"Second, according to the intel Holl sent over, that Guzman you've been keeping an eye on seems to have already wormed his way into the upper circles of the V5 nations—especially Kakin."
Tsubone frowned slightly. "Holl says he personally saw him at Crown Prince Benjamin Hui Guo Rou's birthday banquet in the Kakin Empire. The two of them were getting along very well. Their relationship didn't look simple."
Kakin… the Three Sacred Treasures… the Seed Urn Ceremony…
Roy finished the last bite of steak on his plate and, through their shared vision, calmly glanced at the red-haired man emerging from the end of the street, hands in his pockets, strolling toward the church.
A man with a distinctly military air, a stern and rugged face, and behind him a bizarre Nen beast covered in countless compound eyes, almost like a fly—his ability, Those Who Inherit The Stars, let him completely inherit the Nen abilities of dead subordinates and grow without limit. Thinking of that, Roy couldn't help connecting it to the path of faith.
To acquisition.
To deprivation.
"You're late. He's already here."
"Who?"
Roy lazily pulled out a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Didn't you just say?"
"That…"
"Hisoka Morow."
Tsubone's expression sharpened. She turned to glance out the window. Night had deepened. The moon cast a sly silver glow over the darkness, with a few stars scattered across it.
Meteor City.
In the courtyard cleared in front of the pale church, Kastro stood under the moonlight, staring at the far end of the street. His eyes narrowed, and his whole body tensed.
"A Nen user?"
"And not an ordinary one…"
"Young Master told me to fall back… which means this person didn't come with good intentions!"
His aura nodes trembled. Nen surged inside him, ready to erupt. Without turning around, Kastro said, "Young Master, please forgive me for being willful this once. I want to test him too."
[Believer: Kastro]
[Loyalty overflowing]
[Physique: 757]
[Manifest aura: C (35,741 / 100,000)]
[Potential aura: B (740,000 / 1,000,000)]
[Progress in the Four Major Principles: Ten and Zetsu mastered… Ren in progress…]
[Evaluation: C-: elite ant squad leader level. Once his Nen ability is developed, he may be able to fight a Squadron Leader.]
Roy's clone, Taiyi, held a scripture in his hand. His hair, once black, now looked silvered by wind and frost. He quietly murmured, "Praise the Sun."
Then he swept a cold glance at Hisoka, who had already stepped into the courtyard. A red gleam flashed in his eyes, cutting through all disguises and falsehoods.
[Hisoka Morow]
[Physique: 1357]
[Manifest aura: C+ (95,741 / 100,000)]
[Potential aura: B+ (150,000 / 1,000,000)]
[Current state: abnormal (note: faint traces of "faith power" detected on him; likely a Blessing)]
Roy's gaze shifted to the transparent owl perched on Hisoka's shoulder. The Monster Index slowly unfolded.
[Identified as a B-rank magical beast… a projected fragment of a Champion Owl attached to him…]
[Innate Nen ability: "Frameless Vision" — can gather dynamic visual information in a full 360-degree range and relay the "true image" back to its host.]
A dark gleam surfaced in Roy's deep-set eyes. In the next instant, he looked straight through that owl's round pupils and into the depths of distant space…
Kakin Empire. Royal Palace. Inside a magnificent hall.
A stern-faced man in full military dress sat high above, with seven private soldiers lined up on each side. Beside him stood a green-haired man explaining something. The prince's expression didn't change, but at one point he raised a brow and met the silver-haired boy's gaze through the giant screen in front of him.
Then Guzman chuckled.
"I told you, Your Highness. That man is extraordinary."
"So he noticed us this quickly. Looks like I won the bet."
A chest of money was casually tossed at Guzman's feet. Crown Prince Benjamin Hui Guo Rou waved a hand as if it were nothing.
Green hair swaying slightly, Guzman didn't even glance at the box. He smiled and said, "I only made that wager to prove one thing to you, Your Highness—that Roy Zoldyck is no ordinary person. At the very least…"
He shot a disdainful glance at the private soldiers arranged on both sides of Benjamin.
"…he's stronger than all this trash put together, which makes him ideal nourishment for Your Highness."
At that, fourteen pairs of eyes turned on him like blades.
Benjamin's private soldiers—some glaring, some narrowing their eyes, some clenching fists, some already holding their hands in hidden knife shapes inside their sleeves—waited in silence.
Then Benjamin turned his head and looked at Guzman. "And then?"
"You provoke the Zoldycks, and they hunt you for the rest of your life?"
"That is exactly my point," an older man stepped forward and answered before Guzman could. He looked to be in his forties, the longest-serving among Benjamin's men, practically the one who had watched him grow up. Formerly a soldier who had risen through every military rank from squad to brigade, he now stood at the head of Benjamin's private force.
He narrowed his eyes at Guzman and snorted. "I refuse to believe some underaged brat can really be that strong. But your so-called True Faith Church…"
The veteran's tone turned colder. "You've been making contact not just with His Highness, but with Morena, Xi-Yu, Mimbo, Kukan'yu, and other V5 powers too. So let me ask in His Highness's place—what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Kill people," Guzman answered simply and bluntly.
"Kill every last Zoldyck."
"For that, we're willing to gather the strength of the entire world."
"Ridiculous!"
The great hall instantly fell silent. Then, led by the veteran, several private soldiers stepped out and knelt on one knee with a hand over their chests.
"Your Highness, I, Grant—"
"I, Gasbo—"
"I, Colin—"
"—request that this absurd cultist be driven from the palace at once, and that the True Faith Church be forbidden from preaching in Kakin!"
Benjamin Hui Guo Rou sat high on his throne, looking down at the one person still standing—Guzman—and said, "And you? What do you say?"
Guzman didn't flinch. A cold smirk crept onto his lips. "I stand by what I said."
