Hide and Seek: Fourth-Dimensional Mansion (Emission, Conjuration): By drawing sigils in a circle on a flat surface, Knov can open a portal to a Nen dimension. The Four Dimensional Mansion has 21 rooms, each with varying numbers of doors based on their size. Each door corresponds to a portal created by Knov, but his Master Key, locked to his wrist, can connect any of the Mansion's doors to any portal he had previously created.
Three days later…
When the Extermination Team had arrived at the peak, even though Meleoron gave them a second-hand account of what was supposed to be there, nothing he had said could give justice to what lay at the threshold. A rift in space-time, just large enough for the massive Golem to enter, was before them, an iridescent shimmer radiating from its outline. Despite its objective beauty, every member of the team perceived that the aura exuded by the portal was simply vile, although the majority of the team couldn't pinpoint why. Despite the low temperatures, it was the rift's presence that made even the hard-headed Dolph shiver.
"A-alright. Knov, put a portal in there within a minute, alright? Rendue, link your pin t' him to get him back if this goes wrong, alright…" In all his years of battle, Dolph had never faced an aura that made his drop his harsh demeanor quite like this.
When the plan had been discussed, to ensure that Meleoron wasn't leading them into an ambush, Knov would establish a portal there within a minute. After a minute had passed, or if anything unexpected occurred, Rendue would take the responsibility of retracting Knov.
"Pin ready!" Rendue had stabbed her hand with a wooden dove brooch, her blood filling the cavity inside. She had already attached the wood hawk pin to Knov, meaning that Knov could finally enter.
Gon, despite the aura and temperatures, smiled. "Good luck, Knov!"
The others waved goodbye to him as well. Although he appreciated the gesture, Knov felt it disrespectful to waste any more time. He leapt in, the Scream between his hands prepared for combat.
Not one to waste time on a mission, Knov ran through the forest he had abruptly been transported to, hoping to cover as much distance and survey as much land as possible within the minute. Running through the trees, he used In to hide his presence without completely shutting his offensive capabilities off. In case he ran into a Royal Guard, he would need the element of surprise to even come close to victory.
Damn, only 30 seconds left. Wait, are those…
Before him, two hornet "Ants" flew into view, one of them holding a spear. Before he had time to hide and decide on the Hide and Seek portal's position, they looked in his direction, joyfully rushing at the male to retrieve for their queen, and possibly "grab a treat for themselves".
In that same moment, Knov knew that they hungered for flesh (just not the kind he thought of), and decided that the portal had to be made, either now or never. Quickly, he traced the Hide and Seek sigil onto the ground, and opened Scream. Without a word, just as the first hornet approached, he sidestepped her, closing the portal and taking a large chunk of her neck with it.
We need to know where they are. A hostage might not make them talk, but the hostage hopefully will!
Before the second hornet could register what had just happened, the black-clad man grabbed her.
Three seconds, two seconds, one second…
It was supposed to be an easy mission. Find a man, bring him to the queen, and have some fun with another one. Unfortunately, they had to have come across some kind of Order hero, who was able to kill their best warrior and kidnap her. Worse, she had been taken to a snowy mountaintop, which would quickly cause frostbite to an insect girl like her. If she couldn't escape, though, the best she could do was to die with dignity. There was no doubt in her mind that the Order, or whoever had taken her, would soon kill her for her "heresy". It didn't matter why, though, but only if and when. At the very least, she had to ensure the survival of her family, no matter what they did to her.
"HEY KNOV, OVER HERE!" She looked over to see a young boy with spiky hair in surprisingly light clothing, surrounded by an ensemble of heroes.
What is that essence surrounding them? It can't be essence, but it isn't mamono mana either…
The man holding her walked up to the heroes and whispered to her.
"Move so much as a muscle, and you will find yourself in the same position as your friend, understand? Now, everybody," He began to speak in a louder voice, keeping his grip on her while tracing more of the strange runes onto the ground in a large circle. "Get in. We have much to discuss."
Damn, this is bad. Really bad! No hero would, no, could do something like this!
"Fuckin' bastard! Don't make Shoot take another eye! Where's the rest of your colony!?" Dolph screamed.
"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about!" Heh, like I'd tell you!
