Perhaps Chimera Ants lacked the habit of consuming their own kind, leaving the corpses behind.
But there was no doubt the Chimera Ants must have come to inspect the scene.
What Morel and the others could discern, the Chimera Ants could likely grasp as well.
Namely... Law seemed to have effortlessly eliminated over a hundred Chimera Ants.
The team didn't linger and continued moving forward under the cover of darkness.
As midnight approached, the group found the nest's location, just over ten kilometers away.
Beneath the moonlight, the Chimera Ant's nest stood silently.
The nest was continuously built upward using feces and mud slurry. Thus, it appeared like fused pillars forming a massive mountain reaching towards the sky.
The nest was built within the forest, surrounded by many mountains. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary mountain.
The four arrived at a mountaintop about a kilometer away. Taking advantage of the moonlight, they observed the Chimera Ant's nest nestled among the surrounding mountains.
They noticed someone sitting atop the nest.
Focusing their vision, they saw a Chimera Ant with human female features… it was Neferpitou.
Law recognized Pitou, though her name had faded from his memory.
'That's one of the Royal Guards.'
Law silently watched Pitou. Even from that distance, just looking at her felt sharp and piercing.
Thinking this, he glanced at Morel's and Knov's reactions. They appeared calm, seemingly unaware of Pitou's sharp Aura.
In terms of strength against a Royal Guard, Law wasn't optimistic about Morel's and Knov's chances.
"Definitely no pushover. Looks... possibly stronger than me?"
Netero used his hands to form makeshift binoculars, observing Pitou atop the nest, offering an assessment.
Hearing Netero's words, Morel and Knov immediately thought he was joking.
Just as they were about to comment, they heard Law say, "She's noticed us."
No sooner had he spoken than countless fine, needle-like sensations seemed to shoot over from the nest.
Pitou had shifted her gaze, looking towards them. More precisely, she was looking at Law and Netero.
Although most of Pitou's attention was focused on Law and Netero, Morel and Knov still felt pressure, involuntarily taking a step or two back.
"What is this...?"
Morel and Knov stared gravely towards the nest.
Law and Netero, however, calmly met Pitou's sharp, piercing gaze.
That gaze contained undisguised and restless fighting spirit, like a wild horse about to break free.
Yet, though the momentum seemed ready to charge over for a fight in the next second, in reality, it remained restrained, unmoving.
They clearly sensed that the Royal Guard was suppressing herself.
'Was it because of... duty?'
Netero stroked his beard, his eyes turning grave.
His earlier assessment wasn't self-deprecation or a joke.
Based on feeling alone, that Royal Guard was terrifyingly strong.
"That's one of the Royal Guards," Law stated Pitou's identity.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Morel's and Knov's foreheads, 'Such a powerful monster, and there were two more inside the nest?'
Just as they thought this, two figures emerged from the nest, arriving beside Pitou.
Instantly, three Auras full of malice and repulsiveness merged into one, crossing the kilometer distance to envelop them all like a giant.
"Oh?"
Netero narrowed his eyes, feeling a stirring of excitement himself.
Morel and Knov's expressions changed. They realized they had been too optimistic.
'Those... were simply monsters!'
'With our strength, could we break through the defense line of these three monsters?'
Faced with that combined Aura, Morel and Knov couldn't help but doubt their own abilities.
However, Morel quickly shook off this self-doubt detrimental to himself.
Knov, lacking Morel's strong sense of self, remained in a state of doubt.
"The King will be stronger than the Royal Guards."
Suddenly, Law offered this seemingly out-of-place reminder.
Netero and the others couldn't help but look at Law.
"The Royal Guards have noticed us but aren't coming to drive us away. It means the King hasn't been born yet, so they won't easily leave the nest."
"And we must breach the nest and kill the Queen before the King is born."
"To avoid complications, we must act as quickly as possible."
Law faced the targeted Aura calmly as he spoke.
He couldn't deny the fearsomeness of the three Royal Guards, but he knew the yet-to-be-born King was even more terrifying.
"With just the few of us, can we break through the three Royal Guards and the unknown number of Chimera Ant soldiers?"
At this moment, Knov had completely lost the confidence he had on the way here.
Only by seeing with their own eyes could they comprehend that level of power.
In all his experiences so far, this was the first time he had encountered such a sinister and terrifying Aura.
Hearing this, Law fell silent.
He assessed their combat power. Suppose he could hold off two Royal Guards, and Netero could hold off one. But there were still the unknown number of Chimera Ants.
Entrusting the task of killing the Queen to Morel and Knov was mostly unrealistic.
Those Chimera Ant soldiers were no ordinary cannon fodder.
Having Morel and Knov restrain the three Royal Guards was even more unrealistic.
"It's difficult."
In the end, Law reached this conclusion.
Simultaneously, other plans began forming in his mind.
"A direct assault is unwise," Morel said gravely. "I suggest we use my ability to scout the enemy's numbers and movements. Then, combined with Knov's ability, and the individual combat strength of Law and the Chairman, we eliminate them one by one!"
Weakening the Chimera Ant's forces as much as possible would lower the failure rate of breaching the nest.
This plan was essentially Netero's initial concept… to resolve this in the simplest way, which was why he had chosen Morel and Knov.
However...
Law took out his phone, pressed a few buttons, and suddenly said, "This plan is indeed safe, but ultimately, we still have to face the three Royal Guards. To eliminate the Queen, we must confront them directly. That's unavoidable."
Hearing Law's words, Netero and the others fell silent.
Before arriving here, they hadn't known about the three Royal Guards.
"We... need reinforcements," Law said, putting away his phone.
"Who did you call?" Netero asked curiously.
"Ging," Law replied.
Netero nodded, agreeing with Law's assessment.
The original plan was the suggestion Morel mentioned.
But as Law said, no matter how they planned, they couldn't avoid the three Royal Guards.
With their current team's strength, breaking through the Royal Guards' defense line was difficult. Implementing a gradual attrition plan against the Chimera Ants risked delaying until the King was born.
The three Royal Guards already gave a direct sense of immense power. How powerful would the King be?
Just then, Law took a few steps forward.
"What are you doing?" Morel couldn't help but ask.
Without looking back, Law said, "Testing their alertness limit."
With that, Law pushed off with his foot, his figure shooting forward like lightning.
Soon, he crossed seven to eight hundred meters, stopping mid-air, level with the three Royal Guards' line of sight.
He didn't advance further because he knew this was the limit of the Royal Guards' alert range, or perhaps their optimal attack distance.
Atop the nest, Youpi couldn't restrain himself. "I'll go eliminate him."
"No!"
Pouf said flatly, "Until the King is born, we cannot leave our posts for even a moment. Besides, don't overcomplicate the enemy's threat. Whoever it is, we can deal with them when they attack."