Chapter 177: Terrible Ability Application
Monster!
Fear filled Vincent's eyes as he instantly judged that the person before him was absolutely not someone he could handle.
Escape!
He must never fall into others' hands. If there happened to be a Nen user with interrogation abilities among them, and intelligence were to leak from his mouth, it would be greatly disadvantageous for the First Prince.
Moreover, he must bring back information about this person.
The strength of the man before him was powerful enough to alter the entire landscape of the Succession Contest!
Vincent raised his left hand, a powerful aura gathering in his palm, continuously compressing until it transformed into a ball of Nen energy cannon that blasted toward Mord.
"Air Blow!"
After launching the attack, Vincent didn't even bother to check the result, immediately turning around and dashing toward the door.
"Terrible ability application." Mord simply opened his palm and blocked Vincent's Nen energy cannon. "The power is lacking too."
There's the door!
Vincent's eyes widened as he saw he was about to break out of the Fourteenth Prince's residence area. Once he passed through this main door, he could call for the King's Army.
Vincent's eyes involuntarily widened, his breathing becoming rapid.
But the next moment, a figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.
And cutting off his escape route.
Vincent felt a sharp pain in his throat, followed immediately by difficulty breathing. He staggered forward two steps before collapsing to the ground. Looking at that door, he stretched out his right hand.
Unfortunately, he would never be able to leave.
Until he completely lost all signs of life.
Kurapika stepped forward to examine him. Vincent's throat bone had been completely shattered—this was the cause of his death.
"You should have..."
Just as Kurapika was about to speak, he saw Mord's gesture and immediately closed his mouth.
Following the direction Mord indicated, Kurapika quickly found the listening device hidden by Vincent's ear and promptly destroyed it.
First Prince's side.
Bzzzt!
After a sharp burst of static.
The private soldier responsible for monitoring put down the listening device and reported to the First Prince Benjamin beside him: "Communication interrupted. It appears we've been discovered."
"The problem is what exactly the enemy's ability is. According to the monitoring, Vincent was captured just seconds after the gunshots. You have to understand that with Vincent using Nen normally, even if the enemy outnumbered him 2 to 1, it's hard to imagine him being instantly killed by physical techniques."
"The worst scenario now is not knowing whether Vincent is dead or alive. If he says something he shouldn't, that would be bad," Benjamin said gravely.
"Your Highness, rest assured. All our private guard soldiers have potent poison hidden in their teeth. If it truly comes to that moment, I believe Vincent will make the right choice," the private army commander spoke up.
"I hope so."
Benjamin turned his gaze to another private soldier beside him and said: "Babimyna, you will take over Vincent's follow-up work. The situation has changed, and the mission must be adjusted accordingly."
"Your current mission is to confirm Vincent's status, then thoroughly investigate all information about the people behind the Fourteenth Prince."
"This is the most critical mission where failure is not an option. You must complete it even at the cost of your life. Understood?"
"Yes!"
...
Ring! Ring! Ring!
At the Fourteenth Prince's quarters.
Just as Vincent's body had been disposed of, the telephone rang again.
The maid answered the phone, then turned to Kurapika and the others, saying, "The switchboard has calls to transfer over. What should we do?"
At such a delicate timing.
Kurapika asked, "Who is calling?"
"Three people simultaneously: the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince," the maid replied.
Kurapika turned to Mord, wanting to hear his opinion.
Meanwhile, his mind was analyzing the current situation.
In fact, the First Prince Benjamin already knew about the accident involving his soldiers, meaning we are already in a state of war. Despite this, he is proactively contacting us—is it to confirm Vincent's survival? That suggests there might still be room for negotiation.
The reasons the other two princes are reaching out to us are likely similar: they want information about Nen. These two are the only princes who haven't hired hunters from the Hunter Association as guards; their security is entirely composed of their own private soldiers. It's reasonable to infer that there are no Nen users among their guards.
The Fourteenth Prince's side has the weakest foundation, and the risks of exploring Nen abilities with other princes' factions are much greater. Hence, these two princes want to make contact with us.
Kurapika quickly reached the above conclusions in his mind.
"That person has already made the choice for you," Mord said, pointing at the maid who answered the phone. Suddenly recalling something interesting, he turned to leave. "I have matters to attend to."
The maid who answered the phone was named Shimano. Exposed by Mord's remark, she broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
This man is truly terrifying.
"Shimano, what exactly is going on?" Kurapika demanded loudly. He knew Mord well—he wouldn't say such a thing without reason. Shimano must have done something.
Kurapika snatched the phone from Shimano's hand.
"What an honor! Your first choice wasn't the First Prince, but me."
A magnetic voice came from the other end of the line.
It was the Third Prince's voice!
Kurapika glanced at the maid beside him, unsure why she had done this.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me? Why did you answer my call first instead of the First Prince's?" the Third Prince asked.
Though caught off guard, Kurapika quickly responded.
"With all due respect, I inferred that you are the most reasonable person," Kurapika said.
"Oh..." The Third Prince remained calm and asked, "What basis do you have for such an inference?"
"I'm afraid I cannot disclose that to you," Kurapika replied, speaking nonsense with a straight face since he had made it up on the spot. "Shall we discuss the information about Nen that you most wish to know?"
Sure enough, upon hearing about Nen, the Third Prince dropped the previous question.
"Very well, I understand. Let's get straight to the point then."
"As you know, we wish to obtain as much information about Nen as possible. Of course, phone conversations cannot guarantee confidentiality. Therefore, I permit you to enter my chambers. An exchange of honor and intelligence—what do you think?"
They want Nen intelligence without offering anything in return.
Moreover, the discussion would take place on their turf.
Truly worthy of royal lineage—they would never allow us to gain even the slightest advantage.
After a moment of silence, Kurapika spoke: "Thank you for your generosity, but I have one condition. May I request that the Fourteenth Prince and Eighth Queen Consort accompany us?"