Kakin Empire.
In a side palace of the royal court, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou received Beyond's visit.
Beyond hadn't come alone, but he was accompanied by only Kyuki.
Nasubi sat cross-legged on a bed-like seat, his elbow resting casually on a three-legged armrest. He slightly tilted his pot-bellied body and looked at Beyond, who was walking through the palace's gate.
He also glanced at Kyuki, who was following behind Beyond, then retracted his gaze and continued to look at Beyond.
"You didn't disappoint me, Beyond."
Once Beyond came to a stop, Nasubi spoke in a calm tone.
If Beyond hadn't chosen to kill his own father for the sake of their dreams, then Nasubi would have still found a way to ensure Netero's death himself.
After all, there is no other partner like Beyond in the whole world.
So, between 'abandoning Beyond' and 'killing Netero', Nasubi would undoubtedly choose the latter.
Now that the problem was resolved, Nasubi was in high spirits and can't wait to share this monumental news with the world.
Beyond looked at Nasubi calmly and said, "Since you're so satisfied, why not agree to one more request of mine?"
"Let's hear it."
Nasubi raised his hand slightly, his demeanor exuding authority.
Beyond didn't care about Nasubi's condescending attitude, and said in even tone: "Wait until after Netero's 'Soul-Guiding Day' has passed before proceeding with the opening of the 'Gate to the New World."
"Oh?"
Nasubi's fat face twitched slightly in surprise.
The 'Soul-Guiding Day', also known as the Day of Rest, was an important occasion meant to honor the deceased and wish them peace.
What surprised Nasubi was that Beyond, who had personally killed Netero, would place such importance on this matter.
So much so that he requested a delay in the grand undertaking of opening the Gate to the New World.
"Fine, we'll wait. A few more days won't make a difference."
After a moment of consideration, Nasubi ultimately agreed to Beyond's request.
He had already waited over a month for the limitation on Beyond to be lifted, so it doesn't matter if he waits a little longer.
'August 8th had passed. September 9th had passed-'
'Then let this historic, grand occasion be set for October 10th.'
Restraining the impatience in his heart, a faint smile appeared on Nasubi's fat face.
…
The night is dark.
However, the city blazed with light, with the streams of traffic weaving together like rivers of stars fallen to earth.
This was a metropolis of unparalleled prosperity.
However, beneath this world of extravagance and indulgence, the endless evils of human nature always find a way to fester.
In an alleyway flickering intermittently with neon lights, the faint scent of blood lingered in the air.
Deep in the alley, a pale corpse lay sprawled on the ground.
Two burly men stood next to the corpse.
One of them was tilting his head back, exhaling smoke with an expression of pure satisfaction.
The other leaned against the wall, idly flipping open and shut a gleaming golden lighter in his hand.
"We've lost quite a few people recently. Be more careful when you're 'taking out the trash'."
The smoking man lowered his head, first glanced at the corpse beside them, then looked at his companion and gave a reminder.
Click, click-
The other man played with the lighter and smiled, "Do I need your reminder for this kind of thing? If we're talking about vigilance, I'd say I'm second, and none of you would dare to say you're first, right?"
"Tch. Being too cocky never ends well."
The smoking man pinched out the cigarette between his fingers and flicked it away.
Click.
The companion closed the lid of the lighter and said impatiently: "Yeah, yeah, I know, quit..."
Clink.
Suddenly, a chain burst through his throat, spraying blood and cutting off his words mid-sentence.
"Huh-!?"
When the smoking man saw this sudden scene, his pupils contracted sharply. His hand instinctively reached to his waist, drawing a pistol in one fluid motion as he aimed at the space beside his ambushed companion.
But just as the smoking man raised his gun, a shadowy figure appeared on his side like a ghost.
The figure simply stretched out one hand to hold the smoking man's arm holding the gun, and a crisp sound of broken bones was heard in the alley.
The sudden excruciating pain hit the smoker's nerves, causing his eyes to instantly bulge as he tried to scream.
However, a chain quickly wrapped around his mouth like a serpent, muffling his voice into a choked whimper.
"I ask. You answer."
A cold voice came from behind the smoking man.
The owner of this voice was none other than Kurapika, who had been out of contact for some time.
The smoking man wanted to struggle and resist, but found that his body was tightly bound by chains.
When he looked at his companion's condition again, who had already fallen to the ground, he knew he was undeniably dead.
'Damn it…'
The smoking man felt panic in his heart, and suddenly felt that the pressure around his mouth began to loosen.
But at this moment, the voice like the Grim Reaper sounded again from behind: "Don't play tricks, otherwise, I promise you, I have a hundred ways to make you live a life worse than death."
"!!!"
The smoking man's heartbeat suddenly quickened. Feeling the chains retract from his mouth, so he asked cautiously, "W-What… do you want to know…?"
"The Scarlet Eyes."
Kurapika looked at the chained smoking man with cold eyes.
Moments later.
There was another corpse in the alley.
Kurapika turned and strode toward the alley's entrance, his eyes emitting a blood-red luster in the dimly lit alley.
Suddenly-
Kurapika froze mid-step and immediately assumed a guarded stance.
The reason for this reaction was that there was a slender figure leaning against the wall in front of him.
This figure turned out to be Hisoka, who had been running all over the place lately.
He leaned against a wall very close to the alley's entrance, and the neon lights flickered across his sharp profile, painting it in surreal hues.
"Mmm~"
Hisoka's lips curled into a slow, delighted smile.
"The way you look right now… is simply delicious."