The Ant King gently lifted Komugi into his arms and then slowly placed her in front of Neferpitou.
"Pitou..."
"Ah... Yes!"
Neferpitou didn't respond immediately but was momentarily stunned before hastily replying.
It was the first time she had seen such an expression and heard such a tone from his majesty.
"Heal her for me."
Meruem stood up calmly. "I'm entrusting her to you."
"Yes..."
Although his majesty had returned to his composed demeanor, this only made Neferpitou feel even more uneasy.
In all their previous conversations, his majesty had never said something like, I'm entrusting her to you.
For such words to be spoken meant that the supreme and invincible king they had always worshipped…
Tears streamed from Neferpitou's cat-like eyes.
Lan and Chairman Netero, two top-class fighters, stood silently to the side, quietly watching the scene.
This was their way of showing respect to their enemy.
The Ant King gently wiped the blood from the corner of Komugi's lips.
This act, so full of compassion for life, made it clear that if anyone disrupted such a harmonious moment, it would be them who seemed inhuman.
"Looks like things turned out differently from what I expected..."
Netero turned his head and looked at the calm-faced Lan.
"It seems you had a premonition."
"Or rather, you must have been aware of all these changes during this time."
"But didn't tell me...?"
"Well, wouldn't that make it more dramatic and surprising?"
Lan smiled: "If we only acted by predictable logic, what fun would that be?"
"The unknown is often the most interesting."
Netero: These two punks, Lan and that brat Ging, probably kept it from him just to see his reaction and laugh it up!!
In the moment that followed, Chairman Netero ignored them and focused solely on adjusting his breathing.
Meanwhile, Meruem had carefully tended to Komugi and now turned slowly.
"This place isn't convenient..."
His expression was as calm as still water, showing no signs of anger.
"Let's go somewhere else."
"You all would probably agree..."
Half his face was hidden in shadow. "That changing location would be more suitable, yes?"
There was no bloodlust, no fury, only an unusually steady emotion and an unreadable will.
He understood very clearly what his opponents' goal was.
They wanted to separate him from his three royal guards.
If that was all they wanted, Meruem was happy to oblige.
He personally suggested moving the battle elsewhere.
"Seems I was too narrow-minded..."
Netero sighed softly.
Next to him, Neferpitou had already summoned her ability, Doctor Blythe.
Even with tears streaming down her face, she still unwaveringly followed the king's command; that was the resolve of a royal guard.
Fortunately, Lan had informed Netero about Neferpitou's ability beforehand, giving him a heads-up.
This avoided the situation from the original timeline, where Netero and Zeno Zoldyck had been distracted by the display of Neferpitou's power, allowing Meruem to calmly walk right between them.
If Meruem had attacked in that split second of distraction…
Both Netero and Zeno might have died instantly.
Now, the two simply stood in silence, watching the events unfold.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Menthuthuyoupi, relying on his overwhelming strength, had successfully split the extermination team into two groups.
Even the central staircase had been completely destroyed.
Gon and Killua, hidden within Morel's smoke, sprinted forward rapidly.
Menthuthuyoupi was being held off by Kite and Morel, along with his two disciples, Knuckle and Shoot.
This gave Gon and Killua an opening to change course while avoiding the collapsed central stairwell.
Their new plan was to jump from the second floor of the east tower directly into the royal chamber of the central tower.
At the same time, Knov seized the opportunity to infiltrate the underground palace using his nen ability, hoping to find Palm.
Thus, the situation around the central staircase had become clear.
The battle had begun, and back in the royal chamber…
"At such an important moment, I'm not by his majesty's side..."
Shaiapouf was still standing there, full of self-reproach.
He stared bitterly at the shattered chessboard on the ground. "I deserve to die!! I'm completely unworthy of being a royal guard!!!"
Because of his overwhelming loyalty, he had become fragile.
Tears streamed down Shaiapouf's face.
He clung to his absolute ideals and could not tolerate any deviation.
"Ahahahahaha... Former royal guard Shaiapouf, useless Shaiapouf, foolish creature unfit to serve as royal guard!!"
"What now? You have no idea where to go next?!"
"If His Majesty isn't at the next location, then you're not just useless; you're garbage lower than useless."
"No, foolish Shaiapouf... It's not like that..."
Suddenly, the tears stopped, and Shaiapouf's expression sharpened: "You just don't want to admit it. You don't want to be near that woman!!"
The woman he referred to was Komugi.
And not only himself; he hoped his majesty could leave that woman.
"If His Majesty enters that lowly human's room out of concern for her safety..."
"That would never happen!!"
Shaiapouf's movements were as dramatic as an actor in a playhouse, striking exaggerated poses.
"But... Perhaps his majesty is with her..."
His emotions surged even more: "I sensed it before I came here."
"My unworthiness as a royal guard... It wasn't because I didn't know his majesty's whereabouts, but because I knew... And still didn't go there."
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