The moment the countdown ended, Joey and the others surged through the opening of Hide and Seek.
In the blink of an eye, they were at the base of the central stairway in the King's Throne Hall.
As they rounded the corner, the team looked up—
Nothing.
No Royal Guards.
No En. No defense.
And then—
Dragon Dive smashed through the palace ceiling, flooding the interior with piercing light-arrows.
While sprinting, Joey reached out and pulled Shoot aside, shielding him from falling rubble.
The small gesture brought tears to Shoot's eyes—
But Joey didn't see it.
He was already racing forward with the others, past the rain of light, up to the second level of the throne.
And there—
A wave of pressure hit them.
Crushing. Cold. Twisted.
So vile it made them want to vomit.
At the top of the stairs sat two figures.
One, directly facing the intruders, was the King—calm, ignoring them entirely.
The other was the slender back of a girl.
Sitting in front of the King.
But floating behind the girl—
A dark, emaciated, grotesque humanoid puppet.
Strands of Nen connected it to the girl—
Showing she was fully possessed.
And that puppet…
Was unmistakably the Puppet Master of Neferpitou:
Terpsichora.
The instant Joey saw it, he understood what had happened during the final time rewind.
And why the King had flown into rage.
Pitou had been the last victim of Bites the Dust.
But just before death—
Driven by the desire to protect the King, she had transferred Terpsichora into the only available host in the room:
Komugi.
Now, Komugi had become the vessel of Terpsichora.
Whenever anything appeared that could threaten the King,
Terpsichora would activate, forcing Komugi's body to protect him—whether she wanted to or not.
And judging by Komugi's twisted posture, her frail body wouldn't last long.
Joey could guess what had happened—
When Dragon Dive fell, Terpsichora had forced Komugi to block it, damaging her nearly to death.
She'd already been fragile—barely more than a child.
Surviving this long under Terpsichora's control was a miracle.
And the moment the team posed a threat, Terpsichora would trigger again.
Using Komugi as a weapon.
And in doing so… kill her.
Because Terpsichora didn't care about keeping the host alive.
A corpse made an even better puppet.
This was Pitou's final act of devotion.
A grotesque display of loyalty and belief.
To her, Komugi's death was acceptable—so long as it meant protecting the King.
That's why the King had lost control.
That's why he'd nearly torn Knov to pieces.
But Joey also realized something else:
Why didn't Killer Queen trigger during Terpsichora's transfer?
Several possibilities.
Maybe Pitou hadn't intended to harm Komugi, and so Killer Queen's Bites the Dust didn't trigger.
Or maybe—
Terpsichora, in its dormant state, didn't meet the activation conditions.
And when Pitou released it, she was already dead.
Which begged the question:
What would Killer Queen blow up in that moment?
It couldn't blow up Pitou—she was already gone.
And it couldn't blow up Terpsichora—it was made of Nen, and invisible while dormant.
The only target left… was Komugi.
But Komugi was under Bites the Dust's protection.
That created a paradox.
Killer Queen was both forced to appear, and unable to act.
And so—it never appeared.
Joey guessed this was the likeliest explanation.
If it had shown itself, Meruem would've seen it.
And if that happened…
The King would've been bombed.
Time would've rewound again.
And Joey wouldn't be here seeing this now.
Maybe Komugi didn't even realize she'd been possessed.
She wasn't a Nen user—how would she know?
Too many variables.
But for Joey, only one thing mattered:
Pitou was dead.
And Komugi was now the vessel of her dead Nen.
And a dead Nen was usually far more dangerous than a living one.
Because only the strongest grudges left behind lingering energy.
Which meant—
This Terpsichora was stronger than ever.
But…
That also meant it was now a rigid and predictable ability.
It lacked Pitou's intelligence, her strategy, her instincts.
It was still terrifying.
But it could be dealt with.
And Joey already had a plan.
Before Shoot or Kite could move, however—
The King stood up.
And turned to look behind Joey and the others.
Two elders had entered.
Despite being harassed by dozens of Pouf's clones, they had reached the second floor unhindered:
Netero and Zeno.
And three seconds later—
A monstrous aura smashed through the wall, entering like a charging beast.
Youpi, mutated and enraged.
But when he saw the King—
He dropped to one knee instantly.
His voice thundered with shame:
"Your Majesty!! I… failed to stop the intruders!"
