In the Hunter Association.
Yorkshire received a call from the Chairman stating that the matter concerning the 'Shadow' had been resolved.
This greatly surprised Yorkshire, as, from the information she controlled, only a little over an hour had passed since Oboro arrived at the prison.
This efficiency… was truly astonishing!
The Association had even prepared to execute their subsequent plan if Oboro failed to deal with Jed.
"Okay, Chairman, I understand."
After a while, Yorkshire hung up the phone, her emotions unable to calm down for a long time.
This was Oboro's ability—personal power, independent of the Association.
Although Jed and his subordinates had been eliminated… the impact on the Association was still fermenting.
The Association had detected someone broadcasting live on the internet, publicly executing Association members, and announcing Netero's identity as a captive, vowing to kill him in front of the world.
However, the network signal had been intercepted, so not many people saw it… The Association had the capability to quell this disturbance.
The most urgent matter now… was to notify V5.
Soon, V5's high-level officials also understood the situation, knowing that Oboro had taken action.
They were not surprised that the matter had been properly handled, after all, it was that man.
In V5's eyes, Oboro's threat was hundreds, even thousands of times greater than Jed's resurrection… the two were not even on the same level.
And Oboro's intervention was also within V5's expectations.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Netero finished his call.
He stretched his limbs and slowly stood up.
He glanced at Oboro. "Jed… is dead?"
"No."
Oboro smiled slightly.
As expected of the old man, so perceptive… He must have sensed that the curse energy hadn't dissipated immediately after the Rakshasa was destroyed.
Instead, it had been contained within the Lantern of Rigg for transformation.
"What are you going to do?" Netero asked directly. "Curse energy, compared to Nen, has no advantages… Although it allows one to gain power quickly, it has too many weaknesses… and once one delves too deep, it's easy to be dominated by negative emotions, becoming less than human."
His words were undoubtedly a warning to Oboro.
"Mhm… I know."
Oboro nodded, then waved his hand. "Since everything is fine, I'll be leaving now… A spaceship from the Association should be here to pick you up later."
"Goodbye."
His purpose for coming this time was not to reminisce with Netero.
Since his objective was achieved, there was no point in staying longer. Menchi and the others were waiting for him to return for more intense training…
"You've met him… How was it? I want to hear your evaluation…"
Watching Oboro's retreating back, Netero didn't try to stop him, but chuckled and said.
"He truly is your blood."
Oboro's voice came back, giving his answer.
They were referring to… Beyond.
Oboro was not surprised. He and the old man had an agreement beforehand. Even though he had promised not to go to the Dark Continent temporarily, Netero would inevitably keep a close eye on his every move.
Apart from a few minor flaws in his personality, which Oboro considered flaws, such as being too righteous and taking on burdens that weren't his, his mind and composure were absolutely wise and deep.
If he, Pariston, and Ging Freecss were truly enemies, they would never be able to outmaneuver this old man.
Therefore, Netero must have known about the Kakin incident.
As for Chimera Ants, Oboro believed Netero had also sensed it… but throughout his life, Netero had never tasted defeat, and having gone to the Dark Continent twice, he was too confident in himself!
He believed he could resolve any threat… Additionally, Netero subconsciously desired a challenge.
This led him to underestimate the danger of Chimera Ants.
After all, the outside world had not yet grasped any information about Chimera Ants.
Oboro remembered clearly that when Netero was fighting the Ant King Meruem, a montage of his life flashed before his eyes… In his youth, he challenged various martial arts schools, and after becoming a Nen user, it was the same.
At some point, all his opponents eventually bowed their heads to him, submitting to his authority… He never even had the chance to go all out. Over time, Netero learned to hold back. He lost the joy and passion for pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts…
This was what Oboro called the loneliness of the peak.
When one is too powerful, the heart becomes lonely and numb…
Killua, standing nearby, watched Oboro disappear and then looked at the Chairman. The little guy clearly didn't understand their conversation.
But he knew… they seemed to be referring to someone.
"Oh no… this is taking much longer than Gon and I agreed upon. Gon must be very anxious now… and that old lady too…" Killua dismissed his thoughts and muttered.
"I'm leaving too…"
He waved to Netero and hurried after Oboro.
Netero nodded with a smile.
Killua was preparing to take the Fiers family's spaceship… By the time the Association's spaceship arrived, who knew when that would be.
After both of them had left, Netero emerged from the ruins and walked to where Jed had died.
With a complex expression, he sighed softly.
...
For Oboro, the Shadow incident was just a minor interlude.
The spaceship carried Killua to a city near Grusia, which had an airport with direct flights to the Kakin Empire.
Killua needed to return to the game through Greed Island's game equipment.
That is, to the location of the tycoon Battler.
