Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

Meleoron and Ikalgo were puzzled. Who was Zeno, and who was Germain?

Why did everyone get so excited when they heard their names?

What was so special about them?

Among them, the octopus-like Ikalgo crawled out from a Chimera Ant corpse and curiously looked at the crowd, who seemed energized as if they had been injected with a stimulant.

Ikalgo wore a knitted hat, making it look like a cute octopus doll.

Ikalgo's Nen ability is "Living Dead Dolls." It can parasitize and control fresh corpses.

In addition, it can remotely shoot enemies with an air gun.

In comparison, it is the weakest in close combat and the strongest in long-range combat among everyone present.

If it had a partner to cover for it, Ikalgo would dare to use its "Fleadom" from a distance to shoot Chimera Ants in the palace, excluding the King and the three guards.

Unfortunately, the Chimera Ant extermination team is short on people. Knov has withdrawn from the final battle, and the remaining members are barely enough to deal with the three guards. There is very little opportunity for Ikalgo to play a role.

Without a partner, it can only use its "Living Dead Dolls" ability to parasitize a Chimera Ant corpse, infiltrate the enemy's ranks, and search for Palm's whereabouts.

This is a last resort.

However, things seemed to take a turn for the better.

According to what Morel said, there are new allies. Ikalgo was excited, wondering if these two could become its partners.

So, Ikalgo asked, "Who is Zeno? Who is Germain?"

Knuckle, who was bare-chested, proudly puffed out his chest, causing his spiky hair to shake.

"Zeno Zoldyck is one of the top assassins in the human world and knows Chairman Netero. Germain is a familiar face to us. Like us, he is a strong professional Hunter."

"Hahaha, with them around, our mission is sure to succeed."

Knuckle said the last sentence, looking at his teammate—Meleoron—who was acting as his tactical partner in this decisive battle.

His confidence wasn't baseless; he trusted in both his and his teammate's abilities.

Meleoron's Nen ability was "God's Accomplice," which meant that as long as he held his breath, even someone using "En" wouldn't be able to sense him.

In addition, he had camouflage and invisibility abilities, like a chameleon blending with its surroundings.

These two abilities could be shared with Knuckle through direct contact with his body.

In other words, by using "God's accomplice," Knuckle could, in cooperation with Meleoron, approach the three Royal Guards or even the Ant King himself without being detected, and launch an attack.

Meanwhile, Knuckle's Nen ability, "Hakoware," could be activated, causing the enemy to unknowingly lose all their Nen, forcing them into a state of "Zetsu," where they couldn't use their Nen abilities anymore.

This way, even if just one Royal Guard lost their Nen ability and had to fight using only their physical strength, it would significantly weaken the enemy.

At that point, the Chimera Ant Extermination Team would have the upper hand.

So, it seemed that Meleoron was the perfect support.

However, Meleoron's combinations with Morel, Shoot, and Ikalgo hadn't been as effective as with Knuckle.

For example, Shoot's "Dark Inn" ability required him to inflict a certain amount of damage to either steal part of the enemy's body or imprison them entirely.

In the original timeline, when he trapped the puppet Kite in the "Inn," he had to beat him badly to meet the conditions.

To trap the Royal Guards, he'd need to inflict even more terrifying damage, which was extremely difficult.

His attacks might not even be enough to break the Royal Guards' defenses.

In comparison, Knuckle and Meleoron's combination was the perfect one.

Ikalgo heard Knuckle's words and immediately decided to trust him, raising his octopus tentacles.

"If that's the case, could one or two of them partner with me? That way, I could contribute as well."

Knuckle paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. They came with Chairman Netero, so they probably have their own missions. Even if we run into them, they won't be working with us."

Ikalgo showed a look of regret, and his octopus tentacles drooped in disappointment.

"Is that so? In that case, I'll stick to my original plan. I'll sneak into the castle's underground through the chaos and search for Palm's whereabouts."

The Chimera Ants have members who side with humans, and humans also have members who side with the Chimera Ants.

Bizeff, the former national minister of the Republic of East Gorteau, was a human who sided with the Chimera Ants. He served them and took advantage of the opportunity for personal gain.

He built his own world of indulgence in the castle's underground, where he kept human women selected for his pleasure, forcing and enticing them to satisfy his desires.

They would either become food for the Chimera Ants or his women.

These helpless women had no choice but to submit.

The Chimera Ant extermination team speculated that Palm might be there or that there might be clues left behind.

Knuckle nodded.

"It seems that's the only option. Ikalgo, be careful when the time comes."

Ikalgo raised his octopus tentacle, signaling that there was no problem.

As for Germain?

