Chapter 176 Deadly Ultimatum
Half an hour later, Haze arrived at a small café.
As he pushed the door open, he immediately spotted a familiar smiling face.
Pariston blond, dressed in his striped yellow suit was sitting in a booth, raising a hand in greeting.
Expressionless, Haze walked over with his hands in his pockets, ignoring the glass of juice that had been placed on the table in advance.
"Say it… What do you want?"
Haze's attitude toward Pariston had always been one of clear disgust and indifference.
He would normally never bother with this man.
But this was Kakin.
He wanted to see exactly what Pariston was planning.
"Relax, I haven't reported your situation to Beyond… nor does the Kakin royal family know." Pariston smiled. "After that little 'Journey to the West' incident, it seems you've misunderstood me, so… I thought I'd come help ease the tension between us."
"Oh? Then I should thank you, shouldn't I…" Haze replied flatly.
"You're here because of the royal family, right?" Pariston said casually, exposing Haze's intentions as if it were nothing.
"You're planning to get rid of a prince or two? I know a thing or two about Kakin's royals…"
"Tell me," Haze interrupted, "why do you assume I'd target a prince? Why not a queen?"
Although your plan is to place a woman at the king's side, and although at first glance assassinating a queen seems simpler, the foundation of monarchy is still the succession descendants. The queens, except Oito, all have children. Even if you kill a queen, there will still be princes, and they'll still be a problem.
Once the situation begins, hiding it becomes impossible; the king will investigate thoroughly. You're unsure of the royal family's stance, so you need to choose a prince to cooperate with give them enough benefits, force them to take the blame, and turn the incident into a conflict between princes. That way, even the king will help cover it up. After all… family scandals aren't meant to be aired in public.
Pariston calmly dismantled Haze's reasoning piece by piece.
"…"
Haze fell silent.
Among all the Hunters, in terms of cunning and dangerous intellect, the most troublesome were Pariston… and Ging Freecss.
The closer you got to them, the more terrifying they became.
Pariston's rapid rise to a Three-Star Hunter, and then to Vice Chairman, looked like Netero's favoritism.
But Haze believed Pariston had manipulated things behind the scenes, forcing Netero to accept him.
The old man enjoyed challenge, but Pariston's interference played a part.
"Another thing… You seem to know quite a bit about the Kakin royal family. Because of the Succession War, these princes will eventually die. King Nasubi Grey even if he doesn't want his children killing each other too early doesn't reject the idea deep down. That aligns with the essence of the Succession War. And that's the real reason you target princes, not queens."
"You know about the Succession War… so you must also know about the Egg in the Pot. Beyondr told you, didn't he?" Haze asked.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Pariston waved a hand lightly. "He and I only have a working relationship, nothing personal. We met by chance early on because of certain jobs… The Association investigated the Journey to the West incident, and it was indeed Beyondr. The other Zodiacs, except Gold Freecss, don't know the details. Frankly, even I was surprised when I learned who he really was."
"Stop pretending. Your little act doesn't work on me. Including your tricks and schemes."
Haze leaned forward, resting an arm on the table, staring directly at Pariston through his sunglasses.
"You found the old man's weakness, followed the trail to Beyond, and used that to approach him. 'A coincidence'? 'A lucky encounter'? Everything was calculated. Since you knew about Netero and Beyond's agreement, you knew Beyond was a trump card someone who could destroy Netero. And it just so happened that Beyond needed a high-ranking ally inside the Association."
"Hahaha… You really see through me… You're truly something."
Pariston didn't deny it he simply smiled.
"I believe you haven't informed Beyond of my arrival. And I believe you'd help me… but your goal isn't to help me infiltrate the royal family. You want to use this chance to provoke a conflict between Beyond and me."
Haze suddenly extended a finger and pointed at Pariston's face.
A playful smile curved across his lips.
"Are you afraid?"
"You know what I am. You know that one day… I will kill you. Like crushing a rat erased from existence. After your conversation with the Chairman, you realized even the old man can't suppress me forever. So your only card… is Beyond."
As Haze spoke, Pariston's smile finally began to fade.
"I'm not like Ging Freecss. I don't enjoy mind games with you, and morals don't apply to me. If I want to kill you, I will. No one controls me. And precisely because you can't predict me… you can't control me. You hoped to benefit from the conflict between me and Beyond. Before my killing intent peaks, you want opportunities. That's why you came to Kakin yourself like a loyal dog because you knew I would agree to cooperate. And you also know how important this whole affair is to the Field's Family."
"But… it's useless. Your death is already carved into hell's gravestone."
"But I do admire your courage coming alone to see me. Enjoy life while you still have time."
Haze rose slowly.
"Organize all your knowledge about the Kakin royal family who benefits me the most, who's the most advantageous and send the report to my phone. Since you came all the way here to show goodwill… when the time comes, maybe I'll show mercy and let you die with a bit of dignity."
Hands in his pockets, Haze walked out of the café.
Pariston remained seated, fingers interlaced, expression unreadable.
Only long after Haze left did Pariston finally lower his gaze toward the dark liquid in his cup.
"This feeling… is truly disgusting," he whispered.
He understood Haze's intent in coming to Kakin.
But Haze also understood his thoughts and said them out loud without hesitation.
That meant Haze believed everything was already predetermined.
And it was.
No wonder… even Ging Freecss had fallen into Haze's hands, unable to gain any advantage.
Haze intended to kill Pariston for the sake of his vision.
And the key point was simple
To become the Chairman.
Netero's abdication or death
fit Haze's plan perfectly.
Meaning
Haze knew about the Chimera Ants.
Creatures that reproduced and evolved too quickly already beyond control.
The situation was irreversible.
Even Pariston could do nothing.
Once the disaster escalated into a threat to humanity, the V5 would inevitably send the Chairman.
Netero had set that up himself.
But now… it benefitted Haze.
Or rather Haze had foreseen everything from the start.
He never gave Beyond a chance to intervene.
Beyond had already anticipated this. Given Haze's unstable personality, if Beyond interfered carelessly…
Haze might kill him on the spot.
Haze's words were a warning:
I'm giving you time.
You can resist or comply.
But if you hesitate…
I'll flip the board.
"What should I do…?" Pariston wondered.
(End of Chapter)