Hunter x Hunter: From Obtaining the World to Beyond Heaven

A weathered yet steady and powerful voice rang out.

Hechigo was dressed in a crimson cloud-patterned outfit, making him look more like a general skilled in martial arts, but his words were extremely polite and formal.

He paid no heed to the intermittent sobs coming from the throne, and calmly gestured for Dia and Jin to enter.

Dia sized him up for a moment.

As the head of the civil officials of the dynasty, Hechige did not have any pedantic air about him. On the contrary, his eyes were as calm as an abyss and his aura was as unfathomable as an ancient pool.

The aura was very familiar; Diya recognized it at a glance as the source of the spying they had felt after entering the palace.

'Indeed a master...'

Meanwhile, Hechigo was also silently observing Dia in front of him.

Previously, even from a distance, he could only vaguely sense that this young man was very strong, and at the same time, the description in the intelligence about his destruction of Yorknew City made it impossible for Herchigo to ignore.

But only now, facing him head-on, did Hechigo clearly feel that piercing sharpness.

Judging from the strength of his aura, this young man, who is probably only a third of his age, may have already made significant progress in his Nen training, perhaps even surpassing him in some aspects.

On the other hand, Jin, who was beside him, had given Hechigo the feeling from their first meeting that he was unremarkable, but that he might be able to kill someone instantly, which was quite awkward.

Jin stepped forward and calmly said:

"We have a few more questions. Is there something urgent that requires us to leave?"

"Not really. It's mainly because the old king has just passed away and the new king has not yet ascended the throne, so it's inevitable that disloyal people in the capital will cause trouble."

Hechigo spoke calmly and without a trace of emotion, clearly having anticipated the current situation.

"My king foresaw the current situation before his death and made corresponding strategies. In the coming period, the capital will surely be filled with bloodshed. It would be best for the two of you to leave and seek refuge."

The old king had just died, and there were only two outsiders in the palace, who were both very powerful, making it difficult for them to go unnoticed.

Jin Ke had no interest in going out to lay low for a while and then coming back; it was too much of a waste of time and too much trouble.

"Don't worry about our safety. We just want to find out some old stories. We can vouch for our own safety."

Seeing that Jin's attitude was quite firm, Hechigo did not persist.

Or perhaps this situation was within his expectations.

"Then please, gentlemen, proceed to the side hall to rest. There is a space there that was previously reserved for officials who stayed up all night to discuss state affairs."

Hechigo gestured for him to enter again.

Compared to the usually respectful imperial relatives, he now trusted the two hunters who brought him the snake molt more.

Jin nodded and walked out of the main hall.

Although they knew that staying in the palace might be dangerous, neither he nor Dia cared.

High skill breeds daring; if a situation arises that even they, working together, cannot overcome, then the only possibility is that the army has staged a coup.

Given that Slye planned this so far in advance, it's honestly unlikely.

At this moment, figures flickered at the palace gate. Qiqi Ke and Bu Bula, who had been guarding the palace gate, had silently appeared at the gate without making a sound.

The sobs from the throne sounded increasingly bitter in the quiet hall.

"..."

Dia crossed her arms and glanced at Princess Xiangpu, who was crying her eyes out beside the throne.

Seeing this, Hechigo calmly said:

“I will personally protect the princess’s safety, Mr. Dia need not worry.”

He thought that Dia was worried about the safety of the cattail.

Seemingly hearing someone call her name, Xiangpu looked up blankly at the two people talking, then instinctively regained her composure and said, following Hechigo's words:

"Yes, don't worry..."

After saying that, she gave Dia a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"……it is good."

Dia responded and then decisively turned around and followed Jin's footsteps.

He simply disliked the noise of women and was wondering how long she was going to cry...

As Dia left, Hechigo took a deep look at his retreating figure, then turned to look at Slay's corpse on the throne, letting out a barely perceptible sigh.

They had supported each other all the way, overcoming all obstacles, and even the terrifying Naspi couldn't do anything to them, but now they had been defeated by fate and bloodline...

He climbed the steps one by one, heading towards the throne.

Staring blankly at the cattails outside the door, he gradually came to his senses and saw a shadow approaching, so he looked up.

