Chapter 205: A Thousand Years of Fate, Scattered by Fire
Under Hui Guo Rou's horrified and incredulous gaze, the area where Feitan stood was completely incinerated to ashes. Even the floor between the first and second levels, which was claimed to be absolutely impenetrable, was burned straight through!
If Mord hadn't intentionally controlled it, this pillar of flames might have burned through the entire Black Whale.
What terrifying flames these were!
"This is impossible! How could such a terrifying power emerge from the Six Continents!"
Staring at the crimson-gold flames, Hui Guo Rou—the only one in the hall still conscious—wore an expression of utter disbelief, his heart already roiling with shock and terror.
"Could he also be from there?" Hui Guo Rou thought to himself.
"Alright, the centuries-old fate of the Kakin royal family ends today," Mord said, looking at Hui Guo Rou, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Hui Guo Rou!"
"What do you know?" Hui Guo Rou's face darkened ominously, his entire aura shifting as he fixed Mord with a deathly glare, radiating an overwhelming killing intent.
"The Pot of Urn Eggs was indeed obtained by the first Kakin king from the Dark Continent. However, its ability doesn't select the next king—it selects the next vessel for the first Kakin king, which is you, to parasitize."
Mord continued, staring at Hui Guo Rou, "I suspect that although the Pot of Urn Eggs ritual preserves your eternal soul, the subsequent vessels can never be a perfect match for your original body. This inevitably causes rejection, which is why, for millennia, every Kakin king has initiated the next succession war at the peak of their reign."
"Am I right?"
"The children participating in this succession war are all exceptionally talented," Hui Guo Rou replied, ignoring Mord's question and speaking as if to himself. "According to the plan, they might have produced an outstanding vessel—a situation that has occurred only once in a thousand years."
"With this new vessel, I am confident I can elevate the Kakin Kingdom to unimaginable heights. What do the old fools of V5 matter? Eventually, the entire human continent will become the territory of the Kakin Kingdom."
Hui Guo Rou lifted his head, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Mord.
"It's all because of you, this sudden disruptor, who ruined my entire plan. When I realized the connection with Momoze's Guardian Spirit Beast had been severed, I knew someone had discovered something."
"I was furious at first, but after witnessing your true power just now, I've changed my mind."
Hui Guo Rou stared intently at Mord, his eyes blazing with fervor.
"Oh? I'm curious to know what new idea has sprouted in that gluttonous brain of yours," Mord said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"In the face of your perfect vessel, what do my incompetent descendants amount to?"
Hui Guo Rou's face twisted into a grimace. "With my nearly eternal soul and your unparalleled physical body, dominating the world would be merely incidental. Then, I could even attempt to set foot in that forbidden land and pursue true immortality."
"Did you know that gods once appeared in this world? According to ancient texts, they wore entirely black clothing, carried swords at their waists, and wore badges on their arms representing their positions."
Upon hearing Hui Guo Rou's words, Mord slightly furrowed his brow.
The description of these so-called gods sounded strangely familiar to him.
"You should consider yourself fortunate to become my new vessel and witness this historic moment."
"My apologies, but I have no interest in merging with a fat pig," Mord stood still, watching Hui Guo Rou with a mocking glint in his eyes.
The next moment.
A towering pillar of fire erupted from beneath Hui Guo Rou's feet, completely engulfing him.
The terrifying pillar of flames burst through the ship's ceiling, piercing the clouds as if intending to burn away the night sky.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Piercing screams continuously emerged from within the flames.
This commotion alerted all the powerful individuals aboard the Black Whale.
Members of the Zodiac Twelve arrived at the scene almost immediately. Looking up at the soaring pillar of fire, they couldn't help but swallow hard, their faces filled with horror.
"What's happening inside?!" Cheadle asked.
Botobai and Mizaistom Nana noticed the Phantom Troupe members nearby and quietly surrounded them, preparing for battle at any moment.
The Phantom Troupe members paid no attention to the Zodiac Twelve, their gazes fixed intently on the banquet hall direction. Their expressions turned unusually grim, as this flame clearly didn't belong to Feitan's ability.
