007 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

Bill stood nearby and explained.

"Of course I know that," Kurapika said solemnly. "What I'm concerned about is that once a prince emerges victorious, the fragile tension holding this war in place will collapse."

He paused.

Bill fell silent as well.

They both understood—once the final winner was decided, the remaining lower-ranked princes would be purged one by one after only the briefest reprieve.

That would mark the beginning of the real war for them.

"There was always going to be a day like this. It just came a little sooner~"

As the two wore heavy expressions, a voice drifted lazily from the back room. It was Ronnel's.

The comment snapped them out of their grim thoughts. They exchanged a glance and let out quiet, helpless smiles.

Yes—there was no avoiding it. The important thing now was to prepare for the clean-up after a victor emerged, not to waste time in anxious silence.

Ronnel, who had spoken so casually, seemed completely unbothered by what came next. In fact, he welcomed the chaos.

Balsamilco's death? That had been his doing, deliberately orchestrated to spark war between the factions of Prince Benjamin and Prince Halkenburg.

The surveillance ability of Secret Window was strong, no doubt. But for someone like Ronnel—armed with multiple abilities—it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

He easily evaded Benjamin's surveillance and took Balsamilco out.

Why start with Balsamilco instead of going after Benjamin, Halkenburg, or the others directly?

The answer lay in the Succession War's pot ceremony—and the matter of the fourteen coffins.

Ronnel wasn't sure what would happen if someone killed a direct bloodline of the Kakin royal family. Would a new king be automatically chosen? Would some kind of curse activate through the ceremony, triggered by the pot and its associated rituals?

Even though Ronnel was now among the strongest in the world, he still held deep respect for the mysterious and terrifying power of Nen.

If the rules of the Succession War worked like Alluka's—binding and absolute—then recklessly killing a royal could trigger some horrible consequence.

So rather than take unnecessary risks, he chose to let the other princes wage war among themselves.

All he needed to do was stay behind the scenes, stir things up a bit, and enjoy the show.

That was enough.

...

Outside...

Ninth Prince Halkenburg and his faction had been relatively uninvolved up to now, so they were caught somewhat off-guard by Benjamin's sudden aggression.

But thanks to a warning from Seventh Prince Luzurus—who'd been tipped off by Ronnel—they weren't completely unprepared.

Halkenburg's response was rushed, but not chaotic.

And so began the most critical battle in the Kakin royal succession war.

...

Five days passed in a blur. It was now time for the third royal dinner.

At the banquet, foreign dignitaries from various countries mingled, sipping wine and chatting with oblivious ease.

These bloated VIPs had no clue about the deadly war raging just outside their glittering halls.

Over the past few days, Prince Benjamin had gone all-in on his campaign to eliminate Halkenburg.

But Halkenburg's side held firm, relying heavily on the Guardian Spirit Beast and other Nen users in their ranks.

The fighting grew fierce. Even neutral zones and unrelated parties—such as the King's Army, the princesses, and even Kakin's Supreme Court—were affected.

All gone now.

Multiple Nen abilities had emerged in this period, giving Ronnel plenty of material to observe and record.

The battle raged fiercely. It wasn't over quickly, but as time dragged on, the balance began to tip.

Though Benjamin's side pushed back hard, Halkenburg's coalition—bolstered by the soul-guided arrows—proved difficult to suppress.

And while both factions had been forced into action earlier than expected, Halkenburg's forces adapted quickly.

Thanks to the Fifth Prince Tubeppa's Guardian Spirit Beast, they produced numerous emergency combat drugs—offensive, defensive, healing, poisonous, explosive...

These concoctions took a heavy toll on Benjamin's troops.

Moreover, in several key confrontations, Halkenburg's side seemed to anticipate moves before they happened—nullifying surprise attacks and even turning traps against their original users.

Later, Benjamin would learn that Fourth Prince Tserriednich had mastered a future-reading type of Nen—likely the reason his plans had been falling apart.

He was furious. If he could've ripped Tserriednich apart with his own hands, he would have.

...

Benjamin's army was battered. Loyal subordinates fell one after another.

Though he inherited their abilities via Benjamin Baton, that wasn't enough to reverse his losses.

Just as Halkenburg's forces were preparing to deliver the finishing blow—

Something unexpected happened.

In his desperation, Benjamin triggered the ability of his Guardian Spirit Beast.

It could be activated in times of crisis, exerting control over a certain area for a short time, enforcing dominance according to the user's will.

The cooldown period afterward was long, making it a last-resort move—but it was enough to turn the tide.

The results were devastating.

Ninety percent of Halkenburg's forces were wiped out instantly.

Halkenburg barely escaped, protected by a Guardian Beast and the tenacious efforts of the few surviving Nen users.

The Fourth and Fifth Princes also suffered heavy casualties, though not personally harmed.

Only Luzurus had the foresight to flee early. His faction took losses, but retained most of its strength.

Most crucially, none of the major princes—Halkenburg, Tserriednich, Tubeppa—were eliminated in the blast.

...

The cost of Benjamin's desperate counterattack was immense.

His forces were decimated. Only a few key soldiers like Furykov remained by his side.

He was close to becoming a true lone wolf.

But in the world of Nen, even a cornered beast can still be deadly.

And the game was far from over.