The King could emerge at any moment.
Right here, so close.
Perhaps the moment he left the Chimera Ant Nest, he would attack in the blink of an eye.
If they failed to react in time... a hypothetical image of his body being torn to pieces suddenly flashed through Knov's mind. The fear welling up from the depths of his heart intensified instantly, rapidly spreading throughout his body via his bloodstream.
Trembling.
Even before facing those monsters directly, his body was already trembling uncontrollably.
But wait a little longer, just a little longer...
Knov forcibly suppressed the terror in his heart, his expression extremely tense as he stared at the Chimera Ant Nest shrouded in an ominous aura.
Knuckle took in Knov's reaction but had no time to question him.
He swiftly lifted Youpi's corpse, slung it over his shoulder, and tossed it into the passage of Hide and Seek.
He didn't understand why Morrow had emphasized taking the corpse before losing consciousness.
In the current situation, every second of delay brought danger closer.
Simply moving the corpse could waste precious seconds.
But since Morrow had instructed it, even if Knuckle had doubts, he had to comply immediately.
After throwing Youpi's corpse into the passage, Knuckle carefully helped the blood-soaked Morrow to his feet and then stepped into the passage.
The circular black passage, edged with a faint white glow, resembled a swamp, gradually swallowing their bodies.
"Knov..."
As his body slowly sank, Knuckle hesitated, wanting to say something.
Knov glanced at him from the corner of his eye and whispered, "Hmm?"
In the brief silence, Knuckle had already sunk up to his neck, but in the end, he didn't ask further. Instead, he gave Knov a solemn nod. "You've worked hard."
Before the words faded, he and Morrow completely submerged into the passage.
In the entire operation plan, Knov's Hide and Seek ability was their most crucial escape route.
Take this moment, for example. Without this ability, the Extermination Team members outside the Chimera Ant Nest might still have a slim chance of retreat.
But the other members who had already ventured deep into the nest would most likely be sacrificed.
So when Knuckle saw Knov trembling with extreme fear, he felt not a hint of mockery.
Watching Knuckle and Morrow enter Hide and Seek from the corner of his eye, Knov's taut nerves didn't relax in the slightest.
Has Morrow's ability not met the conditions yet...
Facing the evil aura that could envelop them at any moment, Knov felt as if he were standing naked in a blizzard, every second unbearably long and agonizing.
But... to maximize Morrow's chances of survival. He had to endure, to persevere to the end. He also had to conquer the fear in his heart.
Finally, it's here!
In what felt like an eternity but was only a brief wait, Knov finally caught sight of a speck of emerald light flying out from the depths of the Chimera Ant Nest.
That was Morrow's healing ability.
Although Morrow had never revealed this ability to them, Knov wasn't completely unaware.
He had noticed clues during previous observations.
And witnessing Morrow use it to stop the bleeding from his severe wounds just now confirmed it beyond doubt.
This also explained why Morrow, before losing consciousness, had mustered his last bit of strength to fire a Nen bullet. Perhaps Morrow had originally wanted to say more, but in the end, he couldn't hold on and fell unconscious on the spot.
So after Morrow lost consciousness, Knov immediately checked the status of the Nen bullet.
Seeing that the Nen bullet was still flying toward the Chimera Ant Nest, he resolved that no matter the risk, he would wait until Morrow's healing ability took effect.
Under Knov's tense and uneasy gaze, the firefly-like light points flew straight into the Hide and Seek passage.
"Hah..."
Knov's strained nerves finally relaxed.
Then, like a tightly compressed spring suddenly released, he plunged headfirst into the passage.
He didn't want to stay in this position, where a lightning snipe could strike at any moment, for even a second longer.
After his body landed in a room of Hide and Seek, Knov immediately closed the passage.
Only then did he feel safe, and belatedly realized his entire body was drenched in sweat.
But he had no time to collect his thoughts, immediately turning his gaze to Morrow, who was being supported by Knuckle.
The emerald-green light points that had entered through the passage were gradually disappearing into Morrow's body.
It seemed to be a healing energy.
As the energy seeped in, the edges of the gruesome penetrating wounds on Morrow's body began to wriggle slightly, gradually regenerating.
As expected, it's an incredibly powerful healing ability.
Knov let out a long sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with his hand, his palm completely wet with sweat.
At any rate, Morrow's life should be saved.
Thinking this, Knov quickly scanned his teammates already in the room. Without bothering to greet them, he immediately materialized the master key in his hand and opened a passage leading to Netero's location.
In the entire Extermination Team, only Chairman Netero remained outside.
Knov's departure from the room was swift.
So much so that when Morel and the others were about to briefly ask for an update, they saw Knov had already opened the door and stepped into the dark, watery space.
So Knov was waiting for Morrow's healing ability.
Knuckle glanced at Morrow's wriggling, healing wounds and sighed softly in relief.
Morel glanced at the now-closed door, then looked at Youpi's corpse not far away, and sighed, "Although the cost was devastating... I never expected you all to actually defeat a Royal Guard."
"I didn't contribute much."
Knuckle shook his head, his eyes filled with frustration, and said in a low voice, "At that time, I considered that A.P.R. could be reactivated the next time we got close, so I made the decision to retreat. I never thought Morrow would decisively chase after Youpi..."
At this point, Knuckle clenched his fist tightly, veins bulging, "I reacted too slowly, couldn't keep up. If only..."
Thump.
Morel slapped Knuckle on the shoulder, cutting him off, and said, "Knuckle, you did well enough. At least you remembered to bring the body back."
"That was Morrow's instruction before he lost consciousness."
"Ah."
Morel was momentarily speechless.
Kite crouched beside Youpi's corpse. After a thorough examination, he found almost no wounds.
A one-hit kill from Manipulation...
Kite withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Morrow, who was surrounded by Kalluto, Killua, and the others, his heart filled with astonishment.
Although Emission is adjacent to Manipulation... such a thing was truly unbelievable.
How exactly was this done?
Kite murmured to himself.
—--
Near the Chimera Ant Nest.
Shaiapouf arrived at the spot where Youpi's body had vanished, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
"In just that brief moment, the aura completely disappeared, and even Youpi is gone. What exactly happened here?"
While muttering to himself, Shaiapouf felt a faint unease in his heart and hurried toward another battlefield.
There was still one more enemy.
Currently engaged in combat with Neferpitou.
The King is quite entertained, but these humans... aren't as weak as anticipated.
Shaiapouf frowned, thinking to himself.
------------------------
Note: Accretion Charge scientific explanation:
Each charge represents a localized energy field that adheres to the target, mimicking how matter spirals into a star's gravitational well via an accretion disk. The charges remain in a metastable state, storing energy without releasing it, until reaching the critical threshold needed for Stellar Collapse.
Bonus chapter @600powerstones