The First One

Inside the palace, Knuckle Bine and Shoot were fighting Youpi.

There's also Gon and Killua.

Morel, on the other hand, managed to entangle himself with Shaiapouf.

The death of Neferpitou caused a change in the expedition team's plans. Gon no longer focused on finding Neferpitou and Kite's remains, but instead concentrated on dealing with the ants.

Without the help of Meleoron, the chameleon Squadron Leader from the original story, it would be extremely difficult for Knuckle Bine and Shoot to hold off a member of the Royal Guards alone.

The leader took the Chimera Ant King away... The remaining people did their best to wipe out all the ants.

From within the Ghost Mist, through his perception and observation of every living being, Oboro instantly deciphered the Association's battle plan.

When the pitch-black ghostly creatures concealed everything, the sudden change took everyone by surprise.

Including the ants.

"It's dark?"

Morel, who was engaged in a battle of wits with Shaiapouf, was suddenly startled while carrying his large pipe.

He initially thought it was some kind of power released by the ants in front of him... but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Because at the moment darkness fell, he also saw surprise on Shaiapouf's face.

"It's a thought..."

Morel reached out and touched something in the darkness, instantly activating the technique of "Circle of Thought" to expand his perception range.

In this darkness, the eyes are useless... one can only use the second eye of an Upper Nen user, namely Madoka.

However, these black mists were particularly strange, as they actually compressed his circle.

It can only maintain a distance of about three or four meters around its body.

"Hiss... Who is it? Other ants? No, if it were other ants interfering, this one wouldn't miss such an opportunity. It would have already launched a sneak attack on me and seized the moment!" Morel thought to himself, and then he moved. He raised his pipe and took the initiative.

He struck the spot where Shaiapouf had just been standing.

Since it wasn't the ants' doing... then whoever started it, we don't need to consider that for now.

Let's eliminate the enemy first.

The weapon was swung around, but judging from the feel, it didn't feel like it hit anything.

Had it been dodged? Morel paused, immediately focusing his attention on being alert in all directions.

He and his enemy have likely lost their sight and are unaware of each other's positions.

In other words... he is more dangerous.

Because the effect of the circle is greatly weakened, Shaiapouf, relying on the sensory perception of ants' flesh and blood, has a higher level of acuity than him.

It can detect even the slightest movement, smell, or temperature.

Something's coming!

Suddenly, Morel was startled, sensing that an object had entered the area he was in.

However, the person was too fast... In the instant he sensed it, a hand had already landed on his shoulder.

And his hand holding the weapon... didn't even lift up.

"Don't be nervous, it's me."

A gentle voice rang in my ears.

"Hazy?"

Morel exclaimed in astonishment.

He naturally remembered that voice.

Although he hadn't had much contact with Oboro over the years and hadn't met him many times, the last time he was in East Gorteau, it was he who accompanied Biscuit to rescue Oboro.

Morel came to his senses, but before he could ask any questions, he discovered that Long beside him had disappeared.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shaiapouf flapped its wings, trying to shoot out of the black mist as quickly as possible.

He realized that besides the man with the pipe, the other party had reinforcements... and they were even more dangerous.

Within this fog, his senses were severely restricted, hindering his combat ability; he had to escape.

He was clever; instead of flying away, he leaped upwards, intending to use the height to escape the ability.

Compared to the width of the black fog, the height is obviously shorter, making it easier to sprint out in a short time.

As the black mist rolled in, he observed that this 'ink cloud' spread out across the entire palace, covering an astonishing area.

But the height is much lower.

Just as a blurry light appeared in the darkness above, and vision was restored slightly.

The next second, a hideous and terrifying face suddenly appeared in front of Shaiapouf without warning, roaring angrily as their eyes met.

It was a vengeful ghost! Then, as if to tear him apart, it pounced on him.

Shaiapouf's figure moved nimbly through the air, dodging the attack while simultaneously wielding his blade and striking the demon's body.

To his disbelief, this thing, which looked like a physical entity, was actually an illusion; his arm passed directly through the soul.

It did not cause any substantial harm.

Moreover, even with his Nen power floating on his body for protection, the moment his arm came into contact with the ghost, the ghost seemed to transform from transparent into a solid entity, leaving his hand covered in a sticky black aura... a kind of black energy.

The feeling I got from Shaiapouf was that he was evil and dirty...

It is a form of negative energy.

"What's this?"

The ants were startled.

This situation was beyond his comprehension.

Before he could observe further, his head began to throb, and his mind began to wander slightly.

He steadied himself and looked closely; the black energy in his hand... had already seeped into his body.

This caused the butterfly man's pupils to shrink and his face to turn pale.

Could he not even defend against his Nen? Suddenly... Shaiapouf thought of something.

While he was in the anthill, he spoke with the Squadron Leader and the ants... about the humans who killed Neferpitou.

However, judging from the descriptions of the Squadron Leader, especially Kourudo, that human's abilities... seem to be very different from those before him.

But in terms of the soul, they are the same.

"It's him!"

"He's here too!"

Shaiapouf suddenly realized.

Then, he focused his will and forced his brain to break free from the 'negative interference' and regain his clarity.

His body had a chilling sensation, and his hands and feet were icy cold.

"This feeling... this is what Kourudo was referring to... being corrupted in the soul..."

Shaiapouf thought to himself that he hadn't been invaded by any ghosts; he had just gotten some 'dirty stuff' on him!

He knew he absolutely could not fall for it, and even less could he come into contact with these ghosts.

We must escape from the black fog first!

Then, he flapped his magnificent and enormous butterfly wings, preparing to shake off the vengeful ghost that was attacking him once again.

But suddenly, with a snap.

Shaiapouf discovered that instead of flying, he was experiencing weightlessness and was plummeting downwards, losing his balance...

His two wings were cut off while he was still alive.

"Because it's hard to discern directions in the black fog, I took off in a straight line, at an altitude of at least two hundred meters. How could a human possibly do that? And I didn't sense anyone approaching at all... it was as if the attack just happened out of nowhere..."

Shaiapouf was dumbfounded.

Immediately, as his body descended, the air around him became frigid, as if it had been sliced apart by an extreme force. Even the ant's flesh was instantly pulverized and exploded into a cloud of blood and flesh.

However, Shaiapouf reacted quickly, and began to split apart the instant his flesh was damaged.

It transformed into countless 'fluorescent particles' and dispersed.

Long landed after taking off.

His attack range is currently less than 200 meters.

But considering the height he reached when he leaped, it was enough to kill the ant.

Although Shaiapouf's physical body would split into extremely small pieces, making it difficult to capture, its flight speed would also decrease, and its bodily functions would be severely reduced, making escape impossible.

Moreover, if we're talking about quantity...

The number of souls nurtured within this Ghost Mist is even greater...

"It's up to you now..."

Long said something, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to walk towards the palace.

"Howl!"

The black mist churned, and after he left, countless vengeful ghosts rushed up, vying for position.