Oboro stood on a high vantage point, watching the armed forces of the Kakin Empire push through the crowds and gather below. The range of people he could control with his Nen was limited, and today the entire Kakin Capital was engulfed in celebration. Military airships soared overhead, casting long shadows across the vibrant scene.
Oboro discarded Beyond's severed head, giving Hui Guo Rou a final glance before leaving the rest to the king. The live broadcast cut off abruptly, causing riots that attracted some attention, but it wasn't a significant problem. The news would be contained within Kakin and prevented from leaking to the outside world.
What Oboro needed to find now was Pariston. That man must be here!
Focusing his concentration, Oboro expanded his En to enhance his perception. His tolerance had improved considerably as his body grew stronger. The enhancement of his Nen abilities had also allowed his aura manipulation to evolve. Through the connection between auras, Oboro's mind functioned like an ultrasonic monitor. He could keenly detect the burning flames and fluctuations emitted by every living being's aura.
The signal sources appeared as small dots, scattered everywhere.
His perception range was no longer limited to the "En" technique. Instead, he further stimulated the characteristics of his aura's sensing abilities. His technique resembled the Ant King's five super-dimensional senses amplified by "En," but Oboro used aura wavelengths instead.
"The Imperial Palace"
Suddenly, Oboro's mind locked onto a distant aura signature. It was his target, Pariston.
"Ging is here too," he muttered before vanishing instantly from his position.
"It was horrible You saw that moment just now."
In a hall within the royal palace, Pariston and Ging Freecss stood outside the door, gazing toward the distant horizon. That area was the stage for today's spectacle. Hui Guo Rou, Beyond, and the others had been there. The deafening cheers from the city's population could be heard even from the palace. Numerous parade teams filled the streets.
Pariston sighed.
He was referring to the fleeting 'darkness' that had momentarily descended. The sky had appeared to be painted with ink, pitch black, before quickly returning to clarity.
"They are all dead," Ging said with a frown.
He couldn't sense exactly what had happened at the venue, but he could guess. Given Oboro's personality and methods, his purpose in coming to Kakin this time was to finish things completely. In other words, no one would be left alive.
After contemplating this, Ging looked at Pariston, only to find him tidying his clothes with a smile, as if preparing to welcome distinguished guests.
Suddenly, Ging's eyes fixed on something behind them. He turned to see a figure seated on the palace eaves outside the hall, looking down at them.
"He's already so strong" Ging muttered.
The newcomer was, of course, Oboro, dressed in a black suit.
The problem was, Ging hadn't noticed his arrival He'd believed that with his strength, even if Oboro completely concealed his aura using In, he still couldn't hide his presence entirely.
Ging had anticipated Oboro would come here and had been forewarned. This meant Oboro's silent appearance wasn't achieved by concealing his aura or using In, but rather through a more advanced ability.
Aura manipulation.
The concept flashed through Ging's mind.
"Congratulations," Ging was the first to speak.
This indicated that Oboro had achieved his goal. He had developed his Hatsu to the extreme, reaching the realm and level he desired. Even with Oboro's natural talent, accomplishing this through ordinary means would be impossible the timeframe was too short.
The only explanation was that he had taken a shortcut, relying on his exceptional aura control and specialized abilities.
"Do you intend to intervene?" Oboro asked directly.
He was asking if Ging planned to protect Pariston.
"Don't misunderstand He merely came to persuade me to return to the Association," Pariston stepped forward before Ging could respond. "I rejected him because the current Association, without the Chairman and without you is terribly boring. Of course, if you're willing to return and don't intend to kill me now, I'd happily go back"
"But I suspect that's impossible, right?"
Pariston smiled. "To you, the Association is just an empty shell, merely an organization and a name. What you truly want is leadership and influence. Now that the Chairman is dead, there's no need for you to return to the Association headquarters because you can create a new Hunter Association in the Chairman's name. I believe someone with your abilities can accomplish this. Moreover, it will wield greater power and social status than the current Hunter Association, and original Association members will defect to join your faction."
"Very clever," Oboro acknowledged.
Indeed, in his confrontation with Ging, even if the latter had spoken with the Chairman and secured the position in advance Oboro still had a way to prevail.
Build another Hunter Association!
Unlike the ambiguous relationship between the current Association and V5, the newly emerging Hunter Association would gain recognition from most countries worldwide, and more importantly, would have V5's public support! The benefits and treatment offered would be incomparable to the current Association.
Pariston was truly intelligent
If he could conceive this plan, Ging would naturally have thought of it too.
Ging had attempted to recruit Pariston to fight together against the emerging Hunter Association.
Unfortunately, Pariston had rejected him.
"Just die quietly I don't want to dirty my hands killing you," Oboro stated coldly, his gaze fixed on Pariston.
