Threat

At this very moment, Gon fell silent in the face of Neferpitou's willingness to risk life and death.

He finally began to understand what Lan meant when he said: "What happens in there... Is for you two to decide."

"Killua..."

Gon, unable to figure it out on his own, instinctively looked toward the person he trusted most.

"You just said... We could do anything, right?"

Killua stepped forward, following a bold thought in his heart, and said in a low voice: "Then, we want you to abandon the darkness, stop obeying the Ant King, and surrender to us—"

"Impossible!!"

Neferpitou instantly shouted, her reaction even more intense than before: "If that's what you're asking, then it's no different from killing me!!"

"That's something I'd rather die than accept!!"

Her voice was filled with a deadly conviction as if she had accepted death itself.

As one of the royal guards directly under the Ant King, she absolutely could not accept betraying or abandoning his majesty.

"So it really all depends on loyalty to the king..."

Killua had fully understood. Through this question, he confirmed the true reason Neferpitou was so serious about healing the human girl.

Indeed, it was simply because it was a direct order from the Ant King that made her act this way.

So, when dealing with a royal guard whose loyalty to the king is absolute, the conditions they impose can't be entirely uncompromising.

"In that case..."

Killua stepped back and said: "After you finish healing the little girl, you must stay here for twelve hours. You cannot leave this room."

"Not allowed to leave..."

Neferpitou's body trembled. She hadn't forgotten; the king had left with those two unknown, powerful humans.

One had the power to summon a deadly rain of stone, and the other was an old man capable of swatting her away with a single slap.

There was no telling what other powers they might possess.

But one thing was certain, they were strong enough to pose a threat to the king.

Being forced to stay in this room meant she couldn't reach his majesty in time.

She wouldn't be able to support or protect him, which was part of her duty as a royal guard!

Neferpitou clearly resisted this condition. Her eyes and facial expression showed the struggle in her heart.

"I'll remind you of something."

Seeing that Neferpitou still looked like she wanted to refuse, Killua directly interrupted: "You're not the only royal guard out there. The other two are still out there, fulfilling their duties."

Killua began to coax and persuade her: "Your job now is to save the life of this human girl."

"That's the order your king gave you, isn't it?"

"Then protecting this human girl is also an important task."

When Neferpitou's pupils shrank after her mission was exposed, Killua pressed further: "So, you'd better stay put and do as we say."

"Otherwise..."

Killua raised his hand, and his fingers turned into sharp, blade-like claws: "I'll kill her myself."

Gon instinctively looked at Killua. After confirming there was no bloodlust, he turned his head back.

Yeah, he's just bluffing.

But Neferpitou, seeing this, began to believe it.

That aura, so soaked in the blood of countless victims, made it clear this boy had killed numerous people before.

"If you leave this room and the girl is later killed by us after you healed her, what do you think your king's reaction would be?"

"Wouldn't you hate to see your king disturbed and upset because of you?"

Killua dropped the act and revealed his fangs.

Cold sweat poured down Neferpitou's forehead.

No one understood better than she, who was constantly using En, just how much this girl named Komugi meant to the king.

To put it harshly, she was irreplaceable.

If Komugi were harmed in any way, the consequences would be catastrophic.

At the same time, she couldn't ignore the fact that the king was outside in a dangerous situation. 

That, too, went against her duties as a royal guard.

So, the best option now was clear: after saving Komugi… crush all threats while they're still in the cradle.

"Don't even think about healing the girl, hiding her somewhere safe, and then killing us to remove any future risk..."

Killua, a cunning negotiator and veteran in the assassination, instantly saw through such intentions: "I've already told my partner everything about this place and the girl's importance."

Killua stared at Neferpitou: "If you kill us, my partner will do everything to find and kill the girl."

"And then pass that message on to your king. If necessary..."

Killua's voice turned colder: "They might even bring her corpse to the king. Just to see what kind of reaction it provokes."

Gon: "..."

Even though he knew Killua was bluffing, those cruel words still chilled his heart.

"You should understand just how determined we are to bring you all down."

Killua's tone was deadly serious: "As long as there's even the slightest chance of disturbing the Ant King and aiding our victory, we'll do anything, whatever it takes."

"You'd better think this through."

Killua said, half bluffing, half telling the truth.

They really were willing to sacrifice everything, even their lives, to defeat the Chimera Ants.

But harming innocent people or betraying their own principles is something that they would never do.