The attackers' target was clearly Gobendeba, which set the Third Prince's mind racing.
These people were his.
If that was true, then O'niol's aggressive move likely meant something unexpected had happened on Deck 1—something the Third Prince didn't yet know.
So what should he do now?
If O'niol had sent people, it meant he was fully prepared. Perhaps doing nothing was the wisest choice.
The strike team consisted of three people.
The first to emerge was the one tasked with confronting and killing Gobendeba.
His ability—The One Who Tastes Blood—allowed him to control someone's blood completely, as long as he made them bleed with his dagger, then consumed that blood.
A classic Manipulation-type "kill move," based on the theory of first strike victory.
Naturally, there were strict conditions: he had to personally cut the target with the dagger—infused with Vow and Limitation—and then consume the blood to activate the control.
The ability didn't instantly kill but allowed fine-tuned remote control, much like Shalnark's.
Killing Gobendeba would be tantamount to declaring war on the First Prince—and would expose the attackers. So Hinrigh's plan aimed to control Gobendeba instead.
That way, they could harvest intel on the First Prince while keeping their identities hidden.
It was the perfect solution.
But as Killua once said—the closer you are to your objective, the more likely things will go wrong.
When the Manipulator's dagger struck Gobendeba's back—it didn't penetrate. A strange force blocked it.
"Huh?"
Boom!
Before the attacker could analyze what blocked his stab, the second person through the portal screamed.
The scream wasn't loud—but it carried Nen.
His ability—Sonic Burst Discharge—did exactly what it sounded like: it turned all electronics within ten meters into bombs.
Gobendeba's earpiece exploded.
But that wasn't enough to faze someone already in combat mode.
Instead, the first attacker felt sharp pain at his back.
And blood trickled from the screamer's ears.
The third person through the portal instantly assessed the battlefield.
In his vision, Gobendeba now wore ancient bronze armor—something a soldier from a forgotten age might don.
Shing!
A matching bronze saber materialized in his hand.
And with a downward swing, he slashed deep into the already-damaged Manipulator's body.
Bronze Warrior of Retaliation.
Gobendeba's ability—a Counter-type.
When attacked, his Nen would automatically activate, conjuring bronze armor and a weapon capable of reflecting the damage dealt to him.
If an attack couldn't pierce the armor—it would rebound on the attacker.
The Manipulator's dagger, even enhanced with Ko, failed to break through—and so triggered the full force of the counter.
He was skewered by his own intent.
This was the worst-case scenario for a strike team—counter-abilities are among the most dangerous in Nen combat.
After all, they trade initiative for overwhelming defense and response.
Nen's core philosophy: sacrifice yields power.
Manipulators specialize in precision—one strike, one result. But if that one strike fails? Their whole plan crumbles.
Of course, Hinrigh had considered this possibility.
So the third man—the failsafe—had a very specific ability:
I Predicted Your Prediction.
The name said it all.
He would make a pre-battle prediction, apply conditions, and if things played out accordingly, the rest of his planned chain of events would happen—no matter how illogical.
If his prediction was wrong, he paid the price—potentially with his life.
It was vague in theory—but crystal clear in practice.
This time, the third man had risked his life to predict: Gobendeba is a Counter-type user. Our first wave will fail.
If this came true, his following scripted "consequences" would manifest.
"I predict: Gobendeba, First Prince's private soldier, is a Counter-type Nen user. Upon being attacked, he retaliates, causing injury to our team."
That was the initial forecast.
"I further predict: after countering, Gobendeba will enter a state of Zetsu for one full minute."
That was the follow-up condition.
Totally unreasonable—but if the first part proved accurate, the second would still happen.
The duration would depend on how precise the first prediction was—vague wording might yield only seconds of Zetsu instead of a full minute.
But even a few seconds was enough.
A Nenless body is an easy kill.
It was irrational. It was risky. But it wasn't impossible to crack.
This was Hinrigh's gamble.
If Gobendeba was a Counter-type, the third man's ability would activate, forcing him into Zetsu.
Even briefly—it would be enough to kill him.
If he wasn't, then the Manipulator's initial attack would succeed, and Gobendeba would be controlled.
However, in that case, the third man would die—penalty for a wrong prediction.
It was a high-risk move—and the team was prepared to die.
Could Gobendeba be something other than a Counter-type and still block the dagger?
Hinrigh had factored in that possibility too.
If that happened—the mission was over.
The three-man team would have to self-terminate to prevent intel from leaking.
That way, even if the First Prince suspected who was behind the attack, he wouldn't be able to confirm it.
That ambiguity was essential.
