Gon stood ready to continue his battle with the Ant King.
The presence of two other humans nearby caused the Ant King to move the battlefield, leading Gon to another area. After all, Komugi was still in the hands of his opponent.
"Well?"
Just as Meruem was about to fly away at full speed, a soft sigh broke the tension. A man appeared behind Gon like a ghost, materializing without warning.
Meruem's pupils contracted, and for the first time, real surprise crossed his face. Even he had not sensed the approach of this person.
The newcomer was Oboro.
He had originally planned to return to the palace to collect the souls of Youpi and Pouf. Absorbing Netero's soul had caused his Nen abilities to increase even more dramatically than when he'd absorbed Neferpitou. His abilities had undergone a transformation that had slowed him down a bit.
He had not expected to find Gon locked in battle with the Ant King.
The ferocity of their battle had caused him to change his route. Oboro was shocked to see that even with the death of Pitou, Gon had still been transformed into this monstrous state. Was it inevitable fate or mere chance?
Sighing, Oboro plunged his finger into the back of Gon's head with the precision of a needle.
"Tsk. Even the soul is broken. This is worse than the original fate."
Oboro muttered softly. After speaking, his body instantly transformed into a soul state. Under Meruem's watchful gaze, a dark, ghostly aura emerged from Oboro's body and enveloped both him and Gon.
The space around them filled with an oppressively thick mist, like a black hole absorbing all the moonlight scattered across the night sky.
A multitude of souls, remnants of consciousness after death, had been channeled into Gon's body by Oboro to suppress the boy's overwhelming obsession.
These ghostly manifestations of Oboro's Nen were conscious, spiritual beings. Although they carried negative energy and couldn't heal the damage Gon was currently suffering, they could counteract it.
It was like fighting poison with poison.
Without Oboro's intervention, Gon was lost. There would be no salvation for him, no chance for Alluka to appear and save him. In this state, even if Gon died, his soul wouldn't be released, it would be destroyed.
Gon's oath and the resulting restrictions were deeply bound to his soul. Despite his current terrifying strength, if he died now, his soul would cease to exist.
For Oboro, a Gon consumed by revenge had no value. But that was only his theory. If only an empty shell remained, could Alluka's ability still bring Gon back to life?
Given Gon's current condition, there was still a glimmer of hope. Oboro could suppress the transformation and preserve a trace of Gon's consciousness, preventing his soul from shattering completely.
No one else in the world could save this child.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
Suddenly, Gon let out a long, anguished roar into the sky. His movements and sounds were barely human.
The ghostly aura exploded outward as white light shot from Gon's eyes. A moment later, he collapsed unconscious, supported by Oboro.
Gon's body had become like a sponge that had been wrung dry of all water - a horrible sight. Only a skeleton was left, covered by a thin layer of skin. The skin hung wrinkled and lifeless, with no elasticity. Internal organs were visible through the translucent flesh.
Oboro returned to his normal state, the aura around him dissipating as he exhaled a foul breath.
He looked exhausted. Suppressing Gon's level of obsession had been extremely difficult. Fortunately, he'd absorbed Netero's soul, which had increased his Nen strength, otherwise the task would have been impossible.
"Take him away," Oboro said and looked at Biscuit and Morel.
Oboro's appearance had been like a lifeline in their moment of despair. They had no time to wonder how he had survived or what he had just done.
Biscuit rushed over, took Gon in her arms, nodded to Oboro and left with Morel.
Throughout the entire exchange, the Ant King stood across from them, watching without interference.
After Biscuit and the others left, only Oboro and Meruem remained on the battlefield.
"These two royal guards are most likely dead, and you don't have much time left," Oboro looked at the ant king and spoke softly. "The poison has begun to eat away at your vitality. This fight will only hasten your death. If I wanted to, I could kill you."
"Indeed," the ant king replied simply.
Meruem did not doubt Oboro's words. To the Ant King, Oboro's strength surpassed that of both Gon and Netero, not in raw physical power, but in the unique nature of his Nen abilities and his mastery of souls.
In terms of specific abilities, Oboro was a greater threat. In terms of physical strength alone, he was far inferior to the transformed Gon.
The fact that this human had appeared in the palace, witnessed his fight with Netero, hidden himself completely, and only now revealed himself, showed extraordinary mental acuity and wisdom.
Meruem's intuition told him that Oboro had the potential to threaten his life. The man had appeared so suddenly that even the king hadn't sensed him beforehand, revealing an extraordinary mastery of In and other Nen techniques.
Given the Ant King's current poisoned state, Oboro had little hope of defeating him outright, but he could easily delay him, allowing the poison to complete its work.
When Oboro spoke of killing him, he didn't mean with his own hands.
But Meruem could sense that Oboro had no desire to fight him.
"Your name is Meruem," Oboro said suddenly. "It means 'the light that illuminates everything.'"
The Ant King's pupils widened in surprise.
After collecting himself, he suddenly knelt before Oboro. "Can you please grant me a request? I can give anything."
Before he could finish, Oboro cut him off coldly: "You are about to die. What value can you offer?"
"My soul," the ant king said.
Oboro narrowed his eyes.
"Your target is my soul, isn't it?" Meruem pressed.
Hearing this, Oboro kept his composure on the outside, but inside his thoughts raced. That ant
"I have ways of preventing you from taking my soul," the ant king continued. "However, I still want to thank you for telling me my name. I am grateful, it means a great deal to me."
"You are not qualified to negotiate with me because Komugi is more important to you than your soul," Oboro replied pointedly.
Meruem lowered his head after hearing that. Oboro had recognized his weakness perfectly.
The Ant-King lowered his other leg and knelt even more humbly.
"Return to the palace. You will find them there," Oboro said after a moment of hesitation.
Immediately, he activated his teleportation ability. A beam of light descended from the sky and enveloped him.
Oboro hurried back, not knowing when Youpi and Pouf had died. If he waited too long, their souls might vanish. Besides, the crisis with the Chimera Ant was nearing its end. The plan had worked. There was no need for him to waste any more time on the Ant King.
In the next moment, Oboro disappeared.
His words caused the Ant King to raise his head, his eyes shining with hope.