On the other side, within the palace of the Republic of East Gorteau.
While his injuries were being treated inside the palace, Meruem continued to play Gungi throughout the night.
However, the result remained unchanged.
He still hadn't won a single game.
The Ant King continued to lose one game after another, with each match hardly exhausting him at all.
But his opponent, the blind girl, was merely a mortal, and the constant mental strain from hours of playing Gungi drained her physically and mentally, bringing her to the brink of collapse.
Nonetheless, from the side, Shaiapouf, who pretended to read but was actually observing the match closely, saw this as a perfect opportunity.
With the blind girl in such a fragile state, Meruem would likely win after just one or two more games.
But who knew…
"Rest."
Meruem spoke softly, gazing at the girl who was on the verge of collapse, her energy nearly drained.
"After half a day, we'll continue."
With that, Meruem stood up from his seat and walked past the blind girl.
"Hm... Ah?!"
The blind girl, slow to react, immediately spoke up: "No, I can still play!"
"If I beat you who are exhausted, I won't feel any satisfaction."
Meruem didn't even glance back as he replied: "Go rest and recover."
As his words fell, he was already at the door of the palace, disappearing from sight.
Shaiapouf let out a deep sigh, his thoughts filled with dismay.
He found this situation somewhat disheartening. The king had refused to stop playing even when treating his arm injury. And now, he has taken back his own words.
Since ancient times, a king's word was law. This woman... She was too dangerous!
Shaiapouf's eyes grew darker, a cold resolve forming within him.
If this continued, the king's resolve might collapse.
Seeing the blind girl shakily get up and stagger out of the room, Shaiapouf slowly raised his arm.
Thud.
The book in his hands dropped to the floor.
The blind girl, hearing the noise, remembered there was a guard in the room.
She quickly turned toward the sound: "Then, I shall take my leave."
Shaiapouf didn't pay any attention to her words. Instead, he gripped his own wrist tightly.
"I can't act recklessly!"
Shaiapouf's eyes trembled as he muttered to himself: "Even though his majesty went back on his word, it was for his own belief. It was to defeat the perfect Gungi champion and prove his strength."
"If I kill this girl now, the result of Gungi would only be his majesty's defeat..."
His eyes filled with tears.
"She would be deified in death, becoming an untouchable myth in his majesty's heart, a peak he can never surpass... Ahhhh!!"
Shaiapouf suddenly clasped his head in his hands and screamed in frustration before leaping from his seat.
"How could I be so foolish?!!"
"I almost made an irreversible mistake and hurt his majesty out of impulse!"
Tears streamed down Shaiapouf's face, and he hated himself more than ever.
He picked up a violin from nearby and began to play a frantic solo in the empty hall.
"I want to end my life!"
"Before I see his majesty rule the world..."
He howled madly, his cries reaching the ears of Menthuthuyoupi, who came rushing in, thoroughly confused.
"They haven't even started yet, and one of our own is already going mad?"
Meanwhile, in a corner outside the palace…
"The entire enemy force within the capital has been eliminated."
Morel sat cross-legged on the ground, placing a large pipe in his mouth and taking a deep puff.
"Now, the only major threat we have to face is the three royal guards and the Ant King himself..."
In addition to him, the rest of the Extermination Team have also gathered here.
During this period of time, everyone rushed here from all over the country.
Along the way, they eliminated a lot of secret guards controlled by the Ant King.
Especially during the time when Neferpitou was restraining her abilities and began to heal the Ant King, everyone took this opportunity to eliminate all the hidden forces around the entire capital.
Knuckle, Shoot, Gon, and Killua, plus Morel and Kite, a group of six people gathered here. As for Knov, he was still resting in his 4-dimensional apartment.
"When the attack officially begins, the six of us will enter the palace from the entrance of the Hide and Seek set up by Knov."
Everyone sat together and discussed the next tactics:
"As for those we haven't encountered yet, Lan and Ging, they will join forces with Chairman Netero. They will enter from the outer side of the circle set up by the enemy. They have their own plan of action."
Morel briefly summarized the current situation.
"I still haven't seen Ging..."
Gon, who had been listening intently, spoke with a hint of disappointment.
But he quickly shook it off, regaining his focus.
"As long as we are all involved in this mission, we'll definitely have the chance to meet."
"Our main task is to lure the three royal guards away from the Ant King."
"The vanguard will be Kite, Gon, and Killua. You three have faced a royal guard before, so you're familiar with their aura and won't be as shaken by it as the first time."
"And after they see the three of you, they might be caught off guard."
"When the royal guards see the intruders suddenly appear in the palace, they will definitely be surprised."
"As their duty is to protect the Ant King, they will instinctively use their bodies to shield him."