HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group - Chapter 57 (Patreon)

Harry Potter - I Got My Sacred Gear... and It Manifested as a Chat Group?!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters in the story are consenting adults over 18 years of age.

Chapter 57

POV: Gon

Riding on horseback, a tall, slender man in his late twenties kept his eyes fixed on the slip of paper in his hand. His long white hair swayed with the wind, and a light-blue peaked cap, almost like a beret, sat snugly on his head. The sharp look in his eyes was enough to tell that this message wasn’t something he could treat lightly.

The words were scrawled in blood. That fact alone was enough to show just how desperate the situation must have been. For Kite to take it this seriously left no doubt in Gon’s mind—this wasn’t going to be an ordinary challenge.

Gon had only heard bits and pieces about Chimera Ants. He didn’t know much, but if Kite, a seasoned Hunter with far more experience than either him or Killua, was worried, then Gon would trust his judgment completely.

As he looked up, he noticed the bee that had carried the blood-written message buzzing away into the distance. That sight sparked another thought.

“Wait… wasn’t there a girl back during the Hunter Exam who used bees?” Gon muttered to himself. “If I remember right, she had blue hair… could she be here in the NGL too? Back then she couldn’t control them at all… did she learn Nen since then?”

Before his train of thought could go further, Kite’s voice cut in.

“It’ll be dangerous. Do you want to come along?” he asked, his sharp gaze shifting to Gon and Killua as he finished scanning the letter.

“Of course!” Gon answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“We’re pros,” Killua added with a cocky grin, as if there was never any other option.

Kite gave a small nod, as if that was exactly the response he expected. Then he turned toward the woman riding alongside them—the local guide they had hired to help navigate the NGL. She sat upright on her own horse, waiting for his instructions.

“Miss Guide, I’m sorry, but we have to hurry!” Kite called out.

The woman straightened her back, patting her horse on the side. “Understood. These horses can still go faster!” she replied confidently.

But Kite shook his head. That wasn’t what he meant. In the next instant, he leapt down from his saddle, boots hitting the ground with a thud. Gon and Killua followed his lead immediately, landing right beside him.

“That speed still won’t cut it,” Kite said flatly.

The guide blinked, startled. “Huh?”

Kite ignored her and turned to the other two members of his team. They were young and inexperienced, only trainees—without Nen and without licenses. They looked nervous, as if they already knew what was coming.

“You two, return and regroup with the others. Contact the Hunter Association and report everything. This has officially become a top-level threat.”

“Got it!” the two replied firmly, though relief was clear in their voices.

Once they were dismissed, Kite shifted his attention back to Gon and Killua. His expression grew sharper.

“I’ll leave you behind if you can’t keep up.”

Killua smirked, crossing his arms. “Yeah? Don’t fall behind yourself.”

“I’m ready,” Gon said simply, his eyes shining with determination.

Without another word, all three Hunters launched forward. Their feet pounded against the dirt, and in seconds they had already left the guide and her horses far behind. Their speed was far beyond what any normal person could achieve—faster than even trained cavalry.

Within moments, the three figures were nothing more than distant blurs on the road. And as they sprinted deeper into the NGL, it didn’t take long before the outline of a human settlement came into view—the first sign of what awaited them further inside.

The village they arrived at should have been bustling with life. Instead, it was silent—eerily so. Not a single person walked the streets. Even the usual signs of daily life, like smoke from cooking fires or the sound of children, were completely absent.

“It’s empty,” Gon muttered, his eyes scanning the abandoned houses. The emptiness weighed heavily on him, but before he could dwell on it, his nose twitched. He took a deep sniff, frowning. “Wait… there’s a smell. Something really strong!”

Kite didn’t need to be told. His sharp eyes were already fixed on the source. Unlike Gon, he had recognized the stench the moment they set foot inside. “Over there,” he said, raising a hand and pointing toward the far edge of the village.

