The King and Komugi were looking at the Gungi board.
Law was looking at the King and Komugi.
Pitou was looking at Law.
Click.
In the atmosphere where time seemed to have solidified, the sound of the piece falling was crisp and pleasant.
"7-5-1, Cavalry."
Komugi continued the game naturally, completely unaware of the situation in the room.
The moment her words fell, the Nen around Pitou rippled involuntarily, solely because Law had shifted his gaze to focus solely on the King.
Creak.
Her thick legs suddenly swelled a full size larger, veins bulging, gathering immense power.
Her face also flashed with cold killing intent.
Even as murderous intent overflowed, she carefully controlled it to avoid affecting Komugi.
This scene was seen by Law.
The King's state, unaffected by external factors, demonstrated his obsession with the game. Pitou's action of specifically taking Komugi into consideration showed Komugi's importance.
Law didn't think too much. His current task was to lure Pitou away from this place.
Thinking this, he ignored Pitou's posture, ready to attack at any moment, and looked up at the ceiling.
If possible, he hoped Pitou would seize this opening to attack him. That would give him a way to draw her away.
'Netero, what are you going to do?'
Law stared at the ceiling, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the layers of obstruction, landing on Netero within the clouds.
'There was an extra human here.'
'Knowing the situation, what will you do?'
…
'That human... actually looked away. An opportunity!'
Pitou had extreme confidence in her explosive power. When Law inexplicably looked at the ceiling, her desire to attack rose to its peak.
But, she did not move.
It was like gathering all her strength to strike cotton, a rather uncomfortable feeling.
There were two reasons for not attacking directly, but the real reason she gave up the attack was only one.
That was the two enemy presences descending from the sky, landing far away.
'There are two more enemies!'
Pitou realized this. So she not only gave up what she considered the best timing for an attack, but also instinctively moved closer to the King.
Zeno and Netero had arrived.
The Nen Dragon carrying the two of them did not scatter into a meteor shower-like assault on the throne room as originally planned.
Therefore, just as the Nen Dragon was about to land, Zeno withdrew his Nen into his body. Together with Netero, they landed on a corridor roof near the throne room.
They arrived so openly, even ignoring Youpi, who was releasing Nen frantically not far away, and simply pushed open the throne room doors, walking in side by side.
Seeing Netero and Zeno enter, Pitou's heart sank slightly.
"Your Majesty..."
She wanted to advise the King to leave this place, allowing her alone to fight these three humans with all her might.
However, she only saw the King still concentrating intently on the game, even ignoring the potential threats.
Even with two more formidable enemies arriving on the scene, the King's eyes remained fixed on that unfinished game.
Netero and Zeno stood at the main entrance, silently watching the King playing Gungi with Komugi.
Just as Tonpa's intel reported, there was indeed a human here.
However, despite various speculations before arriving, they never imagined that human would be playing Gungi with the King.
More surprising than the unexpected situation was the severed arm on the floor, which made Netero and Zeno even more astonished.
'What had happened here before?'
But Netero had no interest in finding out. He swiftly glanced at Law crouched on the windowsill, then looked at the King, who is steady as a mountain, suddenly feeling a bit troubled.
Because of the trump card within him, he had to think of a way to take the King away from this place.
But how to do it?
Netero hadn't actually thought much about it, but he felt it necessary to state his purpose.
Without speaking, he simply released his Nen.
That tempered Aura stimulated Pitou and also caused the King's hand, halfway to moving a piece, to pause mid-air.
The King finally reacted. He wasn't in a hurry to place the piece. Instead, he looked at Netero, using a tone that brooked no argument. "Wait until I finish this game."
Having said that, he placed the piece and announced its position.
Komugi also sensed something unusual in the hall, but since the Supreme Commander continued playing as usual, she didn't dwell on it, placing her piece in turn.
For a moment, only the sound of pieces hitting the board and the King and Komugi calling out positions filled the room.
Netero's eyes narrowed. A few blue veins surfaced lightly on his forehead. At a time like this, he shouldn't just wait obediently here. Striking out with a palm would likely be the best form of counterattack.
However, there was an ordinary girl at the Gungi board.
At that moment, Law made his first move. He descended from the windowsill, landing without a sound, then began walking towards Pitou.
The light, deliberate footsteps echoed in Pitou's heart and indirectly affected the King.
A blade suspended at the throat… that was the feeling Law gave the King and Pitou.
'These three humans in the hall were no weaklings.'
The King's mind was immersed in the game, but he was acutely aware of the other party's intentions.
Including Law's, including Netero's.
It was a feeling akin to telepathy, helping him assess the situation.
"Pitou, take him away from here."
The King's tone was calm, and Law stopped in his tracks.
Giving the unique King a deep look, Law then looked at Pitou, awaiting her response.
"Yes." Pitou gritted her teeth and agreed, then met Law's calm gaze.
Man and ant stared at each other, standing still for a moment. Then, one after the other, they shot out through the stone window, leaving the place.
Thus, only the King and three humans remained in the throne room.
Zeno stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at Netero, whose expression was grave and silent. His prerequisite for acting was Netero's order. So if Netero didn't move, he could only watch.
In this peculiar stalemate, Netero's patience was wearing thin. He also had to consider the outcome of the others restraining the guards.
Even if they couldn't take the King away, they had to make the King recognize the threat.
Therefore, he shouldn't wait any longer. Compared to the importance of this operation, it was merely one human.
Just as Netero conceived the thought to act, he saw a light. Not just him, but the King and Zeno saw it too.
That light, like a thin film, enveloped Komugi.
'An awakening?'
The three powerhouses involuntarily looked at the Nen light emanating from Komugi.
But the next moment, they all understood clearly that the power awakened could only be applied to the Gungi board, not a power used for killing.
Once a human achieves mastery in a certain field, they trigger this special awakening. The person involved isn't aware of what it is, only experiencing a feeling of immense release and fluency, thereby becoming even more proficient.
It was foreseeable that after awakening, Komugi would leave traces of her Nen on the Gungi board she commonly used, just like other awakened professionals.
A woodworker would leave Nen-imbued wood carvings.
A painter would leave Nen-imbued masterpieces.
A stone carver would leave Nen-imbued stone sculptures.
These creations represent the pinnacle, and they are an extremely small minority among humans.
In essence, Komugi, striving for the pinnacle in her path, was no different from Netero, who pursued the pinnacle of martial arts.
It was this sudden awakening that ruthlessly shattered Netero's intention to act immediately.
He couldn't harm Komugi.
That mindset was akin to cherishing a historical monument.
Once lost, it would be gone forever.
The King simply watched quietly as Komugi was enveloped in light.
The light wasn't very bright, but in the King's eyes, it was extremely dazzling.