Shoot suddenly grasped why Killua had been acting so strange, it was the needle affecting his mind.
Tossing the needle aside, Killua felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Without any mental restraint, he could unleash his full strength. Even when facing someone stronger, he wouldn't hold back anymore.
Seeing this completely new vibe from Killua, Shoot's eyelids twitched with panic, now he was the weaker one.
Free from the needle's influence, Killua quickly defeated Shoot and rushed to help Gon. Once the two of them joined forces, Knuckle became easier to beat and eventually had to admit defeat.
With that, Gon and Killua emerged victorious, earning their spot on the Ant King's expedition team and gaining the chance to avenge Kite.
Meanwhile, a "white cloud" slowly drifted down from the sky, carrying Morel, Knov, and Larry. The cloud was controlled by Morel using his own white smoke, allowing them to observe the battle from above.
"Morel, you owe me 100,000 Jenny," Knov said, crossing his arms as he jumped off the cloud with a small hop.
"I know, I almost had it," Morel replied, shaking his head as he landed beside him.
Just like in the original story, they had made a bet on who would win, Gon and Killua or their opponents.
Since Gon and Killua won, Morel lost and had to pay Knov 100,000 Jenny. But for hunters of their caliber, whether it's a few times more or less doesn't really matter.
Their bets were just for fun, not for the money.
Killua sincerely thanked Larry for his timely reminder a couple of days ago. If Larry hadn't pointed out that something was off in Killua's mind, they might have missed the needle altogether, and their entire plan for revenge would have fallen apart.
Worse yet, Killua might have been forced to abandon Gon.
Larry shrugged it off, but deep down, he was surprised at how quickly Killua caught on and helped Gon to win, an unexpected ripple effect caused by his own actions.
By now, their team was set, and all they had to do was wait for the old man to decide when to launch their attack.
As the day of the general assault drew near, Larry's biggest highlight during the wait was the arrival of his new Pokémon. Seeing it filled him with amazement and boosted his confidence about exploring the Dark Continent. Everything was in place; now, all that remained was to take down the Ant King.
Meanwhile, the Ant King was far from idle. Using Neferpitou's ability, he took control of Ming Jol-ik's body and called for people from all over the country to gather.
The Ant King held ordinary people in disdain, preferring to feed only on Nen users. To create more of these, he forced the population to undergo a brutal process, forcibly opening their aura nodes to awaken Nen. This violent "baptism," similar to the harsh trials of the Sky Arena, had an extremely high death rate.
Out of five million people in the Republic of East Gorteau, fewer than half a million were expected to survive, only about one in ten. Even those who awakened Nen would eventually be devoured by the Ant King, becoming part of his strength.
In a twisted way, Nen users were like experience points to him. The more he consumed, the stronger he became.
With time needed to gather the residents, the Ant King found himself with little to do and developed an interest in various chess games. Traditionally seen as a test of intelligence, the Ant King saw himself not just as the strongest force militarily, but also as a strategic mastermind unmatched in the world.
He aimed to become the best in the world at everything, and the first challenge he chose was a chess game. Surprisingly, that game didn't just mark his beginning, it also became his final battleground.
Under the name of Ming Jol-ik, champions from various chess disciplines arrived at the palace one after another, each tasked with facing the ant king. The ant king had a simple approach, he didn't want to go through the hassle of competing fairly. All he had to do was defeat these so-called "champions," and he would claim the top spot.
True to his reputation as the strongest of the Chimera Ants, he wasn't just incredibly powerful, he was also very intelligent. Every champion who stepped into the palace was defeated by him.
Part of it might have been his intimidating appearance; just standing before the Ant King was enough to make opponents lose their breath, let alone play chess well.
With his unstoppable momentum, the Ant King crushed champion after champion, until only one game remained, Gungi, a game created by the Republic of East Gorteau.
Despite being relatively new, Gungi had gained considerable influence across the six continents and hosted many world championships. To everyone's surprise, the reigning world champion was a blind little girl named Komugi.
"Good, only Gungi is left. Once this is settled, it'll be over," the Ant King muttered, studying the game's rules.
Meanwhile, Youpi arranged for Komugi to enter the palace, seeing this as the path to becoming a true king, not just a ruler of one place, but the king of the entire world.
They had no doubt the Ant King would win. But when the Ant King saw this unassuming blind girl, who occasionally sniffled nervously, fate began to shift. The Ant King, undefeated since birth, lost to Komugi, and never beat her again until his death.
In the Republic of East Gorteau, six figures stood silently in an open space some distance from the palace. They either crossed their arms or stood naturally, their clothes fluttering in the wind, but their bodies remained still. At that moment, all their attention was fixed on the distant palace.
The team set out on the expedition to take down the Ant King. After waiting for some time, they finally received word from President Netero, the day to launch their attack had arrived.
Since Larry had already dealt with most of the chimera ants, their main targets this time were just the Ant King and his three royal guards. This mission would be much simpler than before and wouldn't require a large group.
So, the six members heading out were Gon, Killua, Morel, Knov, Larry, and Meleoron.
During this period, Larry occasionally visited Greed Island, where he witnessed firsthand the incredible talent of the chimera ants. These ants, having recently learned Nen, were growing stronger at an astonishing pace thanks to professional training from Razor and others.
Their abilities seemed to improve daily. Most of them were already at the level of division leaders and possessed high-level talent even among chimera ants, which explained how terrifying they had become.
Among all of them, Meleoron was progressing the fastest. Driven by the loss of his adoptive father, he had wasted no time and trained relentlessly.
After his Restrictions and Oaths, Meleoron's strength had skyrocketed, marking a huge leap in his power.