Illumi's voice seemed to echo in his ears, causing Killua's body, just about to spring into action, to freeze abruptly.
"If you're not confident you can win, then run."
"The enemy's strength is unknown; run for your life."
"No... I can't run. I have to protect Gon..."
Killua struggled, trying to overcome and resist the hold his brother Illumi had over him.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
But as Kite's footsteps grew nearer, Illumi's image kept surfacing in his mind, persistently urging his little brother to flee.
Killua pushed himself with all his might to break free: "I can't give up. I can't run away... Because I have someone I want to protect..."
"Gon..."
"I want to be with him... Because he's my friend."
"He's an important friend to me..."
"Run..."
"Shut up!"
"Run away..."
"I won't let you control me anymore!!"
At that moment, dazzling lightning exploded throughout the entire room!!
… … …
Meanwhile, outside in the mansion's main hall, the remaining members of the extermination team were discussing details.
Gon kept glancing toward the room where Kite and Killua were.
Nearby, Knuckle sat on the floor, focused, seemingly deep in thought.
"Colt is a good guy, and some of the other Chimera Ants also seem kind-hearted. That has nothing to do with whether they're human or ants..."
As a Beast Hunter, Knuckle preferred to believe that every living creature had a kind heart.
If possible, he hoped to talk with the Ant King...
However…
"It will have to be through battle!!"
Knuckle clenched his fist and slammed it against his palm with force.
"Otherwise, he'll never stop!!"
Even Knuckle's mentor, Morel, couldn't help but feel a little nervous in the face of such an unprecedented situation.
The continuous battles and planning had stretched his nerves to their limit.
He was focused on distracting the royal guards, doing everything he could to draw them away from the king.
Thus, with all sides making their final preparations, time continued its steady march forward.
Eventually, the curtain of night fell; this was the calm before the storm.
… … …
On the palace balcony, Meruem stood, gazing into the distance, contemplating life.
"I am the king.
"But... Who exactly am I?"
"Why was I even born...?"
Even the strongest living creature in the world, Meruem, couldn't escape the torment of existential questions.
He stared into the distance, lost in confusion:
"A nameless king, a borrowed palace... and those gathered before me are nothing but puppets without will..."
"If this is the mission heaven has given me..."
"Then I must not feel bored. I must not hesitate for even a moment!!"
Everything and every question would be answered after the selection process.
With this in mind, Meruem leaped from the balcony.
Seeing this, Menthuthuyoupi immediately followed after him.
"Don't follow me."
"But..."
Bang!!
"Don't make me say it twice."
Without even looking back, Meruem left, swatting Menthuthuyoupi to the ground with a flick of his tail.
"Hahaha, now everyone's been smacked by the king. Meow!"
Neferpitou, witnessing the scene, laughed happily.
Now, all three of the royal guards had received the same treatment from their king!
Whoosh!
Menthuthuyoupi spread his wings and flew to Neferpitou's side.
"The king says your En is kind of annoying..."
He spoke with a slurred voice.
Neferpitou: "..."
She couldn't laugh anymore.
"Meow, I figured the king would say that eventually..."
After all, no king could tolerate having every movement constantly monitored by a subordinate.
"But just because he finds it annoying doesn't mean I can deactivate my En... Meow."
With a troubled look on his face, Menthuthuyoupi groaned: "Then you go tell him yourself!"
"I don't want to get hit again!"
Neferpitou had no choice but to go speak to the king personally, trying to find a compromise...
She decided to create a sphere of blank zone around the king so that his movements wouldn't be affected by the pressure of en.
But…
"You're telling me to stand still?"
Meruem spoke coldly.
"It's impossible to constantly move that blank zone, right?"
"So you're basically saying I should follow your commands to stay inside that area?!"
Without giving Neferpitou any chance to explain, Meruem gave a direct order: "Set the range of your En only around the palace perimeter."
"That is my bottom line."
"Or... Are you implying that someone has already infiltrated the palace?!"
"That would mean admitting your En is full of holes like a sieve!"
Neferpitou had no counterargument but still tried to reason: "But if my En is only around the palace perimeter, it can't detect intruders coming from underground."
"Also, if someone who's already been authorized to enter the palace turns out to be an enemy, my En can't identify them..."
"You're talking about Komugi, aren't you?!"
Before Neferpitou could finish, Meruem's icy voice cut through.
"No. At present, aside from us, there's only one human in the palace doing work for us, Bizeff. In principle, he's allowed to enter freely."
"Although we verify his identity every time he enters..."
"Still, if he's been controlled in advance, there's no easy way to tell..."
"Enough!"
Meruem didn't want to waste another word.
"Set the En's range only up to the first floor of the palace."
"That should be enough to guard against underground infiltration, right?"
"Pass down my order: no one is allowed to go upstairs."
"Anyone acting suspicious, I'll deal with them myself."
"Until I say otherwise, none of you are allowed up there!"
"Anyone who enters without permission will be considered an enemy."
Neferpitou: "... Yes..."
Faced with the king's command, what choice did she have?
She could only comply passively…