Joey didn't hesitate over his form or footwork. He aimed for the Chimera Ant's exposed side—ducked past the charging body, then lunged in with a punch straight toward the vital spot.
But just before impact, the horse-headed Ant halted abruptly. One of its legs slammed back in a lightning-fast mule kick aimed right at Joey's chin.
The sudden reversal caught Joey completely off guard.
Clearly, when Joey had dodged and countered, the Ant had already anticipated such a reaction, and set a trap accordingly.
But Joey was never alone. Killer Queen's hand whipped out, seized his arm, and yanked him away in the nick of time, the lethal kick passing within a hair's breadth.
Cold sweat dotted his forehead. Even though he'd dodged, the momentary sense of death had jolted him to the core.
Strip away Killer Queen's absurd and illogical powers, and Joey knew he was too weak in a straight fight.
That weakness was one of experience—something only repeated battle could sharpen.
Understanding this, Joey didn't retreat. Without fear, he moved his feet and launched himself once more at the horse-headed Chimera Ant.
But by now the Ant had turned to face him. Seeing Joey rush in, it curled a palm the size of a fan into a tight fist, muscles bulging as it punched toward Joey's head with deadly intent.
Its thinking was clear: you're aiming for my ribs—I'll blow your skull off in exchange. Fair trade.
Joey wasn't about to play fair.
In the final moment of his lunge, his body twisted—helped by Killer Queen's subtle tug at his waist—causing the Ant's full-force punch to whiff by inches as he slid inside its guard.
He'd faked part of his forward motion, specifically to bait out that heavy counter.
Joey's aura surged on instinct, flowing into his fist. His punch slammed square into the Chimera Ant's exposed side.
Thud! A solid hit.
But the horse Ant only staggered back a few steps before regaining its footing—and immediately preparing to counter.
Joey was already moving again. That one hit was enough to confirm what he suspected: even without Nen, these creatures' physical defense was far beyond what a simple Ten-enhanced punch could break through.
So as the Ant stumbled, Joey surged forward. He opened his hand, closing the distance again.
Killer Queen vanished back into him.
Joey dipped low beneath the Ant's retaliatory swing, then rose—and planted his palm flat against its chest.
The First Bomb triggered the instant he made contact.
The Chimera Ant's body twisted grotesquely in midair, then exploded in a burst of flame—leaving behind nothing, not even ash.
Joey had barely relaxed from the kill when a sharp fluttering of wings cut through the air above him.
Looking up, he spotted a black-feathered Chimera Ant with a hooked beak and avian features descending from above.
But it never reached him.
Killer Queen was already there, intercepting the bird-like Ant mid-flight. One large hand clamped over its face, pinning it mid-air.
The charge stopped cold. The conditions were met.
Boom.
The explosion was instant, silent, and total—no trace of the bird Ant remained in the world.
Two more Chimera Ants had just reached striking distance, but the back-to-back detonations stopped them in their tracks. They bolted backward even faster than they had arrived.
They were terrified. Joey's way of killing Ants—touch and instant death—had struck real fear into them.
But at that same moment, the ground beneath Joey cracked apart.
A Chimera Ant with armored scales like a pangolin burst from below, lunging at Joey from behind.
It never made it.
Two arms locked around its torso in a crushing grip from behind—Gon had been waiting, alert the entire time.
Gon's muscles tensed and twisted. The pangolin Ant shrieked, thrashing violently, but couldn't break free.
Crunch.
A sickening sound rang out as Gon released his grip. The Ant, still twitching, was flung aside like trash.
The two retreating Chimera Ants didn't get far either. A flicker of movement—Killua appeared in their path.
A flash. Then two more.
In a heartbeat, Killua had removed their hearts.
"Guess they really are like humans. Their hearts are in the same place."
He casually tossed away the still-beating organs. His face was calm, almost bored, like he'd just swatted two flies.
"Let's go," said Kite suddenly from behind them.
"We need to move. I saw something on the map—below us, there's an armory, stocked with explosives. If those go off, and we're still in this cave... we're done."
He held a sleek silver case—no doubt the documents from the archive.
In his other hand, he now wielded a bizarre katana, its hilt topped with a clown's head.
He must've sensed something with his En, and that's why he gave the warning.
No one questioned it. The group picked up the pace, hurrying toward the exit.
Minutes later, they emerged from the base. The cave had been cleared—no Chimera Ants left inside. None waiting outside either.
Looked like the dozens of Ants that swarmed the base earlier were the entire force that scout had managed to rally.
"Numbers one to nine on the roulette! Different weapons for each result! Behold—the great me! Crazy Clown! Nice to meet you!"
The clown-faced katana let out a shrill cackle.
"Enough. Get back," Kite muttered, dismissing the weapon with a flick.
"…It talks a lot," Killua said, carefully choosing his words.
"The roulette—does that mean you can't choose which weapon comes out?" Gon asked, focusing on the real issue.
"Exactly," Kite replied. He glanced at Joey, then continued without holding anything back. "And if I don't use the weapon properly after it appears, I can't switch it out or dismiss it. Total hassle."
Then why even make such a troublesome ability?
The question appeared on all three of their faces simultaneously.
"Compared to mine, your abilities seem a lot more flexible," Kite said as they walked back the way they came. "Gon—you're mixing Enhancement, Emission, and Transmutation into some kind of rock-paper-scissors setup, right?"
"Yeah. My specialty is Enhancement," Gon nodded earnestly.
"Killua—lightning? Transmutation?"
"Right. It's not that strong yet, and the electricity disappears after one use," Killua said, a spark flickering on his fingertip.
"No rush. Even if you don't want it to, the power will grow," Kite said, giving Killua a knowing look. "As for you, Joey—you haven't done the water divination test, but your nen beast looks like a mix of Enhancement, Emission, and Transmutation too."
Joey scratched his head. "So… what type am I then? What are the actual differences between these types?"
Kite paused.
Then he turned, looking Joey dead in the eye.
"…Are you a serial killer?"
"…Have you ever used your ability to kill a human being?"
"…Do you have a strange kind of leather on your body that constantly feeds you aura? One that feels… soul-bound to you?"
"…And finally—have you ever seen a hideous bug that lets out a strange, unnatural scream?"
The first question made Joey freeze. He'd asked about nen types—and this was the response?
But then Kite mentioned the leather—and Joey's shock turned to speechlessness.
When he mentioned the screaming bug… Joey's expression cracked wide open in pure, naked terror.
Kite had seen enough. The answer was written across Joey's face.
"So tell me—who are you, really?
Kira Yoshikage? Joey?
Or someone else entirely?"