alright," Netero nodded, then warned:"Your strength is dependable. But there's one thing you must keep in mind: the Chimera Ants can absorb the strengths of other species to enhance their own genes."
"The King possesses the most elite genome."
"His vitality, resilience, and raw physical power far exceed that of a human. Be very cautious."
Aoki Hiroshi nodded seriously.This, after all, was the reason Netero lost in the original timeline—the Ant King's regeneration was too overpowering.
'The Chimera Ants show traits of Tier 4 lifeforms.'
'And yet they're on the brink of extinction on the Dark Continent and had to flee to the human world…'
'Makes you wonder—just how terrifying is the Dark Continent in this world?'
Aoki couldn't help feeling curious.
But he didn't have much time left—maybe only a month, and shrinking daily.
Especially now that Netero had shared the phrase "Embodied Form Without, Divine Essence Within," inspiring many old monsters who had been stuck for decades to suddenly break through.
That granted Aoki a large amount of world luck, but also accelerated the world consciousness's rejection of him.
The Next Day — NGL Autonomous Region
Inside the palace
"This nation is mine now,"
The Ant King sat on the throne, satisfied as he surveyed the bloody massacre around him.
All of the previous royalty, guards, maids, ministers—slaughtered.
The palace was under new rule.
"My King, we can finish exterminating the rest of the human population within three days,"said Shaiapouf, kneeling respectfully.
"Excellent," the King nodded approvingly.
"My King, when shall we begin our conquest beyond this land?" asked Menthuthuyoupi.
"Hahaha, no need to rush," the King chuckled."You've all awakened Nen and become far stronger than when you were born.""After we finish wiping out the people of this nation, we'll set out to conquer the entire human world."
"Such a weak species doesn't deserve this rich and vast land."
Hearing this, the two Royal Guards bowed deeply in reverence.
They were no longer the same.
Not only had they mastered their aura, they had also developed their own unique Nen abilities.
Their strength had more than tripled since birth.
At this point, even Neferpitou would lose in a fight.
"Such a shame about Neferpitou,"
The King sighed regretfully.
"She was the strongest among you, but before she could even unlock Nen, she was killed."
The guards' expressions darkened.
She had been the best of them.
If she were still alive, they might already have exterminated the NGL population and begun the global invasion.
"Go out and kill. I'll stay here and browse the humans' books," the King said as he stepped off the throne.
"Though weak, their works of chess, music, painting, and literature are rather amusing."
"Yes, my King!" the two guards replied in unison.
But suddenly—
The King paused, looked skyward, and sneered coldly.
"Humans still dare intrude into my domain?"
"They must be seeking death."
"Pouf, Youpi—kill every Nen user who dares enter."
The guards were stunned, then scowled darkly.
Damn humans!
NGL was their territory now.How dare anyone enter?
"Yes, my King!" ×2
They walked out of the palace.
Their En expanded instantly—covering several kilometers, engulfing the entire royal city.
And within it, they sensed something:
A massive dragon flying overhead—
With a middle-aged man standing atop it.
High above — Whistling Wind and Swirling Air
"They sensed me already?"
Zeno stood on the dragon's back, noting the unfamiliar En brushing against him.
He raised an eyebrow.
"What an absurd race. Such a huge aura pool—they can expand their En this far?"
Beneath his feet was a giant Eastern-style purple dragon—his emission-type Nen ability, Dragon's Painted Dance.
"Still, they can't reach me up here," Zeno said, glancing downward before shrugging.
Swish, swish, swish!
He threw a series of special mist bombs from his pouch.
Once airborne, they exploded, releasing water-condensing compounds into the sky.
In seconds—
Thick, dense clouds formed above the royal city.
The pressure difference caused massive air currents to surge, charging the sky with static.
Crack!
Faint lightning flickered among the clouds.
And rapidly intensified—turning into giant bolts like writhing serpents.
RUMBLE RUMBLE!
Thunder roared relentlessly.
"He wanted me to create a thunderstorm… is he planning to harness its power?"Zeno's eyes glinted curiously as he emptied his bag of bombs.
But he didn't linger.
This kind of storm might very well strike him if he stuck around.
Zeno steered the giant dragon out of the city, landing atop a mountain nearby.