"That gun-wielding Chimera Ant has already been dealt with by Kite, don't worry," Ponzu said with a small smile, handing Joey a canteen. She seemed to pick up on his nervousness and wariness.
Her attitude was a little different from the others, and Joey couldn't quite figure out why.
Still, when someone was kind to him, he returned it with a smile and tucked it away mentally.
He hadn't had any water in nearly a day, had lost a good amount of blood, and had been operating under constant fear. Taking the canteen, Joey smiled back, "Thanks."
He didn't drink too much, then politely handed it back.
"So," he asked, "are you all still planning to go deeper in search of information? There are things out here way more terrifying than that crocodile from before. If you can, you should really leave while you still can."
Ponzu shook her head. "Kite saved me and Pokkle. He's incredibly strong. I think he just wants to personally gauge the strength of the Chimera Ants. Also, I sent my bees with the information to other teams on their way here."
"Don't worry," she added with a soft smile. "Once we deal with the Chimera Ants here, I'll wait for the next squad and make sure they take you and Pokkle safely back to the border."
Kite glanced back at the two, raising a hand in a gesture to silence them.
On the ground before them were long streaks of dried blood, dragging through the dirt and leading deeper into the forest.
The group exchanged glances and followed the trail. After a few hundred meters, they came upon several withered trees—on each of them, a strong, brown horse had been impaled upside-down, speared onto the branches.
Bathed in the crimson glow of the setting sun and darkening clouds, the entire scene looked like a sacrificial altar of some twisted cult.
It reeked of blood, death, and something far more sinister.
Kite's voice broke the heavy silence. "It's a shrike trait. They impale prey on thorns and eat them bit by bit. Sometimes they leave them there, storing them as food."
"Oi."
A sudden voice snapped the tension taut again. All six turned to locate the source.
What stood before them was a Chimera Ant—an amalgam of multiple animal traits. He had long green hair, oversized rabbit-like ears, and a humanoid face marred by a large brown birthmark over his left eye.
He stood upright with the strong build of a human male. His arms were tucked beneath feathery coverings, his massive feet planted firmly on the ground. Not even a whiff of aura leaked from him.
Even his scent blended perfectly with the environment. Not even Gon, with his keen nose, had sensed the lurking enemy beforehand.
When the group locked eyes on him, his face twisted grotesquely into an expression worthy of a cartoon villain. He let out a mad roar and lunged forward.
"You trash! Stay away from my things!"
Boom!
Gon and Killua took the brunt of the assault. The Chimera Ant's punch knocked them both backward.
But the two had raised their arms to block, reacting in the instant he lunged, so the impact didn't fully connect.
The Chimera Ant paused in surprise, realizing his hit hadn't done more.
Pokkle had already drawn back an aura-formed arrow—an orange one, Joey noticed. That meant it was meant for speed.
Killer Queen now stood protectively in front of Ponzu, fists raised. Any movement toward Joey would be met with force.
Joey, meanwhile, gave Pokkle a brief sidelong glance, then refocused on the Chimera Ant.
Its gaze had locked onto Kite—the source of the greatest danger.
Killer intent.
Joey could see the fur on the Chimera Ant's body bristling slightly, reacting instinctively to the pressure.
Before Joey could even blink, Kite vanished—only to reappear in front of Joey and Ponzu like a phantom.
"Gon, Killua," Kite said coldly, "deal with it."
"That thing's a soldier ant. You've seen their corpses on the way here. If you want to keep coming with me, you'll be seeing more of them."
"I won't be around to save your asses every time. If you can't handle this, go back to the border with Pokkle and the others. You're just getting in my way."
His words were cold—brutally realistic.
Joey stood silently, but his fingers moved. He quietly drew his pistol, ejected the magazine, then slid it back in—checking his remaining rounds.
It looked casual—like he was just checking bullets—but Joey was already preparing.
He'd recognized this Chimera Ant's design immediately. Couldn't remember his name, but his nickname in the fandom was "Bugs Bunny."
In the anime, Gon and Killua had managed to overpower him, but in the end, he escaped, and they were both injured by Nen, triggering their forced awakening.
Joey didn't remember why Bugs got away, but now that he was here, he wasn't about to let that happen again.
Kite noticed Joey's movements but didn't stop him—just glanced and turned away.
While Joey prepped, Gon and Killua simultaneously flared their auras.
Massive waves of life energy—"aura"—burst from them, flowing like tranquil rivers over their bodies. Calm on the surface, but ready to explode.
"Kite," Gon called out, "we're Hunters too!"
"Don't treat us like kids!" Killua added.
The two boys surged forward. The moment they did, Bugs' face twisted again.
But there was no time to react. The fight had begun.
At first, Joey could barely track them—just shadows flickering.
But the longer it went on, the more his eyes adjusted. Warmth built behind them. Slowly, images began to form—fragmented movements, partial strikes.
And when Killua leapt high into the air and loosed a lightning strike, Joey could suddenly follow everything clearly.
The speed at which he adapted stunned him. But there was no time to think.
As the lightning hit Bugs, Gon lunged from below—fist charged and ready—and smashed him in the gut.
The blow launched the Chimera Ant skyward.
"Bullseye!" Killua shouted from the ground. His aura flowed to his legs as he prepared a final aerial strike.
But at that moment, another winged figure darted from the air, reaching for Bugs Bunny's shoulders before Killua could get there.
Joey didn't hesitate.
His gun came up in a fluid motion, and his world narrowed to one point: the sky.
Firing.
His focus reached razor sharpness. The recoil from the first shot kicked back, but Joey's arm, tense and trembling, absorbed it.
The first round missed, grazing Bugs' toes.
But the next two found their mark—punching into the Chimera Ant's thigh, blood spraying across the sky.
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