010 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

When the time came, overwhelming and suppressing the enemy would be no problem at all.

That's why Halkenburg was determined to obtain this power, and he made a decisive move to draw it to his side.

Benjamin, proud and unyielding, would never stoop to coveting another's power—but neither would he sit around waiting to die.

He knew full well: if Halkenburg succeeded in absorbing Tyson's abilities, the balance of power would shift dramatically. Benjamin would fall behind once again.

He couldn't afford to let Prince Tyson's power fall into someone else's hands.

So, this time, Ronnel didn't need to act personally. With the support of Tubeppa and others, both sides surrounded Tyson's protective forces, and the battle began anew.

But this time, they were much more cautious—dragging the Seventh Prince, Luzurus, into the fray as well. Their aim was to exhaust his strength completely.

After discussing the situation with Ronnel, Luzurus gave his silent consent.

The succession war had reached a point where it was no longer governed by individual will.

To gain, one must first give something up. If he didn't cut his strength and commit most of his forces, the two major factions would attack him first—eliminating the strongest prince remaining after Tyson's fall.

So, Luzurus deployed all the Nen users he had gathered under his command—except Basho and Clone No. 2—to join the fray.

...

The battle this time was smaller in scale, as neither side had fully recovered their strength.

But its brutality remained unchanged.

Both sides were still focused on draining Luzurus's forces, so the clash was as bloody as ever.

Thus, the gunpowder-less war erupted once again.

Three days passed in a blur.

Both sides suffered casualties during this time—Luzurus's side the most.

The guards formerly under Tyson were split between the two factions.

Once they regained consciousness, they understood the reality: they had become entangled in this brutal succession war and could no longer remain neutral.

To survive, they had to choose a side.

After speaking with Kurapika, Izunavi decided to align with Halkenburg, hoping this would bring him closer to Kurapika's target—the Fourth Prince, Tserriednich.

As for Clone No. 1, stationed with Tyson, his mission was considered complete. While everyone assumed he had perished in battle, he quietly faded from the world and returned to Ronnel's side.

The rest of Tyson's guards made their own choices.

Despite Benjamin seemingly being at a disadvantage, many guards still opted to serve under him.

Benjamin himself disdained actively recruiting others, but he wouldn't refuse those who approached him—especially now, at such a critical moment.

And so, both sides gained fresh blood, while Luzurus's forces were weakened.

At this point, the war could've paused, satisfying the needs of many factions.

But then, an unexpected turn—

...

Just when everyone expected a temporary ceasefire, the Fourth Prince, Tserriednich, suddenly launched an all-out attack!

His target wasn't Benjamin, or Halkenburg, or Luzurus—but his long-standing ally, Tubeppa!

Conceited and deranged, Tserriednich didn't see anyone as a true ally. In his mind, no one was even worthy of being called one.

Their previous alliance had been nothing more than a façade—he had been scheming all along.

[Inhuman Things]!

That was the power of his guardian Nen beast— the human-faced horse—capable of using Nen to transform people into monstrous creatures.

Anyone who lied to Tserriednich a certain number of times would be turned into one of these inhuman things.

These "inhuman things" were like enhanced monsters—physically superior to ordinary Nen users in every way.

Twisted as he was, Tserriednich had spent this time transforming most of his subordinates into these grotesque beings.

Even Theta—the one who taught him Nen—was not spared.

Deceit and attempted assassination were unforgivable. And Theta was a Nen user, after all. Tserriednich wanted to see the difference in power between transforming a Nen user and an ordinary person.

...

After testing the power of the [Inhuman Things], and understanding their potential, Tserriednich seized this chance—while everyone was depleted after two battles—and launched a swift, decisive assault.

His first target? His detested "ally," Tubeppa.

Having pretended to ally with her for some time, Tserriednich had gathered detailed intelligence. He knew that her Toad-type Nen beast only served a supportive role, distributing medicine, with no offensive capability whatsoever.

So, he unleashed his [Inhuman Things] legion and launched a surprise attack against the defenseless Fifth Prince.

Caught off guard, and powerless to stop it, Tubeppa was killed almost instantly—Tserriednich's beasts suffered almost no losses.

And with the help of his high-heeled, human-faced horse Nen beast, he absorbed and converted many of Tubeppa's surviving guards into more [Inhuman Things].

His army grew stronger than ever.

Before Halkenburg and Benjamin could even respond, Tserriednich had already risen as the most powerful prince of all.

"I am the strongest! I am the king by birth! The rest of you trash should just die!!"

The Fourth Prince Tserriednich, now more powerful than ever, laughed maniacally in his room.

His arrogance was completely unrestrained. His crazed proclamations echoed through the palace, reaching the ears of every prince.

"Tserriednich, that rabid dog… That trash!!"

Upon hearing the news, Benjamin's expression turned so dark it seemed like he might cry.