"Whew… finally, it's all over. Now, I have only one enemy left: the Kakin Royal Family."
Allen forcefully flicked his hand to rid it of the blood and brain matter he'd accidentally splattered on himself, a look of pure disgust on his face.
Undeniably, in his Red Dragon armor state, his physical attributes were the sum of his own base stats, the Hunter class panel, and Vaelastrasz. The boost from the latter was no small feat; it was essentially a fusion with a Great Dragon. Even the instantaneous explosive power generated by his muscles was enough to propel him into supersonic speeds.
This was precisely why Beyond never stood a chance to react—he was simply erased by the combined force of that terrifying physical burst and Allen's blink-like teleportation.
Surveying the massive bloodstains on the ground and the plaza so thoroughly devastated that it required a total rebuild rather than a mere repair, Cheadle finally rubbed her temples. She stepped forward and asked, "Was this an order from the V5? To eliminate Beyond?"
"Yeah, exactly. But that's only part of the reason. The rest was personal," Allen explained nonchalantly.
"This is going to infuriate Kakin! You know Beyond was their trump card for the Dark Continent expedition," Cheadle warned, her voice laced with concern. She hadn't expected so many complications to land in her lap so soon after taking the seat of Chairman.
Allen shrugged dismissively. "Don't sweat it. The Kakin Royal Family just happens to be my next hunting target. Besides, their true goal isn't exploring the Dark Continent, it's holding a Succession Contest to crown the next King."
"Succession Contest?"
Cheadle blinked, clearly hearing the term for the first time.
"Right. In ancient times, Kakin obtained an interesting urn. This urn can grant those of royal blood a Guardian Spirit Beast made of Nen. Through some obscure set of rules, the heirs with these beasts will kill one another like Gu, poisonous insects in a jar, until only one remains. The survivor becomes the next ruler of Kakin. Simply put, it's a ritual that uses the 'Nen that becomes stronger after death' to grant the new King a powerful, rule-based authority to lead the nation to prosperity."
Allen shared everything he knew regarding the Succession Contest. In his previous life, he had seen countless online theories about it. Some believed that forcing the princes to slaughter each other was merely King Nasubi's scheme to empower himself or extend his own life. Others thought the urn itself was the problem, perhaps a horrific reincarnation ritual where all Kakin kings were merely puppets or vessels for the ability that created the urn.
But due to Togashi's legendary hiatuses, all theories remained just that… theories. No one actually knew the true purpose or the final outcome of the war. One thing was certain, however: Nasubi was up to no good.
"I don't understand. If this is Kakin's internal political affair, what does it have to do with us?" Cheadle asked, still puzzled.
Allen answered bluntly, "It has everything to do with us.
"First, the Kakin Royal Family was one of the masterminds behind the Chimera Ant incident, and they tried to play me.
"Second, do you think the Succession Contest is just princes killing each other? No. This ritual requires a massive amount of 'sacrifices'—the lives of commoners. In other words, that transport vessel capable of carrying 200,000 people to the New Continent is actually a giant, sealed petri dish. All the civilians selected will be forced to become the fuel for the birth of a new King.
"As the Chairman of the Hunter Association, will you stand by and watch 200,000 people drop into a death trap?
"Furthermore, this isn't something you can just ignore even if you wanted to. Whatever secret deals the V5 strikes with Kakin, the Hunter Association will be the ones expected to execute them. With your current seniority and prestige, you can't just flat-out refuse unreasonable demands from them the way Chairman Netero could. So, whether it's you or the entire Association, you're all getting dragged into this."
"Dammit! That old man is still giving us headaches from the grave. He just ordered us in his video to head to the Dark Continent, solve the calamities, and bring back hope before anyone else," Cheadle grumbled, shielding her eyes.
"Isn't that perfect? The wheels of history are turning. When taboo rules are shattered, humanity's passion for the unknown explodes. That fire won't burn out, at least not until we hit a major wall or failure."
With those words, Allen pulled out his phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, Slean's urgent voice came through the receiver: "Well? Did you take out Beyond?"
"Yes. Beyond is dead. Where's my stuff?" Allen countered.
"Beautiful! Everything you asked for is ready. Do you want me to send someone, or are you coming to pick it up yourself?" Slean sounded elated, his joy palpable even over the phone.
"I'll pick it up myself," Allen decided after a moment's thought.
"Got it! My superior also wants to speak with you personally about Kakin and the specifics of the Dark Continent expedition."
As soon as the Dark Continent was mentioned, Slean's tone turned serious.
"Oh? What is it? Did something go wrong with your negotiations with Kakin?" Allen probed meaningfully.
Slean quickly denied it. "No! Of course not! Don't overthink it. Negotiations are ongoing, but King Nasubi is expected to make significant concessions soon. In short, Beyond's death is the first domino. It's going to trigger a chain reaction that secures more benefits for us."
"In that case, good luck with that."
Allen hung up abruptly and turned back to Cheadle. "See? Even the V5 realizes the Dark Continent expedition is inevitable. Their stance has shifted from a strict ban to wanting a piece of the pie. As Chairman, you'd better start preparing now, or you'll be scrambling when the official orders hit.
"One more thing: be extremely strict with this year's Hunter Exam. Otherwise, I guarantee the V5 will try to smuggle their own people in. After all, they just acquired thousands of eggs modified by the Chimera Ants, and every one of them could hatch a Nen user. Not to mention, the Kakin princes will be doing everything in their power to slip their subordinates in to gain an early advantage in the Succession Contest..."
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