"Netero," Geno said.
Netero only whispered Geno's name in return, shook his head, and remained silent.
'So be it'. Geno looked at him carefully, sighed quietly, and said nothing more.
When he is set on something, no one can pull him back. Or maybe there was still one person who could, a thought that brought Geno's gaze downward as he recalled the scene from the New Top Five meeting. If Larry stepped in, maybe he could stop this.
As the winged beast flew toward its destination, Zeno gathered his hands at his waist, channeling a surge of golden energy. Suddenly, both men vanished from the creature's back and dropped straight down.
Meanwhile, atop a grand palace, Neferpitou suddenly felt a shift in the air. She lifted her head, her sharp eyes scanning the sky.
Though it was night, no stars were visible. Thick clouds covered the heavens, allowing only faint moonlight to trickle down to the earth below.
The clouds blocked everything above, making it hard for Neferpitou to see what was up there. In fact, her En was set around the palace and didn't extend that high.
Right now, her reaction was driven more by animal instinct than conscious thought.
Pouf, who had been playing the violin beside him, suddenly sensed something was off with Neferpitou. He stopped playing and narrowed his eyes, looking up at the sky.
Just then, streaks of golden light pierced through the thick clouds. Surprisingly, the golden light didn't stay in one place, it shifted from right to left, almost as if it were swimming through the sky.
Seeing this, both of them knew something was wrong. Neferpitou quickly extended the blood-red En scattered around the palace toward the sky.
These aura stretched upward like a ladder soaked in blood, reaching straight into the clouds. As it climbed higher, a brilliant golden light burst forth from the clouds, as if it was about to tear the dark sky apart.
Neferpitou and Pouf's pupils shrank simultaneously as they stared at what emerged, it was a massive "golden dragon" made entirely of aura! The sheer size of the dragon revealed the depth of the user's power.
The dragon's outer layer was a golden aura, while the inner core glowed purple, forming what was known as a "Purple Gold Dragon." This was Zeno Zoldyck's Hatsu ability, Dragon Head. As a Transmutation-type, Zeno could shape his aura into a dragon, which he could use either for attack or as a mount.
At that moment, Neferpitou and Pouf saw two figures standing atop the spiraling golden dragon.
One was Zeno, slightly hunched with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sharp and focused. The other was President Netero, standing casually but with muscles tense and ready. Enemy attack, and a powerful one at that, flashed through Neferpitou and Pouf's minds at the same time.
Neferpitou licked her lips, excitement shining in her eyes, and her body tensed instinctively. Finally, she thought, the thrill of battle was within reach again.
But before Neferpitou could leap into the air, the golden dragon suddenly shattered and scattered into the air. "No way... don't tell me!" Pouf's unease peaked as he watched the golden light in the sky.
The once-mighty golden dragon instantly broke apart into countless streaks of light, falling like a meteor shower.
One of Geno's nen abilities, called Dragon Lance, was on full display. The way he could actively disperse the descending aura dragons at just the right height showed just how deeply he had mastered his Nen.
While it wasn't quite as impressive as Larry's Dragonite, it was still an incredible sight.
Suddenly, the dark night sky lit up completely with countless golden lights. Neferpitou felt as if it had suddenly turned to daytime.
How many attacks were there in the sky? A hundred? A thousand? She couldn't count them, all she saw was a sea of golden light.
Her eyes darted around, desperately trying to find where the two figures were hiding. If she didn't find them soon, they could pose a serious threat. But she couldn't do it alone, so she quickly turned to Pouf for help.
But instead of helping, Pouf tossed aside his violin and flew off in a panic toward the Ant King's location, clearly terrified for his safety and wanting to protect him. "King?!" he called out.
Neferpitou realized she couldn't rely on Pouf, so she had no choice but to find the two on her own.
At the same time, a pink light flashed through the palace corridor, and soon Larry and six others appeared on the scene. With Larry involved, there was no need for elaborate plans.
Knov didn't have to arrange the Fourth-Dimensional Apartment in advance, and Gardevoir could simply teleport in.
The rough plan was for President Netero to take the Ant King away and then eliminate him, while the others dealt with the three guards. Knov and Meleoron were assigned to handle Youpi, Morel was tasked with Pouf, and Gon and Killua volunteered to take on Neferpitou. Of course, relying on just a few of them to fight the three guards was risky, they weren't the main force in this battle.
The real power came from Larry's nen. Each escort team member was paired with one of Larry's nen beast, whose job was to support them. Honestly, they were more like extras in this fight, it would have been the same with or without them.
In the end, it was Larry who took the lead.
By chance, as they appeared, they ran into Youpi, who was on patrol duty. He was stationed right at the entrance, sitting on the grand staircase that led straight up to the second floor. This meant anyone wanting to go upstairs had to pass through him.
"Huh? Intruders?" Youpi muttered, scratching his head. His presence was intimidating even without deliberately releasing his beastly aura.
Morel and the others held their breath, tense and ready. Then, Gon suddenly rushed forward, aiming to climb the staircase.
"Gon!" Killua shouted, trying to stop him. "That one's not our target. Our goal is Neferpitou!"
But Gon, eyes burning with determination and thoughts fixed on avenging Kite, kept moving toward the stairs. "Exactly, leave Youpi to me and Meleoron. You guys push ahead," Knov said, adjusting his glasses.
A sharp glint reflected off them, showing his focused gaze. With Larry by his side, Knov's confidence was at its peak.
Killua had no choice but to follow Gon closely as they hurried up the staircase.
Gon had a straightforward plan: since he hadn't spotted Neferpitou on the first floor, he'd rush to the second. If she wasn't there either, he'd search the entire palace until he found her.