The old brigade commander couldn't hold back anymore. He lifted his head and glared at Guzman.
"What do you think Kakin is? However powerful one family might be, do you really think it can stand against an entire nation?"
"Guzman, don't forget—no matter how strong a human is, they still can't survive a direct hit from a nuke!"
There was a real difference between ordinary people and Nen users. The strength of Nen was something most people couldn't even imagine. But before the power of a state, even Meruem had fallen to the Poor Man's Rose, let alone anyone else.
And yet… some things, some beings, some disasters simply couldn't be measured by common sense.
The Five Great Calamities, for example.
The Wish Granter.
Or demigods.
Or… gods.
"You fool."
Guzman didn't even bother looking at the old commander anymore. He straightened his back and addressed Benjamin directly.
"A nuclear weapon is not omnipotent either. Whether or not humanity can truly endure that level of existence… Your Highness, I believe you should know better than anyone."
Benjamin Hui Guo Rou fell silent.
Seeing him tap the armrest without speaking, even the old commander and the others swallowed back their rebuttals. Something about his silence felt wrong.
After a while, Benjamin asked, "You're saying Roy Zoldyck has the potential to surpass Netero and become an A-rank powerhouse?"
Guzman narrowed his eyes at the image on the screen—Hisoka standing in the church courtyard, facing Kastro, while beyond him, inside the main hall, the silver-haired priest quietly handled a wooden box.
Instead of answering directly, Guzman said, "I can't guarantee whether Roy truly has that level of potential. But Hisoka's strength…"
"Your Highness has seen it with your own eyes."
Guzman shot another contemptuous glance at the old commander and the others.
Back then, in this very hall, Hisoka had defeated all of them by himself. Even now, no one dared deny that the red-haired boy, now one of the archbishops of the True Faith Church, was terrifyingly strong.
"Then let's watch."
The giant screen floating in the center of the hall rippled.
Meteor City. The courtyard of the pale church.
Deep night. The bright moon hung high overhead, draping both Kastro and Hisoka in a layer of pale moonlight.
Compared to two years ago, Hisoka had grown taller and now looked almost fully adult. His red hair was slicked back, his face painted with star and teardrop marks. He was both beautiful and seductive. His shirt, decorated with playing-card suits, resembled Libery Garcia's in a way—though it was far simpler and clearly made for actual combat.
"Tap… tap…"
His pointed clown shoes stopped in front of Kastro. The magician leaned in with a smile and asked, "May I ask if the Reverend is home?"
As he spoke, he spread his arms and, with a flick, opened a fan of playing cards like an accordion. The razor-sharp Nen coating on them made Kastro's eyes contract—and then his fighting spirit ignited.
"If you want to test me, then test me."
Roy's calm voice drifted into Kastro's ears with the wind. Permission granted.
White hair lifting in the breeze, Kastro released the Ren he was still training, flames faintly visible inside it—the embodiment of Flame Breathing.
"Whether the Reverend is home or not, haven't you already seen?" Kastro stepped forward with his right foot, blocking Hisoka's path.
"Hohoho. Don't misunderstand. I'm here… to confess to the Reverend."
"To confess?" Kastro didn't budge. "It's late. The Reverend needs rest too. If you want confession, come back tomorrow."
"And what if I insist on tonight?" Hisoka's lips curled upward, but before he finished—
A fist carrying fierce wind exploded toward his face.
He tilted his head and slid back with an easy step.
Boom!
Wrapped in flames, Kastro's punch didn't fly like Roy's slashes, but empowered by both Flame Breathing and Nen, it had reached the point of detachment—extending the range and force of his attacks.
It passed by Hisoka's hair and punched straight through the wall behind him, leaving a hole the size of a fist.
A faint scorched smell spread through the air.
Hisoka glanced sideways at the singed ends of his hair and casually extinguished the sparks. Then his narrow crescent eyes lit with something dangerous—and delighted. He flicked a single card at Kastro's throat.
Whirr—
The card, sharpened by Shu, cut through the air, the Joker's red nose almost mocking Kastro as it arrived in an instant.
Kastro's missed punch had already left him exposed, but he immediately sharpened his vision with Gyo. Instead of retreating, he stepped in and threw another rising straight punch, swatting the card away midair and driving his fist toward Hisoka's jaw.
That punch carried traces of Tiger Bite Fist, and traces of Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun. The fusion made it seem as though a tiger wrapped in fire had taken shape in the haze—roaring skyward, jaws open wide as it lunged for Hisoka.
At that, Hisoka's eyes narrowed.
And he smiled—wide, thrilled.
"Hohoho… an Enhancer?"
What a vicious punch. And that peculiar breathing rhythm…
The magician brought both hands together, pulled them apart, and stretched a thin membrane between them. Using the powerful elasticity of Bungee Gum, he caught the flaming tiger around the neck.
But the force still dragged him backward several meters, leaving two long furrows in the church courtyard.
Kakin Empire. Royal Palace.
Inside the magnificent hall, the old brigade commander Grant's pupils reflected Kastro's fusion of Flame Breathing and Tiger Bite Fist. A martial specialist himself, he instantly saw the irregular breathing rhythm.
Combined with the fact that a true Enhancer could draw out 100% of their physique—
"Getting knocked back by that punch…" Grant said quietly. "…was inevitable."
"I see." Benjamin Hui Guo Rou, seated high on the throne, suddenly gave an order. "Find out his name."
One intelligence soldier stepped forward, saluted, and left the hall.
As he passed Guzman, he shot him a glare.
Bathed in green light, Guzman didn't spare him a glance. His eyes were fixed on the screen, flashing with gravity.
"True above…"
Inwardly, he thought:
So in the end… he really did walk the path of faith, just like that traitor Zigg Zoldyck.
~~~
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