The three of them moved quickly. What they found made the air turn even heavier. A group of leafless trees stood crooked and dead at the outskirts. Impaled on their bare branches were the rotting bodies of several animals. Blood had long since dried, but the decay was unmistakable. Clouds of flies buzzed around the corpses, drawn by the overwhelming stench.

Gon’s expression darkened as he stared at the grotesque sight. His mind went back to something he had seen in the wild before. “This looks… familiar. Just like a shrike.”

Killua tilted his head, puzzled. “A what now?” He had grown up in a very different environment, and nature’s habits weren’t his strong point.

“A shrike,” Kite explained calmly, stepping closer but keeping his guard up. “It’s a bird that impales its prey on branches. That way it can feed on them more easily, or store them for later.” As he spoke, the image of small frogs and other animals skewered on twigs came to mind. The similarity was impossible to ignore.

The explanation didn’t get a chance to sink in. All three of them stiffened at the same time, their instincts screaming at them. Something was nearby.

From the shadow of the woods, a strange figure emerged. None of them had yet seen a Chimera Ant of this size, so the sight was jarring. The creature’s body was a grotesque fusion: human-like in shape, but with long rabbit ears, sharp rabbit teeth, and wings shaped like the limbs of a bird. Its hair flowed down its back, strangely neat for such a monster, and its body was decorated with an odd assortment of items—a black thong and leather bracers strapped around its legs.

More unsettling than its appearance was how it had gotten so close without them noticing. This wasn’t simple stealth; it was using a natural variation of Zetsu. To Kite, that fact alone was alarming.

“What… is that?” Killua’s voice carried a mix of shock and disgust.

Gon didn’t answer. He was staring, just as dumbfounded by the bizarre creature.

The Chimera Ant sneered, lips curling into a smug grin. For a moment, it looked entertained by their confusion. But that expression twisted in an instant. Its smirk turned into a glare, and with sudden fury, it bared its teeth.

“You scum!” it roared in a distorted human voice. “Those are mine!” It gestured angrily at the impaled animals, then lunged forward with a burst of speed. “KEEP AWAY!”

That was the beginning. Gon and Killua’s first true encounter with a giant Chimera Ant had just started.

Kite didn’t move to intervene. His eyes were sharp, but his arms remained at his sides. This one was only a soldier, nothing more than a peon in the swarm. If the boys couldn’t even handle that, they had no business being here in the NGL. The result would be simple—they’d become food.

The problem, however, was already clear to Kite. Both Gon and Killua had frozen up at the Ant’s sudden appearance. Neither of them had even thought to release their aura. Their inexperience was showing at the worst possible time.

If the opponent had been a squad commander instead of a mere soldier, things might have ended very differently. Gon and Killua could have taken real damage.

With Nen reinforcing their bodies, however, the two boys had a clear advantage. Their speed and strength were more than enough to keep up with the rabbit-like Chimera Ant. The creature tried to dart between them, but it was overwhelmed almost immediately.

Killua made the first move. Sparks of electricity crackled along his arms before discharging in a sharp burst.

“Thunderbolt!” he shouted, his attack striking the Ant’s body and locking up its muscles. The beast froze mid-movement, paralyzed as arcs of lightning danced across its frame.

That opening was all Gon needed. His fists clenched tight as aura wrapped around his arm, his determination blazing as brightly as his energy.

“Rock!” he cried, slamming his nen-infused punch directly into the creature’s torso. The impact sent it flying through the air, twisting violently as it crashed against the ground. For a moment, it looked as if that single strike had ended things completely.

But luck wasn’t on their side. The truth was far less comforting. That Chimera Ant had only been a scout, nothing more than bait to test their strength.

From the shadows, Colt had been observing the entire time. Hidden at a distance, the Chimera Ant squad leader had watched every movement carefully, even able to see the boys’ aura with his own eyes. And when the fight ended, he made his move without hesitation.

