036 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

"There's always a price to pay."

Boom!

Just as Ronnel finished speaking, the chair beneath Nasubi's seat exploded into splinters, shards of wood scattering across the room.

Nasubi himself stood tall, shrouded in aura, his expression cold and resolute.

"I'm not letting you walk away from this... Ronnel."

His voice was low, like a threat etched in ice. Then he dropped into a fighting stance.

"So, you really want to take this to the bitter end," Ronnel said with a faint shake of his head. "If you refuse to choose... then I'll choose for you."

With that, he slipped the Resentment Infection Potion capsule into his system space, leaving only the [Little Eye]—the Nen-activated orb he had obtained from Sayird—glowing softly in his left hand.

Nasubi's eyes narrowed.

He didn't hesitate. Slamming his foot down, he lunged forward, aura flaring, aiming a crushing blow straight at Ronnel's head.

His right fist was wrapped in lethal intent, aiming to end it in one strike.

But...

"It's useless."

Ronnel's voice was calm as he casually shifted his body to the side, narrowly dodging the punch.

In the same motion, he raised his left hand—then, like a flicker of light, the [Little Eye] orb entered Nasubi's body before he could react.

His massive frame, once an imposing force, became his own undoing.

With a dull thud, Nasubi collapsed to the floor.

But he wasn't down for long. His body convulsed, then steadied as he slowly stood again—now under the influence of Ronnel's ability.

In the same room, the unconscious butler Nugui still lay on the ground.

Ronnel let out a quiet breath.

"Finally... it's over."

The simple room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by Ronnel's soft voice, as if signaling the end of a long, suffocating chapter.

With Nasubi under control, the rest of the succession battle went by without resistance.

Luzurus and the others soon received confirmation from Ronnel that everything had been resolved—and that there were no more obstacles.

After verifying through every channel that Nasubi no longer had any interest in the throne, everyone finally let go of the tension weighing on their chests.

Especially when an official letter, bearing the Kakin royal seal, was sent from Nasubi's room by Nugui. It formally declared that Nasubi would no longer intervene in succession matters, and that the outcome would be left entirely in the hands of the princes.

Luzurus and the others, familiar with Nasubi's character, knew at once the declaration was genuine.

He was really out of the succession war.

...

"Who is that guy?"

Luzurus popped open a bottle of champagne in celebration, clinking glasses with Basho.

"He even managed to handle my father," he said with a mix of awe and disbelief.

"The world's full of strange folks," Basho replied, smiling. "Don't forget, even Chairman Netero spent decades in the mountains before stepping into the limelight."

"With all this Dark Continent talk, it's no surprise more hidden monsters are showing up."

His eyes gleamed with excitement. "That place... it's every Hunter's dream. A true land of legend."

"Good thing I'm not a Hunter. I've got zero interest in any of that~" Luzurus scoffed, but he didn't argue with Basho's theory.

Some recluse, then? Someone with that much power, yet willing to cooperate with Kakin?

Yeah. That must be it.

...

In Room 1011—

"Kacho, once this voyage is over, shall we travel to the Yorbian continent?"

"Sure! I want to buy tons of new clothes!"

"I heard their crab roe buns are amazing. But I prefer fried dumplings..."

Watching Kacho and Fugetsu banter excitedly, their eyes sparkling with dreams of the journey ahead, the sixth queen, Seiko, couldn't help but wipe away tears of joy.

"All of this... it's really going to pass."

Melody, standing nearby, gave her a gentle smile. She quietly excused herself, leaving the warm moment to the family.

...

In the next room—

"Thanks to you, I'm still alive."

Momoze sat on the couch, cradling a cup of hot tea, speaking softly to one of Ronnel's clones.

"Before getting on this ship, I'd already prepared myself to die."

"But you made it through." Clone No. 4 replied evenly. "You survived. That matters."

"...

Momoze nodded, staring down at the tea in her hands.

Her reflection trembled in the cup. Her fingers curled tightly around it as if clinging to something.

Then, finally, she raised her head.

"Sir... what are your plans for the rest of the succession war?"

"Me? Plans?" Clone No. 4 blinked, then caught the subtle fire in her gaze. His smile curved faintly.

"I think you already know—I'm just a clone. Once the mission's complete, I'll disappear."

"I know." Momoze's voice didn't waver. "But I also know this: even if it's a clone, the body, mind, and will are all the same. So what I see right now... is still you."

"You're sharp," Ronnel admitted, raising an eyebrow. "You were the first low-ranking prince to understand what was really going on."

With no more reason to hide it, Clone No. 4 dissolved his disguise and returned to Ronnel's original form.

Momoze's eyes widened in awe as she took in his true appearance.

"My focus now is on the Dark Continent," Ronnel said, his tone direct. "Everything else... doesn't matter much to me anymore."