"Lord Mord is inside..." Momoze explained to the Zodiac Twelve members what had just happened in the banquet hall. "You're from the Hunter Association like Lord Mord, right? Please go help him."
"Mord?"
The Zodiac Twelve were also very familiar with Mord's abilities. According to their intelligence, Mord shouldn't possess fire abilities.
Could this terrifying flame be from Mord's opponent?
Cheadle Yorkshire glanced toward the Troupe members. Judging from their grave expressions, she dismissed this possibility again.
Could it really be Mord?
Everyone present wanted to know what was truly happening inside.
Just then, a piercing roar emerged from the sea of flames in the banquet hall, echoing throughout the first floor of the Black Whale.
"Mord! I'll make sure you never find peace in eternity!"
"Lord Mord is safe." Hearing this roar, Momoze finally felt relieved.
However, the Phantom Troupe members' faces grew even more grim, as this voice didn't belong to Feitan.
Inside the banquet hall.
Hui Guo Rou's corpulent body had now turned to ashes.
Hui Guo Rou finally revealed his true form. This soul that had survived for millennia bore no resemblance to a human whatsoever.
His nearly three-meter-tall body contained astonishing power beneath solid, muscular flesh.
The most distinctive features were undoubtedly the hollow cavity in his left chest and the demonic white mask covering his face.
After revealing his true form, Hui Guo Rou immediately seized his Guardian Spirit Beast—that disgusting creature covered entirely in breasts—and devoured it right before Mord's eyes.
Then he proceeded to consume the other princes' Guardian Spirit Beasts in the hall.
Mord simply watched quietly as Hui Guo Rou devoured all these Guardian Spirit Beasts.
"ROAR!"
The fully evolved Hui Guo Rou roared furiously at Mord, terrifying energy erupting from him and surging outward in all directions.
The walls of the banquet hall couldn't withstand this energy impact and instantly turned to dust.
Those outside finally saw the situation inside.
No, no, still no!
Machi's eyes darted rapidly as she scanned the entire banquet hall, yet she still couldn't find Feitan's figure.
"Mord! Where is Feitan?!" Machi shouted loudly.
"Feitan?" Mord turned to glance at Machi in the distance and laughed. "Reduced to ashes. Quite considerate, isn't it? Saved you the trouble of cremating the body."
"I'll kill you!" Machi gritted her silver teeth tightly, clenched her fists, and bloodshot veins appeared in her eyes.
If Chrollo hadn't been holding her shoulder at that moment, she would have long charged at Mord to fight him to the death.
By now, Chrollo had to admit that their Troupe alone would likely never be able to get revenge in this lifetime. The power gap between them was no longer something that could be bridged by skill or strategy.
No matter how hard ants try, they can never pose a threat to humans.
Chrollo looked up at the monstrous form of Hui Guo Rou in the distance and said, "We, the Phantom Troupe, share an irreconcilable enmity with Mord. We can cooperate..."
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp spike suddenly shot out from Hui Guo Rou's body, moving so fast that even sound couldn't keep up. The spike extended like an infinitely long spear, piercing straight through Pakunoda and Kortopi.
"THUD!"
Moonlight shone through the burned-through ship roof into the hall, illuminating Pakunoda and the other as they were lifted up like skewered candied haws.
Then the blade-like spike swung.
"SPLAT."
Four halves of bodies fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
"Cooperate?"
Hui Guo Rou showed a mocking smile, looking at the Troupe members as he laughed hoarsely, "It seems you still don't understand your position."
"Cooperation is built on the premise of equal strength, while you are merely sacrificial livestock."
"On this Black Whale, everyone—the 200,000 ordinary citizens, the Kakin royal army, the Phantom Troupe, the Hunter Association—are all just sacrifices."
Hui Guo Rou threw his head back and let out a mad laugh.
"That Beyond, thinking he used me to complete his grand plan to reach the Dark Continent, when in my eyes he's nothing but a stupid pig."
Just then, a black light curtain descended, beginning to envelop the entire Black Whale.