Given the current hostile relationship between the Fiers family and Kakin, he couldn't be sent directly, so he had to go on his own first.
Then, a few days later, Oboro returned to his teammates' outdoor training grounds.
Menchi and the others were calm about his quick return.
"The Association has already spread the word… that you handled this incident. Interestingly, the Chairman and the Twelve Zodiacs seem unwilling to reveal the truth, but the one who spread the rumors… was Pariston! He seems to be helping you… This way, your chances of succeeding the Chairman are even greater."
"Is he trying to appease you?"
After a while, during a break after training, Menchi wiped the sweat from her face and asked Oboro.
"Appease me?"
Oboro leaned against a tree, basking in the sun, looking lazy.
A faint, ethereal mist drifted around him, and he held the Lantern of Rigg, swinging it back and forth.
"He's just accelerating the process, bringing that day closer… He's a bit impatient to see what I'll do after becoming Chairman, what changes I'll bring to the Association… Most importantly, how I'll kill him."
Oboro chuckled.
"Because if I can't kill him… it would mean he broke my move, and he could then run amok and be disgusting without restraint."
Menchi frowned. "You mean he already has a plan to deal with you?"
"Who? Beyond?"
Vante joined the conversation.
As teammates, they now understood the conflict between Oboro, Pariston, and Beyond.
Judging by the reinforcements around Pariston, the only one capable of stopping Oboro was Beyond.
But even then, his safety wasn't guaranteed 100%.
"Could it be Ging Freecss? Captain, didn't you say… he and Ging also have conflicts due to differing ideologies?" Anthony added.
"No… from what I understand, Pariston and Ging don't get along either, so it's unlikely they would make an enemy of the Captain for the latter's sake."
Menchi shook her head.
Rita and Gabvich couldn't join the conversation; they were completely clueless about the complex factions and power struggles within the Association.
"If the Chairman really dies… based on Pariston's current cards, his effective counterattack would be minimal… He should know the Captain's level," Vante said solemnly.
"A person's strength has many aspects. Killing or dealing with someone isn't as difficult as you might imagine… Like Netero, who stood at the pinnacle of the human world, wasn't he also manipulated? The key is intelligence, knowing how to leverage influence and plan… and most importantly, seeing through the target. Having a clear judgment of the target's personality and predicting their actions."
"After the Ant King was born, if Netero hadn't intervened and had left the mess for V5, he wouldn't have died… Pariston and Beyond were precisely betting on the old man intervening personally, and that's exactly what happened."
"No matter what Pariston wants to do, the prerequisite… is that he believes he has figured me out completely."
"And leveraging influence isn't just about finding someone to help, or a country…"
"Then what else?"
Menchi continued.
"What could threaten me? Just like dealing with Netero, there was originally no factor in the human world that could endanger the old man. So, they simply created one… Because with their methods, they couldn't leverage V5 or Kakin. Kakin and Beyond were merely cooperating, and based on their pursuit of the Dark Continent, they wouldn't meddle in extraneous matters."
"But I'm different from Netero…"
"Are you saying Kakin and V5 are working together?"
Menchi exclaimed in surprise.
"They don't have that kind of power. Even if they did, it would take a long time to plan and deploy… Besides, if you can think of it, how could I not? Such superficial plans are clear to Pariston, and useless to me… What's truly threatening is often hidden in the shadows."
"Then what else could it be? Captain, stop beating around the bush…"
Anthony sounded a bit anxious.
They were all in the same boat with Oboro now.
Besides top-tier human forces like V5 and Kakin, who else could threaten the Captain?
"It's the 'darkness under the lamp'… it's right before your eyes."
Oboro chuckled.
"Are you talking about… Chimera Ants?"
"He intends to use the Chimera Ants against you?"
Menchi suddenly realized.
"He knows… I will definitely get involved with the Chimera Ant matter. This is the only point he can exploit."
Oboro said calmly. "Pariston is provoking me. He wants to see if I can kill him… But that's after the Chairman election. The Chimera Ant chaos will end before the election, so the timing is off… If I kill him before the election, it would violate my original death threat. In a way, I would be going back on my word, and I would lose… Even if I kill him, this matter will always haunt me. He sacrificed his life, but he won. I'll be left with a lingering unease. That's why this guy is so troublesome…"
"And my involvement with the Chimera Ants, like Netero fighting the Ant King, was inevitable. He sensed my interest in the Chimera Ants. It's definitely not just about the Chairman position. His insight is terrifyingly sharp."
"So… he wants to ensure that after the Chimera Ant incident, I can't kill him… It's not about using the ants to kill me, but more likely, to weaken me, so that I can't touch him afterward."
"This way… I'd be slapping myself in the face."
"I'm also very curious… about what he will do."
As he spoke, Oboro chuckled.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"