Even though Oboro's condition was somewhat better, the Beyond in front of him had not been pushed to the brink of desperation; perhaps he still concealed some hidden cards unknown to Oboro.
Therefore, continuing the battle between the two was highly uncertain and dangerous.
Suddenly, a group of Nen users appeared. Although their numbers were small—only a dozen or so—they were enough to be the last straw that could crush the camel.
Nen abilities are inherently diverse, with some being particularly special and harder to defend against.
In this fight, Oboro faced Beyond without overwhelming strength or advantage.
So, Oboro dared not take reckless risks.
Before the enemy's reinforcements could get close, he quickly dispersed a large number of ghost shadows and expanded the fog's range, trying to obscure sight as much as possible to weaken the enemy's perception.
At this moment, it was impossible for Beyond to easily swing his sword and cut through the fog as he did at the start.
After all, his injuries were serious… another hand still hadn't regained consciousness.
Bang!
A terrifying flash of sword light appeared, and Oboro dodged swiftly.
His figure immediately disappeared into the sea of fog.
Gone without a trace.
Meanwhile, a group of Beyond's accomplices leapt into the dense fog, rushing toward the source of the sound… but on the way, they were blocked by a dense array of ghost shadows. These ghosts had no physical form, and with their abilities, they couldn't hold their mental focus like Beyond did, causing their spirits to fluctuate and their mental state to be affected.
Beyond wanted to pursue… but ultimately, he gave up.
In this fog, everything was conveyed to Oboro with pinpoint accuracy. Every move and action was exposed to his view… in such conditions, catching the opponent was too difficult.
Moreover, Oboro's condition was better than his.
If they had sent someone to attack Oboro from the start, given his physical state at that time, there might have been a slight chance.
But now… it was too late.
After a while, several Nen users arrived at Beyond's side, their expressions shocked when they saw his injuries.
They hadn't expected it to be so brutal… that Oboro could beat Beyond into such a state!
"Where's the person?"
one of them asked.
"Gone…"
Beyond replied in a deep voice.
By this time, the fog had already begun to thin out, gradually transforming into Nen energy and dissipating.
The vision of everyone present also suddenly became clear.
Looking around, they found only themselves—no target in sight.
A member of the alliance retracted his Nen ability, and the masks worn by the others were gradually torn off… masks used to disguise identities, to prevent Oboro from recognizing or identifying them.
"Why not set traps around earlier… We could have gained a lot of time. Why did we all come here?"
one person expressed his dissatisfaction with Oboro's departure.
They believed they could have successfully handled Oboro's unpredictable move.
But Beyond hadn't prepared for this.
"With our abilities, setting more traps wouldn't help him… Moreover, only by close combat can we be relatively safe. If we stay too far away… we might not survive at all," Beyond didn't respond, but another nearby person explained.
With Beyond present, they could at least hold Oboro back… otherwise, their level was just throwing lives away.
They couldn't even use their Nen abilities to threaten Oboro.
"Will he leave the Kakin Empire?"
a woman frowned. "Currently, the Fels family's plan to interfere with the royal family has undoubtedly failed… Will he be willing to accept this?"
"Such injuries… can't be recovered from in a short time… If it were me, I'd definitely run away first. After all, no one can guarantee whether the Kakin royal family will take action against him at this moment… If they block the borders, even with gang support, it will be hard to cope."
"And if this gets exposed, it will also have a significant impact on the Fels family…"
"Don't think too much. These things… are none of our concern. It's the king's problem to consider."
...
Meanwhile, Nasbi Gray Guo, sitting upright in the palace and holding a golden wine cup, received a report from his subordinates.
He was flanked by two maids, gently fanning him with round fans to create a breeze.
"Failed, huh…"
Gray Guo sighed.
His plan was very good—using Beyond to draw the Fels family into his camp, obeying their arrangements.
This would strengthen their side's influence and power, making V5 restless and helping to smoothly push forward their plan.
If it didn't work out, they could also kill Oboro to eliminate the threat… no loss at all.
They didn't need to move even a single soldier of the royal family.
Based on his estimate of the Fels family's power, even if they fought Kakin, the losses wouldn't be small.
Now, only a prince and princess had died… it was already an extremely cost-effective deal.
They minimized their losses.
But he hadn't expected Beyond to fail…
He agreed to partner with Beyond mainly because of his strength and identity—son of Isaac Netero, head of the Hunter Association.
Most importantly, this father-son pair had returned alive from the Dark Continent… this was a selling point, a basis for outsiders to believe in the 'New Continent.'
Only those who had been there could speak with credibility.
And Beyond could also leverage Netero's name to create some influence...
"This is troublesome…"
Gray Guo stretched his chubby finger, knocking on his forehead as he fell into thought.
"Kill that woman… she's no longer useful."
After a moment, the king issued an order.
"Understood."
His subordinate responded and turned to leave.
The woman Gray Guo pointed to was his lover, the Fels family's prized daughter.
He had known her identity for a long time… he had set a trap, baiting the big fish—Oboro.
Now that the big fish had escaped…
The woman also lost her value.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince wants to see you…"
After pondering for a while, someone came to report.
Oboro's retreat meant the Fels family hadn't gained any advantage in Kakin… and Benjamin's intentions had been fully exposed under his father's watch.
Gray Guo didn't need to guess; he knew the Crown Prince's purpose was nothing more than an explanation.
"Tell him not to worry. This matter has nothing to do with him."
Netero advised without seeing his eldest son.
He stood up from the throne, surrounded by two maids, clasping his hands behind his back, walking away slowly.
"Understood."
...
After leaving the palace area, Oboro immediately used teleportation to return to the Fels family's stronghold.
David, upon seeing his appearance, was terrified.
It was the first time he saw Oboro with such severe injuries.
He also understood the situation in the Kakin Empire.
For the first time… after their smooth sailing plans, they encountered their first setback.
Fortunately, Oboro had the ability to leave the Kakin Empire; otherwise, if the royal family took some action, David dared not imagine the consequences…
The Fels family didn't have much control over the gangs within Kakin, especially on someone else's territory.
"The battlefield there is still under the jurisdiction of the palace. Beyond naturally could have arranged his people in advance, but we couldn't…"
Inside the grand hall, Oboro sat on a sofa.
Nearby, several busy medical personnel were tending to his wounds.
Fels Lily was also present.
"Should we stop? Although the Kakin Empire is very important to us, it's not impossible to abandon it… Currently, the family has grown to a certain size and momentum. There's no need to force Kakin—too dangerous."
The woman in a wheelchair softly advised.
"I was thinking that in the near future, I could use Kakin to make some moves, forcing V5 to concede…"
Oboro didn't elaborate much.
"Kakin's national strength, among several continents, is indeed unmatched outside V5, with no substitutes… otherwise, we could settle for second best," David sighed.
"Let's put it on hold for now…"
Oboro said calmly. "That king, Gray Guo, is indeed shrewd… and ruthless."
"However, the Crown Prince Benjamin's life is still in my hands… I want to see how he will choose."
____________________
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