Episode 24: Are You the King of Humans?

The Japanese hunters' tactic succeeds and the ants withdraw into the cave, leaving the exhausted Korean hunters unsure how to proceed. The shadows arrive to rescue them: Igris charges out as the hunters freeze, Iron follows, and Tusk clears a path with a fireball, signaling that Jinwoo himself is coming. He appears before the bewildered hunters, his shadow army assembled, and the Koreans realize they may yet be saved. The Ant Queen's scream cuts the broadcast signal, leaving Lee Joohee and others in the dark about the island. Woo Jinchul cannot raise anyone, and Go Gunhee frets over the hunters as the TV station is flooded with calls.

Jinwoo orders Iron to use Shout of Provocation, drawing every ant toward him, while Igris cuts them down one by one with the soldiers' help. Watching the shadows, Ma Dongwook doubts himself. Jinwoo, unable to hand a potion directly to anyone, has Dongwook open his mouth and pours it in; it works, so he does the same for the others, who recover. He worries most about Cha Hae-In, but the System informs him the potion cannot heal her, just as it once failed him in the Demon Castle, and her life keeps fading. He tries to have Dongwook carry her out, only for a fresh group of ants to block the way.

At the association, Go Gunhee enters a chaotic meeting room and is told Japan cannot be reached, every screen having gone dark after the Black Ant appeared. He orders all teams to ready themselves and, guilt-ridden for not joining the front line, prays everyone survives. At home, a furious Jinah taps the broken TV until her mother Park Kyung-Hye calms her, and she checks her phone instead. Meanwhile, Matsumoto Shigeo learns from the naval fleet that Goto Ryuji has been killed, a devastating blow to Japan given Ryuji led the Draw Sword Guild.

With his weaker soldiers struggling and too many hunters present to hide his abilities, Jinwoo hesitates to extract more shadows but decides he must break the deadlock. He tells everyone to shelter behind Tusk while he opens an escape route, asking that no one reveal what they are about to see, but as he begins, the ants lower their heads. The Ant King returns, and Baek Yoonho realizes it killed Ryuji. Jinwoo catches Ryuji's scent on the creature, which has absorbed his strength and dismisses him as a disappointment before demanding to know if any king stands among them. Jinwoo walks forward without fear as the others recoil, and the Ant King asks if he is the king of humans. Jinwoo only smiles, surprised an ant can speak.

The communication equipment comes back online and the station resumes a live broadcast, the guide convinced Korea's fate now rests on Jinwoo. Joohee, Jinah, Go Gunhee, and Woo all see him on screen. The Ant King hurls a punch that shakes the cave, leaving Choi Jong-In baffled that a mere mage stands so close, but Jinwoo is unharmed and uses Ruler's Authority to suppress the monster, stunning Dongwook and Baek with his power. Noting the creature's protective shell, Jinwoo trades blows and strikes back hard. The Ant King then lashes out with its tongue, cutting Jinwoo's cheek and spreading a poison drawn from sea life, leaving him unable to move.

Word reaches Matsumoto that seven Japanese S-ranks are dead; sensing strong magic in the cave, he concludes the ant who killed Ryuji is alive and orders three S-ranks to regroup with the naval commando for one last assault. Kanae Tawata tries to rally a despairing Minoru Hoshino, who refuses to face such strength. The Ant King is then caught in Jinwoo's single hand and knocked out, baffling Choi until they realize Jinwoo's body neutralized the poison. His senses sharpened, Jinwoo feels the creature's growing panic but is anxious himself, knowing Hae-In is dying and the King must fall fast.

The Ant King takes to the air to rely on its speed, while Jinwoo draws two Demon Monarch's Daggers and engages. The monster conjures and shatters ice picks, magic stolen from a Japanese hunter, but Jinwoo is unfazed and proves the faster of the two, wounding its pride. As they streak across the battlefield as light, Baek's Eyes of the Beast register Jinwoo's terrifying evolution. Enraged, the King pins Jinwoo and raises a claw, but a level-up prompt lets Jinwoo sever its arms instantly. It heals and binds him with ice, then tries to flee, only for Jinwoo to strike again and cut off its limbs. In desperation it summons the surrounding ants, but Jinwoo's army answers: Igris cleaves a path, the wyvern Kaisel joins in, and Tusk leads fire magic. Pinning the creature down with a reaper's gaze, Jinwoo kills it and levels up, scattering the remaining ants.

Dongwook calls Jinwoo over as Hae-In nears death, and Baek urges him to take her outside, but Jinwoo knows even a helicopter would be too slow. He gives her the Holy Water of Life that revived his mother, hoping it might work, yet the System warns it will not heal her. Helpless and silent, Jinwoo wonders if he truly cannot save her, then suddenly turns around.

Jinwoo arrives on Jeju Island and his shadow army rescues the trapped, exhausted S-rank hunters, with Iron drawing the swarm and the others cutting it down. He heals the wounded by pouring potions into their mouths, but the System bars him from saving Cha Hae-In. The Ant King returns having killed and absorbed Goto Ryuji, and challenges the king of humans. Live on national television, Jinwoo battles the monster, shrugs off its sea-life poison thanks to his body's detoxifying effect, levels up mid-fight, and with his shadows finishes it off. The remaining ants flee, but the Holy Water of Life proves unable to save the dying Hae-In.

Titled Are You the King of Humans?, the episode adapts Chapters 101 through 104 within the Jeju Island Arc. Noboru Kimura wrote it and Ryutaro Suzuki directed for A-1 Pictures, airing March 22nd, 2025 in Japan and April 5th, 2025 in English, with the insert song HØWL. Trivia notes the final seconds: the Korean subtitle version showed Byung-Gyu telling Jinwoo to use his power, a line absent from Crunchyroll's English subtitles. In a difference from the webtoon, the anime has Jinwoo revive Byung-Gyu in a single attempt after hearing his voice, whereas the source took three tries.