Why did Meruem's motivation shift in the Chimera Ant arc?

[Nora.T]

I just got the new issue and I’m honestly a bit confused by the sudden shift in the main character’s motivation. It feels like the writer skipped a beat, and now their entire quest for vengeance doesn’t connect with the careful build-up from the last three arcs. Has anyone else felt this way about the latest storyline?

[Edward36]

Yeah, I felt that rush too. I paused after reading and tried to map the last arc to this one, and the thread just felt off, like something got skipped.

[Mark_L]

I actually went back and skimmed through the last three issues, counted how many pages the vengeance thread had, and when the new motive shows up it lands in a single panel and then nothing for a few scenes.

[Zachary.J]

Part of me wonders if the pacing is the issue more than the motive itself. The earlier arcs drilled in guilt, duty, self doubt, and now it snaps to resolve without the same setup.

[Mason68]

Do you think the real problem is the protagonist's arc or the way the antagonist's plan is written?