Germain's feet landed on the blood-soaked ground.
The silver wings on his back and the black robes draped over him dissolved into countless motes of light.
The bloodstained blade of mourning he wielded also vanished without a trace.
A surge of crimson energy poured into his body.
In the center of his palm, a grotesque badge appeared—scarlet, hideous, covered in writhing lumps of flesh.
[Flesh Badge: Grants the power to assimilate most things, whether living or dead, into flesh. Anything absorbed becomes subject to your control.]
Germain lowered his gaze toward his Hunter Badge.
It too had changed—from a broken fragment to the image of a complete crescent moon.
[Hunter Badge: There will no longer be obstacles between any lit lanterns. You may teleport freely.
You may set lanterns without limit. Your own aura can take form as a lantern.
By absorbing the Nen of prey slain—or that of any living beings near your lantern—you may claim it as your own. Virtue, torment… all will be treated equally.]
Germain gave it only a passing glance.
He didn't dwell on such details.
Instead, he surveyed the battlefield around him—a wasteland left behind by gods and demi-gods locked in slaughter.
He felt no attachment to the place.
Step by step, he walked toward the lantern he had left behind.
In the violet glow, four tiny messenger imps emerged, throwing themselves flat against the ground.
Their small hands lifted high in trembling reverence, postures full of submission.
Germain seized one of the imps by the hand.
He raised his head and cast a final glance at the full moon hanging high above.
Then, he activated the lantern's teleportation.
The violet radiance shifted, becoming silver light.
It wrapped around him completely, reducing his figure to stardust before vanishing from sight.
Once more, Germain returned to the ancient labyrinth's towering spire.
The faint glow of the teleportation array still spread outward, like the ever-shining beacon of a lighthouse.
As long as he remained undying, the light of this tower would never fade.
Turning, his gaze fell upon the massive bronze bell and its heavy striker.
The lifeless instruments seemed to come alive, trembling as if possessed.
The striker swung forward on its own and struck the bell.
Dong—
Dong—
Dong—
The peals of the bell echoed, deep and resonant.
The sound spread across the ancient labyrinth, reaching the ears of every living being within.
And within that tolling, they could all hear… a hidden meaning.
Something had changed.
Germain slowly descended the spiral stone staircase.
At the bottom, he saw Bisky and Ging, who had arrived after hearing the bell, with Ging wrapped up like a rice dumpling.
"You…" Bisky began to speak, but when her eyes met Germain's, she was at a loss for words.
"Don't worry." Germain said calmly to them. "I won."
Bisky's eyes widened slightly as she turned to glance at Ging.
Then, both Bisky and Ging watched Germain walk past them, as if what he said was no big deal.
Immediately, Ging was surprised to feel his body wrapped in a silver light.
The pain that had plagued him began to fade rapidly, and some of his visible wounds healed at an astonishing speed.
This was… a healing ability?
"Wait." Bisky tried to stop Germain. "We haven't even discussed what excuse to give. There are still many V6 members outside… and Steiner…"
Germain stopped, turned his head slightly, and spoke softly: "Bisky, whatever they want to know, just tell them."
After saying that, he turned again and walked out of the tower.
Bisky froze in place.
Ging, after checking his injuries, finally said in a slow voice: "Bisky… don't you understand yet? There's no need to hide anything anymore."
As Germain exited the tower, he saw everyone stationed there gradually stepping out from various parts of the castle, looking at him with suspicion and awe.
Morel, Cheadle, Gel, Cluck, Kanzai, Sanbica, Menchi, Mereleon, Knov, Palm, Kite, Knuckle, Shoot, Kurapika…
Steiner, Scela, Kioris, Mikhael…
Two hundred people formed a small sea of faces, but as Germain approached, they all parted, making way for a wide path.
Germain did not pause. He kept moving forward.
He had to keep moving forward.
——
April 1st. Germain, accompanied only by Steiner and a few of his guards, used the tower's teleportation stone array to return openly to the coastal fortress.
Steiner nervously adjusted his glasses. "You… you really want me to tell everything truthfully?"
"Yes. Just speak the truth," Germain replied patiently, once again.
Steiner had no choice but to nod. "Alright."
"Ah, right." Germain suddenly seemed to remember something. "Do you happen to know where all the heads of state of V6 work or rest?"
Steiner froze, unsure how to respond.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning anything bad," Germain said. "I just want to have a conversation with them. If you can arrange a meeting, that would be ideal. If not, I'll go find them myself."
Steiner's breathing quickened. This man… he… he was so bluntly laying out his plan.
Doesn't he worry about colliding with V6, or that something might go wrong?
"I'm not worried." Germain patted Steiner on the shoulder. "If you all want to complicate things, I can handle it in a way you can understand."
Steiner's whole body stiffened. Caught in his thoughts, he stood frozen as Germain walked away casually.
Gradually, he realized the gravity of Germain's attitude… In his hands… in V6's hands, there was a hot potato—too dangerous to hold, but impossible to ignore.
One misstep, and it could trigger a societal catastrophe far worse than the "Five Great Disasters."
——
Chairman Netero met Germain in the recovery room of Shizuku, who was pregnant.
When he entered, he saw Germain carefully tucking a blanket over her, her small belly gently rising beneath it.
Shizuku had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep, her glasses placed neatly in a case by Germain.
Germain looked up at Chairman Netero, unsurprised, and simply gestured outside, signaling that they should talk elsewhere.
The two of them walked down the corridor, weaving through the crowd, and found a quiet balcony.
"I've already heard Steiner's report once, but he was nervous and scattered. I'm not sure I fully understood his meaning."
Chairman Netero stroked his white beard, gazing at the tiny lights of the town already built outside the coastal fortress.
He tried to sense the power emanating from Germain, but to his surprise, he couldn't detect anything at all.
Germain seemed just like an ordinary person, completely devoid of any Nen.
That was impossible.
Chairman Netero immediately understood the reason. It was because Germain had reached a state that was beyond his ability to grasp.
It was unimaginable—this was the same man who had once come to participate in the Hunter Exam, and now, after years of experience, he had reached such a level.
"Then I'll tell you everything, just as I intended to do."
Germain slowly recounted every detail of their journey after arriving on the Dark Continent, all the way until the climactic battle against the "God of Flesh," leaving nothing out.
The more Chairman Netero listened, the more astonished he became. He hadn't expected that their expedition had endured such perilous trials…
But the thing that shocked him most was still…
The continuous, outward-spreading light from the coastal fortress teleport point, and the effect this light had on the nearby lifeforms.
It seemed this was not without warning.
"You…" Chairman Netero didn't know what to say.
Germain said, "I told the same thing to Bisky, Ging, and Steiner: 'Don't worry.' And that is exactly what I want to tell you."
"Chairman, don't worry. I have no intention of completely destroying the order of human society. I only wish for things to be simpler."
"I hope that humanity can move in a single direction, without continuing to fight amongst ourselves. That is all."
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer