Youpi's speed was overwhelming—by the time Joey realized the attack was coming, Killer Queen's left arm had already been pierced through trying to block it.
But Killer Queen wasn't one to back down. Its right hand raised, primed to detonate.
Yet Youpi's left-arm cannon had already locked onto Joey.
He's going to die.
That was the instant conclusion Joey drew. A cold wave of despair swept over him.
But the shot never came.
Youpi's motion froze. His eyes had caught sight of something: the girl slumped on Joey's back—Komugi.
The woman King Meruem had cherished, the military genius of Gungi.
A flicker of hesitation broke through the killing intent.
He couldn't risk harming her.
The cannon's aim shifted rapidly. Instead of a lethal shot, it swept low, a surge of nen energy carving through Joy's legs, crippling him and sending him collapsing backward.
Youpi calculated the angle precisely—this fall wouldn't endanger Komugi. With Joey incapacitated, he could then separate them and finish him off.
Returning Komugi safely to the King? That would earn him praise.
His strategy made, Youpi retracted the cannon, then twisted his body with terrifying precision—dodging Killer Queen's nearly point-blank detonation attempt by mere centimeters. Its right hand swung wide.
With a sickening squelch, Youpi's right arm-blade tore out of Killer Queen's shoulder, aiming next for its head.
But just then, Knov and Killua appeared, surrounding Youpi.
"Opening Master (Janken): Gatekeeper!"
Knov's dimensional portal, The Aperture, targeted Youpi's forelegs, intending to sever his mobility.
Killua's lightning surged toward the raised arm, aiming to save Killer Queen.
From beneath, a venomous snake lunged upward—clearly a creature born of Gold Experience.
Youpi's eyes narrowed.
Killua's lightning numbed his right arm, skewing his strike. Instead of cleaving Killer Queen's head, the blade only gashed its shoulder.
As Youpi moved, his front leg vanished into Nobu's portal—a clean amputation.
He staggered, collapsing toward Joey.
But four massive arms burst from his centaur back—two stabilizing him, one catching the severed leg to crush the snake, and the last lunging toward Knov.
CRACK!
Two near-simultaneous sounds:
The snake's skull shattered beneath a horse's hoof.
Knov's abdomen was slashed open.
No explosion?
Youpi blinked—Killer Queen's creature didn't detonate. Was it to protect the suited man?
So their range of detonation was about three meters.
Youpi sneered. Such caution—how childish. In war, hesitation was death.
More limbs regenerated, and the cannon swiveled back toward Joey.
But Joey was gone.
The blood trail ended abruptly nearby.
"Invisible again," Youpi growled. His anger swelled, and the grotesque head on his left shoulder pulsed.
Still, his thoughts stayed calm—calculating.
He leapt back—and a silent explosion ignited where he had stood.
He'd spotted the insect bomb that crawled from the snake corpse—another of Joey's.
Good thing he moved.
That boy was the most dangerous one here.
Still cloaked by Meleoron's God's Accomplice, Joey had vanished.
Youpi couldn't randomly detonate now—it would waste energy. But allowing Joey to touch him undetected? Risky.
He wouldn't gamble. He didn't need to.
Retreat was the better strategy. Joey couldn't keep up in his invisible state—not while carrying two people.
He'd already observed Meleoron's limits. His breathlessness after each appearance hinted at a time limit—likely under two minutes. With Joey and Komugi on his back? Much less.
Though... Komugi's presence was limiting Youpi. He couldn't use full-force explosions near her.
What he didn't know was that Joey, using Gold Experience, had already reattached his legs and patched his wounds.
He was pale, drained, only two-tenths of his nen reserves remained. But he wasn't staying to fight.
Joey wasn't pursuing Youpi at all.
He was leaving.
Because he had found a way to kill Youpi.
The battle now belonged to Killua, Gon, and Nobu. Joey had a mission: to find Shoot, and touch the body parts he had stolen from Youpi with Blackout Curtain.
Those parts were still part of Youpi's body.
If Killer Queen detonated them... it would count.
Meleoron, still invisible, simply let Joey carry him and Komugi away.
Once they turned a corner, Joey set him down.
"I'm going to find Shoot. You saw him earlier—where is he?"
Meleoron nodded. "Shoot was badly hurt. Palm and Ikalgo took him. If he didn't get medical help fast... he's probably dying."
Joey frowned.
From the lack of dragonfly scouts, Ikalgo's surveillance was gone. Not as planned.
Maybe they were ambushed.
Beyond the King and Royal Guards, the palace still housed many Chimera Ants.
Like Leol's lieutenants, or the wolf and crayfish officers still unaccounted for.
Maybe more unknowns.
Palm and Ikalgo weren't frontline fighters. They'd been assigned recon, not combat.
Knov had been delayed fighting Pouf. He never regrouped with them.
Joey considered their options.
If they weren't hiding in the palace, they must've gone underground—where pursuit would be harder.
He quickly ruled out hiding upstairs. Some Chimera Ants had tracking abilities.
But if Shoot's ability was still active—if the stolen limbs hadn't reappeared—then he must still be alive.
Joey's gaze turned toward the stairwell to the underground chambers.
Yes. That was their most likely move.
He would check the palace one last time, then head down.
"I'll go," Joey said, tightening Komugi's position on his back.
"I'll assist Gon and Killua," Meleoron said without hesitation.
Though not a fighter, his stealth could still shift the battlefield.
"Take care."
Joy turned and sprinted for the underground.
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