In the room of the eldest prince Benjamin.
King Nasubi stood in front of the bed, his face expressionless as he gazed at his son. Benjamin looked like a completely different person than he had been just months ago. The once-powerful eldest prince now lay in a coma, capable of remaining conscious for only three hours out of every twenty-four.
According to the medical experts, Benjamin had approximately half a month left to live.
"Come out I know you're there," Nasubi said softly, as though speaking to someone invisible in the room.
"Don't you always want to talk to me in person?"
Besides the King and his bedridden son, only a few private soldiers stood guard in the chamber. A heavy silence filled the air with no response to the King's words.
After waiting a full minute, a strange phenomenon manifested. Wisps of faint green smoke began to emanate from Benjamin's tube-riddled body. Gradually, a soul emerged and floated above him, hovering in the air.
The blurry ghost face looked down at the fat, composed ruler of Kakin. Then, the apparition trembled and uttered in a vague voice, "I thought you could really be patient and abandon your son."
The faces of the private soldiers standing nearby changed subtly when they recognized this familiar ghost it was Oboro.
Nasubi remained silent, his expression unreadable.
"He has good potential right?" the ghost continued.
"If he could stand out from the Succession War ceremony, he might become an outstanding national leader in the future. Compared with your other sons, he is truly capable of elevating Kakin to greater heights." The ghost floated before Nasubi, swaying back and forth.
The scene made the private soldiers particularly nervous, their hands instinctively moving closer to their weapons.
"Tell me your conditions," Nasubi said, showing no fear whatsoever. He acted as if the ghost before him posed no threat of harm or attack.
"You don't need me to give you official qualifications, right? After all, you can manage that with your ability. It's just that I can't convince V5" the ghost replied.
Nasubi remained calm and composed. "Smuggling and following the formal process are two entirely different things. Even if you return alive from the Dark Continent while minimizing negative consequences, V5 will target and restrict you the moment you return to the human world. A second expedition would be virtually impossible."
"So, our plan for the imaginary new world benefits you as well," Nasubi continued. "I can offer you a qualification to board my ship and enjoy the same privileges as the royal family. Of course, all this presumes our cooperation As for the royal regime, you'd better not interfere. We can work together. Moreover, once the new world is successfully established, as one of the pioneers, you can leverage the power of the Fells family to claim the first rewards. No matter how you look at it you won't lose."
"Hehehe" The ghost smiled knowingly. "Not ordinary Your performance proves that every king who passes the Succession War ritual is exceptional. This system truly strengthens Kakin making it twice as difficult for external forces to undermine your country's foundation."
Hearing Oboro's words, Nasubi smiled, clearly pleased with the praise.
"However," the ghost continued, its tone sharpening, "you can hide it from V5, but not from me. You understand the horrors of the Dark Continent better than anyone. Kakin doesn't actually want to explore the Dark Continent at all. You merely want to find islands near it and convince those immigrants they've reached the so-called Dark Continent creating an imaginary new world. Your true purpose is to threaten V5 You've created an opening and taken the lead in occupying a resource transfer station between the Dark Continent and the human world. You know perfectly well this breach will widen over time. If human adventurers want to explore the Dark Continent long-term, they'll need such a staging ground, and that key strategic position will be in your hands"
"Beyond Netero is the one who truly wants to explore the Dark Continent not you."
"Also the true principle of the Succession War ritual is to raise a Gu, isn't it?"
When Oboro whispered these last words into Nasubi's ear, the fat king's smile vanished instantly.
"Using the flesh and blood of other royal family members to nourish the chosen one does it increase the chosen one's qualifications, strength, or talent? Everyone is just fodder to be devoured and absorbed And the chosen one, is it truly the prince or you?"
The room fell into a tense silence.
Nasubi glanced at his private soldiers and waved his hand, signaling them to leave. Though shocked by the incredible information they'd overheard, they quickly filed out one by one when they noticed the king's cold stare.
The conversation between the king and Oboro wasn't meant for their ears. Even the fragments they'd heard could potentially cost them their lives.