After a long silence, Knov adjusted his glasses and his thoughts returned to six months ago.

He and his apprentice, Palm, first met Germain at a hospital, where he was ordered to help Germain and the others relocate.

At that time, Germain had just dealt with two Phantom Troupe members, and the rest were searching for his whereabouts.

At that point, he was still at a disadvantage in the struggle against the Phantom Troupe.

However, a few months later, two more Phantom Troupe members were killed by Germain.

From that point on, the remaining members of the Phantom Troupe disappeared.

The Phantom Troupe was defeated by Germain, forced into hiding, and everyone was fully aware of it.

And now, that person, Germain, had changed his role from before. He became the one sent to assist them, personally chosen by Chairman Netero.

Among all the Nen users who wanted to help Chairman Netero, Netero had specifically selected Zeno and Germain. There must be a reason for this.

Perhaps Germain had earned Chairman Netero's trust.

Knov's eyes were lowered, his glasses reflecting the light from a lantern, hiding the expression in his eyes.

He raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, as if feeling a dull pain there.

My comrades are about to fight in a bloody battle. My disciple's life is uncertain. The person I admire doesn't blame me at all. The people I've helped are now coming to my aid…

Knov, are you really going to stay here and do nothing?

He stood quietly, as if the time that belonged to him had come to a stop.

Morel glanced at the time, grabbed his large pipe, and stood up.

"There's still 10 minutes until the operation begins. Everyone, get ready."

In the Republic of East Gorteau, the palace appeared unusually quiet under the night sky.

One of the three royal guards, Neferpitou, crouched like a gargoyle on top of a palace tower.

It kept watch here, prepared for any possible attack.

It was indeed a real possibility.

Although they had never directly fought, Neferpitou knew that several skilled fighters from the human side had arrived. They had been continuously killing the Chimera Ants' forces.

Neferpitou had a feeling that the humans would make a big move sooner or later.

Most humans were weak, but there were also strong ones among them, and Neferpitou would never underestimate them.

The other two guards did the same.

One of the three royal guards, Youpi, stood at the stairs leading to the palace where the "King" resided, a path everyone must take.

It turned out that staying here was the right choice. Some time ago, they discovered and captured a woman who had tried to break in.

After dissecting and controlling her brain, Pitou learned that her name was Palm, and she was part of the group of professional hunters who were opposing them.

Her goal was to infiltrate and see the Ant King or the three royal guards. After that, using her Nen ability "Merman Clairvoyance," she could remotely spy on the inner workings of the palace.

Unfortunately, Palm had always worked alone, and her memory didn't include any combat plans from other hunters.

Perhaps because they expected Palm to be captured, the hunters didn't tell her the full details of their plan. Now, it seemed that decision had indeed paid off.

Since Pitou couldn't get more information from Palm, she had her undergo a Chimera Ant transformation and then left her egg in the depths of the palace.

Eggs like the one Palm was wrapped in now hung from the treetops all over the palace, densely packed, resembling large white fruits, waiting to hatch.

The "King" needed a mate—an "Ant Queen"—and perhaps after her rebirth, Palm could catch the King's interest... or maybe not. In any case, it was just a step in their plan.

Regardless, the "Ant Queen" could not be human.

The last of the three royal guards, Pouf, had been resentful about this and often complained to the other two royal guards.

He believed that the King had been too focused on a human named "Komugi." Ever since he had repeatedly lost to Komugi in the Gungi game, the King had become obsessed.

The Gungi game was supposed to be for entertainment, but the King took it very seriously and began to care more for Komugi as well.

Originally, Komugi should have been their next meal.

Although Pouf's thoughts were absurd and unbelievable, the three royal guards didn't mind extinguishing that small possibility.

However, they soon realized that the King was still in high spirits, even choosing to injure himself in order to beat Komugi.

Pitou healed the King.

However, all three Royal Guards realized that they couldn't kill Komugi now. Otherwise, Komugi would become an unbeatable figure in the "King's" eyes.

Pouf was unhappy about this, but for the sake of the "King," it chose to endure.

The people of the Republic of East Gorteau, under the command of the "corpse puppet" Ming Jol-ik's Double, who was controlled by Pitou, gathered outside the palace. They were then all hypnotized by Pouf.

These humans would be selected. Some of them would be transformed into Chimera Ants to become part of the "King's" army, while the rest would be stored as food supplies for future expansion.

Everything was ready.

Only the Hunters remained. They were the unknown factor.

What would they do?

Suddenly, Pitou sensed something and involuntarily looked up.

High above, out of its sight, a giant bird, raised by the Zoldyck family, flew past. Three figures descended from the sky.

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