Chapter 97: [Terpsichora] × King
The instant the countdown ended, Joey and the others rushed one after another through the open exit of the extradimensional apartment.
When they reappeared, they were already behind the central staircase of the Throne Hall.
As they rounded the corner, everyone looked up toward the top of the stairs and found nothing unusual: there were no Royal Guards, nor any En keeping watch.
But the next second, Dragon Dive smashed through the palace and plunged inside.
While running, Joey reached out and pulled Shoot aside, helping him dodge the falling rubble.
That effortless gesture from Joey swiftly brought tears of gratitude to Shoot's eyes.
Joey did not see them, however, because he had already followed everyone through the descending Dragon Dive and reached the second floor of the Throne Hall.
And the instant they reached the second floor, an oppressive, cold, terrifying aura, so evil it made them want to vomit, crashed into them all.
On the second floor of the Throne Hall, two figures sat facing each other.
Facing Joey and the others was Meruem, who ignored their arrival, while seated with her back to them was a thin girl.
Yet behind the girl hovered another figure, black, gaunt, and terrifying.
Threads of aura connected the girl to that horrifying Puppet Master figure, making it clear that all her movements were being controlled.
And that Puppet Master was precisely the ability that should have belonged to Neferpitou!
[Terpsichora]!
The instant Joey saw Terpsichora, he understood exactly what had happened during the previous Time Reversal, and why Meruem had flown into a rage.
Neferpitou had been the victim of the last Time Reversal, but in the final moment before Bites the Dust took her life, her fixation on protecting Meruem had driven her to attach