As Joey burst out from the 4-D Mansion, he'd barely taken two steps before spotting a towering figure standing atop the central staircase—Menthuthuyoupi. His expression was dazed at first, confused... but dark shadows quickly crept across his face as rage began to brew.
In that instant, Joey thought, So it's true after all.
He couldn't sense Neferpitou's En—clearly, the arrival of Chairman Netero and Zeno Zoldyck had drawn Pitou's attention, causing her to deactivate it.
And that was exactly the "unforeseen variable" Killua had been emphasizing all along.
Thankfully, the team had been warned repeatedly about such a scenario. Though they hadn't discussed it in depth, everyone instantly grasped what it meant.
Since Youpi was guarding the central staircase, the ones designated to fight him would stay behind—everyone else would advance upward.
But in the next breath, the Dragon Dive—Netero's rain of holy destruction—pierced through the palace, catching everyone off guard.
Still, three people weren't shaken.
One was Gon, steadfast and burning with resolve.
Another was the perpetually calm and collected Kite.
The last was Joey—already mentally prepared for chaos.
All three charged directly at Youpi.
The original tactics shifted in an instant.
Up on the stairs, Youpi's body started to distort. Four additional arms burst from his back as his face twisted in fury.
But before anyone reached him—
Boom!
A strike landed squarely in Youpi's side.
Everyone but Joey had the same thought flash through their minds:
"They're alive—Knuckle and Meleoron are alive!"
Exactly.
Because Meleoron had already activated his ability the moment they left the 4-D Mansion:
"God's Accomplice" and "Perfect Plan."
Perfect Plan rendered Meleoron completely undetectable while holding his breath—not just invisible, but absent from all senses. Even if someone bumped into him, they wouldn't perceive him. The duration depended on how long he could hold his breath.
God's Accomplice allowed him to extend this effect to anyone he touched.
When Dragon Dive struck, they all feared Knuckle and Meleoron had been obliterated—either dying instantly, canceling the ability, or worse, dying and making the stealth ability permanent, leaving them untraceable forever.
But with Knuckle's punch connecting with Youpi, all those fears vanished.
They were alive.
And they were executing their mission flawlessly.
Knuckle's ability:
"Hakoware – APR (Amortizing Power Redirector)"
A high-interest Nen loan. Knuckle lends aura to his opponent, and his chubby partner Potclean records the interest every 10 seconds.
As long as the aura Knuckle lends isn't repaid beyond what was borrowed, neither side can hurt the other.
But once the opponent's total aura debt exceeds their maximum capacity—
They go bankrupt.
Potclean transforms into a collector demon and forces the target into Zetsu—complete aura shutdown—for 30 days.
Paired with Meleoron's stealth, this was the extermination squad's plan to neutralize Youpi.
If they could force him into Zetsu, finishing him off would be easy.
But Joey knew: this was just the first step.
Youpi, by Knuckle's estimates, had a total aura capacity exceeding 700,000.
To reach bankruptcy through compounded interest alone could take several minutes—and Knuckle couldn't afford to be hit in the meantime.
To accelerate the process, he had to keep landing hits.
Joey sprang into action.
Behind him, Killer Queen manifested—its Sheer Heart Attack (a heat-seeking autonomous bomb) launched from its wrist like a tank round toward Youpi.
Being a pure magical beast, Youpi's body temperature exceeded 40°C.
A perfect target.
Joey had already braced himself to lose a limb if necessary—Sheer Heart Attack would serve as a deadly distraction.
Then Joey bolted, catching up with Kite to ascend the stairs.
Youpi's bloodshot eyes locked on the fleeing team.
His rage exploded.
Strange, grotesque eyes sprouted across his head and shoulders, giving him a full 360-degree view.
Then, his arms swelled grotesquely, shrouded in raging aura, and—
Slam!
The central staircase shattered.
Boom! Another collision—Youpi's fist crashed into Sheer Heart Attack, triggering a fiery explosion.
Blood sprayed.
Sheer Heart Attack had proven its absurd durability and destructive force.
But no one had time to admire it.
Because in that exact moment, a wave of vile aura surged across the palace—
Pitou had activated En.
Joey wasn't injured by the blast—he used the chaos and smoke to hurl a flurry of invisible aura bombs toward Youpi.
His true target was Pitou, but he wouldn't mind if First Bomb took out Youpi early.
But from within the dust cloud, a hail of shattered debris burst outward—each shard propelled like a bullet by Youpi's wrath.
They pierced Joey's Nen bombs mid-flight, causing premature explosions.
Those in the blast radius scrambled to defend themselves.
Joey clicked his tongue but didn't linger—he sprinted up the stairs behind Kite.
The smokescreen allowed Joey, Kite, Gon, Killua, Palm, and Ikalgo to ascend rapidly—racing toward the Royal Chamber.
But then—
From a different tower, two figures exploded into view:
Neferpitou and Zeno Zoldyck.
They arrived almost simultaneously, intercepting the team mid-climb.
"Joey. You're with me." Zeno's words were brief. His gaze sharp—he already knew who Joey was.
Pitou's body trembled, barely restraining herself.
"You better be sure that kid can heal Komugi."
"I am," Zeno said. Then without waiting, turned and flew back toward the tower.
Joey and Kite exchanged glances, then raced after him.
But just as they did—
The Royal Chamber—their original destination—erupted in a thick cloud of smoke.
A full black-out.
Morel had activated his technique:
"Deep Purple: Smoky Jail."
So the King… was not where they expected.
Another surprise.
Joey didn't immediately channel his aura into his Nen Wallet—he couldn't yet determine the best course of action.
But when he entered the tower—
When he saw the King cradling a fragile girl in his arms, while Netero stood aside, watching silently—
Everything clicked.
And in that moment, even as he understood...
New questions bloomed in Joey's mind.
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For this week I will do more release depending on the power stones !
100 Power Stones = 1 chapter (in addition to the daily update)
So give stones if you want mooooar !