017 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

It all seemed to be going too smoothly—almost as if things were unfolding according to someone's hidden plan.

...Or maybe I'm just overthinking it. His Royal Highness was born with the courage befitting a king.

Furykov shook his head, brushed away the thoughts crowding his mind, and went down to rest and recover.

...

Meanwhile, Eleventh Prince Fugetsu was in his room.

"How could you go out without permission and ignore your safety?!"

Kacho, who had come to seek refuge, looked furious as he sternly scolded Melody. 

Melody stood silently with her head lowered, but her ears twitched.

Even as Kacho berated her, she subtly tapped her fingers on the bed, sending out Morse code signals—her true message hidden in plain sight. Kacho picked up on it immediately. This had been their quiet form of communication ever since Benjamin had activated his Nen ability, Secret Window, to monitor Kacho.

Kacho wasn't truly angry with Melody. He and Fugetsu were under constant surveillance, so they pretended to be at odds to mislead Benjamin.

It was all thanks to the mysterious man who had warned them that they were under watch. From that point on, every move they made had been calculated and cautious.

And they weren't the only ones. The other lower-ranking princes had adopted similar tactics.

Even Luzurus, who wasn't yet targeted by Benjamin, remained vigilant and engaged Basho in mock conflict.

On the other hand, the side of Marayam—who lacked Ronnel's protection—was much more exposed. However, with Leorio and Hanzo helping him eliminate the soldiers sent to assassinate him, they earned the trust of Queen Sevanti.

Unfortunately, Belerainte, who harbored ulterior motives toward Queen Sevanti, and the captain of her guard were not pleased by the development.

This internal tension sparked a fresh round of power struggles among the Thirteen Princes.

Exactly what Leorio and Hanzo wanted.

So, they played along—raising a ruckus, pretending to clash, acting like children playing house.

All of it served a single purpose: to lower Benjamin's guard and make him dismiss the lower princes as inconsequential. When Tserriednich finally died, Benjamin would focus all his effort on confronting the Ninth Prince, Halkenburg, unaware of the real threat building beneath his nose.

So was it a conspiracy? Maybe. Or maybe just clever maneuvering.

Let's see who has the last laugh.

...

Benjamin's plan was to let the lower princes tear each other apart while he swooped in for the reward. But Halkenburg had different plans.

He began by making peace with Seventh Prince Luzurus, then sent his men to visit Kacho and Momoze's room to negotiate, one by one, in hopes of ending the internal strife.

Halkenburg was trying to unify the younger princes and build a coalition to stand against Benjamin.

It mirrored Benjamin's earlier scheme to eliminate the younger princes and take over their guards—only Halkenburg's methods were far less violent.

Once Benjamin caught wind of this, of course, he wasn't going to let it go unchecked.

So he found ways to interfere, subtly sabotaging Halkenburg's efforts behind the scenes.

A covert tug-of-war began between the two sides—cautious moves, careful countermoves.

...

At the top of the palace, in a dim, sealed chamber, the confrontation played out on a far grimmer stage.

Fourteen coffins sat in silence. Six of them were already sealed shut.

Second Prince Camilla. Third Prince Zhang Lei. Fifth Prince Tubeppa. Sixth Prince Tyson. Eighth Prince Salé-salé.

And now the Fourth Prince—Tserriednich—who had just joined them today.

"It's even more intense—and bizarre—than I expected... Gray."

King Nasubi stood over the dark room, his voice void of emotion.

"So far, only high-ranking princes have died. I thought it'd be the younger ones filling the coffins first—what a joke."

Indeed, every sealed coffin belonged to a high-ranking prince.

His butler, Nugui, bowed lower, his voice restrained: "Yes, Your Majesty. In the end, the throne will come down to a battle between the First and Ninth Princes."

"Really now?" Nasubi muttered, his tone unreadable.

His eyes swept across the room, lingering on Zhang Lei's coffin. The flicker of hatred and disgust that crossed his face was fleeting—but unmistakable.

Had Zhang Lei not participated in the Succession War Egg Ritual, Nasubi would've had him dismembered, not given him the dignity of a coffin.

"What's being done with the princesses' bodies?" he asked.

"As per your orders, everything has been handled discreetly. The Third Princess's remains were properly disposed of."

"Good... Gray."

Nasubi nodded slowly.

Of course, he knew Nugui's definition of "properly" had nothing to do with mercy.

Anyone who embarrassed the king—alive or dead—would meet a cruel end.

"I'm looking forward to seeing which prince survives in the end..."

...

Though Nasubi didn't make another move after Tserriednich's death, many suspected he had something to do with it. He neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

Why bother explaining things to people already doomed to die—even if they were his own children?

Still, it must be said: the younger princes were doing a fantastic job of staging their internal conflict.

The noise, the arguments, the scuffles—all of it seemed perfectly convincing. Even the occasional injuries lent authenticity to the act. Benjamin and the others truly believed the younger princes were at each other's throats.

In reality, the actual damage was negligible.

Thanks to Kurapika's masterful planning—and the teamwork of Basho, Melody, Hanzo, and others—the ruse had succeeded brilliantly.

Benjamin, completely fooled, shifted all his focus toward defeating the Ninth Prince, Halkenburg.

What started as a minor skirmish between the two began escalating, gradually turning from a cold war into an open confrontation.

Of course, with the limited power at their disposal, neither side could do much serious damage.

But with old grudges resurfacing, new enmities forming, and no reason to hold back, both parties dove headfirst into battle—blood boiling, eyes red with fury.

This time, they vow to decide the final victor!!