Even though Oboro's condition had improved, Beyond wasn't backed into a corner yet. He might still have hidden cards that Oboro did not know about.
If the two of them continued to fight, it would be difficult to predict who would fall.
Suddenly, a group of Nen users approached. Though their numbers weren't large, only a dozen or so, they were enough to be the last straw that would break the camel's back.
Nen abilities were varied by nature, and some special ones were particularly difficult to defend against. In this battle, Oboro had faced Beyond without any overwhelming strength or advantage. He couldn't risk staying.
Before the enemy reinforcements could get close, Oboro commanded his Ghost Shadows to disperse, extending the range of his Ghost Mist to block the enemy's line of sight and weaken their perception.
Now, it would be impossible for Beyond to easily cut through the mist with his sword as he had done in the beginning. After all, he was severely injured, and his other hand hadn't even regained sensation yet.
Bang!
A terrible flash of blade appeared and Oboro dodged it. His figure immediately disappeared into the sea of mist, leaving no trace behind.
A group of Beyond's accomplices quickly jumped into the thick fog and rushed towards the source of the sound, but they were blocked by dense ghosts. Unlike Beyond, these ghostly entities affected their minds, and they couldn't maintain their mental strength, causing their minds to fluctuate and their concentration to waver.
Beyond wanted to give chase, but finally gave up. In this fog, everything would be clearly transmitted to Oboro, and their every move would be exposed to his vision. In this situation, it would be almost impossible to catch him. Besides, Oboro's condition was better than his own.
If they had sent people to surround Oboro from the beginning, they might have had a chance, considering his physical condition. Now it was too late.
After a while, several Nen users arrived at Beyond's position. When they saw his injuries, they were shocked. None of them had expected that Oboro had actually beaten Beyond to such a state!
"Where is he?" one of them asked.
"Gone," Beyond replied in a deep voice.
Meanwhile, the fog had begun to thin, gradually turning back before disappearing completely. Everyone's vision suddenly cleared. Looking around, they realized that they were the only ones present.
One of the assistants deactivated his Hatsu, and the masks on the faces of the other companions shattered one by one. This was an ability used to disguise their identities to avoid being recognized by Oboro.
"Why didn't we just set traps in the area before? That would have bought us some time. Why did we have to bring everyone here?" one person complained, clearly unhappy about Oboro's escape.
They should have been able to successfully deal with the variable of Halo, but unlike Beyond, this move wasn't executed.
"With our abilities, no matter how many traps we set, they would be useless against him. Besides, we're only relatively safe if we're close to the battlefield. If we were too far away, I'm afraid we wouldn't survive." Beyond didn't answer, but another person offered an explanation.
With Beyond around, he could at least hold Oboro back. Otherwise, with their level of skill, they would just be courting death. This person couldn't even use his own Nen ability to pose a threat to Oboro.
"Will he leave the Kakin Empire?" a woman frowned. "The Fells' plan to influence the royal family has undoubtedly failed, will he be willing to accept that?"
"With those kinds of injuries, there's no way to recover in a short time. If it were me, I'd definitely flee first. No one can guarantee whether the royal family will attack him now. If they block the border, it will be difficult to escape even with the support of the gangs.
"Besides, if this matter becomes public, it will have a significant impact on the Fells family" "Don't overthink it. These concerns have nothing to do with us. They're matters for the king to consider."
On the other side, Nasubi, sitting in the palace and drinking from a golden wine cup, received the news from his subordinates. Two maids stood beside him, holding round fans to cool him down.
"Failure," Hui Guo Rou sighed.
His plan had been excellent, using Beyond to lure the Fells family into his camp and follow their arrangements. This would have increased his momentum and power, making V5 restless and allowing him to implement his plans more smoothly.
If that didn't work, they could still kill Oboro and eliminate the threat. Either way, they wouldn't lose, and there would be no need to mobilize a single royal soldier.
Based on his assessment of the Fells' power, even if Kakin won a war against them, the losses would be considerable. As it was, only a prince and a princess had died, and the losses had been kept to a minimum.
However, he hadn't expected Beyond to fail.
The reason he had agreed to join forces with Beyond was because he valued his strength and identity as the president of the Hunters Association, the son of Isaac Netero.
Most importantly, both father and son had returned from the Dark Continent alive. This was a powerful selling point, a foundation for outsiders to believe in the "New Continent.
Only those who had been there could be convincing in what they said. In addition, Beyond could use Netero's name to gain influence.
"This is difficult," Hui Guo Rou stretched out his chubby fingers, tapped his forehead, and fell into deep thought.
"Kill this woman, she's useless now," the king ordered after a moment.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The servant accepted the order and turned to leave.
The one Hui Guo Rou was referring to was his mistress, the Honeypot planted by the Fells family. Nasubi had already known her identity and played along, using her as bait to catch the big fish, Oboro.
Now that the big fish had escaped the hook, the woman had outlived her usefulness.
"Your Majesty, the eldest lord wishes to see you." After pondering for a while, someone came to report.
Oboro's defeat meant that the Fells family hadn't gained any advantage in the Kakin Empire, and Benjamin's intentions were completely exposed to his father. Hui Guo Rou knew without asking why the eldest prince had come, it was nothing more than an explanation.
"Tell him not to worry. This matter has nothing to do with him," Nasubi warned, refusing to see his eldest son.
He rose from the throne and, flanked by two maids, slowly walked away with his hands behind his back.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After leaving the palace grounds, Oboro immediately used teleportation to return to the Fells' residence.
David was horrified when he saw Oboro's condition. It was the first time he had seen him so badly injured. He quickly learned about the situation in the Kakin Empire.
For the first time, their plan, which had always gone smoothly, had suffered a major setback.
Fortunately, Oboro had the ability to leave the Kakin Empire. Otherwise, if the royal family took action, David did not dare to consider the consequences. The Fells themselves didn't have much control over the gangs in Kakin, let alone on someone else's territory.
"The battlefield there is still under the jurisdiction of the palace. Of course, Beyond could send personnel in advance, but we couldn't," Oboro explained as he sat on the sofa in the main hall.
Several medical personnel hovered around him, treating his wounds. Filslily was there, too.
"Should we retire?" the woman in the wheelchair asked quietly. "The Kakin Empire is important to us, but it's not irreplaceable. At present, the family has already reached a certain size and momentum. There's no need to force Kakin. It's too dangerous."
"I was thinking that in the near future, I could use map money to make a move and force V5 to give in," Oboro didn't elaborate.
"The national strength of Kakin is indeed unique among the continents, except for V5. There's no substitute for it, otherwise we could settle for something else," David sighed.
"Let's leave that aside for now," Oboro said calmly. "This king, Hui Guo Rou, is indeed cunning and cruel."
"But the life of the eldest prince, Benjamin, is still in my hands. I want to see what choice he makes."