The Heart-Piercing War Chariot still made its obnoxious mechanical screeching as it advanced, but Joey managed to exert some control over it—enough to avoid immediately exposing that it originated from Prince Woble's room.
As long as it reached the public area, it could act without restraint.
And those who might be alarmed along the way? Not Joey's concern.
Of course, if some idiot tried to break through the ventilation system to chase it down, Joey was fully prepared to abandon the surveillance mission on Tserriednich. He'd sever his link to the chariot and let it run amok on the ship.
His primary objective was simple: to ensure the knowledge of Nen spread among the princes.
Gaining intel on the Fourth Prince's quarters—or better yet, destroying his Guardian Beast—was a bonus. If it failed? No real loss.
Still, the chariot's appearance would likely spark some interesting conclusions from Prince Benjamin.
But Joey had a plan to address that: the Swallow he sent toward the Fourth Prince's quarters was set to self-destruct the moment it got close. A neat calling card to present before the meeting with Benjamin.
But things went better than expected.
The Heart-Piercing Chariot advanced toward the Fourth Prince's sector without incident.
What Joey worried about most wasn't the chariot being spotted, but someone emitting a heat signature higher than the Swallow's during its movement.
By day, this wouldn't be unusual.
But it was now 2 A.M., and aside from Prince Marayam's guards, who remained tense and sleepless from fear of assassination, the other quarters were in shift rotations or already resting.
No need to fear cooking fires or high thermal output.
The Beetle cameras had already mapped out the necessary rooms and their conditions.
Some guards may have noticed the chariot—but no one acted rashly.
Most people didn't have the First Prince's elite intelligence network.
Many still didn't even know the chariot existed.
Without proper intel, acting recklessly would be foolish.
As the Swallow approached Tserriednich's quarters, it once again encountered his Guardian Beast.
From behind, Joey's Beetle drone captured everything: the grotesque beast opened its mouth—its tongue had regenerated!
That tongue struck the Swallow, triggering Killer Queen's First Bomb, and then the beast devoured it whole.
But the moment the Swallow died, the chariot arrived.
From the Beetle's lens, Joey watched as the beast paused—then backed away, giving the war machine a clear path.
But in the next moment, Joey's screen blacked out.
The Hummingbird cam, trailing behind, was swallowed whole.
The last frame frozen on the screen: a mouth full of razor teeth, snapping shut.
It can phase through walls!
Joey stiffened.
Why had it ignored the chariot and gone straight for the camera?
Had it detected something?
Did it deem the war machine non-threatening?
While Joey pondered the Fourth Prince's Guardian Beast, Killer Queen appeared silently by his side.
It picked up Joey's scalpel.
With one clean slice—Joey's left hand dropped to the floor.
At that very moment, an explosion echoed faintly in his ears.
The Heart-Piercing Chariot had detonated.
Without Joey's control, whether it made sound or triggered an erasure explosion was entirely up to the chariot's "will."
Joey pocketed his phone and casually flicked a coin into his wrist.
He began constructing a replacement hand using transmuted components.
His face merely twitched with pain.
But then he noticed something odd:
The severed hand on the desk had holes in it.
The chariot was damaged? Impossible!
His eyes widened.
Even Neferpitou had barely dented it—only misaligned the treads. And now? Actual damage?
Was it the Fourth Prince's beast?
Was its ability a one-shot kill?
Or was there more?
Joey didn't disintegrate the hand just yet. He waited, ears sharp, listening to the echoes of continued explosions.
Not enough.
More people need to see the chariot in action.
Only then…
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice over the public channel.
It was Izunavi.
"Urgent announcement! This is an open channel. I'm Izunavi, a member of the Hunter Association! Unidentified Guardian Beasts have appeared in Prince Tyson's sector! Report your situation immediately!"
"Shit."
Joey's expression hardened.
Too late.
"Kurapika, what's your status?"
Kurapika's calm voice followed:
"Zone Twelve reporting in. No abnormal activity."
Then Bisky:
"Zone Thirteen—Guardian Beast detected. Situation under control for now."
No.
Something's off.
Joey raised a hand to his mouth, thumb brushing his lips.
Why had Izunavi spoken up now?
Why were Guardian Beasts in Zone Six?
What the hell's going on?
As he raced through possible answers—
A knock at the door.
"Joey? Are you asleep?"
"Coming," he called back.
He had Killer Queen cauterize the severed wrist, then used Sheer Heart Attack to safely store the detached limb in his luggage.
Straightening his clothes and ensuring his new hand moved naturally, he opened the door.
"Sorry. I dozed off."
No one believed him.
But right now, no one cared.
The emergency broadcast had stolen everyone's attention.
He and Kurapika exchanged a glance—mutual confusion.
Why had Izunavi suddenly outed his association with Kurapika and the others?
That wasn't part of the plan.
Did something major happen in Zone Six?
Explosions continued.
But then—
Guardian Beasts phased through the wall into Prince Woble's room.
Leading them?
The same grotesque beast from the ventilation shaft.
What the—!?
Even the seasoned Hunters felt a chill from the malicious aura it exuded.
Its horrific, high-heeled companion—horse-bodied, slit-mouthed—followed behind.
Then came a lizard-like tank beast, crawling in slowly.
Tyson's floating note-creature, shaped like a stick figure made of musical notes, drifted in as well.
Above them—burrowing beetles and jellyfish-shaped beasts circled overhead.
The last time beasts went wild, it was linked to the lower princes' fear.
So what triggered this time?