"Don't be so heartless I still have much to say before dying. These are my final words. Grant me that much" Pariston spread his hands, speaking warmly.
He clearly wanted to tell Oboro something.
BANG!
However, Oboro had no patience.
He didn't move at all, and Pariston himself might not have noticed the danger. His facial features and limbs suddenly deformed and bent, then exploded.
A clean death!
Oboro had sensed the malice in Pariston's aura and had no interest in listening.
It wouldn't be anything beneficial anyway.
Ging watched the pool of blood and minced flesh on the ground in silence.
Unexpectedly in the blink of an eye, Pariston was dead.
He could guess what Pariston had wanted to say If Oboro went to the Dark Continent with those 5,000 Chimera Ant eggs, the human world would be left vulnerable. V5 and various countries' military forces could certainly handle the situation, but unknown variables could arise. If another Ant King Meruem appeared, the human world would definitely suffer. By then, the forces behind Oboro, the Fells family, and some national groups under his control would face mortal danger.
Pariston couldn't prevent Oboro from going to the Dark Continent, but once there, no one could guarantee whether he'd return alive or how much time would be lost.
What if, when Oboro returned, the human world had changed drastically and all forces under his command had vanished what then?
Pariston was simply being spiteful.
Oboro was the backbone of the Fells family. Once he departed, the family's influence would decline sharply and the power dynamics in the human world were complex. Whether V5 or other restless countries, multiple factions harbored ambitions regarding the Fells family.
The hidden danger of Chimera Ants presented an opportunity.
Under these circumstances, would Oboro still confidently venture to the Dark Continent?
Pariston had a clever strategy, but he underestimated Oboro's determination, or rather, thought he understood Oboro when he didn't understand him at all.
Ging sighed softly.
Looking at Oboro, he realized this man cared nothing for power or the Fells family. All he wanted was power itself. Simply put, Oboro could influence the human world within a few years, so even if he returned from the Dark Continent decades later, he could still rapidly regain control of the human world.
Even faster
Pariston's reasoning was naive.
Power had never been a constraint for Oboro.
"Are you going to kill me?" Ging asked with a smile.
"No need" Oboro replied with his own smile. "You still have value to me. Besides, I have reasons for killing people."
Ging shook his head self-mockingly.
After Oboro left the human world, someone needed to maintain balance, at least within the Hunter community.
And Ging was perfectly suited for this role.
Most importantly, he was capable of fulfilling it.
"You lose," Oboro said lightly as he jumped down from above.
"It's not truly a loss at least I protected the Chairman's legacy," Ging responded, scratching his head.
True, even if Oboro created a Hunter Association, it wouldn't be built on the foundation Netero had established.
Although, Ging could foresee that Oboro's association would attract most of the headquarters' members.
"Stubborn," Oboro sneered.
"Don't you want to capture his aura?" Ging cunningly changed the subject. He couldn't see the so-called aura manipulation Oboro used, but he had deduced how Oboro had grown stronger.
"Even hell wouldn't accept such filthy garbage I fear he would contaminate my abilities," Oboro replied.
"You're truly disrespectful toward him," Ging remarked.
"Your phone hasn't rung yet. You understand what this means better than I do! If I begin establishing an association, your position as Chairman becomes meaningless. Few people will remain at headquarters Over time, the world will know me, and you and the others will gradually be ignored or even forgotten."
"The old man's legacy was never a specific building or organization but what he risked his life to secure for hunters, and that's all of us." Oboro walked to Ging's side and patted his shoulder. "I'll respect you enough to call it a draw Your struggle is somewhat pointless, and I no longer wish to continue fighting. Find a time to retire"
With those words, Oboro vanished from Ging's side.
Just as when he arrived, he left no trace.
"Your words truly wound me After all, I am your senior."
Ging looked skyward and curled his lips.
What Oboro said was true.
Normally, his phone should have been ringing by now, and V5 would definitely issue orders or notifications as soon as possible.
For instance, directing the Hunter Association to designate Beyond as an assassination target.
But now, there was no activity.
This meant V5 had fallen and, to some extent, was controlled by Oboro.
He had completely lost this battle.
Although the original Hunter Association was preserved, its members couldn't be retained, and there was no confidence they wouldn't defect.
Because Ging was so unpopular.
Kakin's worldwide broadcast undoubtedly sent shockwaves through humanity.
To ordinary people, the Dark Continent remained largely mysterious, but now that the Kakin royal family had unveiled its secrets, countless individuals yearned to explore it.
After all, as King Kakin claimed, the resources there were abundant and inexhaustible.
But what shocked people even more was the suited man who appeared just before the broadcast abruptly ended.
His words completely contradicted the king's statements.
Just as everyone wondered what had happened in Kakin and what was true or false, news spread.
