As Morel whipped his pipe, a vortex of smoke spun across the third floor—preventing Shaiapouf's microscopic clones from reuniting.
Keeping Pouf in his dispersed state was their only real chance of victory.
The key to killing Pouf lay in Knov's "Window's Open."
If air, smoke—any matter—was drawn into Knov's conjured dimension, the spatial force would erase it entirely.
No matter how small Pouf shrunk himself, he couldn't resist the erasure of space itself.
But for all this to work, both Morel and Knov had to maintain "Gyo" and hold their breath the entire time.
Inhaling scale dust would be dangerous…
But worse would be accidentally inhaling a piece of Pouf.
And of course, Pouf knew this too.
But just as Morel had deduced, microscopic division meant the clones were far too weak to resist the pull of the smoke vortex.
Every time Pouf tried to reassemble, Knov's Window's Open would rip through the cluster, devouring chunks into oblivion.
Several attempts later, Pouf had managed to gather a few massed clones—but he'd lost far more.
He was growing anxious. Desperate.
But slowly…
The fragments coalesced.
His form reassembled.
And his aura surged.
Then—boom.
A tremor shook the palace—Youpi's rampage from the throne room.
Morel lost balance, the vortex faltered, and Knov stumbled.
In that single moment of chaos, Pouf, still airborne, took advantage—reclaiming his scattered clones.
When the tremors ceased, Morel and Knov looked up to find a reformed, humanoid Pouf, face pale—but floating strong.
His aura was only half of what it had been before the battle began.
But that was still formidable.
Morel and Knov exchanged glances.
Now. Finish him.
Their synchronized thought said everything.
4 minutes, 33 seconds since the palace invasion.
Shaiapouf stood on the verge of defeat.
Something neither the Royal Guard nor the Extermination Squad had predicted.
But Morel and Knov were in top condition, operating at peak capacity.
This was what Chairman Netero had brought them for.
Because they were the real deal.
Veteran hunters—hardened by countless battles.
And Pouf?
He knew it was all his fault.
If only I hadn't tried to outthink them...
His own strategy had backfired spectacularly.
I'm unfit to be Royal Guard... unworthy...
He spiraled into a mental pit of self-loathing.
Morel unleashed a wave of Deep Purple soldiers, all shaped like Knov, concealing the real one.
But Pouf, with his aura-sensing scale dust, wasn't fooled.
He set a trap, waiting for the real Knov to strike.
His target? Knov's arm.
If he could rip off that arm, there would be no more Window's Open—and the threat would vanish.
But Morel and Knov had seen it coming.
When a clone materialized behind Knov for a sneak attack—Morel's pipe came down, smashing it to the floor.
Knov wasted no time.
Window's Open flared.
It sliced off half the clone's body, tossing the rest into darkness.
At that moment—Pouf realized it.
He couldn't win.
They're too sharp. Too experienced.
This is already lost.
But even now, he thought of the King.
I must eliminate them, even if it costs me my life!
He needed more power. More aura.
And just then—Knov felt it.
I have him.
One more blow. I can kill Shaiapouf right now.
But fate wasn't done with them.
Suddenly—a crashing wave tore through the fog.
Salt air. A roar of water.
And standing atop a surfboard cutting through summoned seawater—Leol had arrived.
"I'm not too late, am I?" he grinned.
"Shaiapouf, don't think I'm doing this for free!"
The prison of smoke was shattered.
The scale dust dispersed in the tidal wind.
Shaiapouf's eyes lost their darkness.
His mind cleared.
From death's edge, he burst into a manic laugh.
Saved!
His wings flared.
He flew upward—exploding into a billion clones, scattering through the palace.
He was fleeing. Not fighting.
Morel clenched his jaw. Something was wrong.
Leol's aura… and that surfboard…
That's not his original ability.
But more urgent: Pouf was escaping.
Morel moved instinctively—he rushed after Pouf.
Big mistake.
Snap!
A clone manifested behind Morel—grabbing his pipe.
From above, another Pouf slammed his foot down into Morel's back—slamming him into the floor.
But Knov didn't hesitate.
Window's Open burst forth again—slicing off Pouf's waist and swallowing part of the pipe.
But Pouf's body fragmented once more into a storm of buzzing bee-sized clones.
"Hahaha... It was you who destroyed it, not me!"
Morel stood, face grim.
His pipe was broken.
Without it, the Deep Purple smoke barrier was no longer viable.
Killing Pouf now? Impossible.
Morel's eyes darted toward Leol.
He won't leave now, will he? That's not how this goes.
Pouf, meanwhile, was already flying off.
His mission was never to fight.
He had to reach the King.
"Leol, excellent work. I owe you one. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Oh? You'll owe me two, then," Leol smiled sharply.
"Gladly."
But then—
Leol's next words, and the shift in his aura, sent a chill down both their spines.
"I can borrow Pouf's ability, stop him from escaping…
But I don't do charity."
"Also… I know where the King is."
"So how about that for a deal?"
_________________________________________________________________________________
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 !