The others raised their heads and followed closely behind.
"Dragon? Interesting."
Outside the palace, Pitou licked his dry lips, his aura retracting instantly. His feline eyes locked onto a precise spot in the clouds.
During the brief moment his En had expanded, he had already pinpointed the enemy's location, along with the subtle yet overwhelming power radiating from them.
This is an opponent worth fighting.
The thought surged through Pitou's mind, sharpening his instincts. He restrained his aura, focusing all his strength into a single, decisive strike.
The moment his En disappeared, the muscles in his steel-like thighs swelled, powered by insectoid joints. Then—boom!—he launched himself skyward like a bullet.
"Terpsichora!"
As he shot forward, Pitou unleashed his Nen.
[Terpsichora] was the battle ability Neferpitou had developed while fighting Kite. From activation to attack, it took less than 0.1 seconds.
Neferpitou's Terpsichora ability summoned a demonic puppeteer, controlling their body with invisible strings of Nen, allowing them to exceed their physical limits in strength and speed.
It bore similarities to Shalnark's Autopilot Mode, which enhanced strength through self-control. However, Shalnark's mode was uncontrollable—once activated, it would not stop until the target was killed, or the user collapsed from exhaustion.
Unlike Autopilot Mode, Terpsichora was a conscious manipulation. Pitou could maximize their combat efficiency without drawbacks. The only trade-off was that the enhancement multiplier was lower than Shalnark's.
Still, anyone with a discerning eye could see which ability was superior.
At the same time, Pitou's body hovered briefly in the sky. Netero, having just arrived, observed the movement and chuckled. But before he could speak, Pitou had already closed the distance.
His words, however, reached Pitou loud and clear.
"I considered several ways you might attack and defend, but your move... is a bad one, little ant~"
Before Pitou could react, the five-clawed golden dragon in the sky exploded into countless golden shards of light, raining down over the palace like a celestial storm.
For a brief moment, Pitou hesitated.
Then—
A voice whispered near his ear just as an overwhelming force slammed into him, sending his body hurtling away.
"King!!"
Shaiapouf, witnessing the display of power, was struck with terror. Fearing for the Chimera Ant King's safety, he abandoned all other concerns. Pitou and Netero no longer mattered.
With a desperate, almost primal scream, he evaded the incoming golden shards and rushed toward the palace at top speed.
...
Inside the palace—
"What's going on?"
Sitting on the stairs, Youpi sensed something was wrong. His gaze shifted upward, suspicion evident in his voice.
Then, at the corner of the stairway, a round black portal opened slowly.
"Huh?!"
Youpi's eyes narrowed as he spotted several intruders emerging below.
How did they get in?!
That was his first thought.
His second?
It didn't matter. If they were here, they were enemies.
His blood-red eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
"Kill them all."
His body began to morph. Unlike the other Royal Guards, Youpi lacked human DNA. His entire form was a fusion of multiple monstrous genes, and he had no reservations about his appearance.
Efficiency was all that mattered.
If becoming a monster made him deadlier, so be it.
When Ronnel and his group confronted Youpi directly, he wasted no time. His form twisted and expanded, sprouting four extra arms and a second pair of eyes.
"Ehh?!"
Morel and the others were taken aback.
Their plan had never accounted for encountering a Royal Guard so soon.
...
En.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Ronnel immediately expanded his En.
Now that they had been discovered, there was no point in hiding.
En was an advanced Nen technique used for detection and defense. Its effective radius depended on the user's abilities.
Zeno Zoldyck's En reached up to 300 meters, whereas Nobunaga's, in the Phantom Troupe, only covered 4 meters.
Neferpitou's En was unique. Due to their amoeba-like genes, their range wasn't limited to a sphere—it could stretch and shift as needed. At its peak, it covered up to 2 kilometers.
Ronnel's En wasn't as vast, but thanks to his training and his adaptation of Chimera Ant traits, his En could now extend to a full kilometer.
That was more than enough to map out the palace's situation.
"Neferpitou is flying at high speed… They must've been hit by the Chairman. Shaiapouf is rushing toward the throne room—his frantic movements suggest he's worried about the King's safety."
Ronnel's perception detailed everything—the golden light showering the sky, the precise movements of the Royal Guards, and the Ant King's position.
"Which means… of the three Royal Guards, only Youpi is in the palace."
His eyes gleamed.
"If that's the case, we'll take care of him first."
Ronnel didn't hesitate.
"He's alone—deal with him first, but stay alert!"
The others snapped to attention. His first order made perfect sense.
His second?
That one left them puzzled.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)