Chapter 179 Lord of Souls
The eldest prince, Benjamin, had been attacked by unknown assailants and gravely injured.
News spread rapidly throughout the royal family of Kakin,
filling the princes and princesses with unease.
Everyone felt something was off…
Although several of Benjamin's soldiers were also severely injured or dead, the few survivors gave remarkably consistent testimonies during questioning.
The culprit was likely influenced by radical elements within the kingdom, seeking to undermine the monarchy by targeting its princes.
That was merely the official explanation.
In truth, many believed Benjamin's misfortune stemmed from the schemes of other princes. Otherwise, King Grey King wouldn't have simply asked about the situation and then allowed the matter to fade away.
There was only one explanation
other princes were involved.
Secretly, the princes had already begun a "battle of wits."
And the only one who knew the truth…
was the Ninth Prince.
He knew exactly who had injured Benjamin.
Aside from Haze, there was no other culprit.
After all, he had lured Benjamin to the hotel by using the succession war as a pretext.
Guilt and regret weighed heavily upon him.
Now that the Field's Family's bride his fiancée was safe and out of danger, he no longer needed to fear the mafia.
He intended to reveal everything to the King and expose the ambitions of the Field's Family, who sought to seize the Kakin throne.
However, before he could meet the King, several of Benjamin's private soldiers led by Li Han approached him and strictly forbade the Ninth Prince from revealing Haze's existence to anyone.
They were also forbidden from stating that Haze was the assailant.
Li Han's grave sincerity made Halkenburg suspect that the First Prince was also being coerced or controlled by the Field's Family.
"If you say anything… the First Prince will die."
Li Han's meaningful warning echoed long after the soldiers left.
It left the guilt-ridden Ninth Prince completely lost.
He was certain now
Benjamin was somehow under the gang's control.
"Damn it!"
Inside his room, Halkenburg punched the wall.
Blood dripped from his knuckles.
The leader of the Field's Family was far too cunning.
It made sense why they chose him: he was the prince who valued brotherhood the most. Even if his fiancée was graciously released, if the other princes were taken hostage, he wouldn't dare act recklessly.
Too meticulous…
The other side had considered every angle.
He thought that once his fiancée was freed, he no longer had to fear the Field's Family.
But now
even with the First Prince gravely injured, the royal family's attention was on the princes themselves, believing the attacker was one of them.
Fortunately, Benjamin's life was not in danger, so King Grey King did not pursue the matter deeper.
"Your father… is a shrewd man who admires no, believes in the law of the strong. That is how the Kakin Empire reached its current power… It is carved into his very bones. If you join forces with us, it will be best for you all… If not, then when your brothers begin to fight, your father will watch, cold and merciless…"
Halkenburg recalled Haze's words that day.
At the time, he hadn't believed them.
But judging by the First Prince's condition…
there might have been truth in them.
…
Meanwhile, in Benjamin's bedroom
A soldier specializing in exorcism used his Nen ability.
Benjamin lay on the bed, covered by countless writhing worms…
these insects gnawed at him like parasites.
Benjamin's breathing remained steady, and his physical wounds had been healed, yet he remained unconscious.
"Nothing found."
After a long while, the exorcist withdrew his ability and spoke gravely:
"This shouldn't be a Nen ability applied directly to the body… There's no external Nen attached. Neither inside nor outside."
"Even curses leave traces… This is the first time I've encountered something like this."
"It's not an application… it's an absence…"
Li Han crossed his arms, recalling the scene
Haze inserting his hand into the prince's body, extracting his soul, tearing it free and sealing it.
Li Han excelled at analyzing others' Nen. His "Unknowns" functioned precisely because of that.
"He took part of the prince's soul… and sealed it inside that little cage."
Li Han sighed and closed his eyes.
"We don't yet know the effects. For now, he seems unharmed… out of consideration for the prince's life, we should not act rashly."
"Understood."
The others nodded.
…
In the darkness
Benjamin's soul crouched in a corner of his consciousness.
He felt pain so intense he could barely breathe.
His body was mutilated, as if a great piece had been torn away, yet… oddly… it did not bleed.
Sometimes he heard faint whispers.
And laughter.
A voice he found familiar
yet couldn't place.
After a long time, the darkness surrounding him faded.
A vast green mist flooded his consciousness.
Countless ghosts floated within it, surrounding him, howling, mocking him, observing his wounded state like a pitiful creature.
