Parker looked down.
"I didn't want to come. I don't like fighting. I've never liked it."
"I just wanted to live a quiet life... like when I was a kid."
"I don't understand why they had to drag me into this."
"I really don't want to fight you."
"They made me do it."
"I don't like them... and I hate Oster."
...
Kaizen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He hadn't even begun a proper interrogation. Just a few verbal threats—Zoldyck-style torture hadn't even started—and Parker had already confessed everything.
And judging by his tone and expression, he probably wasn't lying.
Kaizen turned to Ponzu. "Can the queen bee confirm whether he's telling the truth?"
"The queen bee says he is."
Kaizen nodded slightly, then looked Parker over again.
"So what exactly did you tell Oster about me?"
Parker didn't hesitate.
"A beast who can control fire."
"One who uses thunderbolts."
"An ability to swap locations through space."
"And a mist that conceals traps in a mysterious dimension."
"That's all."
Kaizen expected as much. The information Oster had wasn't beyond what Kaizen was willing to reveal. His most important secrets were still safe.
Like how Killer Queen's explosions really worked.
Like Chitong' instant-kill.
And the shared pain of the Lantern Ghost.
...
"So, how did Oster react?" Kaizen asked.
"He gave the order to mobilize the Six Fiends. They're already on their way."
Parker hesitated, then added, "They're a lot stronger than the Four Beasts. And their Nen tools are dangerous."
Kaizen frowned slightly.
"Why are you warning me? Isn't Oster your father?"
Parker fell silent for a few seconds before replying.
"I hate him."
"Because of him... my mother died. That 'group meeting' turned into a nightmare."
"I would've rather been born to an ordinary man."
"He may have raised me, but I don't think of him as my father."
"I just want the life he took from me. A peaceful one. Quiet. No battles. No chaos."
"Growing flowers... planting grass... reading books…"
As he spoke, a faint light of yearning glimmered in Parker's eyes.
...
Kaizen stared.
This wasn't what he expected at all.
"A loving father and a filial son?"
Oster used Parker as an experimental subject.
And Parker couldn't wait for him to die.
There was no father-son relationship here—only mutual resentment, maybe even hatred.
"Could these experiments be related to what happened in Ponzu's village...?"
The idea surfaced in Kaizen's mind, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
With the queen bee confirming the truth of Parker's words, Kaizen had no reason—or intention—to kill him.
Besides, Parker himself intrigued Kaizen.
What kind of experiments had he gone through?
He had only recently learned Nen, but his aura level had already reached Grade C.
Just how high could he go?
What were the long-term effects of those experiments?
...
"When is Ravik supposed to arrive?" Kaizen asked.
"No idea."
"What do you know about him?"
"Not much," Parker replied. "Only that he's Oster's most trusted enforcer. Incredibly strong. Far beyond the Four Beasts or the Three Dogs. He's killed countless people."
Kaizen nodded slightly, then gestured to Natsu.
Natsu stepped forward.
Bang!
His palm struck the back of Parker's neck.
Parker's eyes rolled back, and he slumped unconscious.
Kaizen stored him in the Sumas space, sealing him in the pyramid sector. He wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
...
Meanwhile, far away at Oster Manor, Oster's expression was darker than ever.
The elegant, refined air he normally projected was gone.
The atmosphere in the study was tense—frozen with rage.
"Even the Four Beasts failed?"
"He's that strong?"
"And he has space-based abilities... that means the survivor is probably with him."
"Now I have more reason than ever to eliminate him."
"Even Ravik might struggle."
"He has allies. More numbers. Greater strength. And they all know what he's capable of."
"Even I would hesitate to face Ravik's full force alone."
"At Kaizen's age? Impossible."
Oster's thoughts burned with frustration.
He had spent years building his three elite teams: the Three Dogs, the Four Beasts, and the Six Fiends.
In the past, they had helped him kill, protect, and gather intelligence.
Combined with his own power, they had made his political ascent seamless.
And now... two out of three were gone.
Destroyed by Kaizen.
The hatred Oster felt could no longer be contained.
...
At that moment, six figures were approaching the city where Kaizen was located.
A lean, white-haired young man with compact but powerful muscles.
A black-haired swordsman with a terrifyingly sharp aura, his blade sheathed at his waist.
A petite girl who smiled with sharp, cat-like fangs—clearly not normal human teeth.
A bunny-girl singer, more like a lively Heavens Arena host than a combatant.
A cold-faced youth with narrow, triangular eyes, exuding an eerie chill.
And finally, a fat, middle-aged man in a clown mask.
But this wasn't the clown of a normal circus.
This was the kind that made you think of blood-soaked nightmares.
A monster from a horror world.
...
But Oster didn't realize that, at that same moment, just outside Oster Manor...
Another group was lurking.
Eight figures, hidden in the shadows.
"Ravik's away," one woman whispered. "This is the weakest the manor's defense will ever be."
"This is our chance."
"If we're going to assassinate Oster... it has to be now."
"The fate of the Revolutionary Army... the fate of this country... it's all on us."
"We can't fail."
"Even if it costs us our lives."
The woman turned to her companions, her voice fierce with conviction.
"Get ready. We strike together."
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