Morel quickly assessed the situation and formulated a countermeasure while dashing up the palace stairs alongside Ronnel.
The original plan to take down the Chimera Ant King had been scrapped the moment they encountered Youpi, but surprisingly, the movements of the three Royal Guards had gone smoother than expected.
The strategy was clear—separate them one by one and eliminate them accordingly. Everyone adjusted their approach based on their abilities and executed their assigned roles without hesitation.
...
Shaiapouf, shaking off his self-reproach, refocused on his priority: finding the blind girl and returning to the King. But just as he prepared to take flight, his vision blurred.
"What is this?!"
Thick white smoke had spread all around him, obscuring everything from view. He could barely make out a single human figure standing within the haze—smirking, holding a long smoking pipe, and wearing small sunglasses that gleamed eerily in the dim light.
With an amused expression, Morel exhaled a puff of smoke and greeted him:
"Caught a lonely little ant~"
Shaiapouf's tear-streaked eyes widened. But rather than respond to the taunt, he remained silent, wings twitching anxiously. Without wasting another second, he attempted to bolt through the cloud of smoke.
However—
Boom!
A dull impact sent him reeling backward. His expression darkened as he realized the smoke wasn't something he could simply fly through. Breaking past it would require considerable effort, time, and Nen.
If he wasted too long here, he wouldn't reach the King in time. And even if he did, in his current state, would he be able to fend off the enemies already converging on the palace?
There was no doubt in his mind—the humans had come prepared. The King was their primary target, and at least one of them would be lying in wait to strike.
...
"What do I have to do for you to let me out?" Shaiapouf asked, forcing himself to remain calm.
"Nope! Not happening!" Morel grinned. "You're trapped in here with me, and you won't be getting out."
Shaiapouf wiped his face, his expression hardening. A chilling aura radiated from him as his two wings shimmered with iridescent hues.
"Then, I'll just have to get rid of you. If you're gone, the smoke disappears on its own, doesn't it?"
He didn't say it out loud, but Morel could read it in his eyes.
A glimmering dust spread from Shaiapouf's wings, the hypnotic scales dispersing into the air. Anyone who inhaled them would be put under his influence, their minds vulnerable to his manipulation. Not only that, but the powder also acted as an emotional radar, allowing him to gauge his opponent's mental state and pinpoint their weaknesses.
He had used this ability before to guide and refine the Nen abilities of the Chimera Ant soldiers under his command. Now, he would use it to incapacitate Morel as swiftly as possible.
But—
"Hiss—"
A sound, faint yet ominous. Before Shaiapouf could react, a sharp sensation coursed through his body.
His wings—split in two!
A clean tear, running from top to bottom. Half of his wings remained attached to his back, while the other halves drifted uselessly through the air.
Stunned, he barely had time to register what had happened before another shock ran through him.
His body—his waist—was gone.
Or rather, it was severed, his upper and lower halves completely separated. Yet, inexplicably, there was no blood, no pain. Instead, a swirling darkness filled the space where his missing parts should have been.
"Another enemy?!" His mind raced, searching for the unseen attacker. "This must be someone else's ability! But where are they?!"
...
While Shaiapouf flailed in confusion, Morel exhaled slowly, his smirk deepening.
"Looks like Shoot landed his hit," he mused. "He and Meleoron really are the perfect team."
Taking down a powerhouse like Youpi required an ability like Knuckle's, draining his strength over time. But for an agile, evasive opponent like Shaiapouf, Shoot's "Hotel Rafflesia" was the ideal counter.
Hotel Rafflesia— Shoot's ability.
Effect: Three floating hands attack the opponent. Any part they touch is locked away inside the "Hotel Rafflesia," rendering it effectively nonexistent. The victim feels the loss but suffers no physical damage, and the effect only wears off if Shoot is defeated.
Condition: Shoot sacrifices one of his own arms, transforming it into the three attacking hands.
On their way to the palace, Meleoron had split from Knuckle and teamed up with Shoot. Using Meleoron's God's Accomplice to mask their presence, Shoot had launched his attack unnoticed.
Now, with three well-placed strikes, Shaiapouf's wings and lower body had been taken out, eliminating his mobility and preventing him from releasing his scale powder.
He was utterly trapped.
"Perfect timing!" Morel's grin widened as he took advantage of Shaiapouf's disoriented state.
Purple Smoke Fist!
A surge of Nen concentrated around his smoking pipe, thick plumes of white smoke curling around it. With a swift motion, he swung it at Shaiapouf—
And the attack landed squarely.
------------
Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)