Germain turned around to face the last monster.
It looked like a jellyfish, but also like a mushroom, with a small head on top.
Beneath that small head were many plump, bulbous sacs growing together, and below those was a skirt-like spread of lichen.
"The monster that breaks free from the final victor no longer needs to depend on or parasitize others. It prefers to control rather than be controlled..."
This is the guardian spirit beast of Camilla, heir to the Kakin royal family.
At the very start of the succession war, Camilla made a huge mistake fueled by her arrogance.
She decided to go alone to find Benjamin and eliminate the biggest threat first.
Camilla was overly confident and satisfied with her Nen ability—Cat's Name.
With this ability, she could gain nearly unlimited lives.
As long as the Cat's Name were active, anyone who killed Camilla would pay with their own life to resurrect her.
Believing herself to be an "invincible creature," Camilla boldly barged into Benjamin's stronghold.
However, Benjamin's side reacted swiftly and saw through her plan.
Benjamin didn't kill Camilla but imprisoned her instead.
By doing so, the Cat's Name lost their effect.
He only needed to wait patiently for the right moment, then kill Camilla without involving anyone else to end everything.
At that time, Benjamin hadn't fully understood his own guardian spirit beast's power.
Otherwise, he would have taken it further — by first stealing Camilla's guardian spirit beast and then killing her.
Only then did Camilla realize how enormous her mistake had been.
Camilla was trapped deep inside enemy territory, drenched in sweat and completely at a loss for what to do.
At that helpless moment, without even realizing it, she activated her guardian spirit beast.
Her guardian spirit beast would only awaken when she was pushed to the brink of despair.
It had the power to control a few people closest to her, turning them into puppets under its command.
Taking advantage of Benjamin's absence, Camilla's guardian beast manipulated the guards outside her prison cage.
The guards were forced to open the cage and release Camilla.
Not only that, these guards escorted her safely out of Benjamin's territory.
They even fought fearlessly against Benjamin's private soldiers who chased after them, sacrificing their lives to protect her.
Only after some time had passed since Camilla escaped her desperate situation did her guardian beast's control over those guards finally end.
Of course, all the guards who had become puppets died protecting her.
By then, Camilla had returned safely to her own domain.
It was only at this point that she fully realized the power of her guardian spirit beast.
From then on, she became more cautious, focusing all her energy on the matter of the "Yomotsu Hegui."
The Have-Nots were the lowest class in the Kajin Empire—descendants of other Have-Nots, those stripped of their citizenship, or slaves bought or stolen from elsewhere.
Benjamin had been born before her and matured earlier.
Because of that, he always gained access to the various resources of the Kajin Empire before she could.
Nobles, military leaders, capitalists... most of the people Camilla wanted to recruit had already been snatched up by Benjamin.
She was left with nothing but scraps.
Camilla needed a faction that belonged solely to her—loyal to the point of death, willing to commit any terrible crime for her sake.
In the end, her gaze fell upon the neglected Have-Nots.
Though they were at the very bottom of the Kakin Empire's social ladder, they were the largest group—more numerous than all the classes that oppressed them combined.
These Have-Nots desperately wanted to break free from their fate and rise above others.
But they were scattered like grains of sand, occasionally united, only to be quickly broken apart by the smallest temptation.
This cycle had repeated countless times.
From them, Camilla saw a power she could call her own.
So, she promised the Have-Nots that once she ascended to the throne, those who had served her faithfully, along with their families, would be granted citizenship.
Then, she funded the slums where the Have-Nots lived, building hospitals, schools, and shops—anything that could win their hearts.
The Have-Nots were ecstatic and eagerly rallied behind their new "queen."
With Camilla, they found hope for upward mobility.
The classes above the Have-Nots, while somewhat displeased, could only suppress their resentment since Camilla was a prince.
At the same time, she didn't overthrow the entire Have-Nots class—only a select few were promoted to the table.
This was still the centuries-old "game of power" the Kakin Empire had played for hundreds of years, and it was easier for the higher classes to accept.
In this way, all three groups essentially got what they wanted.
After winning the unwavering loyalty of the Have-Nots, Camilla discovered Nen abilities by chance.
Soon, a terrifying idea took root in her mind.
She would make these Have-Nots use everything they had as a price to curse every prince who posed a threat to her—everyone except herself.
This was the "Yomotsu Hegui."
Under Yomotsu Hegui, the princes did not die immediately. Instead, various factors that led to death accumulated slowly over time.
For example, the degeneration of body tissues, an unlucky fall, or the hatred of a madman...
This curse was long-lasting, and its activation depended on a certain probability. Because of this, it had never successfully taken effect on any of the princes—until now.
After Zhang Lei's mysterious suicide, Halkenburg lost all his wings and allies. His own will was close to collapse.
He was gradually growing weaker.
It was at this moment that Camilla realized Yomotsu Hegui had begun to affect Halkenburg.
His guardian spirit beast absorbed most of the curse for him, growing weaker and weaker until it could barely move.
Then, during a two-month voyage, an assassination attempt against Halkenburg — one that had never succeeded before — finally succeeded after his guardian spirit beast fell.
At the moment Halkenburg saw the dark muzzle of the gun, he might have believed the bullet would once again be caught by his guardian spirit beast.
But it wasn't.
The bullet struck Halkenburg's forehead, exploded at the back of his head, and splattered a stain on the wall.
*******
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