The King raised a hand.
Silenced him.
Then looked to the newcomers.
"Humans," he said.
"You've done well."
His tone was laced with both praise and barely contained fury.
"But among you… there must be someone with a healing ability.
Can she be saved?"
The anger melted away.
In its place—affection.
He looked at Komugi like she was a priceless treasure.
If someone could save her…
He might even be willing to compromise.
"Your Majesty!" Pouf, reassembling, shouted.
But one glance from the King silenced him.
He could only grit his teeth and glare at the humans.
The whole infiltration team was stunned.
The King was here.
The Royal Guards were here.
And a human girl had somehow become his weakness.
If they said "no"—
battle was inevitable.
Best-case scenario: they defeated the King and ended the threat.
Worst-case: everyone dies here.
Netero, though, knew the stakes better than anyone.
If this went badly, he'd be forced to use Miniature Rose.
And when that happened, East Gorteau would burn.
V5 wouldn't forgive it.
The Hunter Association would face a reckoning.
He didn't want that.
But more than anything—
He wanted to fight the King.
He couldn't say whether Meruem deserved respect yet.
But the aura he felt—
This would be a fight worth everything.
Netero turned to Joey.
But he knew Joey wasn't an Exorcist.
He couldn't remove Terpsichora.
Without an Exorcist, Komugi's fate was sealed.
Joey's eyes flicked toward Shoot and Pouf.
Shoot—he wanted to ask: Can you trap most of Komugi's body in Hotel Rafflesia?
Turn her into a "limbless puppet."
If they could restrict her movement,
Terpsichora's attacks would become harmless.
Nen without a user…
Was rigid, brittle, and full of weaknesses.
And he looked to Pouf—
Because only he could fetch the one Exorcist who might still be in the palace:
Kirin, under Leol's squad.
Joey couldn't say it directly.
He shouldn't even know that Kirin existed.
Shoot understood first.
"If the King helps… I can do it."
Terpsichora wouldn't react unless Komugi perceived the King as threatened.
So with Meruem's help, restraining her would be possible.
The King nodded.
He didn't know what Shoot's ability was.
But he trusted it.
Then Pouf glared at Joey.
"Say it. What do you want?"
"I need an Exorcist," Joey said without hesitation.
"Only one can remove the Nen from her body."
Meruem's gaze turned to Pouf.
A single second passed—
And Pouf gave in.
"Kirin. She's Leol's subordinate. Her ability is Nen Exorcism."
He knew almost every Chimera Ant's Hatsu in the palace.
"Bring her," the King said.
Then looked to Netero.
"You don't want a battle here either, do you?"
"We'll leave once she begins treatment."
"Your Majesty!" Pouf and Youpi shouted in protest.
"Pouf."
The King's voice was heavy.
"Can I trust you?"
"To serve Your Majesty is my life's purpose."
Pouf bowed deeply.
"Then I entrust Komugi to you."
That word—entrust—crushed him.
Pouf's soul bowed even deeper.
"I accept!"
As for Youpi—he said nothing.
But everyone knew.
Once the King left with Netero, the rest of them would fight.
Their enemies were Youpi and Pouf.
Not long after, Kirin arrived, escorted by a Pouf clone.
Trailing her—Leol himself.
His face was lit with undisguised excitement.
The moment he stepped into the throne room,
his eyes went straight to Meruem and Komugi.
Pouf looked ready to kill him.
Any other time—he might have.
But not now.
Leol had brought Kirin.
And he'd used her life as leverage.
The Extermination Team watched Leol with suspicion.
But Joey knew why Leol was here.
He wanted the King's power.
He was here to make a deal.
To borrow Meruem's ability.
Reckless, Joey thought.
Even suicidal.
Was he planning to run the moment he got it?
He must know Meruem's ability.
Which meant—
He had a target.
Joey's thoughts swirled.
He couldn't let Leol walk away.
Even if Meruem's Hatsu wasn't for combat…
He couldn't risk what Leol might do with it.
"Begin," the King said calmly.
His eyes lingered on Joey a second longer.
But then—
Leol stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I'm happy to loan you Kirin. But…"
He smirked.
"This favor's not free."
Meruem blinked.
No one had ever spoken to him like that.
A heartbeat passed—
Then Meruem vanished.
And reappeared—
Holding a lion's head.