The underground world of NGL.
A Mafia officer—one of the higher-ups—was engaged in all kinds of dirty work: drinking, smoking, killing… but even so, he had a few decent companions.
What… is this? Are these my memories? Was I… once a human? Then what am I now—a human, or a Chimera Ant?
The Chimera Ant who held this question in her mind died. And this time, she did not come back in any other form. Just like an ordinary person killed in the line of life.
"Gon, let's follow him."
"Okay."
The two followed behind Ron as he moved swiftly through the palace. With his En covering a radius of 1,800 meters, Ron could immediately grasp every detail within its range. Even in a structure as massive as the palace, it wouldn't take long for him to search it completely.
Then, a strange aura entered his En.
Ron came to a stop.
"Ron-nii?"
"Ron?"
He turned toward the source.
"Found it."
Extending a hand toward the pillar beside him, he activated Shu.
In an instant, Ron's aura surrounded the entire column. He lightly raised his hand, and the pillar was pulled cleanly from the architecture. He spun it forward with force.
Boom!
The pillar blasted forward like a cannonball. Over a dozen walls collapsed in sequence, revealing a hidden passageway.
"Let's go."
Ron entered the tunnel, with Killua and Gon quickly following. Along the way, parts of the building began to collapse, but none of the falling debris could touch them. Relying on their aura, the three blocked everything with ease.
Soon, they reached the entrance of a sealed chamber. The walls were made of solid metal, and the door material looked even tougher.
Ron raised his hand again.
"Ko."
His aura surged and condensed into his fist. Even though he wasn't an Enhancement-type, and a punch wasn't his usual method of attack, the power in that moment was undeniable. He threw a punch.
Bang!
The metal door blasted off and flew backward.
Killua glanced at it, pupils narrowing.
"That door's solid… probably not much weaker than the Testing Gates back at the manor. And Ron-nii knocked it off with just one hit. How strong has he become…?"
He couldn't imagine.
Gon, instinctively, compared that punch to his own Janken. And realized the difference was vast. His Rock-Paper-Scissors couldn't even come close to matching Ron's current strength.
Inside the sealed chamber, a figure suddenly lunged at them.
"Ken."
Ron didn't move. He simply surrounded himself in a layer of aura.
Gon and Killua saw it clearly. The figure that attacked Ron… was Kite.
But this was no longer the real Kite.
Kite had lost all sense of self. He was like a machine, his body covered in stitches. He moved only to attack—endlessly and without purpose. He was no longer a person.
No—he was a puppet.
Only capable of close-range hand-to-hand strikes, all his Nen abilities had vanished. His aura was faint. So even if Kite gave everything he had, he couldn't scratch Ron. His attacks couldn't pierce Ron's Ken.
Ron studied him. In this state, Kite wasn't much different from Rosgell in his early, mindless form.
Gon stared at him, unmoving.
"Kite… Kite…"
He took a step forward. Suddenly, Kite shifted targets like something had clicked, and he charged directly toward Gon.
"Gon, be careful!"
Killua shouted, but Gon stopped him.
"Don't, Killua."
"That day, Kite must have suffered unbearable pain. What I'm feeling now is just a fraction of that. Let him hit me. I deserve this."
A wave of overwhelming aura erupted from Ron, pressing down on Kite and halting him instantly.
Ron looked at Gon.
"Gon, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
Gon's expression twisted with pain. Kite couldn't hurt Ron at all, but against Gon, his attacks were landing—and causing real injury.
"Are you doing this because you truly want to atone and help Kite… or are you just trying to feel something for yourself? To ease your guilt?"
Gon froze.
"From everything I've heard, it's clear you all feel responsible for what happened to Kite. Especially you, Gon. But what you're doing now… it means nothing to Kite. The only thing it accomplishes is easing your own conscience."
"If what you really want is punishment through pain, then the pain that matters is the one in your heart. That's the one that truly punishes you."
Gon fell silent.
After a long pause, he raised his head again and looked at Kite.
"Kite… I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
Ron turned to Killua.
"The Chimera Ant crisis is over. Most of the others have already left. What are you two planning next?"
In the original timeline, Gon had pushed his life force to the limit, and Killua had returned to the Zoldyck estate to find Alluka and use Nanika's ability to save him. But in this world, none of that had happened.
Neferpitou had been defeated by Ron long before that point. Gon never had the chance to awaken that power. Ron had stepped in for multiple reasons—partly to turn Pitou into a puppet tool, partly to test his strength, and partly because he didn't want Killua to be forced into giving that order to Nanika.
In the original story, things had gone smoothly… but Nanika was far too dangerous. The risks involved weren't just about his life—they might be even higher.
"....I am not sure. What about you, Ron-nii?"
"I'm going to make a quick trip back to the Zoldyck estate. I haven't seen Great-Grandfather in a long time."
"Then I'll go too," Killua said, and looked to Gon. "Gon, want to come with me?"
Gon lowered his head and shook it.
"I don't know where I should go. I don't want to go anywhere. Kite…"
He looked to Ron, his eyes filled with a pleading hope.
"Ron… is Kite really dead? Is there really no way to bring him back?"
Ron shook his head.
"I don't know. But with my own abilities, I can't bring him back. As for whether someone else can… I'm not sure. Maybe. Maybe not."
"But if you really don't know where to go, you could head to the Hunter Association headquarters."
"Chairman Netero is gone. A new Chairman will have to be chosen."
"Senior Ging will probably show up when that happens."