The drawbacks of her ability allowed Neferpitou to cleverly come to an abrupt stop in midair, only to then accelerate into a rapid, extreme dive!!
"I have to hurry; I need to get back to the king as fast as possible!!"
Neferpitou pushed herself to the limit, desperately trying to rush back.
However, as she instinctively looked up, what she saw was a sky full of falling stones above the palace, an apocalyptic rain of rubble that was about to engulf the entire structure in catastrophic destruction!!
And above that stone storm, at the epicenter of chaos, Neferpitou saw more than just the old man in the white shirt who had struck her away.
Another figure stood at the heart of it all.
His black sleeves fluttered in the wind, and his figure looked taller and more mysterious in the diffuse smoke and dust.
It was as if he was the initiator of all these disasters and the master of space at this time!!
Anyone who dared to challenge and disobey him would be turned into powder under the power of this move.
"Shinra Tensei..."
Neferpitou clearly remembered the name of the move just now.
It was this exact move that had dragged her and everyone else, including the entire palace, into this devastating calamity.
The timing of the Shinra Tensei was precise, striking exactly at midnight.
Neferpitou and Shaiapouf were both outside the palace.
Meanwhile, Menthuthuyoupi had been idly stationed at the stairway corner of the palace just before the technique hit, yawning in boredom.
At that very moment…
Buzz!
The entrance to the nearest four-level mansion, right by the palace, opened.
Whoosh!!
Gon, Killua, Knuckle, Shoot, and Kite all emerged from the entrance at the exact same time!!
At exactly midnight was the time they had chosen to launch their full-scale assault.
Just as they appeared, the mighty repelling force of Shinra Tensei erupted in the sky.
Menthuthuyoupi looked up instinctively, then quickly realized what was happening and turned his gaze sharply toward the sudden intruders.
At this dead-of-night hour, the Chimera Ant Extermination Team had officially launched their assault on the King's palace.
They immediately spotted one of the royal guards, Menthuthuyoupi, standing at the staircase.
This was exactly the unexpected scenario that had worried Killua the most before the operation began.
The inability to detect Neferpitou's En should have meant no royal guards were present on the stairs.
Yet here one was.
Still, none of the team members were ordinary people. Each one had years of combat experience, and even when things exceeded their expectations, they worked hard to stay calm.
Even Gon, despite his relative inexperience, remained determined, eyes steady as he followed the others.
Of course, this turn of events was just as surprising for the enemy; Menthuthuyoupi hadn't expected it at all.
"Who are these guys?!!"
He was genuinely shocked. "Where the hell did they come from?!"
But soon, he stopped trying to think.
His eyes widened, and pupils turned blood-red.
At the same time, the blood-red flesh on his body began to swell, extend, and transform rapidly!!
Grotesque, pulsing masses of flesh quickly morphed into multiple arms, six in total, like some nightmarish version of a smurfed-up avatar creature with three heads and six limbs.
In fact, Menthuthuyoupi's transformation was arguably even more intense than that.
"I am the shield!!"
With glowing red eyes, Menthuthuyoupi entered full combat mode.
"I'll protect his majesty with my body!!"
Menthuthuyoupi was the only royal guard created without any human genes and was composed entirely of numerous beasts' DNA.
Because of this, he was less concerned with individual identity and absolutely loyal to the Ant King.
Among the three royal guards, he was the least adept at thinking strategically and would attack wildly when enraged.
But he possessed tremendous strength, and his ability to morph his body freely allowed him to adapt his form to what he believed was most suitable for battle.
Upon seeing Menthuthuyoupi transform and flash a battle-hungry grin, Shoot, who was at the front of the charge, abruptly halted.
Not out of fear but because moving forward, even one step more might trigger the enemy to attack, possibly causing trouble for his teammates behind him.
"Go!!"
Shoot unleashed his separated hands, wrists, and birdcage, sending them flying toward Menthuthuyoupi.
His Nen ability lets him control three flying hands. If any of them struck the enemy, that body part would be sealed inside his portable cage, Hotel Rafflesia.
The target would feel like part of their body was missing, but without actually being injured.
If he could sacrifice his own hands to impair part of Menthuthuyoupi's body, it would give Knuckle a chance to land a hit and activate his ability.
That way, they could stall Menthuthuyoupi until amortizing interest (Knuckle's ability) took effect, draining Menthuthuyoupi's aura and pushing him into Zetsu (a powerless state).
If successful, one of the three royal guards would be eliminated from the battle.
For the Extermination Team, that would be the ideal outcome.
But then, something completely unexpected happened.
Boom!!
Crack.
The Extermination Team had prepared for many possible scenarios, but not this one.
An attack rained down from the sky.
Huge rocks smashed through the ceiling and fell like rain, covering the entire palace!!
"What kind of attack is this..."
Not only was Menthuthuyoupi stunned there, but the members of the Chimera Ant Extermination Team were also shocked.
At first, they assumed it was a trap laid by the royal guards for the invading enemies.
But upon seeing Menthuthuyoupi's equally stunned and surprised expression, they realized that wasn't the case.
"Right."
One of them thought. "This is the palace their king resides in; they would never attack it themselves."