The Kakin Kingdom terminated its plan to explore the Dark Continent. King Hui Guo Rou personally announced that Kakin's understanding of the Dark Continent had been too limited, and it posed too great a danger for human involvement Simultaneously, he exposed some of V5's past actions and information about individual human explorers who had entered the Dark Continent.
The resulting earthquake matched the impact of the previous broadcast.
Because it gave everyone worldwide some understanding of the Dark Continent.
V5 had been suppressing information about the Dark Continent for years Kakin's sudden revelation created potential dangers, as human greed knows no bounds.
Some humans might prepare to attempt reaching the Dark Continent through any means possible.
This also indicated that V5 would face increasingly difficult circumstances and more "potential enemies"!
"He appeared to be preventing a human catastrophe, but in reality, he accelerated humanity's exploration of the Dark Continent Damn it!"
The V5 superpower leaders all harbored resentment toward Oboro.
But the next news development made them even more uneasy.
The Kakin Empire actually used its diplomatic channels to establish a detailed and extensive cooperation agreement with the Fells Group.
The implications were self-evident.
The Kakin Empire and Fells Family had joined forces!
Based on previous understanding of the Fells Family, this meant Oboro had definitely gained control over the Kakin Royal Family!
He could now influence and control this superpower!
The international balance had completely collapsed.
V5 couldn't prevent it!
When the five superpowers wanted to implement targeted measures against the Kakin and Fells families the newly appointed Hunter Association Chairman, Ging Freecss, resigned for personal reasons, and after an internal election, Oboro was indisputably elected as Chairman.
V5 received no advance notice and attempted to contact Ging, but no one answered.
The Hunter Association also became unreachable.
When they prepared to take further action to control the situation, something even more terrifying occurred
Reports from V5 headquarters indicated that numerous personnel had resigned due to illness caused by some infectious agent.
Additionally certain government agencies within several major countries showed signs of instability, with conflicts emerging between various factions.
Everything descended toward chaos.
A month later, at the Fells family palace.
In the main hall lobby.
Oboro sat on the sofa, studying the serious expressions of those before him, and smiled slightly: "Is something wrong? You"
The V5 heads of state exchanged glances and remained silent.
They had contacted the Fells family repeatedly, hoping to speak with Oboro, but were rejected each time.
Finally, they found an opportunity
These five great figures, standing at the pinnacle of human power, disregarded the danger and condescended to appear in person.
Because the current situation was too perilous.
On the brink of catastrophe.
They had no choice but to humble themselves.
Although Oboro now served as Association Chairman, he still delegated management matters to the Twelve Zodiacs.
Though the Zodiacs didn't fully accept him as Chairman.
But they had no alternative.
"What do you want?" one leader finally mustered the courage to ask.
They weren't fools. The rapidly shifting international landscape, combined with unrest within V5, was too coincidental Setting aside these factors, the Fells family, now allied with Kakin, wasn't an entity they could casually confront.
"You should understand I can isolate V5 from the international community, correct?" Oboro stated calmly.
Using Nen to control V5's leaders wasn't realistic. Kakin was just one country, but this involved five.
Oboro was preparing for the Dark Continent expedition, so maintaining ongoing control would be impossible.
The Fells family's power could barely manage to control Kakin's royal family.
The larger the country, the more complex its political landscape. Unless you controlled all the influential figures, without constant supervision chaos would erupt.
A collection of small foreign countries plus Kakin still couldn't shake V5's foundation. They could fight and alter the global balance through warfare, but victory chances remained slim. However, Oboro could use public opinion or political leverage to diminish V5's influence in the human world For example, persuading many countries to ignore V5 and dispatch forces to the Dark Continent.
Not just Kakin!
Additionally some political conflicts within the five major countries were being secretly orchestrated by the Fells family.
The five nations could eliminate Fells family operatives, but doing so would inevitably damage their vitality, a fatal weakness at this critical juncture.
Their only option now was to seek cooperation with the Fells family.
Become allies.
"Make the Fells family one of your own," Oboro stated plainly.
"Furthermore, from now on the Hunter Association will no longer function as a subordinate organization, but exist as an independent entity. No one possesses the right to command or administer it! In other words, Hunters are a specialized force protecting the human world, answering only to each Chairman. Naturally, if someday the Association threatens humanity, you have the right to intervene, but only under specific conditions."
"Are you suggesting the Hunter Association's status supersedes V5?" asked the leader who had spoken earlier, stunned.
"Yes Do you object?" Oboro raised his eyebrows.
Seeing Oboro's cold expression, the five individuals took deep breaths and remained silent.
"I respect Netero, but I dislike his methods."
"You may find it uncomfortable now but this is my approach. You must learn to adapt to it, and you can only adapt to it."
Oboro's words were cold and detached, delivered with deliberate precision.
"My will is absolute."