But luck favored the Third Prince.
Gobendeba was a Counter-type user.
His ability activated. He killed the first attacker, injured the second—and then his aura involuntarily retracted.
He entered Zetsu.
The Manipulator, now dying on the ground, couldn't recover.
So the third man didn't hesitate—he drew his gun.
As Gobendeba's face twisted in alarm, he emptied the clip into him.
With no Nen to protect him and no room to dodge, Gobendeba—despite his combat instincts—was utterly exposed.
The third shot drilled a hole straight into his forehead.
The Third Prince's gaze shifted between the two corpses, the bleeding man, and the shooter. His expression soured.
"The First Prince will check up on Gobendeba soon. What will you do then?"
The shooter bowed. "He was meant to be controlled, but the one with that power is dead. I'll now guide the situation with a new prediction."
"That's your ability?" the Third Prince narrowed his eyes. The implication confirmed they were on the same side. His wariness faded slightly.
"Yes, but only I can make the choice. Then events will follow that choice," the man quickly explained.
"Does the ability have a backlash?" the Prince asked.
"Yes. If I'm wrong—I die," the man said simply.
The Third Prince rubbed his chin, paused a moment. "No need for predictions. Blame the Phantom Troupe. Say they infiltrated Area 3, and Gobendeba died protecting me."
The first sentence was for the Nen user.
The second—for his remaining guards.
"Yes, Your Highness." The private soldiers didn't question it.
They eyed the man warily but took no action.
"As you wish," said the shooter—one of Hinrigh's men.
"What's your name? Did your boss send any other messages?" the Prince asked, ordering the guards to summon the royal army to handle the bodies.
"If I'm not mistaken, you two will be responsible for my safety now."
The injured man had recovered somewhat during the exchange.
"I'm Miguel. He's Craig," the shooter replied.
"Oh, and change into proper gear. From now on, you're a private soldier of Area 3. Be careful," the Third Prince added.
Miguel understood exactly what the Prince meant.
Neither he nor Craig were registered guards. Even with official uniforms, they had to be careful not to get exposed.
If they were found out—they'd become liabilities, not assets.
"Understood. Also, the boss sent a message: the Dio in Area 12 is a clone. He suspects a bigger scheme. They're looking for the Coffin Zone—it seems important. He asked that we avoid any disruptions during the investigation."
"Disruption? Clone? Dio? Coffin?" the Prince repeated, picking out keywords. Then asked the most important one:
"What kind of disruption?"
"Dio can send people to Deck 1. He may do the same for the Heil-Ly family. Those lunatics are massacring civilians below. The boss thinks Morena's real target is the princes."
Since the Third Prince couldn't meet O'niol frequently, this intel was crucial.
Even if Miguel died in Area 3, delivering this message was his mission.
The Heil-Ly family was going off the rails.
And with the Fourth Prince's mysterious death, O'niol was on edge—prompting him to send people to protect the Third Prince.
"Understood," the Prince said flatly.
A few minutes later, the Royal Army arrived to collect the bodies—accompanied by officials from the Judiciary Bureau.
They brought word: the First Prince had filed a lawsuit, accusing the Third Prince of Gobendeba's murder through inciting remarks.
Everyone knew it was baseless.
The Third Prince could easily clear his name in court.
But clearly—the First Prince wanted him moved to the VVIP zone.
"Why?" the Third Prince wondered. He didn't get it.
Sending him to the VVIP zone accomplished nothing.
Or… was the real goal the trial itself?
He didn't resist. Calmly, he followed the Judiciary agents.
As he walked, his mind wandered back to Dio's clone.
Someone had broken into the Royal Zone on Deck 1.
Now, it was obvious—it had to be Dio.
Someone he hadn't taken seriously before.
Why did Dio break into the Royal Zone?
And the disappearance of the 10th and 11th Princes—it had to be related.
Tracking Dio might lead straight to their whereabouts.
Still, the Third Prince wasn't opposed to other princes surviving after his coronation.
He'd told Kurapika: if he became king, he'd pardon the Twelfth Prince. That wasn't a lie.
The same attitude applied to the 10th, 11th, and 14th Princes.
In his view, the lower-ranking princes had no real chance. Most didn't even want the throne.
Kurapika's actions had made Area 12 slightly more competitive—but the Third Prince had a hunch:
Neither Kurapika nor Dio cared about the succession war.
Who became king wasn't their objective.
That gave him a unique edge—intel no one else held. If used wisely, it could tip the scale in his favor.
(The author's note says: after a month of continuous bonus chapters, taking a short break. Updates resume next Monday.)