The rabbit Ant was snatched from midair, pulled away before it could crash back into the dirt. Colt spread his wings and retreated into the sky, carrying the injured soldier with him.

That was when another unsettling fact became clear. The rabbit Ant was still alive. Even after taking Gon’s full-strength Nen punch, its body refused to break. Chimera Ants weren’t just strong—they were monstrously resilient.

“Smart one…” Kite muttered, his sharp eyes following the two figures as they disappeared beyond sight. “He sent a lackey to test us.”

Gon and Killua stood frozen in place. Both of them looked disappointed, their earlier confidence crushed by the realization they hadn’t even managed to finish off a single, ordinary soldier. A heavy silence hung between them, and for a second, Gon almost expected Kite to tell them to go back—that they weren’t ready for this.

Instead, the older Hunter glanced over his shoulder. “Coming?” he asked casually, noticing the boys hadn’t moved. When they didn’t answer, he added, “Don’t get so down on yourselves. That wasn’t bad. You just need more experience.”

His gaze swept over the empty village, lingering on the eerie silence and unnatural stillness around them. “You’ll find plenty of that here. But don’t expect it to be easy. This will be a bloodbath, and if your stomach’s weak, you won’t last long.” His tone was calm, but there was no mistaking the weight in his words. “Stay sharp. I still feel eyes on us.”

“Really?” Gon asked, spinning on his heel to scan the area, sniffing the air like he had earlier. His eyes darted across the tree line, but he couldn’t see or sense anything unusual.

Kite only nodded. His instincts were vague, but they had been honed through countless battles. “Anyway…” he said finally, his expression hardening, “from this point on, whether you win or lose, it’s going to be hell.”

Both boys straightened up, resolve burning away their disappointment.

“We’re in!” Gon and Killua declared at the same time.

With that, they hurried after Kite, following the more experienced Hunter deeper into the unknown.

———

POV: Harry

“Hmm… not bad,” Harry muttered under his breath. His sharp eyes had been on the group from the very moment they stepped into the range of his Nen. The corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile. “He actually noticed I was watching. That one’s sharp.”

It wasn’t surprising, though. Kite was no ordinary Hunter. If Harry let his guard down for even a moment, the man would pick up on his ability immediately.

That was why he kept his distance, careful not to let the faint mist of his power drift too close. To a veteran like Kite, even the smallest slip would give him away.

Harry had no intention of exposing himself yet. His plan was simple: watch, wait, and gather information. That was what he had been doing all this time—observing the three from afar through the small portal he created.

From that safe vantage point, he could keep track of every move without ever being noticed.

Even so, he couldn’t shake the thought that perhaps he had allowed himself to get a little too close during the fight.

The way Kite’s eyes had sharpened earlier—yes, that was definitely a sign. He must have felt something. Experienced Hunters were troublesome that way; their instincts were too good.

Still, Harry wasn’t worried. The important part of his plan was already complete. All he needed was for the rabbit Chimera Ant to be struck by Nen, to be forced into awakening its own aura.

That alone was enough. Once the spark was lit, the flames would spread. The entire colony would begin to evolve, pushing themselves into the next stage of development.

A quiet satisfaction filled him as he thought about what was coming. His gaze lingered on the empty space where the Ant had been carried off. “That’s it,” he whispered. “Now the awakening begins.”

He could already see the dominoes falling in his mind. With the soldiers beginning to grasp Nen, the colony would change drastically. And at the same time, another milestone was approaching—the birth of Neferpitou, the first of the Royal Guards.

Pitou would learn about Nen soon as well, from none other than Pokkle. It wouldn’t be proper training, just fragments of knowledge, a basic understanding at best. But that would be enough.

From there, the Ants would develop Nen abilities of their own, twisted and dangerous, born from instinct and raw imagination rather than discipline and systematic understanding.

Everything was lining up perfectly. Harry leaned back, his grin widening as he withdrew his focus from the battlefield. “Yes… everything is moving according to plan.”