"...Your Majesty, the late King had already made arrangements for today's events. He didn't inform you beforehand because of your straightforward nature. However, it's alright. During this time, you can focus on preparing for your ascension to the throne. Leave the rest to me. We can discuss national policy after this matter is resolved..."

Hechigo said respectfully.

"What happened here...what happened?"

"Whenever dynasties change, there is always bloodshed."

Xiangpu remained silent for a long while, then gritted her teeth and stood up:

"it is good!"

-----------------

The moonlight was cold and clear.

"Don't be too attentive to girls, especially someone like you."

On the way to the side hall, Jin suddenly spoke up.

Dia tilted her head and looked at him in surprise, only to see him smile and say:

“Once you get attached to a girl of such noble lineage, you won’t be able to get rid of her. This is for your own good.”

"...Mr. Jin, I've never asked before, but at your age, don't you have any plans to settle down?"

Dia ignored Jin's nonsense; he was always upright, pure, and incorruptible, so he simply gossiped in return.

Everyone knows who Kim's son is, but his wife has always been a mystery.

Some say that Gon's mother is a being from the Dark Continent, others say that Gon was conceived by Ging using the Pregnancy Stone, and some even speculate that the hacker Ikshanpei is Gon's mother. There are many different opinions, but none of them have any evidence.

"Haha... I'm not unmarried yet, my son should be 11 years old by now!"

Jin laughed heartily, looking very proud as he spoke.

"Oh? I've never heard of that. Speaking of which, I also have a disciple who's about the same age..."

Diya feigned surprise, and the two chatted as they walked into the side hall.

It is indeed worthy of being the imperial palace; even the side halls used to house officials are quite magnificent.

Jin plopped down on the sofa covered in high-quality silk, and immediately unleashed his [Circle] without saying a word.

Dia felt a barely perceptible breeze brush past him.

"There's not much people around, so they're probably still investigating and discussing it."

Jin said calmly:

"We're not sleeping tonight. The king just died, and I wonder how many people won't be able to sleep. Hechigo has a backup plan that's not easy to deal with, so someone will definitely want to come and 'ask' us for information."

Dia nodded, understanding what Jin meant.

King Slay's martial law lasted for more than a month, and many people already had doubts about it.

There might be some special Nen users among them who could remotely observe the king's condition.

If word gets out that the king might be dead, there will certainly be no shortage of impatient assassins. There's no need to worry about Hechigo's side, as they have the king's preparations, but it's hard to say what will happen on their side.

"No problem, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. Anyone who dares to come looking for death will be killed."

Night was falling.

The once peaceful palace was now filled with a somber atmosphere, as a light drizzle began to fall unexpectedly.

slam-la-

Hechigo frowned slightly as he listened to the sound of rain outside the palace gate:

'Why has it been raining these past few days...'

He became secretly wary, glancing at the solemnly standing Chichiko and Bubla ahead:

"No matter what happens tonight, you must guard the palace gates and prevent anyone from entering or leaving, do you understand?"

"Yes!" ×2

Qiqi and Ke shouted in unison.

Xiangpu stepped down the stairs and said earnestly:

"If you encounter a situation that you cannot handle, fire a signal flare and escape from the palace. Don't worry about what's happening here."

As she spoke, she secretly gripped an oval-shaped stone in her hand, recalling what Hechigo had just told her:

'With the [Demon Egg] present, even in extreme circumstances, I can turn the tide! As long as tonight passes, I will be able to ascend the throne and be qualified to use that [Artifact]…'

At this moment, the city of Carlo was unusually quiet.

Fully armed soldiers patrolled the streets constantly; these were Sly's personal guards, who had been prepared in advance.

At the start of the second half of the night, they took over the city's garrison and imposed martial law throughout the city, determined to prevent any large-scale gatherings.

Behind a window of a tall tower.

A bald, middle-aged man dressed in luxurious attire quietly pulled back the curtains and glanced at the patrolling soldiers outside the window.

"Judging by this setup, it must be for real this time, right?"

Behind him stood several equally elegantly dressed men and women, one of whom, a tall, thin man, spoke hesitantly.

"Don't rush, let's wait for the news from the palace. Have you forgotten how many times that old man used this trick on us last month?"

"I can't believe it," the bald man said impatiently.

"But the palace has never been sealed off before, but it's sealed off today..."