Chapter 186: The First Sacrifice
Looking at Shikaku lying in a pool of blood, Belerainte subconsciously swallowed. The aura this man gave him was something he had only ever felt from one person before.
Even though he had heard numerous rumors about this man—the fastest to become a One-Star Hunter, the fastest to become a Two-Star Hunter, a hero who fought alongside the Chairman in the Chimera Ant war and saved humanity—no amount of imagination could have prepared him for Mord's overwhelming presence. He had only ever thought of Mord as a highly skilled genius Hunter.
No wonder Pariston had specifically emphasized this man's existence before their departure.
A drop of sweat trickled down Belerainte's forehead. He knew that any misstep in what followed would lead him to the same fate as Shikaku and the others.
"What mission did Pariston assign you?" Mord asked.
Belerainte replied truthfully, "To participate in Beyond's rescue operation once the Black Whale reaches the hypothetical continent."
Nearly all the Association-affiliated Hunters on board had received this order.
Because of this, Mord believed it wasn't the real moment Pariston and his allies had chosen to act.
Pariston and Beyond had planned everything meticulously, but they made one critical miscalculation: they severely underestimated King Hui Guo Rou of the Kakin Kingdom.
The "200,000 elites" King Hui Guo Rou spoke of included Beyond as well.
Meanwhile, in the most central part of the Black Whale...
A fat man lay quietly in a coffin—the Eighth Prince, Luzurus.
Standing outside the coffin were the current King of Kakin, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, and his steward.
They gazed at the Eighth Prince's remains.
The steward spoke first, "I offer my endless condolences for the Eighth Prince's passing."
Yet, as the prince's father, King Hui Guo Rou showed no trace of sorrow on his face. Instead, he appeared cold and detached. After a moment of silence, he said, "There is no need for grief. He shall become the foundation of the Kakin Great Tree, breathing with more vigor than he ever did in life."
As Hui Guo Rou spoke, a flame ignited before the Eighth Prince's coffin, bursting into brilliant light.
Hui Guo Rou watched the flame and continued, "Luzurus... he still lives."
Pulling back the perspective...
The entire room where Hui Guo Rou and the others stood was revealed to be engraved with eerie, mystical patterns on the floor.
Within these patterns, fourteen coffins were arranged in a specific formation, encircling a mysterious entity at the center.
Before each coffin stood a lamp.
At that moment, only one lamp was lit—the one corresponding to the Eighth Prince's coffin.
Rewinding the timeline slightly...
Among all the princes, the Eighth Prince was the most peculiar.
He was utterly different from his siblings. While the other princes busied themselves with various activities meaningful to the Succession War...
He never even left his bed!
His Guardian Spirit Beast was equally bizarre upon closer inspection. It resembled a floating gas bomb, but was horrifyingly adorned with countless mouths.
When those mouths opened, they emitted a "pfft-shuu" sound and spewed white flames.
It was during this time that the guards gathered around Momoze to learn Nen Ability.
The Eighth Prince was still engaged in intimate activities with his female companions on the bed. The room was filled with a mixture of perfume and another indescribable scent.
He completely ignored the two guards—a feat few ordinary people could achieve.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already fallen into an extremely dangerous situation.
One of the two guards stationed before his bed was Rihan, a private soldier sent by the First Prince.
With his back turned to the Eighth Prince, Rihan silently analyzed the abilities of the prince's Thought Beast.
"The Guardian Spirit Beast of the Eighth Prince, Luzurus, belongs to the Manipulation type... It's a diffusive, induced ability. Although its coercive power is weak, it can control a large number of people. The intermittent white smoke it emits likely increases favorability toward the prince when inhaled."
"The prince's level of excitement determines the volume of smoke and its range of influence. Under normal circumstances, the average radius of effect is seven meters. If someone inhales a certain amount of smoke, a manifestation of the Guardian Spirit Beast will appear above the believer's head."If these people spend time with others, they will create new avatars on them."
A glint of sharp insight flashed in Rihan's eyes.
"In other words, these women have become carriers, spreading favorability for the prince like bacteria!"
It must be said that the private soldiers under the First Prince were exceptional, both in individual strength and overall capability.
Rihan continued his analysis inwardly.
"The purposes of multiplying the Thought Beast can generally be divided into three categories: first, increasing the number of controllable companions; second, harming and reducing enemies; and third, gathering something. Enhancing the user or the Thought Beast's own power is usually only one of these."
"The Eighth Prince's nature is to pursue a harem, so the hypothesis is likely correct. Moreover, it took only about half a day for the doppelganger to appear on these women."
In a remarkably short time, Rihan had nearly fully deciphered the abilities of the Eighth Prince's Thought Beast.
Typically, one analyzes an opponent's abilities to devise preventive measures and counterstrategies accordingly.
Rihan accomplished this perfectly; even while guarding the Eighth Prince's room, he hadn't inhaled a single wisp of the white smoke.
But his goals extended beyond that.
Rihan glanced at the other guard beside him.
"Kanjidol, who shares the same 16-hour guard shift with me, has been inhaling the floating smoke almost without any defense. As a guard for the Third Consort, Kanjidol, whose loyalty to the Eighth Prince is nearly zero, how long will it take for a clone to appear above his head?"
"Once I confirm this information, I can activate Predator! If my ability is effective against Guardian Spirit Beasts as well, it will surely make a significant contribution to the First Prince's victory!"
Predator A Materialization-type ability. After the user sets a target and activates Hatsu, a "Predator" begins to nurture within the user's body.
The more accurately the user analyzes and understands the target's abilities, the easier it is to breed a predator that surpasses the target's capabilities—essentially, a natural enemy. Since its power depends on the user's "accuracy in predicting the target's abilities while they are still unknown," this ability has little effect against straightforward attacks like those of Enhancement or Emission types.
Rihan waited patiently. He was, after all, an excellent hunter who understood the importance of waiting.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The private soldier belonging to the Third Princess suddenly began uttering inexplicable words.
"This is just my personal opinion. While it's true that heroes have always favored beauties, someone like the Eighth Prince—overflowing with vitality—is truly the better choice."
"Of course, the First Prince is currently the closest to the throne. Yet I still believe someone like the Eighth Prince is more suited to be king."
As he spoke, a Hatsu clone of the Eighth Prince's Guardian Spirit Beast materialized above his head.
Witnessing this, Rihan nodded in understanding.
He slowly raised both hands.
"Prey target locked: the Eighth Prince's Guardian Spirit Beast. Predator, activate!"