Nen reveals the partial or inner nature of its user.
The reason Law placed such high importance on the Hide-and-Seek was precisely because it possessed the characteristic of [Absolute Safety]. That Knov could develop such a Nen Ability spoke volumes about his inner nature.
So, he was afraid.
Even though he was an experienced fighter, even though he had seen much of the world, the sheer terror of the Royal Guards instantly shattered his confidence.
He pinched the master key, which could access all entrances and exits, between his index and middle fingers, feeling as if a mountain were pressing down on his shoulders, almost suffocating him.
Such pressure felt like being in the dark depths of the ocean.
"One minute left."
Knov's breathing grew erratic, beads of sweat sliding down his cheeks.
In the tug-of-war between retreat and advance, he could only force himself to imagine his comrades fighting outside...
Palace Courtyard.
Youpi, momentarily caught off guard and struck on the head by the mallet, was then dominated by rage. His eyes no longer saw any white smoke, only Kite.
"I'll tear you apart!"
The brutality latent within the magical beast genes was now fully revealed.
Youpi abandoned all defense, charging towards Kite like a battle tank.
Boom! Boom!
Every step he took was infused with raw, almost pointless power, causing the ground to crack.
Seeing this, Morel immediately swung his smoke pipe to support Kite, flinging several smoke ropes at Youpi, attempting to act as tripwires.
However, the usually infallible smoke ropes were easily crushed by Youpi.
Extreme emotions could either weaken or amplify a Nen User's strength. Enraged, Youpi's physical power and Aura clearly intensified.
'Is this his full power? Be careful!'
Morel's expression changed slightly. Watching Youpi almost reach Kite, he couldn't help but shout inwardly.
'If the combat power of just the Royal Guard was already this monstrous, what about the King?'
…
'He's fixated on me. That's good too.'
Able to clearly feel the fury emanating from Youpi, Kite remained exceptionally calm.
If Youpi's eyes were only on him, then his value as bait could be perfectly realized.
Kite turned without hesitation and ran.
"You rat!"
Youpi roared, his body swelling again, instantly growing an entire size larger.
The irritation that had been grinding away at the extermination team earlier now acted like gasoline, poured onto the fire of his rage.
Boom!
Youpi's goat-like calves bulged, immense power instantly accumulating and propelling his massive body forward in a rapid charge, closing the distance in an instant.
The distance between them shrank to less than three meters.
Kite could even feel the angry exhalations from Youpi. But he did not turn around, silently counting down the predetermined time in his mind.
'Thirty seconds left.'
While sprinting, Kite swung the scythe behind him with a backhand motion.
Aura shot from the blade, transforming into a crescent-shaped aura slash of Emission-type property, arcing towards Youpi.
Youpi didn't even stop. He simply lifted two petal-like tentacles, coated with sufficient Aura, and easily negated Kite's scythe slash.
One of Crazy Slots' restrictions was that if the weapon wasn't used properly, it wouldn't disappear. Furthermore, each weapon change was akin to inserting another game coin, consuming Aura.
This was a restriction. But battles between Nen Users were ever-changing. Sometimes, skillfully using the restrictions attached to a Nen Ability could lead to unexpectedly excellent results.
Just as Pitou, in her battle with Law, utilized the restrictions of Puppeteering to evade a fatal blow.
Just like Kite now. He didn't have the spare time to change weapons, so to prevent the scythe from disappearing, he deliberately did not use it 'properly', keeping it manifested.
However, he realized that continuously swinging the scythe wasn't slowing Youpi down, and there were still over ten seconds left.
At that moment, a smoke screen swept over… Morel's support, attempting the same tactic.
Youpi didn't even glance at Morel, but his petal-like tentacles morphed. Several merged together, actually forming a... giant electric fan!
Seeing this, Morel's face twitched several times. Then, he watched as Youpi spun the tentacle-fan with incredibly fast acceleration.
Whoosh!
The smoke screen he had just directed over was mercilessly pushed back.
Not only that, Morel and the smoke soldiers were even blown back a distance. Fortunately, the smoke soldiers had Aura Cores, making them less fragile than the smoke screen, which nearly dissipated under the strong wind.
Without Morel's crucial support, Kite was momentarily in grave danger.
Youpi's tentacles transformed again, joining his multiple arms in launching a flurry of punches at Kite. At first glance, it bore a faint resemblance to Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Kite calmly dodged the onslaught of fists and tentacles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tentacles and fists missed, striking the ground instead.
Although not hitting Kite directly, glancing blows still tore strips in Kite's clothing, and bloody lines slowly welled up on the skin exposed to the air.
'Barely managing... five seconds left, almost...'
While struggling to dodge Youpi's chaotic close-range assault, Kite continued counting down.
In an offensive where a single landed punch meant instant death, Kite could still remain so calm. This showed that someone recognized by Ging was inherently extraordinary.
'Success or failure hinged on this move...'
Kite suddenly shifted his stance. At the cost of a fractured arm, he created a body's length of distance behind him and swung the scythe, executing a perfect pirouette!
The blade's gleam passed over Youpi's head, slanting upward, directly passing through the cylindrical tower structure, creating a smooth cut in complete silence.
Immediately, the upward-slanting slash caused the severed tower section to slide downwards, falling precisely towards the back of Youpi's head. However, the tower section was large enough that Kite was also within its collapse range.
"Fool!"
Youpi had 360-degree vision. Seeing Kite specifically cut the tower behind him, he arrogantly believed he had seen through Kite's plan.
It was nothing more than using the falling structure to interfere or pin him down.
However, Youpi was well aware of his body's resilience. He didn't need to care about the collapsing tower. Moreover, he judged that the enemy was also within the tower's collapse range, and this extra move had actually disrupted Kite's own rhythm.
That's why he called Kite a fool and knew Kite's death was imminent.
Youpi laughed in anger, while Kite's expression remained placid.
One side attacked like a storm, the other defended like a leaf boat on a vast ocean.
The shadow of the tower section now pressed down upon them.
Just as the tower section came close enough to Youpi, a deep black circle appeared on its surface, and Knov's upper body emerged from it.
[Scream]
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Knov pulled out a curtain-like, black-hole-like fabric between his hands, sweeping it towards Youpi's head, now within arm's reach.
If struck by that black fabric, the affected area would be forcibly sent into the Hide-and-Seek. In other words, if it swept over Youpi's head, it would be an instant, guaranteed decapitation.
This was the team's only chance to eliminate Youpi...
In a time shorter than the blink of an eye, the black fabric missed, only erasing a large chunk of Youpi's shoulder, as if swallowed by a black hole, vanishing without a trace.
Failure.
Because of cowardice and fear, Knov's movements weren't as sharp and decisive as usual.
That hesitation was woven into his actions, making him just a tiny fraction of a second too slow.
A miss is as good as a mile!
An overwhelming sense of regret surged within Knov. Meanwhile, Youpi, having narrowly dodged the fatal strike, deeply realized he had just stepped into the jaws of death.
That oppressive feeling of nearing death poured like cold water over the flames of his rage.
He abruptly calmed down, experiencing a sensation completely different from usual. Then, he smiled, and moved.
Allowing the tower section to crush down on his body, disregarding his injuries, Youpi swung a tentacle, striking Knov.
Boom!
The tower section crashed heavily onto Youpi and Kite, while Knov was sent flying like a black shadow in an arc, his trajectory headed precisely towards Morel's location.