It didn't feel right to Shoot to have to torture another living being, especially a subject of his field of study. Although the loss of body parts wouldn't be permanent, the psychological damage from this experience would devastate the poor Ant. But, if Shoot didn't do this, millions, or even billions, would die. He had to ensure their survival, no matter the cost.
"We can do this all day. It'll be your left arm next! Shoot!" While maintaining the grasp he had on the hornet with his conjured hands, Shoot quickly reached his natural right hand to the hornet's right eye, transporting it to his birdcage with Hotel Rafflesia. The area itself was replaced with a black mist, rendering her completely blind.
"Let's start with an easier question. What is your name?" Dolph said in a calmer tone.
"…"
"Shoot, take her arm!"
"Alright, alright! My name is Binah. Let me ask-"
"Shut the fuck up! I'm asking the questions right now!" Without a prompt, the pompadoured man whispered something to her interrogator, causing him to sigh. "Alright, you have one last chance. Do you want to die in unimaginable pain, or do you want to give us some simple directions!?"
"I'd rather die than sell my queen out!"
"Well then, guess I have to…wait, Queen? The hell are you talking about, the Ant Queen is dead!"
"Ant?"
Chairman Netero stroked his beard. "Gods, monsters, and men…this is much more troubling than we thought. Either this 'mamono' has gone insane, what she's saying is true, or, however unlikely it may be, it is a trap set for us."
Knov sighed. "I'm afraid you're wrong about your last point, sir. I saw another 'mamono' just like her, and neither of them seemed to use or even have Nen, so they can't be Nen constructs made by the Ants. They might as well be new magical beasts. I would refer to a Beast Hunter for information on that subject-"
"Well, that would fall under my domain!" Knuckle noted, glancing in the direction of the hornet in Shoot's birdcage. "This could be a treasure trove of new beast species! Who knows what we could find? Plus, this place seems to be fairly peaceful, so once we get rid of the Ants, we could pioneer travel there!"
Morel sharply exhaled. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Knuckle, but that might not be a great idea. We know that this 'hornet' is capable of intelligent and rational thought, so who's to say that details aren't being omitted or falsified for her own benefit? Especially the 'peaceful' ways of the mamono, which is very likely a lie, considering Knov's account. And, like you said, nobody knows what we'll find, good or bad. We can't afford to go on our own adventures before eradicating the Ants! If they've already moved to claim that world, we have no more time to waste!"
The group generally nodded to Morel's sentiment. If they were going to save both worlds, then they would need to act now.
Netero chuckled slightly. "Well, it seems that we have come to an agreement. The plan stays the same, we will keep the mamono as a bargaining chip for information. Alright, everybody, into your teams!"
Meleoron jumped on Rendue's back, Rendue herself stabbing Knuckle's jacket with a stone hawk pin, Golem's plating with a wooden hawk pin, and herself with a wooden dove brooch. Morel brought his giant pipe to his mouth and inhaled while Golem summoned his guns in all but one of his men's arms. That man climbed onto Golem's gunner arm, which required another Nen user to aim and fire. Throughout this, Gon's visage darkened, bloodlust seeping throughout his aura. Killua glanced at him with concern, only fearing for his friend's safety.
Knov, Rendue, Dolph, Killua and Meleoron worked as the team's backbone, allowing the rest of the team's plan to be flexible and even work in the first place. Morel, Knuckle, Shoot, Gon, Netero, and Golem and his team worked on the offense, providing cover fire, distractions, or even extermination of the royal Ants. Knov moved to one of the larger doors within Hide and Seek, and opened it with his Master Key. Taking the cue, Netero activated his En, completely encompassing them.
The Chairman smiled. "I will go in first. After five seconds, whether I live or die, enter. Prepare yourselves!" He jumped through the portal, grateful for what would likely be his last mission.
"What…what is happening below, Chief God?"
"I'm…sorry for failing to prevent this, little angel. Do not fear, the new heroes shall arrive within the hour."
"Oh, thank you-"
Another angel chimed in. "But what of the new heroes if we cannot even defend our own territory from the mamono!"
The Chief God's grimace grew, the pain in her expression matching her injured body. "Be calm, child, our remaining heroes will surely halt their forces. No matter the cost, we must restore balance."
"Very well, my Lady."