The moonlight shining through the burned-through roof into the hall was abruptly cut off.
Ring ring ring—
Not long after, numerous phone rings suddenly sounded throughout the area.
Uncle Botobai and the others answered their phones, and their faces drastically changed upon hearing the content.
"Unknown vengeful spirits have appeared on every floor of the Black Whale, causing injuries."
They were all waiting for the current chairman, Cheadle Yorkshire, to make a decision.
Cheadle bit her finger and looked up at Mord, meeting only a smiling face.
"You go fulfill the Hunter Association's responsibilities. Leave this place to me."
Cheadle nodded heavily without the slightest hesitation, turning and leading the way out first.
"Botobai is in charge of the third floor, Mizaistom and Ginta will handle the fourth floor, while Crucy, Gel, and I will go to the fifth floor. I've already notified Kobayakawa and the others—they'll take the second floor. In the current situation, guarding Beyond is no longer important." Cheadle Yorkshire swiftly walked while laying out the plan.
Meanwhile, Momoze and the others, under Melody's cover, were preparing to rendezvous with Kurapika.
Soon, the entire periphery of the first-floor banquet hall was left with only Mord, Hui Guo Rou, and the remaining five Troupe members who now had nowhere to go and no home to return to.
"Mord, I'll show you the terror of darkness right now!"
With a furious roar, Hui Guo Rou erupted with an overwhelmingly powerful aura, as dark pillars abruptly surged around him.
Each dark pillar carried an annihilating presence, even distorting the surrounding space.
In the distance, the Troupe members watched these dark pillars with undisguised horror in their eyes.
Their gazes unanimously turned to Mord standing in the center.
Such terrifying dark energy was suffocating just to look at, let alone facing such a dreadful attack head-on.
Under the deluge of this overwhelming dark energy, Mord's figure resembled a small boat in a stormy sea—seemingly on the verge of capsizing at any moment.
But in the next instant,
Mord made his move.
Just as the dark energy was about to consume him, the Flowing Blade-Like Flame in Mord's hand erupted with astonishing power. Terrifying flames spread outward from him in all directions.
The moment the flames touched the profound darkness, like the first ray of dawn, they incinerated the dark pillars into ashes with unstoppable force!
Yet Mord's assault was far from over.
"Inferno Hell!"
Holding his blade with one hand, Mord gazed at the distant Hui Guo Rou, his eyes like those of a celestial being looking down upon the ugliness of the mortal world.
As a millennia-old monster, Hui Guo Rou believed he alone should be the omnipotent god.
Mord's gaze pierced him deeply.
Frantically and recklessly, he drove the dark energy within his body, even though it burned away the instant it touched the flames. Wave after wave of darkness surged madly toward Mord.
For as long as this dark energy could devour Mord, Hui Guo Rou was confident he could directly attack Mord's soul and seize his body.
Consumed by his assault on Mord, he failed to notice what was happening beneath his feet.
"Burst!"
Mord coldly stared at Hui Guo Rou, lightly swinging the Flowing Blade-Like Flame forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The next moment, crimson-gold flames shot skyward, shattering the dark curtain and transforming into terrifying pillars of fire that completely encircled Hui Guo Rou!
Then, under Mord's guidance,
the pillars contracted instantly. As they collided, a deafening explosion erupted.
Crack—
A crisp shattering sound rang out.
The dark shroud enveloping the Black Whale shattered in response, and centered around the banquet hall, the entire ship suffered severe damage.
The dome was almost entirely incinerated by the flames.
As the flames dissipated,
"...Why... why?"
"I... I cannot possibly be defeated."
Though Hui Guo Rou had been burned until only half his head remained, his spiritual essence being that of a soul entity allowed him to cling to a final breath instead of dying outright.
He simply couldn't comprehend how his thousand years of accumulated Nen energy—gained through devouring and cultivation—could possibly lose to this young man who appeared no older than twenty.
His dream of dominating the world would be shattered by someone who seemed to have emerged from nowhere.
"Those who kill members of my Troupe must pay in blood!"
Hui Guo Rou's voice abruptly ceased.