"You're so alert. It seems what I suggested is true" the ghost taunted.
Oboro clearly remembered that on the Black Whale in the Dark Continent arc, Nasubi had prepared fourteen coffins. There were fourteen princes participating in the Succession War ceremony, which seemed inconsistent with the ritual's purpose. If the ceremony aimed to select the best heir and thirteen princes died, what about the remaining coffin?
Oboro suspected Nasubi had prepared it for himself, or perhaps for the last prince standing. Once the ceremony selected a successor, that person would invisibly become Kakin's new king which meant Nasubi would die immediately.
Alternatively, Nasubi and the final selected prince might undergo some additional ceremony to compete and determine who was superior.
The survivor would become king. The dead would be placed in coffins.
In other words, the Gu included Nasubi himself.
Fifteen people total. His challenger must first triumph among the princes before earning the right to duel with him.
Oboro had experienced the ritual and felt its power The birth of this ability revolved around a singular will and purpose.
The goal of the Succession War Ritual was to make Kakin strong and invincible.
In this case, the identity of the king didn't matter, as long as that person was the strongest candidate.
Whether Nasubi would kill all his children with his own hands to consolidate power, or be overthrown by the new king everything depended on individual performance.
Of course, the scenario of father and son killing each other might not necessarily occur. Perhaps after the ceremony concluded, a prince would stand out and Nasubi would automatically "disappear."
This possibility seemed relatively small, however.
In the original storyline, Kurapika was one of the protagonists, and the fourteenth prince he protected was likely the ultimate winner. However, the fourteenth prince was just a swaddled infant. If such a young child became the final survivor, how could they rule a country and control all of Kakin?
Perhaps the greatest beneficiary would still be Nasubi himself.
"Is it the ability to absorb your own flesh and blood? You are truly cruel" Oboro sneered.
The eldest prince Benjamin possessed outstanding abilities. Such material If Oboro's theory was correct and Benjamin was being used to raise a Gu, his death would be a waste from Nasubi's perspective. Even if not used for direct absorption, Benjamin would inevitably become nutrients for the ceremonial pot. The power of the beast born from the ritual couldn't manifest from nothing. Having been passed down for generations, it required continuous feeding. No matter how strong the afterlife was, it would gradually erode over time Supplies were essential.
Those eliminated in the ritual served as nutrients to be consumed by the ceremonial beasts
These were the two modes of raising Gu.
"Tell me, I can compromise and try my best to meet your requirements" Nasubi's tone softened.
Though he smiled again, Oboro still caught the flicker of anxiety hidden in his eyes.
"I've destroyed a certain ritual before. No matter how powerful the ritual rules and forces are, they have weaknesses I'm genuinely curious to see if I can destroy the Succession War ritual of your Kakin Empire. This is your country's foundation. If the ritual is nullified, what will become of Kakin?"
Oboro's answer bore little relation to Nasubi's question.
The fourteen princes of the Kakin Empire all possessed distinct personalities In Oboro's eyes, they resembled the seven deadly sins and seven virtues.
The seven deadly sins were vividly embodied in several princes, while the seven virtues were comparatively weaker, though still discernible in others.
Nasubi's complexion finally changed.
With anyone else, he wouldn't take such threats seriously.
But Oboro, as one of the strongest Nen users in the human world, had experience destroying rituals Combined with his background and methods, this forced Nasubi to remain cautious and take the threat seriously.
"I'm no longer interested in playing games with you. Don't you think it's too late to negotiate with me now?"
"Don't even think about reaching the Dark Continent neither you nor him"
"I'll come for you again"
"I've already prepared a banquet for you in Hell"
After delivering these words, the ghost let out a sharp, ferocious roar directly at Nasubi's face.
Then, it flew back into Benjamin's body.
Moments after the apparition vanished, the medical equipment beside the bed emitted a shrill alarm.
The electronic monitor showed Benjamin had no heartbeat
Nasubi's face darkened with a frown, and for the first time he felt fear.
What was he to do?