013 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

After the alliance between Halkenburg and Luzurus, the situation had turned against them.

Benjamin was racking his brain for a way to turn things around. If this dinner hadn't required the presence of all princes—and if the host hadn't been Nasubi himself—he wouldn't have shown up at all.

Especially when Tserriednich acted like the honored guest, flaunting an air of superiority for everyone to see. Benjamin was so angry that the veins on his forehead pulsed visibly.

Sensing his fury, the surrounding guests instinctively distanced themselves from him.

Though they weren't aware of the details behind Kakin's royal succession war, Tserriednich's drastically different behavior compared to previous banquets—and the unusual reactions from Benjamin and the others—tipped off many guests that something was off.

Even more suspicious was the absence of Fifth Prince Tubeppa and Sixth Prince Tyson, supposedly due to "illness."

And then there were the Second, Third, and Eighth Princes—who had vanished completely.

Anyone with half a brain could tell something was wrong.

Still, what did that matter to them?

The food and wine were exquisite. Why let curiosity get in the way of indulgence?

This was an internal matter of the Kakin royal family. It had nothing to do with noble guests like them.

So, they chose to eat, drink, and keep smiling.

...

Halkenburg and Luzurus were clearly out of place in this false cheer. The two stood off to the side, quietly discussing what to do next.

"Do you have a plan?" Halkenburg asked.

After some back-and-forth, he noticed the strange look on Luzurus's face—almost amused. That piqued Hal's curiosity.

None of the remaining high-ranking princes were fools.

For Luzurus to wear such an expression in this situation meant he was hiding something.

"Relax," Luzurus said with a smirk. "That lunatic Tserriednich won't be dancing around much longer."

"Oh?" Halkenburg raised a brow. "Why's that?"

"Didn't you see Father's face?"

"Father? He didn't say anything, but... yeah, he did glance at Tserriednich a little too long."

"Exactly~" Luzurus said, taking a sip of wine. "He's already getting out of line and the throne isn't even his yet. Don't you think Father will take measures to restore some balance?"

"Measures? Checks and balances?"

Hal frowned, then shook his head.

"I don't think so. Remember? Even after I tried to assassinate him, he didn't punish me."

"That was then~" Luzurus said with a grin. "Did you forget how the Third Prince died?"

"The Third Prince... Zhang Lei…"

Hal murmured the name, momentarily shaken.

He could never forget Zhang Lei's end.

During a banquet, he was suddenly called away by Nasubi himself—and executed. The official reason? Disrespecting Kakin's ancestors.

Halkenburg might have survived his own failed assassination attempt, but Zhang Lei's death was proof that crossing Nasubi's bottom line could still get you killed.

Even though they didn't know exactly what that bottom line was, they could still make educated guesses.

"So you're thinking Tserriednich, like Zhang Lei, triggered something in Father?" Halkenburg asked thoughtfully.

Luzurus smiled to himself, seeing Halkenburg take the bait.

Among the princes, no one knew the truth behind Zhang Lei's death better than Luzurus.

Would Nasubi take action against Tserriednich too?

He wasn't sure—but based on Tserriednich's growing madness, it wasn't impossible.

Still, Luzurus had reasons to doubt it.

After all, executing a prince was no small matter. Nasubi had only done it once. Even Luzurus—who had been caught up in that sordid scandal—was only bound by conditions and oaths, not death.

Besides, Tserriednich was just being arrogant. Compared to an assassination attempt, it hardly seemed severe.

So why was Luzurus feeding this idea to Halkenburg?

Not purely to mislead.

Tserriednichwould be punished. Just not by Nasubi.

Before the banquet, Luzurus had received word from Ronnel.

And that put his mind at ease.

Ronnel had decided to act~

The power Tserriednich had gathered—those legions of inhuman monstrosities—was completely outside Ronnel's expectations.

Those creatures... needed to be purged.

With Ronnel stepping in, Luzurus, who had witnessed his abilities firsthand, had nothing to worry about.

...

That's why he could sip his wine now, unbothered.

Since Ronnel's involvement had to remain a secret, Luzurus let the blame fall on Nasubi for the time being.

After all, Nasubi had executed Zhang Lei. It wasn't a stretch to assume he might intervene again.

So with each prince harboring their own thoughts—and Luzurus the most relaxed of them all—the fourth banquet came to a close.

...

After the dinner, a smug Tserriednich returned to his chambers.

But the pride on his face froze in an instant.

"What the hell...?!"

His eyes widened in disbelief.

All of his inhuman legions lay collapsed across the room.

Not a sound. Not a breath. Not even a twitch.

They looked... peaceful. As if they'd simply drifted away in their sleep.

"Who did this?!"

Tserriednich screamed, his eyes bloodshot. "WHO DID THIS?!"

No one answered.

Enraged, he began smashing furniture, tearing apart the room in a fit of helpless fury.

Those grotesque creatures had been his greatest trump card—his tool to seize the throne at any cost.

And now, just like that... they were gone.

His chances had plummeted. What had felt like a guaranteed future now looked uncertain.

He was once again just another contender, no stronger than Benjamin or Halkenburg.