Chapter 117: The Baptism of Hatsu
"Is that glowing life energy enveloping you the source of your strength?" Colt asked, looking at Mord on the arena.
Mord nodded and said, "Correct."
"Then how can we obtain such an ability?" Peggy inquired.
Previously, Peggy had its subordinates bring many books from human villages. It had read them all, but none contained any relevant records.
"Just let me punch you once," Mord stated.
The method Mord used to awaken Hatsu in these Chimera Ants was essentially forcing open their aura nodes directly, albeit in a much more brutal manner than usual.
Similar to the Baptism of Hatsu on the 230th floor of Heaven's Arena.
Even gently stimulating with aura to open the body's nodes is an extremely dangerous process. Not to mention directly using a violent aura attack. Human bodies are fragile; surviving such a baptism would leave them crippled if not dead.
But Chimera Ants possess far greater physical constitution and vitality than ordinary humans, especially those at the rank of Squadron Leader and above. Hence, they can learn Hatsu in bulk through this baptism.
"So, who's first?" Mord looked at the crowd of Chimera Ants below and laughed.
Silence.
After a long silence, a voice broke the stillness.
"I'll go!"
Colt stepped out from the swarm of ants, slowly ascended the arena, and stood before Mord.
Without wasting words, Mord's right fist, enveloped in aura, struck hard at the other's body.
Colt felt a piercing pain in his abdomen, as if all his internal organs had been displaced. At the same time, a terrifying impact surged through him, sending his entire body flying straight off the arena and crashing hard against the distant wall.
"Colt, are you alright?!" A Squadron Leader immediately ran up and asked.
Though, by the looks of it, he was far from alright.
Bright red blood stained both his face and body.
He was breathing more out than in, on the verge of death.
"I didn't quite hold back my strength, my apologies," Mord said, glancing at Colt in the distance, ignoring the furious glares from the Squadron Leaders. "Don't worry, he won't die."
"Gaining power comes at a cost."
"Alright, next one, hurry up."
Peggy stopped the others from any potential rash actions. It shook its head at the Squadron Leaders and said, "He has no reason to lie to us."
"With his strength, killing us would be effortless. There's no need for such tricks."
"Therefore, what he says is true."
Staff Officer Penguin lifted its head and looked at the man on the distant arena. But precisely because of that, it couldn't understand why he was doing this.
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before long, over a hundred Chimera Ants at Squadron Leader level or above lay severely wounded across the Queen's palace.
Mord sat on the fighting platform, one knee bent, holding his Zanpakutō in his arms.
He cast only a brief glance at the fallen Squadron Leaders before lifting his gaze toward the depths of the nest cavern.
From the moment he entered the Chimera Ant nest, Mord had already sensed three incredibly vibrant and powerful life forces emanating from that direction.
Seeing Mord's movement, the Chimera Ant Queen behind him felt a surge of panic, fearing he might discover the secret hidden deepest in the nest.
That was where she had birthed the Royal Guards for the King of Ants.
It was also her only remaining hope for escape.
In the Chimera Ant Queen's view, only the birth of the Royal Guards could possibly defeat this man before her.
Just a few more days, my child. Endure just a few more days.
The Chimera Ant Queen gently touched her abdomen, silently thinking.
What she didn't know was that Mord had long been aware of the Royal Guards' existence.
As for the worthless common soldier ants that failed Mord's screening process—he had killed them all. The severely wounded Squadron Leaders could only watch helplessly as this unfolded.
Of course, they never held much affection for these so-called subordinates to begin with.
Every inch of the nest was saturated with the scent of blood.
It was truly a living hell.
...
Meanwhile.
Kite's team, accompanied by Gon and Killua, finally arrived in NGL.
"Kite, are you sure the Chimera Ants are really in this country?" Killua asked.
"Call it intuition, but I believe our target is here," Kite replied, gazing into the distance. "Let's move out."
After investigating villages along NGL's coastal border, they indeed discovered traces of Chimera Ant attacks on settlements, yet they hadn't encountered a single Chimera Ant along the way.
This fact deeply concerned Kite.
"Another empty village," Gon remarked, looking at the destroyed buildings before stepping inside to investigate.
They had lost count of how many villages like this they'd encountered along their journey.
Following the stench of decaying corpses, they ventured deep into NGL's interior until they reached a rocky cave entrance.
"Is this the Chimera Ant nest?" Gon asked, staring at the distant rock cavern.
"No," Kite shook his head. "Chimera Ant nests aren't dug out like caves. They're constructed from mud and feces. Let's go—you'll understand when we get there."
"Right!"
Under Kite's leadership, the three entered the distant rock cavern.
The passage was clearly man-made, with even street lamps installed along both sides of the tunnel.
The lamps flickered intermittently, alternating between light and darkness.
"Stay alert—we don't know when or where the enemy might attack from."
"Understood."
...
Back in the Chimera Ant nest.
Finally, someone awakened to Nen first.
"ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR!"
"It feels like being reborn!"
Cheetu leaped up from his spot, shouting excitedly.
Strictly speaking, among all the Squadron Leaders present, he had been the first Chimera Ant to experience Mord's Nen attack.
"Peggy, do you see that light surrounding Cheetu?" The birdman Colt, still struggling on the ground, looked at Peggy who had fallen not far away and asked.
"I see it. That man truly didn't lie to us. This indescribably powerful life energy surrounding Cheetu—how terrifying he is right now." Peggy sighed with emotion.
"I told you, whatever humans can do, we can do too." Colt's eyes shone with determination as he clenched his fists tightly.
"Hahaha, I'm not afraid of you anymore." Cheetu leaped effortlessly onto the arena, smiling as he looked at Mord. "With this power, my speed is more than ten times faster than before. You probably can't even touch my clothes now."
Before his words faded, Cheetu had already vanished from his original position.
Throughout the Queen's palace, only the continuous "tap tap tap tap" of footsteps could be heard, echoing everywhere.