Chapter 874
Ron didn't hesitate to imagine Nasubi's intentions in the worst possible light.
After all, anyone capable of using his own children as sacrifices to create Ascension Relics could never be considered a good person. Compared to that, killing a few more people for those relics was hardly worth mentioning.
The scale of the Kakin Empire was on par with the V5, and Ron knew very well how the upper ranks of the V5 viewed ordinary citizens.
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The passage between the fourth and fifth layers had been completely sealed. Seawater had flooded the fifth layer. As a result, the Black Whale became significantly heavier, its movement slowed noticeably. But in the midst of the storm, that change seemed like a good thing—it made the ship more stable.
However, everyone who hadn't made it into the fourth layer had died.
Some were trampled to death. Others were crushed in collisions. Many drowned, suffocated by the seawater.
Tens of thousands of corpses now floated, soaked in saltwater. And slowly, something subtle began to change. The lingering Nen of the dead began to merge with the seawater.
The Eleventh Prince died. None of the other princes made a move against him—he just died, plain and simple
With that, the Pot Succession Ceremony advanced another step. The aura of the Ascension Relic grew even thicker.
Only six princes remained.
And the Seventh Prince's situation was deteriorating rapidly.
With the collapse of the fifth layer, the Cha‑R family suffered heavy losses. They were a crucial faction supporting Luzurus.
"Why did this happen?" Luzurus muttered, his face darkening.
He had already been on shaky ground in the Succession War. Now, this blow practically announced to the others that he was vulnerable.
In a battle of factions, all were waiting for someone else to show weakness. And once a single flaw was exposed, everyone would swarm in to finish them off.
Luzurus now stood on that precipice.
But to the ordinary people aboard the Black Whale, all of this meant little. What truly grabbed their attention were the increasingly strange occurrences happening around them.
Empty public restrooms echoed with phantom voices. Footprints appeared on ceilings where no one had walked. Black shadows flitted past mirrors in the blink of an eye.
One man, overwhelmed by the terror, went completely insane.
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Ron stood before a mirror. A dark silhouette stared back at him—not his own reflection, but something else. Cold, oppressive. Its aura seeped from the glass and seemed to chill the air around him.
Ron's brow lifted slightly. "So it's me you're after. Interesting."
The shadow began to crawl out from the mirror. For most people, the sight would've been paralyzing.
But Ron wasn't most people.
He reached out and clamped his hand directly around the figure's throat. "Who exactly do you think you're scaring?"
With a cold snort, aura surged into his palm.
Bang!
The shadow shattered under the pressure and dissolved into nothingness.
Similar events began occurring elsewhere across the ship. Ron quickly pieced together what these beings were. They weren't true ghosts, nor were they just lingering thoughts of the dead.
They were something in between—formed by resentment, fear, and grief from the fifth layer's dead, merged with the seawater. A diluted form of death aura.
There were many of them.
They posed no threat to high-level Nen users, but could still kill civilians or those with weak Nen.
Just then, a figure arrived at Ron's door with impressive speed.
"Mr. Ron. His Majesty has summoned you."
"Did he say what for?" Ron asked, frowning slightly.
The man shook his head. "Only that it's urgent."
"Lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
Soon, Ron arrived at Nasubi's palace. To his surprise, he wasn't the only one summoned. Also present were Botobai, Ging Freecss, and even Beyond—who had previously been detained by the Hunter Association.
Now, all four S-rank Nen users on the Black Whale, along with Ron, the Sequence User, were gathered in one place.
Of course, to the others, Ron was merely another S-rank user.
"Everyone," Nasubi began, his tone noticeably less domineering than usual, "I have some bad news."
He paused, then continued, "Roughly a few hundred kilometers from the Black Whale, there is an enormous creature approaching at high speed. Its target appears to be this ship."
"If it reaches us, the Black Whale will be destroyed. Everyone on board will die. We are still a long distance from the Gatekeeper Continent. Without this vessel, reaching the Dark Continent becomes impossible."
"That's why we must either kill it or divert it before it gets here."
"And the only ones capable of doing that… are us."
Botobai frowned. "What kind of creature is it?"
"We don't know."
"Any idea of its abilities?"
"Also unknown."
"Then we just sit here and wait for it?"
"No," Nasubi said firmly. "The Black Whale isn't as sturdy as it looks. After the storm, its structure weakened further. Even the shockwaves from a battle could tear it apart."
"That's why we have to leave the ship. Travel far enough away to engage it elsewhere."
"I've already prepared a vessel."
"At its current speed, the creature will reach us in less than half an hour."
"If we're going to act, we need to leave now."
There was no room for negotiation. Everyone in that room understood—this was a threat none of them could ignore.
Nasubi wasn't issuing orders. He was sharing a truth: they would all need to fight, or they would all die.
Beyond stood first. "In that case, let's go."
Nasubi led the way. "This way to the exit."
Ging stepped up beside Ron. "Be careful. Creatures from the non-human continent often possess abilities we don't understand."
"Thanks for the warning, senior," Ron replied.
Botobai glanced at them both, then looked toward the retreating figures of Beyond and Nasubi. With a cold snort, he followed—still skeptical, but unwilling to fall behind.
Even if he couldn't be sure whether Nasubi was telling the truth… he had no choice but to act.