Moments later, Benjamin slowly raised his head.
He was enclosed by massive bars as if imprisoned inside a cage.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the cage resembled… a lantern.
As he stared, the mist on both sides rippled
revealing a gigantic face looming over him from the sky.
Staring down at him.
Like a giant gazing at an insect.
"Ah!"
In the real world, Benjamin still unconscious and wrapped in bandages screamed and jolted awake.
His clothes were soaked in sweat.
He looked as if he had just been dragged from the ocean.
"Your Highness!"
The soldiers keeping watch rushed to his side with relieved expressions.
"What happened to me?"
Benjamin gasped, eyes unfocused.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Li Han approached cautiously.
Tch… the Field's Family… Haze!
Suddenly, Benjamin's memories sharpened.
His gaze hardened.
"What happened?"
The soldiers exchanged looks and explained everything that occurred in the hotel.
Even someone as strong as Benjamin had been struck and knocked out with a single kick.
That Haze!
"Prepare the army… I !"
Benjamin clenched his fists, veins bulging, voice full of fury.
He threw off the sheets and tried to stand.
But the moment he rose
before he could finish speaking
His limbs suddenly failed him.
His body collapsed.
Fortunately, his soldiers caught him in time.
"Prince !"
"W-What?!"
Benjamin was stunned.
He realized his movements were incredibly slow…
as if his mind could no longer properly command his flesh.
His own body felt foreign to him.
"Your Highness… based on what we saw… a part of your soul was taken."
Li Han said gravely.
"Soul…?"
Benjamin froze.
The soul was something mysterious… yet Nen abilities were diverse and capable of producing many supernatural phenomena.
Instinctively, he attempted to release his Nen.
But he discovered
his aura had sharply diminished.
Though outwardly he seemed fine…
the rupture in his soul had dealt catastrophic damage.
"That bastard! That bastard!"
Benjamin roared with a hoarse voice:
"I'll kill him! Kill him! Mobilize the army do as I command GO! GO NOW!"
Losing power was intolerable for Benjamin.
"Your Highness!"
Li Han hurried to stop him.
They still didn't understand Haze's abilities.
The enemy must have had confidence to leave alive.
A reckless assault might lead to disaster.
Li Han was about to speak when
suddenly, he froze.
His pupils contracted.
"What is it?! Hurry up and !"
Benjamin saw all of them staring at him in horror.
His expression darkened.
"Your Highness… behind you…"
A soldier pointed tremblingly at Benjamin's back.
Benjamin turned slightly
and his pupils shrank instantly.
Because
A ghost was emerging from his body.
Its blurry face was smiling at him.
"Behave… or I'll consume your soul completely."
Though it had no mouth, the ghost spoke.
It was Haze's voice.
The exorcist reacted instantly, sending a swarm of insects to tear into the ghost, devouring it within moments.
"How?! I didn't sense any external Nen!"
The exorcist gasped.
How did a ghost emerge from nothing?
It wasn't a parasite.
"Is it gone?"
Li Han asked anxiously.
"I… I don't know…"
The exorcist swallowed hard.
Then
Benjamin suddenly writhed in pain and groaned.
Shreds of spirits burst from his body, floating throughout the room, shrieking.
Just as the exorcist sent insects after them, the spirits abruptly dove back into Benjamin and vanished.
The First Prince, pale, collapsed into unconsciousness.
"You said he wasn't under any Nen influence!"
someone protested.
"I checked there was nothing "
"But those ghosts are genuine Nen! How do they exist?!"
"How should I know?! I'm asking the same thing!"
"Enough!"
Li Han roared.
He declared coldly:
"Every Nen ability has its logic… its structure.
I suspect the enemy is using the prince's extracted soul as a medium…
In other words
unless we recover that fragment of his soul, we are helpless."
…
Meanwhile, dozens of kilometres away, in a hotel
Haze sat on a sofa, green mist swirling through the room.
He held the Thresh Lantern in his hand, smiling slightly.
"How clever."
His gaze rested on a flicker of soul-fire inside the lantern.
Yes through the remaining senses tied to Benjamin's soul fragment, he could see and hear everything happening around the prince.
Li Han's deduction was correct.
He was experienced.
A veteran.
Benjamin had manifested a ghost because
Haze had planted it inside the lantern,
not by attaching any external Nen.
That fragment of soul remained connected to Benjamin's original spirit.
(End of Chapter)