Joey noticed the non-Fourth beasts had formed a circle around Tserriednich's Guardian Beast.
That wasn't submission.
It was caution—perhaps even hostility.
Joey stayed calm.
But the severed hand stored in his room vanished into nothing.
Just then, the beast's neck extended sharply, angling toward the Third Prince's guard, Hasto.
A chair slammed into Hasto, knocking him away just before the beast could strike.
That wasn't Joey.
It was Slaka.
Joey had expected Hasto to die.
The beast didn't seem bothered.
Its elongated neck snaked into the security room.
Joey stood right next to it—but made no move.
He was starting to understand the beast's ability.
Something tied to time, perhaps?
If so, that would explain the complexity.
Anything involving time... was never easy to handle.
The creature scanned them all, then turned and headed toward the Thirteenth Prince's area.
Was it going to survey every zone?
How many would die in the process?
Did Izunavi's broadcast tie into this?
Joey needed solid intel.
But with Benjamin's orders to exterminate all insects, even his Beetles faced risk.
Izunavi's decisions would prove crucial.
Outside the room, the hall was in disarray.
Kurapika remained stationed by the prince's bedroom.
Shurilikov hadn't budged.
Joey saw it in his eyes: the man had observed everything.
Another detail-focused type like Kurapika.
A Conjurer, perhaps?
Or… maybe a Manipulator?
No—there was a hint of madness in him.
Joey couldn't say why, but his instincts screamed psycho.
He'd dealt with enough maniacs to know.
Manipulators, especially extreme ones, often had that aura.
Third Prince's guard Sakata joined Joey as they opened the door to check outside.
What they saw:
A sea of King's Guard soldiers surrounding Zone Six.
Body bags being carried out.
Joey's eyes locked on Izunavi, who looked back—rage and grief in his gaze.
Don't tell me...
Did Prince Tyson die?
And then he heard it—guards shackling suspects, hauling them away.
Among them?
A man in First Prince's military uniform.
Zone Six radiated pure mourning and fury.
She's really dead.
But why Tyson?
Who struck while Joey had been targeting the Fourth Prince?
The ones being dragged away—not the real culprits, clearly.
Not if Izunavi was that upset.
Wait. If Tyson died, what about that stick-figure beast I saw earlier?
Do her Guardian Beasts survive even after death?
Or… is Izunavi brainwashed by the Tyson Scriptures?
Too soon for that.
Unless… Tyson's death somehow amplified the beast's power?
Or maybe—Tyson wasn't actually dead?
But that didn't match her usual behavior.
Tyson was flashy.
When she submitted the Hunter request, she bid all the way to the final second—had to be first.
She wouldn't hide.
Her religion needed followers, and she had to be the face of it.
Then again—maybe not.
A dead martyr inspires more devotion.
If so, perhaps the body was a fake, and that's what enraged Izunavi.
Joey was still puzzling it out when—
Tyson appeared at the entrance to Zone Six.
Tears streamed down her face.
Her grief was palpable.
Then she's not the one who died.
Which meant only one possibility:
Queen Duazul, the Fourth Queen—Tyson's mother.
That explained the King's Guard response, the mourning atmosphere, and even the presence of Benjamin's soldier among the detained.
Returning to his room, Joey could only sigh.
Izunavi had played a reckless card.
Revealing his ties to Kurapika wasn't inherently bad.
But doing it now—when they were aligning with Benjamin—put him in a terrible position with Tyson's camp.
And Bisky, dragged into it too?
Not good for her role with Marayam.
With politics this sensitive, the lower princes would distrust both of them now.
Bisky had taken a hit she didn't deserve.
Still—for Joey and Kurapika, the plan remained on track.
If anything, having known allies like Bisky and Izunavi could boost their value in Benjamin's eyes.
The Fourth and Sixth Prince quarters were adjacent.
Joey could see the walls torn apart, parts of Tserriednich's room exposed.
He wasn't asleep.
Wearing casual clothes, the Fourth Prince stood beside a female bodyguard, calmly watching the chaos unfold.
Joey's trained eye saw it immediately:
Tserriednich's aura was tightly coiled.
He's learned Ten.
He's begun training in Nen.
Their eyes met.
Tserriednich scowled, said something to his guard, and retreated from view.
Joey turned and walked back as well.
Nothing else occurred the rest of the night.
Joey snatched two hours of rest, then switched shifts with Kurapika at 4 A.M.
Shurilikov was still standing there, fresh as ever.
Kurapika confirmed:
He didn't keep his En active constantly.
At 6 A.M., Prince Woble woke.
Unbothered by the previous night's chaos, she did some stretches in her room.
At 7 A.M., Joey served breakfast.
She emerged with her hair done and began knitting in the lounge.
Her Guardian Beast sat behind her, back to back, protectively cradling the pouch on its belly.
Joey saw Shurilikov's face twist when he noticed it.
That reaction… interesting.
Joey's own gaze kept drifting back to it too.
At 8 A.M., a call from the First Prince's office set a meeting time for Kurapika.
Soon after, the Fifth and Ninth Princes called as well.
The Fifth Prince's guard captain—a composed older man—was firm, but once he heard about Kurapika's meeting with Benjamin, he backed down. They'd call again at 10.
The Ninth Prince was direct.
"Do you know Nen?"
Kurapika replied:
"Yes. I can teach it. In exchange, a ceasefire with the Twelfth Prince."
"Agreed."
At 9 A.M., *Hisoka—disguised as Juan—*was returned by the King's Guard.
Kurapika prepared to leave with Shurilikov for the meeting with the First Prince.