019 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

At present, the antidote prepared by Ronnel and Basho had shown promising early results.

"Yeah, I just got word from Kurapika. On top of his injuries, Benjamin's aura and Nen reserves are almost completely drained. He really needs time to recover."

Basho, chewing on a toothpick as always, answered with a faint smile.

"Hahaha, who would've thought Benjamin would ever take time off to recuperate~"

Luzurus smacked his lips—somewhere between a sigh and a sneer.

"So," he asked, "his Secret Window ability can't be used right now?"

Ronnel had already uncovered the details of Benjamin's Nen ability, so Luzurus had a rough idea of how it worked.

"Mm~" Basho nodded. "He doesn't have the energy—or the nerve—to keep monitoring people anymore."

"That's perfect."

Luzurus's eyes lit up with a dangerous glint.

"He wants to sit back and enjoy peace? Not on my watch."

"Kurapika told me that since I helped him out before, he's willing to return the favor now," Basho added, still smiling.

"And the rest of my team's on board, too. We've had enough of this bloody war."

Luzurus didn't need to hear more. With a sharp nod, he decided to entrust the final sniper operation to Basho.

Basho responded with a firm nod of his own. He wouldn't let them down.

Sometimes, a shared understanding speaks louder than words.

Basho moved fast. With authorization from Luzurus, he immediately got in touch with Kurapika and the others.

Ten minutes later, his group—Kurapika, Hanzo, Leorio—stood assembled at the entrance to Room 1007.

They'd known a moment like this would come, ever since the final battle between Benjamin and Halkenburg ended with a victor.

So they'd prepared. The moment Basho summoned them, they came without hesitation.

Alongside them were Vincent, Babimyna, Sakata, Hashito, and others who were still under Ronnel's control via his Little Eye ability.

Last time, when Kurapika sniped at the Fourth Prince, he deliberately held back—saving his full power for this exact scenario against Benjamin.

Now, they were among the few remaining retainers capable of forming a fighting force.

The final act of the Kakin royal succession war was about to be led... by a group of outsiders.

A bitter irony, to be sure.

When the team met, they exchanged serious glances but said nothing.

Without a word, they turned and walked toward the Room 1001 sector.

Standing guard at the entrance was none other than Furykov, Benjamin's loyal supporter, still patrolling the area.

...

At that moment, in the dim chamber on the top floor—

"As expected, His Highness the Eldest Prince still had the upper hand. But isn't it too late for the Ninth Prince to change course now?"

Watching the rise and fall of both princes, and Halkenburg's gradual transformation along the way, Chief Steward Nugui couldn't help but sigh.

It was a shame. Halkenburg reminded him so much of His Majesty—Nasubi—when he was younger.

Not just in appearance, but in spirit and ambition.

He still remembered when Nasubi darkened—when he changed—during the last Succession War. Back then, he walked over the corpses of other princes to claim the throne.

"All of this is their fate, Hui~"

Nasubi—still cold and unreadable—spoke with calm detachment.

He stood before Halkenburg's body, now laid to rest in a coffin. Though Benjamin had nearly destroyed him, his corpse appeared whole again. His face was serene, at peace.

"Benjamin's arrogance and carelessness will mark the beginning of his downfall."

"...Downfall?" Nugui blinked in confusion.

"Do you really think my children are easy to deal with?" Nasubi said slowly. "He's retreating now, clinging to a false sense of victory. It's blinded him."

"Your Majesty, are you referring to... the Seventh Prince?"

"Not just him. There are others—those lower-ranking princes who aren't ready to die quietly. I know better than anyone what desperate men are capable of when cornered."

Nasubi's voice slowed, as if lost in memory.

"...The last Succession War?"

Nugui's voice trembled slightly. Nasubi's reaction had triggered memories of the previous war—the one that crowned him king.

That bloody battle took place not on the Black Whale's tiny first floor, but within the grand halls of the Zhenlin Pavilion—deep inside Kakin's palace.

It was far more spacious than the Black Whale, giving the princes freedom to unleash every twisted strategy they had.

And the previous king had nearly as many children as Nasubi. Ten princes fought for the throne.

In the end, Nasubi emerged victorious—ushering in a new golden age for the Kakin Empire and lifting it to global power.

Nugui had been there too. He followed Nasubi during the last Succession War and remained with him ever since.

Though Nugui's role was largely administrative—handling logistics and keeping the palace stable—he had still witnessed every bloodstained step.

He knew just how hard Nasubi had fought to win.

And he knew... Nasubi had once been a low-ranking prince himself.

Just like Halkenburg.

Just like him.

"...Let's go."

Nasubi's voice pulled Nugui from his thoughts.

"Where to, Your Majesty?"

"To retrieve Benjamin's body. His remains... or what's left of them."

"The corpse... the corpse of the Eldest Prince?!"

...