The Phantom Troupe's target was the royal treasure of the Kakin royal family stored on the first floor—and they also intended to meet Ronnel.
By coincidence, their objective aligned with Illumi's. Since his younger brother was part of the Phantom Troupe, it only made sense for Illumi to join them.
While the three major mafia families were busy tracking the Phantom Troupe, members of the Heil-Ly family took advantage of the chaos, attacking and killing civilians to boost their own power.
The resulting turmoil overwhelmed even the Twelve Zodiacs of the Hunter Association, who had been tasked with maintaining order.
But what troubled them even more… was the sudden appearance of a prince on the lower floors.
...
In a small, isolated office, Mizaistom Nana crossed his arms, staring at the silent prince in the raincoat before him.
"Can you give us a clear explanation, Your Highness… Prince Fugetsu?!"
The prince who had just arrived on the lower deck, discovered by Mizaistom, was none other than the Eleventh Prince—Fugetsu.
Once she was identified, Mizaistom immediately sent someone topside to confirm her location, and the report came back: the Eleventh Prince was not in her room.
The King's Army began combing through surveillance footage, frame by frame, searching for any sign of Fugetsu' movements.
This confirmed it: the person in front of them was the real Eleventh Prince.
But under the strict security protocols of the King's Army, it should have been impossible for her to reach this level through official means. Which could only mean... Nen?
Mizaistom spoke calmly. "Could you tell me how you got to the third floor—and why?"
Prince Fugetsu remained silent. In truth, she had been experimenting with her space-based Nen ability, attempting to create an escape route from the upper level.
But the test went wrong. Without her bodyguard Kacho nearby, she couldn't reopen the exit and had no way back.
Unable to extract any more information, Mizaistom turned her over to the King's Army. Fugetsu was placed under round-the-clock surveillance for 72 hours.
Her presence attracted the attention of a peculiar investigator—one whose strange heartbeat left a deep impression on Melody.
At this point, any hope of Fugetsu secretly meeting with Kacho again was lost.
...
There were now 76 hours left before the second dinner gathering.
Elsewhere, in Room 1008...
Salé-salé's Nen ability had fully activated, and it was beginning to affect the royal surveillance guards around him.
The First Prince, Benjamin, who had already raised the issue of "foreigners," was organizing a private army. From them, he learned the final condition of the virus:
The favorability virus emitted by the Eighth Prince's Nen beast could influence even the most indifferent individuals—but it required about 70 hours to take full effect.
"The Eighth Prince's Nen beast manipulates others' feelings of fondness, eventually controlling the hearts of the people. It's slow, but once completed, it grants absolute support... the foundation for a perfectly unified dictatorship."
"But even I can detect the ability's effect," the private soldier muttered with a grin. "It only works if his political opponents are brain-dead idealists."
He turned to face the bed.
"I've got everything ready. Time to start the hunt."
Nen energy flared from his body. Wisps of white aura floated upward, collecting into the air as eerie sound effects played—heard only by him.
The energy congealed, forming a grotesque Nen beast with a monstrous maw full of jagged fangs, no body, just a massive head and four elongated legs.
It was the result of the [Predator] ability, designed to hunt and destroy the Eighth Prince's gas-based Nen beast—a natural predator.
"You gave birth to that thing while indulging in luxury and pleasure…"
The private soldier's eyes darkened as he stared at Salé-salé, still giggling and tangled up with his female companion, completely unaware of the doom looming over him.
"In the face of a natural enemy… all you can do is die."
Without warning, the hunter-type Nen beast lunged.
Its petal-like maw split open wide and sank its teeth into the gas-type guardian beast!
Gulu… Gulu…
Two faint noises, barely audible.
The guardian beast struggled briefly, then stopped moving—swallowed whole by the predator that had been born to destroy it.
The Eighth Prince, oblivious and Nen-blind, remained joyfully distracted on his bed.
"Predator… the prey is finished."
The private soldier smiled, satisfied with the flawless execution. He encoded a message and reported to Benjamin.
Since he would be unable to use Nen for the next 48 hours, he also requested a replacement.
Benjamin responded swiftly, ordering a personnel swap—bringing in a private soldier from Fugetsu' unit.
The assassin he reassigned was a top-tier killer, highly skilled in infiltration and execution. Now that the Eighth Prince no longer had a guardian beast protecting him, the true purpose of the swap remained unclear.
...
While tensions rose between the Eleventh and Eighth Princes—the Ninth Prince Halkenburg—was making his own move.
That day, he again requested an audience with King Nasubi.
As usual, he was made to wait at the guard station outside the door.
But this time, he didn't leave quietly.
Instead, as soon as the guards lowered their vigilance, Halkenburg led his men in a sudden, brutal assault—overpowering everyone.
Armed with a heavy-caliber pistol, the Ninth Prince stormed into King Nasubi's room.
"...Let me finish this, Father."
King Nasubi sat on the couch with his back to the door. He didn't flinch. As if he had been expecting this, he calmly inhaled and raised his head slightly.
"You're late... ."
Still not turning around, he kept his eyes fixed forward.
"No. I'm right on time."
"You agreed to the ceremony in advance, Father... Hui."
Halkenburg's voice trembled slightly as his emotions surged.
"But no one told me that it meant slaughtering my brothers!"
King Nasubi finally turned around, meeting his son's gaze.
"To become king, adapting to harsh truths is part of the qualification."
He looked upon his clever, competent, but still too naive son—and said nothing more.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (799 chapters in total)