The faint aura lingering on the corpse—Neferpitou had assumed it was just another one of Ronnel's tricks to deceive them.
But to avoid provoking this group any further, he chose to remain silent.
He was simply waiting for the right moment to eliminate the greatest threat to the King.
As those thoughts churned in his mind, that strange and powerful human suddenly turned to look at him.
Dark, bottomless eyes locked onto his own, and in that instant, Pitou's fur bristled.
A deep, ominous feeling crawled through him.
And the next moment, Ronnel's words confirmed his worst fears, sending an icy chill down his spine.
"After all this time observing me on the way here, have you figured out how to kill me yet?"
Ronnel's voice was soft, almost casual.
"Huh?!"
Gon, who had finally regained some composure, and Killua, ever wary, immediately turned their attention to Pitou.
Neferpitou clenched his small, sharp teeth and said nothing.
His silence was as good as an answer.
"The Royal Guards exist for one purpose—to protect the King at all costs and obey his orders above all else. If I'm right…"
Ronnel tilted his head slightly.
"Even if the King ordered you to abandon him, you'd ignore that command. You'd act on your own judgment, accept the consequences, and save him regardless."
"In other words, no matter what happens, protecting the King is your top priority. That's why, the moment you sensed my threat, you set Komugi aside without hesitation, placing her in the medical machine. Your instincts overrode everything else."
Ronnel shook his head slightly.
"Animals are animals. Even with human genes, you can't suppress your nature. Everything that's happened tonight has shaken you, and my presence has only made it worse."
"Even now, I can feel your killing intent. It's faint, but it's there."
His perception had sharpened significantly after gaining the abilities of the Chimera Ants.
"I understand, though. I'm a threat to your King, so you want to kill me. Just as your King is a threat to us, and we came here to take him down."
Ronnel's gaze darkened.
"Since you can't heal Kite… you're useless. And there's no need to spare your life."
...
Ronnel vanished in an instant.
At the same time, Neferpitou had already begun to move, his feet shifting as he prepared to retreat.
But—
"Pft!"
A spray of dark, blue-tinged blood filled the air.
Pitou barely registered the pain before he saw it—
A silver-white weapon had pierced straight through his left shoulder.
"A… bone spear?!"
From Gon and Killua's perspective, they had seen the entire weapon materialize in Ronnel's hands.
"He switched weapons again?"
Killua's sharp eyes tracked it instantly.
First a scimitar, then a rapier, and now—
The Undead Bone Spear, unseen for so long, had returned.
The moment it appeared, an overwhelming aura radiated from it, making Gon and Killua shudder.
It looked like polished white jade, but they could feel it—it was a weapon of terrifying power.
"Damn it...!"
Unlike their awe, Pitou was filled with dread.
The moment the spear pierced his shoulder, searing pain shot through him. And then—
Something worse.
A cold, unnatural energy seeped into his body, numbing his limbs and chilling his very blood.
The warmth in his veins thickened, turning sluggish.
"This spear… it's draining my blood?!"
The realization hit him instantly. He gritted his teeth, hand reaching to rip the weapon free—
The moment his fingers touched the spear, an unbearable chill surged from his palm, racing straight to his forehead and heart.
"Ngh…!"
He tried to move, to pull it out—
But it wouldn't budge.
It was rooted in him like an immovable mountain.
Pitou's struggle only made the situation worse. Blood continued to drain from his body, his face growing ever paler.
His expression twisted in pain, cold sweat dripping down his temple.
And then—
Ronnel moved again.
No hesitation. No mercy.
A revolver appeared in his grip.
"Bang!"
The moment the gun was raised, the bullet had already fired.
Faster than sound, the shot tore through the air—
Straight for Pitou's forehead.
Nen Ability: [Unlimited Firepower]
This was an ability that only functioned through a revolver. The strength of the bullets depended solely on the user's power and Nen proficiency.
The stronger the user—
The deadlier the bullets.
Normally, Pitou would have been fast enough to dodge even if distracted.
But not this time.
This wasn't an ordinary bullet.
It was a teleportation bullet—
And it carried a command.
There was no escaping the inevitable.
A spray of black-green blood burst from Pitou's forehead.
His body froze.
Fingers slackened, the grip on the bone spear loosening as his Nen dispersed.
"How… could I… die… like this?"
His pupils slowly widened, losing their light.
Memories, thoughts, everything blurred.
Until—
"King…!"
At the very last moment, a flicker of clarity returned to his gaze.
"I have to protect the King…!"
"I can't let this human harm him…!"
"Kill him…! Kill him now!"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)