Chapter 865
The match between Ron and Nasubi continued.
The Phantom Troupe's sparring with Machi's team progressed steadily.
But aboard the Black Whale, the central focus remained the Succession War.
The Twelfth Princess was already dead.
And the reason for her death was absurd.
Her own Guardian Beast had been completely beyond her control, and her bodyguards had been reassigned by her mother to protect her younger brother. As a result, the Guardian Beast began acting independently and ended up attacking others. This reckless behavior drastically drained the Twelfth Princess's life force, and she eventually slipped into a coma.
One of the Fifth Queen's private soldiers, upon seeing her in that state, simply walked in and strangled her to death.
There hadn't been any real confrontation. It wasn't a battle—it didn't even count as competition.
Next came the Eighth Prince.
His Guardian Beast was devoured by the Nen Beast of a private soldier. Without its protection, the Eighth Prince couldn't last long, especially considering he had never shown the slightest interest in fighting for succession. All he cared about was luxury and pleasure.
But he didn't even have the means to enjoy such a life. His death was only a matter of time.
Ron also knew that the Tenth and Eleventh Princesses had conspired to flee the Black Whale. But the moment they made their move, they were ambushed.
In a split second, the Tenth Princess shoved the Eleventh Princess back onto the ship—she survived, but the Tenth Princess was killed in the process.
Very few people knew this had happened. Even the Eleventh Princess was unaware.
That was because the Tenth Princess's Guardian Beast had transformed into her appearance and returned to the Eleventh Princess's side.
As a result, the Eleventh Princess now had two forms of protection—her own Guardian Beast and the Tenth Princess's.
Moreover, the two princesses shared the same mother. The Sixth Queen had no other children, so her full attention and resources were focused solely on them. The Eleventh Princess's security detail was sizable.
At that moment, a sudden surge of information entered Ron's mind.
"Specter sensed a familiar presence?"
"An Ascension Relic?"
"On this ship?"
"And not far from here?"
Ron glanced around.
Based on Specter's description, it was highly likely that the relic was somewhere on this first floor. It hadn't been sensed before—so why now?
"What changed?" Ron looked at Nasubi across the board.
There were very few who could be related to an Ascension Relic. Even among S-Class Nen users, not many had the qualifications to know of one, let alone sense it. And Nasubi hadn't moved from his position this entire time.
"If I had to identify a change, aside from the Black Whale's continued voyage, it would be the Succession War itself." That was the only variable Ron could think of.
"Could the relic's presence have been triggered by the Succession War?"
"Or more accurately—did the Succession War create the relic?"
As soon as the idea occurred to him, all of Ron's earlier confusion clicked into place.
"The Egg Ceremony… The true purpose of the Succession War is to create an Ascension Relic?"
"If that's the case, everything makes sense."
"Why would Kakin gather the king and all potential heirs on a vessel as unstable as the Black Whale? Why show no regard for the princes' safety or consider their qualifications beyond succession? Why rush the process so quickly?"
Because from the very beginning, the Succession War was never meant to choose Kakin's next ruler.
The true heir had likely already been chosen and remained in Kakin. Once the Black Whale left the known continent, that person had already ascended to the throne.
The current princes were tools.
From the moment they stepped onto the ship, their fate had been sealed—they were destined to die in the war of succession.
Nasubi's true objective was to obtain the Ascension Relic.
With the relic in hand, he could become a Sequencer.
...........
.....
.
A new round of betting began.
Nasubi wagered ten points.
Ron matched him.
While keeping an eye on the game, Ron glanced at the crystal orb before him. The completion percentage displayed had already reached ninety percent.
"At this pace, it'll hit one hundred before Nasubi becomes a Sequencer."
"But that also means Observer's True Intent won't be able to absorb a Sequencer's power."
Ron felt a pang of disappointment—but he understood. This ability had been developed long ago, during an era where reaching S-Class was already exceptional.
"Once I become a Sequencer, I'll gain abilities more suited to me anyway."
"If the Succession War, combined with the deaths aboard the Black Whale, is what creates the Ascension Relic…"
"Then once Nasubi absorbs it, he can step into Sequence 1."
"The reason this process must be carried out aboard the Black Whale is because, beyond just the princes, an extraordinary number of deaths are required."
"Among them, many must be Nen users."
Otherwise, Nasubi could have completed the process back in Kakin.
In that sense, he could be considered a decent king. But only for the people of Kakin.
Now that he had pieced everything together, Ron no longer felt like continuing the match.
Because the game had become meaningless. No matter how hard the other princes tried, the winner would be Nasubi.
The rest were merely sacrifices.
"Ron, it's your move."
Having placed his bet, Nasubi looked over.
Ron shook his head and swept all the pieces off the board.
Nasubi raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want to continue? Or do you think you can't win?"
"Nasubi," Ron said calmly, "in this Succession War, how many people will die?"
Nasubi paused. "What do you mean by that, Ron?"
Ron smiled faintly. "Nasubi… you know what lies beyond S-Class, don't you?"
Nasubi was silent for a moment.
"So you know too."
"Correct."
"Then it seems you've already figured out what I intend to do. In that case, there's no more point in this game. Ron, do you plan to stop me—for the sake of ordinary people?"
"That's not really my intention." Ron said, "You're not directly trying to kill them. You're just offering temptation. The ones truly responsible for their deaths are themselves."
"But what I do want to know—Is your Sequence information."