Midnight
Monster x And x Monster
The moment Killua entered the palace...
I knew it!
...was his reaction.
He couldn't sense Pitou's En at all,
and before him stood Youpi, whom nobody had expected to encounter on the first floor.
Despite the fact that they were now
in a situation that was utterly unforeseen in their planning,
Killua's experience helped him stay calm.
Who are these guys?
Where did they come from?
From Youpi's perspective, too, his current situation was an impossibility.
Youpi immediately ceased all thought.
I am a shield.
I protect the King with my body.
Of the Royal Guard, Youpi alone was created from Magical Beasts, not humans.
Perhaps that was why
he lacked the self-preservative nature of the other two Royal Guard.
However, that lack also gave him strength.
The moment Youpi changed forms with a belligerent smile,
Shoot froze at once.
However, it wasn't because Shoot was slow to react.
If I move any closer, he will attack.
And if his attack happens to connect with the invisible Knuckle and Meleoron...
In order to draw Youpi's attention toward himself,
he began to move his cage and floating arms...
And then it happened.
This is Dragon Dive!
Then the old man's friend is...
Only Killua understood what was happening,
and it momentarily froze him.
The shock was even greater to those who didn't know what was going on.
There were only two present,
Gon and Youpi, who remained focused on the enemy that faced them.
No way!
Has he lost it?
You aren't supposed to fight Youpi...
No, wait.
Realization came a moment later to Killua,
and still a few moments later to the others.
Seriously, even in this situation,
how did he realize that, and so quickly?
If Meleoron and Knuckle were to be pierced by a Dragon Lance
while God's Accomplice was active, and die instantly,
would their invisibility cease?
Or would the Nen remain, leaving them to decompose without anyone ever knowing?
No one knew the answer.
Assuming the latter, confirming whether they were still alive would be impossible.
Meaning that, in the worst-case scenario, someone else would
have to deal with Youpi.
That should have been my job...
Gon!
Shoot did nothing wrong.
Even I was later than Killua in noticing and reacting.
Shoot, don't blame yourself...
Pull yourself together!
If Gon and Killua are taking Youpi,
you're left with Pitou!
However,
Shoot was feeling a completely different emotion at that moment.
Gon!
I want to tell the entire world...
"This is Gon!
A boy less than half my age,
to whom I owe my life."
I've always gone to any lengths to avoid facing danger and risk,
hiding myself within a safe cage, where no one could hurt me.
I hated myself for it...
But I couldn't change myself.
Friends and teachers encouraged me,
but I never truly listened, considering it the logic of the strong.
Yet somehow...
A boy with less than half my strength
managed to break my cage!
Shoot did indeed tend to shrink back weakly from opportunity.
I will survive...
So that I can thank you!
However, even he didn't realize that
such unique turns in his train of thought made him shine in the face of adversity.
Good!
Knuckle and Meleoron...
...are alive!
What?
Who was it that just attacked me?
I couldn't see a thing...
Did someone fire a projectile from my blind spot?
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, activate!
Naturally, they had already tested to confirm that God's Accomplice
would be compatible with Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.
As long as God's Accomplice stayed active, Youpi would be unable to see APR.
Thus, it was natural that Youpi would question
what had just happened, rather than concentrate on the enemies before him.
I can't sense any damage or abnormal effect.
Which means my focus right now should be...
So far, everything had proceeded according to the Hunters' plan.
However, after a successful first strike, Knuckle could only shudder.
Seriously?
It's like his aura is unlimited!
After surviving over five thousand battles,
Knuckle had the experience and intuition to quantify his opponent's strength.
It was not uncommon for him to face enemies who were stronger
than previous opponents he had encountered.
However, there was no comparing the power he now faced
to that of the opponents who had come before.
A monster with an immense amount of aura.
Five times what the boss has?
Ten times?
More?
I can't tell!
He had never experienced anything like this.
Assuming he's ten times stronger,
with 700,000 aura,
how long will it take before he goes bust?
The King!
That was when
the Hunters felt
the full brunt of Pitou's sinister aura.
Youpi immediately noticed that momentary hesitation.
Your Majesty!
Since Pitou lacked wings,
the only option was to continue free falling.
This was actually a stroke of luck.
Had there been unlimited courses of action,
Pitou would have joined Pouf and rushed straight toward the King,
a Royal Guard's natural reaction.
In that scenario, it's unlikely that Pitou would have had
the presence of mind to use En.
As a result...
The guest room on the second floor of the west tower...
The King is with the woman with closed eyes.
They're also using En to locate the King!
This was when Pitou realized the seriousness of the situation.
In that instant, Pitou crouched like the four-legged creature of the Ant's origin,
with upper legs tensing like steel
until they were twice as large as they'd been before the attack on Kite.
In order to reach the King
before the enemy could.
But a second later...
A wave of negative energy from Pitou's destination
was strong enough to make Pitou regret the decision.
This is...
the King's...
The aura coming from the King
was so unmasked, his current state of mind was plain to read.
As a result, Pitou could only conclude
that the situation had grown even worse than previously thought.
The main stairway had collapsed!
When the King looked down, time began to move again.
However, time remained frozen for everyone else.
The intruders, who had come for the King's life,
were holding their breath and standing still
because of the girl covered in blood.
And because the grotesque creature holding her body
was clearly treating her with tenderness and care.
Pitou.
Y-Yes, sir.
The expression on the King's face had returned to normal.
This only increased Pitou's concern.
Heal Komugi.
I'm counting on you.
The two veterans continued to stand by,
silently watching their enemies,
out of respect.
This was an act of love for a life.
Should they infringe upon that act, their cause was lost.
It would have been inhumane.
This isn't what I was given to expect.
For Zeno to make that comment was only natural.
Netero felt the same way.
Not here.
Let us go elsewhere.
I believe that a different location
would be to your benefit, as well.
Netero had spent a great deal of money to enlist Zeno to help separate
the King from the Royal Guard.
He had no reason to object to the King's proposal.
However...
Well, I suppose.
He could not help but feel he had lost the initiative...
Doctor Blythe.
The moment Pitou's ability was activated,
the two men thought that their decision
to lower their guard would prove fatal.
Because the King was able to walk between them with ease.
Their opponent, also, was an incredible monster.
Next time: An x Indebted x Insect.
Gon, what are you eating?
Oh, it's candy. Gummy insects.
I-Insects that are candy?